Pippa Mann showcases podium potential, Battles to Sixth in Class at 24H of the Nurburgring with Breakell Racing
- RACERS
- Jun 26
- 4 min read
Pippa Mann and her Breakell Racing teammates were strong contenders in the fiercely competitive Cup 3 class at the 2025 ADAC Ravenol Nürburgring 24 Hours, holding a podium position through the halfway mark of the endurance classic before late-race setbacks saw them finish sixth in class, with Mann running some of her best stints ever at the Green Hell.
Pippa Mann and her teammates Martin Rich, Alvaro Fontes, and Guillermo Aso were strong contenders in the fiercely competitive Cup 3 class at the 2025 ADAC Ravenol Nürburgring 24 Hours, holding a podium position through the halfway mark of the endurance classic before late-race setbacks saw them finish sixth in class.
Driving the #932 Breakell Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the crew delivered a determined performance around the daunting Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The race marked Mann’s fifth appearance at the legendary 24-hour race through the Eifel mountains, but her first driving a Cayman GT4 on the Green Hell and debut with the UK-based Breakell Racing team. In a packed field of over 140 entries, the competitive Cup 3 class featured 12 Porsche Caymans on Michelin tyres, all closely matched in performance. Two more female drivers competed in the class, Desirée Müller in the the #977 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 by Wiesmann SHK, and SRS Team Sorg Rennsport’s Anna Lena Binkowska in the #979 machine.
The road to race day began on Thursday with the first qualifying sessions under clear skies and uncommonly warm conditions. Mann began the session and despite numerous Code 60 slow zones, she gained valuable experience and completed her required laps before handing over to her teammates. The team ended the opening session in eighth place in class, with a 9:34.274 time.
That evening, Mann returned to the car for the second qualifying session, held after nightfall. She used the opportunity to familiarize herself with her night-time conditions while continuing to build confidence. On Friday afternoon, Mann was back in the cockpit for the third and final qualifying session, where the team also tested some setup changes.
Running on used tyres, Mann managed a clean lap of the Nordschleife free of slow zones and improved the team’s time to a 9:24.019 with 30 minutes left on the clock: the #932 Porsche would start sixth in class on the grid.
Ahead of Saturday’s main event, the team opted to rotate all drivers in single stints throughout the race to mitigate the impact of rising cockpit temperatures. Fontes, with previous Nürburgring start experience, would take the green flag.
In front of a crowd of over 280,000 fans, Fontes navigated a clean start despite multiple Code 60 zones early on. He completed his stint in ninth position in Cup 3. Pippa Mann was next in the car, but completed only her out-lap before a major power outage halted the race. A short circuit caused by a broken cooling unit disabled power across the pit lane, including the timing system.
Once repairs were completed, the field resumed under safety car conditions shortly before 8:00 PM.
With the race back underway, Mann - with a topped off car for a full stint - avoided two cars making contact at Turn 1 and quickly set about making progress. She executed several decisive overtakes—one coming out of Flugplatz, another on the climb into Schwedenkreuz, and a third at Metzgesfeld—working her way into fifth in class.
She then made further ground coming off the Karussel, setting up a clean move into Hohe Acht. By the end of her stint, the #932 Cayman was fourth-fastest in class, a benchmark that would remain unbeaten by many throughout the race.
Trapped briefly behind two TCR-class VW Golf GTIs and chased by an Aston Martin GT4, Mann navigated through traffic patiently and cleanly. Soon, she was dealing with GT3 traffic; despite the added pressure, she maintained the team’s strong position with minimal time loss.
The team steadily climbed through the order, gaining spots both overall and in class. Mann returned for her second stint around 1:30 AM, with the #932 cycling between second and third in Cup 3. With six cars still on the lead lap, her task was to drive clean and fast while navigating traffic and slow zones.
On the two laps without any slow zones during the stint, Mann delivered her best nighttime performances to date and was among the fastest in class: with an inspired performance, the team looked increasingly locked into podium contention.
As the sun rose, only four Cup 3 cars remained on the lead lap, and the Breakell Racing entry had broken into the top 50 overall. Unfortunately, their fortunes changed when one of Mann’s teammates suffered an incident that forced the car into the garage for a radiator change. Though the team quickly made repairs and rejoined the race, they had lost valuable laps and dropped to sixth in class—but still held second place in the Bronze/Silver subclass.
Trouble struck again when another off-track moment left the car stranded near the famous Karussell corner. To avoid a non-classification due to not taking the checkered flag, crew members hiked through the forest to reach the stricken car and work with marshals to return it to the pits. Against the clock, the mechanics brought the car back to life and got it back on track with just one hour to go.
In a final twist of endurance racing drama, a competitor ahead suffered terminal damage, allowing the Breakell Racing Porsche to climb back to sixth in class. The team also retained second in their subclass for line-ups composed of Bronze and Silver-rated drivers.
Despite the late setbacks, Mann and her teammates completed a heroic race effort, making a remarkable recovery to finish sixth in a competitive Cup 3 class, with Shift Up Now athlete Pippa Mann running some of her best stints to date at the Green Hell.
