In Pictures: the Nürburgring 24 Hours 2011

Feature
The notoriously fickle Eifel weather meant there was plenty of rain [Photo: Martin Spain]

Drive Cult's crack photography squad, Martin Spain and Chris Ratcliff, present their favourite photographs from the race.

The German fans camp out in style at Breidscheid [Photo: Martin Spain]
The Oldtimer race was very wet, so drivers took extra care through the Karussel [Photo: Martin Spain]
It's not easy to shelter from the rain in the Nürburgring paddock [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
The pit straight is opened for fans to see the drivers and the cars ahead of the start of the Nürburgring 24 Hours [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
The polesitting Farnbacher Ferrari 458 is swamped by a brace of Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 cars at the start of the race [Photo:Chris Ratcliff]
The #53 Continental Artega GT ran strongly throughout the race to finish 70th overall [Photo: Martin Spain]
The Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline R8 LMS ran well before electrical problems struck the car [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
The marshalls allow the fans to get up close to the cars on the parade lap, making pictures like this possible [Photo: Martin Spain]
The frowning, dragon-like rear of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato "Zig", braking for Aremberg [Photo: Martin Spain]
Jim Glickenhaus's prototype P4/5 Competitzione, at speed during qualifying for the N24 [Photo: Martin Spain]
The #14 Audi R8 LMS is pushed out of the pits early on Sunday morning after a splitter change [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
The Gazoo Racing Lexus LFA leaves the pitlane at night, on its way to an eventual 41st place overall [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
A tribute to Hiromu Naruse inside the Gazoo Racing garage. Hiromu was an LF-A test driver and driver coach for the race team, and was killed in a road accident earlier this year. [Photo:Chris Ratcliff]
The #51 Kremer Porsche wears the scars of battle early on Sunday morning as it crosses the bridge at Breidscheid [Photo: Martin Spain]
Zagato vs. LFA through the trees on Sunday afternoon
[Photo: Martin Spain]
The track curves through the forest as the P4/5C hits traffic
[Photo: Martin Spain]
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus's P4/5 Competitzione catches air at Pflanzgarten [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]
The winning Manthey Porsche GT3 RSR, covered in champagne in the pitlane [Photo: Martin Spain]
After 24 hours of racing, the cars are lined up in parc ferme on the old pit straight [Photo: Chris Ratcliff]

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