Written by Aaron Carroll, Edited by Sean McKean
The month of June was a very exciting time for endurance racing fans across the world, with three 24-hour races across five weekends.
We started off on the 1st and 2nd of June with the TotalEnergies Nürburgring 24 Hours – or rather, the seven hours of Nürburgring, as the race was red-flagged during the night due to fog causing poor visibility.
Nonetheless, the seven hours of scintillating GT3 racing we did get was worth it in the eyes of many. The #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi - driven by Christopher Mies, Frank Stippler, Ricardo Feller, and Dennis Marschall - took first place honours.
Two weeks later on the 15th and16th of June, Zinedine Zidane waved the green flag for the most competitive 24 Hours of Le Mans in history, the biggest endurance race in the world. Twenty-three Hypercars, sixteen LMP2’s and another twenty-three GT3’s competed for victory across the 24 hours.
Rain during the night caused lengthy safety cars, but the race was still highly competitive. The Ferrari #51 - driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Neilsen - proved to be the top manufacturer again at Le Mans after a close battle with Toyota at the end of the race.
Another two weeks later, we rounded out the month of June in the Ardennes for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Contested by a grid of over sixty GT3 cars, the race was closely contested between a plethora of manufacturers, but eventually the #007 Aston Martin - driven by Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim, and Marco Sørensen- took the chequered flag after 24 hours.
The three events together were dubbed the “72 Hours of June” by the online community. Fifteen drivers took on the challenge of driving all 72 hours and attempted to etch their names into the endurance racing hall of fame. Listed below are our rankings for all 15 performers in the month of June.
#15: Marco Wittmann (BMW)
Whilst Wittmann might be ranked at the bottom of the list, that doesn’t mean he didn’t do a good job. Taking on the challenge of three of the most competitive races in the world isn’t by any means easy.
Firstly came Nürburgring and the infamous Nordschleife, with each of its over 170 corners presenting a different challenge to the drivers. Wittmann drove the #98 BMW M4 GT3 and, alongside his teammates, took the car home in seventh position. It was an unremarkable race with no major ups or downs.
At Le Mans, the German racer drove the #15 BMW Hypercar, which was doing decently in the race before a collision with the #83 Ferrari during Dries Vanthoor’s stint led to their retirement.
Wittmann’s despair followed him into Spa, where the #98 BMW M4 GT3 had a mechanical issue early into the race – forcing a premature exit.
Despite the two DNFs being no fault of his own, there was little upside to Wittmann’s June.
#14: Sheldon van der Linde (BMW)
Next up we have Sheldon van der Linde, whose month didn’t start off too well at the Nürbugring. While in the battle for the win in his #99 BMW M4 GT3, he crashed with two lower classed cars – wrecking the car and the team’s chances at a win.
While his #20 BMW Hypercar did finish Le Mans, an earlier accident for one of van der Linde’s teammates meant the #20 had to pit for repairs and fall off the led lap. The team never had the pace after to get the laps lost back, thus ending up 17th at the flag.
Spa went much better for Sheldon and the #32 Team WRT crew, as they battled all race within the top three. After a late pitstop for the #998 BMW, Dries Vanthoor brought the car home in third place and a well deserved podium for the team.
Despite the Spa podium, Sheldon sits lower than others because of the Nürburgring crash. Avoiding that incident might have left the #99 in a good position to win the race; however, the Spa podium lifts the younger of the van der Linde brothers off the bottom of this list.
#13: Dennis Olsen (Ford/Porsche)
Dennis Olsen’s June was very much a rollercoaster ride. He began in Nürburgring in the Porsche 911 GT3RS (992) in the #5 car. It was a very disappointing result of 16th for the Norwegian driver, with not much action for him in the race.
At Le Mans, Olsen drove the new fan favourite Ford Mustang. Olsen and the #88 team had a very quiet incident-free race to bring the car home third in the LMGT3 class.
After a good performance for Ford at Le Mans, many hoped the Mustang would repeat in Spa. Unfortunately for Olsen, however, this proved not to be the case. The #64 Mustang came home in 19th, with not much to write home about bar the lack of pace after the excellent showing at Le Mans.
