BMW Motorsport also paid tribute to the driver, stating: “Heartbreaking news from the Nürburgring. We are shocked and deeply saddened by the fatal accident of Juha Miettinen.”
“We lost a member of the BMW racing family under tragic circumstances. Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” the statement added.
In what would prove to be his final Instagram post, shared just hours before the crash, Miettinen wrote, “Ready for the N24H Qually races. Two races in two days. The first one into the night. The second one is way too early in the morning, just so you get a taste of that Nürburgring 24H race feeling…”
The post was accompanied by a video of his car. In the comment section, followers have since paid their own tributes. “Not gone, just a lap ahead,” one person wrote. “He died doing what he loved most,” another added.
The Nurburgring Nordschleife, where the race takes place, stretches nearly 13 miles through wooded hills in Germany, featuring more than 150 corners with barriers sitting close to the track in many sections.
It is widely regarded as one of the hardest and most unforgiving circuits in the world. Formula One abandoned the track after 1976, the year reigning champion Niki Lauda suffered severe burns in a crash there.
The motorsport world now mourns the loss of a man who raced not for fame or fortune, but for the sheer love of the sport, on the very track that has defined and defied generations of drivers.