Aşarı Earns Nürburgring Gold Permit

Turkish driver Emir Aşarı finished second in the qualifying race held on 14 April as preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Racing with the backing of Dorock XL and Eska Valve, Aşarı drove at night for the first time alongside team-mates Yannick Mettler, Christian Andreas Franz and Oliver Frisse. By completing the night-time running on the long configuration of the circuit, Aşarı earned the "Nürburgring Gold Permit", leaving no remaining obstacle to entering the 24 Hours. The BMW 325i that the team plans to use throughout the season suffered an engine failure in last weekend's VLN2 race, which forced the crew to contest this race – and therefore the Nürburgring 24 Hours too – in Sorg Rennsport's former car.

After the race, Aşarı said: "The engine in the white 325i we were using has been replaced, but it wasn't ready to race yet. So the team decided to use the 325i Coupe. This car is 5-6 seconds a lap slower than the other one, but because it has a more balanced chassis it won't be a problem in a 24-hour endurance race. We managed to pass three cars competing in a higher class and built a gap of around four minutes to the team behind us. I also broke my own lap record during the race, but the team didn't want me to push the car any harder in order to preserve it for the main event. Because I had to take part in this race, I unfortunately had to miss the Champion of Champions event in Turkey, but it was a real honour to be invited."
The Nürburgring 24 Hours, one of the most important endurance races in the motorsport world, will take place on the Nordschleife on 12-13 May.