Much like Sheldon van der Linde, Olsen had a podium with two unsatisfying results, which leaves him lower. However, it is expected for Dennis and Ford to be fighting for more wins and podiums soon enough after the “breaking in” period for the new Mustang.
#12: Rafaelle Marciello (BMW)
After being enticed away from Mercedes with the promise of a Hypercar drive in WEC, Marciello’s first season with BMW hasn’t been ideal. With a few good results in some championships, there haven't been many talking points from the year.
June for Marciello wasn’t much different. Nürburgring started off decently for Rafaelle, driving the same #98 as Marco Wittmann. Marciello drove consistent stints in the race and ended up in seventh at the flag.
He once again competed alongside Wittman in the #15 Hypercar at Le Mans, unfortunately not finishing due to a crash between Dries Vanthoor and Robert Kubica.
At Spa, Marciello drove in the #46 alongside Valentino Rossi, The event didn’t get off to a strong start, with Valentino Rossi having an unusually weak stint. Despite this, however, Marciello showed some good pace in his stints, and the car led for a time during the race, before the incidents and penalties.
Despite not taking home any silverware like Olsen or van der Linde, Marciello showed good consistency and speed when he drove – especially considering that both of his worst results came at no fault of his own.
#11: Matt Campbell (Porsche)
After a very good start to the year for the Aussie, with wins at the Bathurst 12 Hours and Daytona 24 Hours, Campbell has taken a step back in terms of results, which is shown in his month of June too.
Matt drove the same #5 Porsche as Dennis Olsen at the Nürburgring and had much of a similar race: a 16th-placed result that wielded nothing much to write home about.
The Australian racer once again drove the #5 Porsche at Le Mans, but this time, Campbell swapped GT3 for Hypercar. The #5 sat in and around the top 10 for the majority of the race with good consistency. There was not too much to write home about aside from a few battles with other cars.
Spa was slightly different for the Aussie, as he drove the #92 Porsche GT3. The #92 crew drove a good race, sitting in fourth with only a few hours remaining in the race. However, after a misjudgment on Mathieu Jaminet’s stint length, the team received a penalty which dropped them down the order – eventually finishing in eighth
A string of mediocre results for Campbell leaves him 11th on the list. However, there were some good showings of pace in Le Mans and certainly in Spa. Expect Matt Campbell to be back on winning form soon – even if he wasn’t quite there in June.
#10: Klaus Bachler (Porsche)
Bachler had a strong showing at the Nürburgring to start off the month. He and the #33 Porsche crew took sixth after sitting in the low ends of the top 10 for most of the race. The #33 Black Falcon car battled with the other Black Falcon Porsche (#34) for the majority of the race. They suffered no major issues.
Le Mans was going very well for the #92 Porsche LMGT3, Bachler, and his team – fighting at the front for a while – before disaster struck in the form of a gearbox issue. They finished 14th.
At Spa, the Austrian drove the #911 Porsche. He and teammates Alexander Malykhin and Joel Sturm worked their way up the field after starting a low 30th. Coming into Sunday morning at the front of the pack, Sturm had a massive crash at Blanchimont – flipped in the gravel trap and into a retirement.
Bachler showed great speed at Le Mans and Spa before disaster hit in both races. It’s really a “what could have been” story, but that’s racing. In the end, the Austrian ends up 10th on the list.
#9: Julien Andlauer (Porsche)
Andlauer drove the same #33 Porsche at Nürburgring as Klaus Bachler and so had a very similar race – finishing sixth
The Frenchman drove the #99 Proton Porsche in Hypercar at Le Mans. Door trouble plagued the team during the race, just like it did at the Spa 6 Hours. Andlauer and the team brought the car home 16th after 24 hours.
In Spa, Julien drove the #96 Porsche home ninth. A pretty consistent race and a four-wide move in Les Combes was overall a positive for Andlauer, despite only finishing ninth.
A strong month for the former Le Mans class winner, Andlauer was pretty competitive throughout the three races and took some good results away too. Being only 24 years old means the Porsche driver will have plenty more opportunity to take some overall victories.
#8: Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes/Corvette)
At the Nürburgring, Daniel Juncadella and his Mercedes team drove a very solid race to finish just off the podium in fourth – showing some very good racecraft against other drivers as he made his way up the field. Overall, a very good showing for him in the first of the three races.
