After almost two years away, EFP:racing by TECE returned to the legendary Nordschleife last weekend as part of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, completing a successful test ahead of the 24h Race at the end of May.

Elia Erhart, Pierre Kaffer, Arno Klasen, and Michael Heimrich, competing together for the first time in this lineup, brought the No. 11 Audi R8 GT3 Evo II of équipe vitesse safely through both three-hour races, finishing 16th and 23rd overall in a highly competitive field. In the Pro-Am category, the driver quartet achieved sixth and ninth places.

“It was a great feeling to be back on the Nordschleife—there is simply no other track in the world like it. It’s truly unique. We’re very satisfied with our performance in the qualifiers. It was a successful test session that made us look forward even more to the 24h Race. Many thanks to our new operations team at équipe vitesse. From the beginning, we felt very welcomed and are already looking forward to continuing our collaboration,” said Erhart and Kaffer.

The qualifiers gave the EFP:racing by TECE drivers the ideal opportunity to reacclimate to the Nürburgring Nordschleife and collect valuable data with Audi’s new Evo II package. While testing and setup were the main focus, the équipe vitesse team still managed to taste early success over the weekend. After Friday’s qualifying sessions, the team was initially among the top 30 in the overall standings. However, they were unable to secure a place in the Top-30 qualifying shootout due to a subsequent penalty.

“Of course, it was a shame to lose our fastest lap because of a minor pit lane speed infraction—exceeding by just 4 km/h—and thus starting only from 32nd place. But better that it happened now in the dress rehearsal than in three weeks at the 24h Race,” the drivers agreed.

In Saturday’s 3-hour race, Erhart, Kaffer, and Klasen delivered a clean performance, moving up to 23rd overall—placing them well in the Pro-Am category.

“We definitely could have climbed higher, but a tyre issue early in the race cost us valuable time. However, the most important thing was completing the distance without further issues and successfully logging kilometres in the Green Hell.”

In the second 3-hour race on Sunday, Erhart, Kaffer, and Heimrich brought the No. 11 Audi R8 GT3 Evo II home in 16th place overall. Kaffer had earlier placed the car 25th on the grid—a top-quintile result in such a strong field. A finish that surpassed expectations for the qualifying event.

“The field this year is extremely competitive, so 16th place is definitely a result we’re happy with. We also finished sixth in the Pro-Am category, which is very respectable. Now we’re all looking forward to the 24h Race together.”

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