A perfect start for the defending champion: on Thursday evening, the #1 Scherer Audi made the first major statement at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2025. Christopher Haase set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 8:10.580 minutes, securing a dominant entry into Friday’s Top Qualifying session (starting at 1:20 p.m.) for the completely new driver line-up. Haase had already been the fastest driver on the track during the first qualifying session in the early afternoon and managed to improve his time by nearly four seconds in the evening. "Christopher went out right at the beginning when the track was clear. That lap was just superb," said teammate Luca Ludwig. The driver trio is completed by Markus Winkelhock.
In addition to the #1 Scherer Audi, two Lamborghinis, one Aston Martin, and the #16 Scherer Porsche secured the remaining five open spots for the Top Qualifying on Thursday. Twelve cars had already pre-qualified. Italy’s Marco Mapelli and South African Jordan Pepper put the Abt Lamborghinis #28 and #27 into the shootout for pole position. Also securing coveted Top Qualifying slots were Italy’s Mattia Drudi in the #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin and Laurens Vanthoor in the #16 Porsche from Scherer PHX.
This first highlight of the weekend — where the Glickenhaus Trophy will also be awarded to the pole-sitter — can be watched live starting at 1:00 p.m. on RTL+ and from 1:15 p.m. via the livestream at www.24h-rennen.de/live. On-site, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is already well attended under summery weather conditions, but there’s still room for last-minute fans. Tickets are available at the open box offices and digitally throughout the event weekend at https://www.24h-rennen.de/ticketbestellung/.
After the third qualifying session (4:15–5:45 p.m.) and the second race of the Touring Car Legends (6:30–6:55 p.m.), the Nürburgring will be all about the fans. First, drifting artists from Falken and Monster will visit spectators along the Nordschleife in a parade lap before showcasing their skills during the traditional Falken Drift Show at the Müllenbachschleife. At the same time, a pit walk through the pit lane including an autograph session with the drivers will take place.
The race weekend had already begun on Wednesday evening with the comeback of the Adenau Racing Day, which had been canceled last year to the disappointment of many loyal motorsport fans due to roadworks in the town center of the racing city. In front of a large crowd of fans, a colorful parade of around 30 race cars from various classes wound its way down the main street towards the city center and the big show stage at the marketplace, where hosts Olli Martini and Patrick Simon were already waiting to introduce the drivers and teams.