At Le Mans, Daniel swapped his Mercedes GT3 for a Corvette GT3. The #82 team had a few small issues during the race and finished 11th in the LMGT3 class. Considering the issues, it wasn’t a terrible result for the 33-year-old Spaniard.
Spa, however, didn’t go too much better for Juncadella. After running in the top 10 for most of their race, the #130 Mercedes experienced engine issues that led to an early retirement. Juncadella and the team still showed some decent pace despite the problems, but ultimately it was futile.
Daniel had the most mixed June of the 15 drivers on this list. Spa for example may have been a DNF, but they showed good speed throughout the race before the retirement, which should give them confidence moving forward.
#7: Dries Vanthoor (BMW)
One of the two Vanthoor brothers on this list, Dries had an odd start to his month when he didn’t even drive at the Nürburgring. As one of the pilots of the #99 BMW, Dries watched on from the pit garage when his teammate Sheldon van der Linde crashed out of the race early on. Since he didn’t drive in the race.
At Le Mans, he finally got his driving time behind the wheel of the #15 BMW Hypercar – although, it didn’t last very long. A crash with the #82 of Robert Kubica meant the WRT BMW received terminal damage..
After two very disappointing retirements, Spa came along to uplift Dries’ spirits. At his home race, the Belgian drove the #32 BMW GT3, and he drove it very well. Alongside Sheldon van der Linde and Charles Weerts, WRT took home third place.
Despite two DNFs, Dries showed good speed and consistency and was sure to be a high finisher in all three races if all went well. But what-ifs do not change the outcome, and he will have to settle for one podium at Spa.
#6: Maxime Martin (BMW)
At the Nürburgring, Maxime Martin drove the #98 BMW alongside Marco Wittmann and Rafaelle Marciello to seventh place. Like the other two, Max drove consistently and well to bring the car home. Outside a few battles with other cars, it was otherwise a very quiet race for the #98.
Martin drove alongside Valentino Rossi at Le Mans in the #46 BMW. The team and particularly Maxime showed brilliant pace during the race, up at the sharp end for the majority. That was until some incidents for Rossi meant the car had to retire from the lead battle.
Spa was much the same as Le Mans for Maxime, driving the same #46 BMW alongside Rossi and Marciello. Once again, Martin displayed his skill and excellent pace, having the car up in a position to fight with the leaders until mistakes from Rossi meant the car lost the lead lap and never looked like a contender again afterwards.
Maxime Martin showed some very good pace in June, especially in the final two races. However, the “racing gods” were not on his side, and he was presented with a DNF and a 24th. With a bit of luck, Martin may have topped this list.
#5: Morris Schuring (Porsche)
Prior to the month of June, not many knew the name Morris Schuring. However, come month’s end, he would emerge as one of the biggest surprises of each race and solidify himself as a familiar name in the endurance world.
Schuring didn’t get a lot of coverage at the Nürburgring, driving in the Porsche Cup 2 class and not the SP9 (GT3) class. He and his #148 Black Falcon team came home 10th in class and 30th overall after a spin into the gravel in mixed conditions for Morris’ teammate.
Le Mans was easily his strongest and most well known performance. He drove the #91 Porsche LMGT3 drove it well. The #92 was always up towards the front and would win the event in their class. Accompanied by Richard Lietz and Yasser Shahin, Schuring took to the top step of the podium in the world’s greatest endurance race.
At Spa, however, his luck changed. A crash in the night caused irreparable damage to his #92 Porsche GT3 causing a DNF for Schuring and the team.
Despite the DNF in Spa and the less-than-stellar result in a slightly less competitive class at Nürburgring, the Le Mans win and the pace he showed in all three races was impressive. With certainty, we can say the Dutchman has a long and illustrious career ahead of him.
T-#3 Laurens Vanthoor/Kevin Estre (Porsche)
It seems very hard to separate these two in 2024. They drove the majority of their endurance races together this year and did so for these three 24-hour races. There wasn’t much to separate the two – even breaking it down to individual stints – so we’ve decided to put both in third place together.
