Is there is a more complicated procedure anywhere on Earth than qualifying for the Nurburgring 24? No, there isn't. First, more or less, many of the cars are given various weight, power, or aerodynamic penalties under a Balance of Performance formula that maybe even the race organizers don't understand. Then there are numerous qualifying sessions for the first 50 cars, followed by the same thing for the more than 100 other cars after that. So Thursday was Qualifying 1 and 2 for cars 51 through 161, Friday was Top Qualifying 1 and Top Qualifying 2 for the top 50 cars, followed by Qualifying 2 and Top Qualifying 3. In each qualifying session each driver must do two hot laps - and each team has four drivers. If there's a crash resulting in what's called a Code 60 Zone, what we might call a yellow, then whoever was on track is just out of luck.And then it rains.Marco Mapelli, in the Red Bull Team ABT Huracan GT3 EVO2, qualified second.Regardless, the grid for the start of Saturday's 54th running of the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring will see an all-Lamborghini front row, after Red Bull Team ABT driver Luca Engstler laid down an 8:11.123 at 186.024 kph (115 mph) in his Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 to take the pole. Next to him, 0.345 sec. back is teammate Marco Mapelli. “That was exhausting, the conditions weren’t exactly easy,” said Engstler. “We’d initially thought we’d be driving on dry-wet tires, then it was a cut-and-dried slick, and in the end a slick after all. It was a ride on a razor’s edge, but that’s exactly what the Nordschleife is all about.”In the second row is Christopher Haase in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II who laid down an 8:11.984. In fourth place, also in the second row, is Max Verstappen, the whole reason you've read down this far, in the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, who managed an 8:12.005 185.691 kph for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.Verstappen demonstrates the art of racing in the rain.Verstappen, who already faces a 35-kilo (77-pound) BoP weight penalty, was held up by a Code 60 zone around an accident site earlier. After that was lifted, events unfolded rapidly as all drivers suddenly had time for one more fast lap. And that was just qualifying. Imagine scoring the race for all 161 entries for a full 24 hours. Nonetheless, enthusiasm is high in the Eifel mountains and the event is sold out for Saturday's start at 3:00 Central European time, 9:00 AM on the East Coast and 6:00 am Pacific Standard Time. You can watch all the action for the entire 24 hours on YouTube. Or you can get up even earlier to see the many support races that go all day Sautrday starting at 4:00 am EST/1:00 am PST. Check it out!