The ADAC 24h Qualifiers offer fans a truly intense preview of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring on Ascension Day weekend from April 17–19. The provisional entry list features 132 cars, with 37 GT3 cars alone competing in the top SP9 class. The most prominent driver of the weekend is once again four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who will be driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 and aims to use the weekend’s two four-hour races to intensively prepare for the season’s highlight on the Nordschleife—the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from May 14–17. The Dutchman will face extremely strong competition, as the elite of the world’s best GT3 teams are expected at the Ring. After all, the 24h Prologue offers the final opportunity to gather data and put the race cars through their paces. The weekend will also bring the first decisive moments. That’s because, as part of the 24h Qualifiers, some starting positions for the 24h Top Qualifying will be awarded—another reason why teams must not only “test” here but also deliver. Anyone who doesn’t want to miss this motorsport spectacle can secure a ticket starting at 10 euros (Friday trial ticket, weekend ticket: 45 euros).

After the first NLS race of 2026 was canceled due to weather, the second race was all about Formula 1 star Max Verstappen. With intense battles and top lap times, the Dutchman demonstrated just how seriously he takes the Nordschleife challenge and how diligently he is preparing for his debut at the 24h Nürburgring. Together with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, he was even waved off as the winner, but the team had to be removed from the standings because more tire sets were used than the regulations allow. At NLS3, one week before the 24h Qualifiers, three experienced 24h teams dominated the action. Schubert BMW took the win ahead of the traditional Porsche team Manthey and a Ford Mustang from HRT. Winning driver Philipp Eng raved afterward about the “very high quality” of the field. “That was my first race on the Nordschleife in two years. The fact that we were able to win right away was pretty cool,” the Austrian said happily.

In the 24h Qualifiers, Belgians Charles Weerts and Ugo de Wilde will be in the Schubert cockpit and will once again face off against the Manthey Porsche. Reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, in the cockpit of the bright yellow 911, confirmed the winner’s impression: “I think the competition is particularly strong this year. It wasn’t easy to pass some of the drivers and cars.” He knows exactly what he’s talking about: After bad luck in qualifying, he had to fight his way through the field from 16th place in the race. “Sometimes you have to wait 20 km before you can fight your way past the next competitor,” he explained after the race, which, however, wasn’t primarily about the result: “The top priority was to collect data and run a good test without taking too many risks,” said Güven.

GT3 Summit in SP9: Nine Brands and Prominent Names
In the highly competitive starting field, a glance at the top SP9 class is almost enough to understand why the 24h Qualifiers have such strong appeal: The entry list features GT3s from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, and Porsche—making the leading group as diverse as possible. Verstappen isn’t the only star name in the mix: With Thomas Preining (2023 DTM Champion) and Mirko Bortolotti (2024 DTM Champion), two influential DTM title holders from the recent past are represented in the field. The SP-X class also makes its mark: Four cars are entered, including two HWA Evo R—visually a cult-classic nod to the legendary DTM Mercedes 190 Evo and thus one of the fans’ favorite photo opportunities. Speaking of cult status: The BMW M3 Touring 24h will also be on the starting grid—the station wagon with GT3 technology under the hood and an excellent driver lineup has also won the hearts of many fans.

Strong Lineup: GT4, Cup Classes, and Production-Based Duels Provide Exciting Action
The quality of the starting grid at the 24h Qualifiers extends beyond the top tier. Eleven cars from four manufacturers are entered in SP10 (SRO-GT4). Here, highly attractive vehicles—the BMW M4 GT4, Mercedes-AMG GT4, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, and Toyota GR Supra GT4—will battle it out. And since valuable points for the NLS are also at stake in the weekend’s two races, the Cup classes are well-represented as well. This applies, for example, to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) and 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport from the Porsche Endurance Trophy, which are known for close battles and exciting races. In the production car category, it’s the entrants in the two “smaller” VT2 categories that will be making waves—nine vehicles each with front-wheel or all-wheel drive (VT2 Front) and rear-wheel drive (VT2 Rear) are entered here. For many, these cars embody the true spirit of the 24 Hours and are the heart and soul of the colorful, multi-class field on the Nordschleife. Ten entries have been submitted for the BMW M240i class, making it the strongest of the three single-make racing classes for the Munich-based touring cars.

It’s shaping up to be a classic 24 Hours: two races and a historic premiere
The race weekend kicks off as early as Friday afternoon with test and setup runs for the 24h Qualifiers. In the afternoon, qualifying for the DHLM will follow, marking its first appearance on the racetrack: The series succeeds the previous 24h Classic race at the 24h and has evolved over the winter into a true historic championship, with the official title of German Historic Endurance Champion at stake. 108 teams have entered this first race, which will provide three hours of action starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday morning. This is the perfect warm-up for the first of the two four-hour races that form the sporting highlight of the weekend. Counting as NLS Races four and five, the focus is naturally on intensive preparation for the 24-hour race. This includes the opportunity to drive into the twilight in the first heat on Saturday (starting at 5:30 p.m.). Race 2 on Sunday (starting at 1:00 p.m.) will be preceded by a top qualifying session, where the battle for pole position will be decided in individual time trials. In addition, 90-minute qualifying sessions are scheduled each morning (Saturday starting at 8:30 a.m., Sunday starting at 8:15 a.m.). Tickets are available in advance; the trial ticket for Friday is available for 10.00 euros, and the weekend ticket (Friday through Sunday) is 45.00 euros.