At the Nürburgring, they drove the #911 Porsche GT3 Grello car and had a very good race. They qualified the car on the front row, and inherited the lead from the pole-sitting BMW, as they pitted for being on the wrong tyres in mixed conditions at the start. Both drivers drove excellently during the race, always being in and around the top five. Vanthoor drove a crazy stint on slicks in the rain and, despite losing track position, showed excellent car control and skill.
As fog descended over the track and the red flag flew, they found themselves in second. A well deserved podium, but it could have been more had it gone to full distance
Both drivers went into Le Mans confident in their #6 Porsche Hypercar. Estre qualified the car on pole, and they were always there in the lead battle. However, Ferrari and Toyota proved too quick, and the #6 ended up just one second off the podium in fourth. Vanthoor also notably drove for almost 12 hours in the race.
Heading into Spa, spirits were high, but the results didn’t reflect that. The #992 Porsche struggled all week, and Estre, Vanthoor and the third driver Patrick Pilet all complained about how it handled. Porsche and HubAuto decided to conduct a complete rebuild of the car, but this effort proved futile. In the race, Patrick Pilet experienced a suspension failure causing the car to crash out of the race. Vanthoor and Estre finished an already horrid weekend with a DNF.
While they had a horrendous time in Spa, Nürburgring and Le Mans went very well for the two, which is why they’re so high up on the list. Splitting Estre and Laurens Vanthoor was very difficult. Kevin may have put it on pole at Le Mans, but Vanthoor drove for a bit under 12 hours in the race. They simply cannot be separated.
#2: Christopher Mies (Audi/Ford)
Christopher Mies started off his month the right way with a win for the #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi team at the Nürburgring. He and his three teammates drove extremely well with no mistakes that paid off with a victory.
Mies drove the #88 Ford Mustang at Le Mans and brought the car home in fourth place, second-best of the two Fords. Consistent driving and no major issues gave Chris a good result and high hopes to take into the final 24-hour race.
Spa wasn’t the best race for Ford unfortunately. Mies drove the same #64 as Dennis Olsen – finishing 19th in an overall unremarkable race for Ford and Mies. This result is especially sour considering the pace and promise Mies showed in the first two races.
The win and fourth in Nürburgring and Le Mans respectively did the majority of the work for getting Mies up this high on the list. The one “bad” result he had was still a classified finish in the top 20 which wasn’t the worst of results.
#1: Augusto Farfus (BMW)
The Nürburgring was an interesting race for Farfus, as he entered the race driving both the #98 and #99 ROWE Racing BMW’s. During the race, he had a chance to drive both as expected and drove both cars well. Unfortunately for one half of his race, however, Sheldon van der Linde crashed the #99 car early after Farfus had a brilliant start in that car, leaving it in a very good position and battling for the lead with #911 Porsche.
Farfus then was able to put his sole focus on the #98, and they ended up in seventh position by the end of the race.
At Le Mans, the Brazilian drove the #31 BMW in LMGT3 and had a very good race. The car was always in the lead battle and eventually came home second in class with the pace to win, but just simply running out of time at the end of the race. However, second was still a good result for the Brazilian and BMW.
Spa was much the same as the other two, in a competitive car and drove quite well. For this particular race Farfus was aboard the #998 ROWE Racing BMW, which led for a time and was set for a podium until the need for a pitstop just a couple of laps before the end meant the #998 would drop to sixth. Despite the miscalculation at the end, Farfus drove well and would have fully deserved the podium at the end of the race.
Farfus may not have a win like Schuring or Mies, but he drove exceptionally in all three races and had good results. The seventh at the Nürburgring may not have been the best, but the sister car that retired had race winning pace. Either way, taking all three races into account, Augusto Farfus was definitely the best driver.
While it is still a ranking, this list is obviously opinionated and shouldn’t be taken for complete fact. Simply doing all three 24-hour races is an achievement in itself and we have immense respect for each driver who took on the challenge. All the drivers are great in their own way, and if one did each of these races 100 times over, each result would be different and completely different drivers would be at the top of the list.
That is what’s great about endurance racing: the parity. Each race has a different driver in a different car at the front, there’s no one manufacturer or team dominating.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season pans out for each of these drivers, whether they can ride their highs or dig themselves out of a low. Either way, expect them to be back again next year when these three great races all happen in three weeks. Until then, we can just sit back and enjoy the action.
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