BES: McLaren wins Nurburgring finale, Nissan takes title

The Von Ryan Racing McLaren of Kevin Estre, Rob Bell and Shane van Gisbergen (LEFT) won the Blancpain Endurance Series finale at the Nurburgring as Nissan's Alex Buncombe, Katsumasa Chiyo and Wolfgang Reip claimed the title (ABOVE)

Using an off-schedule pit strategy, Estre assumed the lead of the race in the final hour when the leading cars were forced to pit under a safety car and cruised home to secure a second win of the season. Buncombe, meanwhile, succumbed to late pressure from Steven Kane but was able to hold off Laurens Vanthoor for the final podium position in the closing laps to seal the championship by three points.

Craig Dolby squeezed his Nissan GT-R Nismo up the inside of Adrian Zaugg's Lamborghini at Turn 1 at the start of the race, as Chiyo made a tentative start and slotted into fourth after receiving a tap.

Dolby raced off into the distance as a queue began to form behind Zaugg, but the pack closed up when the safety car made its first appearance to cover the recovery of Garry Kondakov's Ferrari 458.

Dolby held the lead until his pit stop, but having handed the reigns over to Sean Walkinshaw the Nissan GT-R dropped down the order to a net fourth, with Chiyo perfecting his in-lap and handover to allow Reip to emerge in the lead of the race.

A strong stint from Reip saw him build a healthy lead at the front but, just like Dolby's earlier, that advantage was wiped out with the deployment of a second safety car when Harold Primat – making the final appearance of his racing career – was punted off by Stef Dusseldorp.

With Estre having earlier jumped into the car at his team's second pit stop, he wound up third when those in front pitted, and that became first when Maxime Soulet and Yelmer Buurman served their stops, allowing him to ease home in the final hour to win by 14.183 seconds.

Having been frustrated for a number of laps, Kane finally found a way past Buncombe in the closing stages when he tapped the GT-R driver through the Arena section, but his time ahead was short-lived as he was promptly ordered to hand the position back.

He made a move stick in the final ten minutes after sneaking up the inside of Buncombe along the pit straight, but it came too late for him to offer a challenge to Estre as he and Bentley co-drivers Guy Smith and Andy Meyrick also fell short in the drivers' championship.

Buncombe clung on to third ahead of a charging Vanthoor as Nissan GT Academy Team RJN also secured the teams' title.

Pro-Am honors went to the Emile Frey Racing Jaguar of Lorenz Frey, Gabriele Gardel and Fredy Barth, with Gardel narrowly holding off the AF Corse Ferrari of Cedric Sbirrazuoli.

Originally on Autosport.com