Max and Van Buren win exciting 3-hour simrace on Nordschleife circuit
Published on 16 December 2023 by Florence Cobben
Max Verstappen and teammate Rudy van Buren have won the 3-hour virtual Nordschleife race in the Digitale Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The duo, representing Team Redline, managed to stay ahead of AMG Team MSI's #49-car in an exciting race featuring intense battles. AMG Team Williams' #5-car completed the podium.
Max, from his apartment in Monaco, takes the wheel at the start of the simrace. The race is held on the 20,8 kilometer Nordschleife circuit, also known as “the green hell”. The demanding track ribbons through the German forest and features no fewer than 73 turns and a lap time of nearly eight minutes.
Max has a clean start and secures second place, while behind him a few competitors spin. The Sontek Racing #22-Lamborghini takes the lead, but a penalty sets the team back, placing Max in the lead after 26 minutes of racing. AMG Team MSI then follows behind with a five seconds gap.
Just before his second pit stop, Max sets the fastest lap time (1:54.671). Departing from the pit lane, the Dutchman remains narrowly ahead of the #49 car with Kevin Ellis Jr. at the wheel. The Mercedes is fast and passes Team Redline’s Ferrari 296 GT3 with one hour to go. Max follows, keeping his car within a one-second gap. With seventeen minutes left on the clock Team Redline pits. Max passes the baton to his teammate, and Van Buren comes out of the pit lane with a 2.5 second lead.
The lead, however, closes quickly and car traffic is unfavorable; Van Buren must go the distance to keep Ellis Jr. behind him. The #49-Mercedes is driving front-to-bumper with the Team Redline #50 and in the fierce battle there is even some light rear-end collision.
With ten minutes on the clock, the game of musical chairs begins. Ellis Jr. manages to outpace Van Buren, but the latter recaptures the lead almost as quickly. With a lap and a half to go, Ellis Jr. is once again past Van Buren, but the end is not yet in sight. Van Buren makes his move and places his car ahead of Ellis Jr. when the two drivers hit one another, causing the #49-Mercedes to spin.
With that the battle is decided and Van Buren and Verstappen clinch a victory for Team Redline. They cross the line with a four-second lead over Ellis Jr. and Elias Sepannen in the AMG Team MSI car.
Results 3-hour race Digital Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie on the Nordschleife:
