In the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, there’s no time to catch your breath. Just one week after the third round, races four and five are on the schedule with the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (April 17–19). The prologue to the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring counts toward the standings of the historic Nordschleife Championship for the third consecutive year. Led by Max Verstappen, no fewer than 37 GT3 cars will take to the track, promising thrilling racing in the Green Hell. Long-time NLS drivers are moving up to the top category, and there are also some new faces in the midfield. The races will be livestreamed on Saturday and Sunday on the NLS YouTube channel.
No fewer than 37 GT3 cars will be competing in the Qualifiers. Added to this is the BMW M3 Touring 24h in the SP-X class. One name stands out once again on the entry list, promising international attention: Max Verstappen. The four-time Formula 1 world champion returns to the Nürburgring Nordschleife after a one-race hiatus. In the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, he will be sharing the wheel with Lucas Auer this time. Making their SP9 debuts in Races 4 and 5 are the BMW Z4 GT3 from Saugmotoren Motorsport | 3M, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm, a McLaren 720S GT3 from Dörr Motorsport, and three Porsche 911 GT3 Rs fielded by PK Motorsport – Lionspeed e.K., High Class Racing, and Mühlner Motorsport powered by H&R.
NLS Veterans Celebrate GT3 Debut
Two long-time NLS drivers are making their GT3 debut in the Qualifiers: Maik Rönnefarth and Tobias Wahl. Together with Maxime Dumarey and Marek Böckmann, they will take turns driving the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. “This is my eleventh year competing in the NLS, and I’ve driven GT4 for ten years, so the move to the GT3 class is now a logical next step,” says Wahl. “Last year I had a lot of bad luck and couldn’t win the title with Nick Wüstenhaben and Ranko Mijatovic because I broke my collarbone. Now I’m looking forward all the more to this adventure with PROsport. The Aston Martin felt great to me right from the start during testing. I was surprised by 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 pretty quickly. Still, there’s obviously room for improvement, and I’m really looking forward to my first race.”
Christoph Breuer is in for a great honor. The 2006 graduate of the VLN Honda Junior Team and long-time head of Manthey’s Road Cars division has been competing in the NLS for years—since 2024 in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II from Renazzo Motorsport alongside Thai drift champion Kiki Sak Nana. At the Qualifiers, Breuer will now take the wheel of the legendary Grello—Manthey’s Porsche 911 GT3—for the first time. “Objectively speaking, they were still looking for a driver because Thomas isn’t allowed to race alone,” says Breuer. “Personally, though, this is a huge dream come true for me. If someone had told me this five years ago, I would have just waved it off. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to drive Grello—now I have the chance to experience it for myself. For me, this is a huge honor, and I have great respect for it. The team is putting a lot of heart and soul into this project—from the mechanics to the engineers and all the other staff, right up to the top management. My task is clearly defined: don’t break anything. But I’m at an age where my ego allows for that.”
Smudo from the “Fantastischen Vier” is making his racing debut this year. The rapper shares the cockpit of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with his longtime companion Tom von Löwis and Henrik Bollerselv from Denmark. As usual, the car will compete in the AT class, proving that motorsport can also be sustainable. “We’re looking forward to kicking off this season at the 24h Qualifiers. They’re a barometer. Every lap counts, and we’re ready to show what’s possible with our sustainable technologies,” says Smudo.
In the midfield, three cars from Asia are making their debut. Subaru Tecnica International will, as usual, field the Subaru WRX in the SP4T class. Two Elantra N1 RPs from Hyundai Motorsport N will compete in the same class.
How the Qualifiers differ from the other NLS races
While NLS race days follow a familiar rhythm, the ADAC 24h Qualifiers feature a unique format. Perhaps the biggest difference is the track layout. As with the 24-hour race, the AMG Arena is omitted. Instead, the Müllenbachschleife is part of the course. The track length increases to 25.378 kilometers. The longer distance per lap means that strategy may need to be adjusted under certain circumstances.
The schedule on Saturday is also unusual for an NLS race. While qualifying takes place as usual between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., the race doesn’t start until 5:30 p.m. and runs into the twilight. During the break between qualifying and the race, the first round of the German Historic Endurance Championship takes place. The race starts at 12 p.m. and covers a distance of three hours.
On Sunday, a Top Qualifying session takes place once a year in the NLS. Following the qualifying session (8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.), the Top Qualifying begins at 10:40 a.m. Here, the top cars take to the track in individual time trials to determine their starting positions. The second four-hour race then starts at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets for Friday are already available for 10 euros. Race day tickets start at 27 euros, and weekend tickets are available starting at 45 euros. All information can be found at 24h-rennen.de. Spectators who are not on site can follow the race via livestream as usual on the NLS YouTube channel. The stream begins on Saturday at 8:10 a.m. and on Sunday at 8 a.m.