Nico Otto and Timo Hochwind make history: In the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 24h fielded by Max Kruse Racing, the duo claimed the first overall victory for a vehicle powered by alternative fuel at the NLS-Light premiere – and the first ever for Volkswagen in the 49-year history of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Second place went to the father-son team of Philipp and Richard Gresek in the BMW M4 GT4 from Plusline Motorsport. The podium was completed by Kazuto Kotaka and Miki Koyama, who brought the Toyota Supra GT4 from Toyo Tires with Ring Racing home in third.
“Congratulations to Max Kruse Racing and Volkswagen on the first win by a vehicle with alternative fuel,” praised NLS Sporting Director Christian Vormann. The team from Duisburg runs the four-cylinder turbo engine on an E20 gasoline blend from Shell. “This is an important signal – not just for the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, but for grassroots motorsport as a whole. As a platform for sustainable development, we will continue to drive this topic forward.”
Final-minute showdown
The final phase of the four-hour race was not for the faint of heart. For much of the race, pole-sitters Benjamin Leuchter and Heiko Hammel looked like the sure winners. But just 15 minutes before the finish, onboard voltage issues struck, and the gearbox could no longer be shifted. Victory instead went to their teammates at Max Kruse Racing, who had been saving fuel throughout and managed the race with one fewer stop. “I still can’t quite believe it,” said Hochwind, who drove the final stint. “A big thanks to Volkswagen and the entire team. The car was perfect today, everything worked flawlessly. It’s a shame about the sister car’s retirement.” Otto added, “We focused on fuel-saving and staying clean. Still, we always remained within striking distance of the lead. In the end, that strategy really paid off. It’s an incredible feeling to stand on top of the podium with a Golf.”
The Plusline BMW was able to match Leuchter’s pace during the opening stint. Before the final pit stop, Philipp Gresek even briefly took the lead. Over the race distance, however, the duo had little to counter the fast Golf but held a firm grip on the podium. “A real shame for Max Kruse Racing that their lead car retired,” said the younger Gresek, showing true sportsmanship. “We had a race full of ups and downs. But to win our class and finish second overall is just fantastic.” His father Richard added: “An indescribable feeling. A perfect day with perfect vibes – it doesn’t get better.” He echoed the mood of many NLS-Light participants, as the paddock saw plenty of happy faces under the bright summer sun.
The battle for third was also decided in the final minutes. Carrie Schreiner and Janina Schall in the BMW M4 GT4 of GITI Tire Motorsport by WS Racing were penalized 35+11 seconds for falling short of the minimum pit stop time during their final stop. The penalty handed third place to the Japanese duo. “We had strong pace, avoided penalties, and the car ran perfectly,” said Kotaka. “Thanks to the entire Ring Racing crew. I’m overjoyed.”
Despite narrowly missing the podium, the all-female ‘Girls Only – Ready to rock the Green Hell’ team still celebrated their best result of the season with fourth place. Another reason for WS Racing to celebrate came courtesy of Fabian Pirrone, Jan Ullrich, and Ulf Steffens, who claimed their first class win ever in the BMW M240i Racing Cup class. The trio benefited from the misfortune of the Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels crew – Timis Ionuc, Will Hunt, and Michelangelo Coazzi – whose final-stint driver first took the lead on the Döttinger Höhe, only to miss his braking point in the last chicane and hit the barriers.
Strong showing for Schmickler Performance
Victory in the Cup 3 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring went to Schmickler Performance powered by Ravenol. Stefan Schmickler and Horst Baumann edged out the asBest Racing duo Kim Berwanger and Christian Kohlhaas. Baumann, who celebrated his 61st birthday on Friday, impressed race control and track announcers alike with some great moves – earning him the ‘Driver of the Race’ title, awarded by the ILN (Interessengemeinschaft Langstrecke Nürburgring). Schmickler Performance also took two more class wins: Achim and Volker Waver, together with Maik Rönnefarth, won the SP7 class in a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS. In V6, Christian and Thomas Heuchmer were the top dogs in their Porsche 911.
Positive feedback following NLS-Light debut
VLN Managing Director Mike Jäger gave a positive summary of the event: “We saw many happy and satisfied faces at the NLS-Light premiere – at the team barbecue on Friday evening and on race day. That’s a great foundation to continue developing this format. Of course, we’d have liked to see a few more cars on the grid, but the teams that did participate got their money’s worth – as did the spectators, who enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in the pit lane and around the Nordschleife. I was personally thrilled to see so many families with children at the track again.”
Youth participation was also a theme in the paddock, where two rounds of the ADAC Mittelrhein Slalom Championship took place. Slalom juniors Tommie Lycklama à Nijeholt and Timon-Etienne Quint claimed victory in Class 1, while Noah Servos and Finn Grube won in Class 2. Who knows? Perhaps one of these names will appear in future NLS results.
From Light to Maxi: 6-hour race on August 16
Following the successful NLS-Light premiere, the series returns on August 16 with its marathon event. The KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen is the season highlight of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. With 50% more race time, more points are up for grabs in the championship. The challengers of reigning champions Sven Markert and Kevin Wambach in the BMW M240i Racing from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels will be looking to score big.