– In the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), there is no time to catch your breath: Only one week after the third race, races four and five of this season are already on the schedule with the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (April 17 to 19). (This is what the weather will be like at the Nürburgring!)
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The prologue to the 24h Nürburgring, where some starting positions for the top qualifying of the 24h race are awarded, counts for the third consecutive time towards the scoring of the traditional Nordschleife championship. Long-time NLS drivers are moving up to the highest category, and there are also some new developments in the midfield.
The provisional entry list includes 132 vehicles, with 37 GT3 cars starting in the top class SP9 alone. Additionally, the BMW M3 Touring 24h is competing in the SP-X class. In the participant list (overview here), one name stands out again, promising international attention: Max Verstappen.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion, who was disqualified after the overall win at the second race of the year, returns to the legendary Nordschleife of the Nürburgring after a race break. This time, he shares the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing with Lucas Auer.
Among the debutants in SP9 for races four and five are the BMW Z4 GT3 from naturally aspirated engines, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from SR Motorsport, a McLaren 720S GT3 from Dörr Motorsport, as well as three Porsche 911 GT3 R cars fielded by Lionspeed, High Class Racing, and Mühlner Motorsport.
At NLS3, just one week before the 24h Qualifiers, three experienced 24h teams dominated the action: Schubert BMW took the win ahead of the Porsche traditional team Manthey and a Ford Mustang from HRT. Winning driver Philipp Eng later praised the “very high quality” in the field.
“That was my first race on the Nordschleife in two years. That we could win right away was pretty cool,” Eng exclaimed. At the 24h Qualifiers, Belgians Charles Weerts and Ugo de Wilde will sit in the Schubert cockpit and then face off again against the Manthey Porsche, which took second place at NLS3.
But Verstappen is not the only name with star power: With Thomas Preining (DTM Champion 2023) and Mirko Bortolotti (DTM Champion 2024), two influential recent DTM titleholders are represented in the field. The HWA Evo R, a cult homage to the legendary DTM Mercedes 190 Evo, is also back in the lineup.
Long-time NLS veterans celebrate GT3 debut
Two long-time NLS drivers are making their GT3 debut at the Qualifiers: Maik Rönnefarth and Tobias Wahl. Together with Maxime Dumarey and Marek Böckmann, they share driving duties in the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. “I am in my eleventh year in the NLS and have driven GT4 for ten years, so moving up to the GT3 class is now a logical consequence,” says Wahl.
“Last year I had a lot of bad luck and couldn’t win the title together with Nick Wüstenhaben and Ranko Mijatovic because I suffered a clavicle fracture. Now I am all the more excited about the adventure with PROsport. The Aston Martin felt very good to me from the start during testing.”
“I was surprised how good the feedback is that you feel as a driver. You can drive much more precisely and accurately with it, and the aerodynamics are fantastic. I was able to drive an 8:11 minute lap quite quickly. Still, there is room for improvement, and I am really looking forward to my first race outing.”
Christoph Breuer is honored greatly. The graduate of the VLN Honda Junior Team 2006 and long-time head of the Road Cars division at Manthey has been racing in the NLS for years, since 2024 in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II from Renazzo Motorsport alongside the Thai drift champion Kiki Sak Nana.
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At the Qualifiers, Breuer will now take a seat for the first time in the legendary Grello, the Porsche 911 GT3 from Manthey. “Frankly, a driver was still needed because Thomas is not allowed to race alone,” says Breuer.
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“Personally, a very big dream is coming true for me. If someone had told me this five years ago, I would have just waved it off. I have always wondered what it is like to drive Grello – now I have the chance to experience it myself. For me, this is a huge honor and I have great respect for it.”
“The team puts a lot of heart into this project – from the mechanic to the engineer and all the other employees up to the top management level. My task is clearly defined: Don’t break anything. But I am at an age where my ego allows that.”
This year’s racing debut will be made by Smudo from the “Fantastischen Vier”. The rapper shares the cockpit of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with his longtime companion Tom von Löwis and Henrik Bollerselv from Denmark. The vehicle is, as usual, starting in the AT class and demonstrates that motorsport can also be sustainable.
“We are looking forward to kicking off this season at the 24h Qualifiers. They are a benchmark. Every lap counts, and we are ready to show what is possible with our sustainable technologies,” says Smudo, who is a well-known figure on the Nordschleife.
In the midfield, three vehicles from Asia are making their debut: Subaru Tecnica International is bringing the Subaru WRX in the SP4T class as usual. In the same class, two Elantra N1 RP cars from Hyundai Motorsport N are competing.
How the Qualifiers differ from the other NLS races
While the NLS race days follow a familiar rhythm, the 24h Qualifiers use an independent format. Perhaps the biggest difference is the track variant. As with the 24h race, the AMG Arena is omitted.
In return, the Müllenbachschleife is part of the course, increasing the track length to 25.378 kilometers. The longer distance per lap means that the teams’ strategies at the 24h Qualifiers may need to be adjusted.
The schedule on Saturday is also unusual for an NLS race: While qualifying takes place as usual between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m., the race starts only at 5:30 p.m. and runs into dusk. During the break between qualifying and the race, the first round of the German Historic Endurance Championship (DHLM) takes place. The race starts at 12:00 p.m. and lasts three hours.
On Sunday, a top qualifying session takes place once a year in the NLS. After qualifying (8:15 to 9:45 a.m.), the top qualifying starts at 10:40 a.m. Here, the top vehicles go on track individually and compete for the starting positions. The second four-hour race then starts at 1:00 p.m.
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Tickets for Friday are already available for 10 euros. Race days are available from 27 euros each, weekend tickets start at 45 euros. Spectators who are not on site can follow the race via livestream as usual on the NLS YouTube channel. The stream starts on Saturday at 8:10 a.m., on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
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