Schubert Motorsport won the third round of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series. In a 4-hour race marked by tactical maneuvering and impressive comebacks, Marco Wittmann, Philipp Eng, and Robin Frijns prevailed in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO against the assembled GT3 field under perfect weather conditions, securing the Schubert team’s fourth overall NLS victory. The podium was rounded out by Ayhancan Güven and Matt Campbell for Team Manthey in second place, as well as Dennis Olsen, Frédéric Vervisch, Christopher Mies, and Vincent Kolb in the Ford Mustang GT3 from HRT Ford Racing in third.
Qualifying for the 57th Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy was initially dominated by Mercedes-AMG, as David Pittard secured pole position for Team KCMG with a time of 7:52.393 minutes. The eventual winners also lined up on the front row. The third-fastest time was set by Daniel Vazquez-Garcia, Fidel Leib, and Michele di Martino in the Audi R8 GT3 EVO II for Team KKraemer Racing. The trio was unable to start due to a problem. Antal Zsigo, Moritz Kranz, and David Jahn took fourth place in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Gamota Racing. Güven and Campbell in the Manthey Porsche had bad luck in qualifying with Code 60 phases and had to settle for 16th on the grid.
The race began with a thrilling battle at the start, in which Pittard initially held the lead for KCMG, while behind him the Konrad Motorsport drivers Patricija Stalidzane, Christian Engelhart, and Pavel Lefterov spectacularly moved up to second place. The Gamota BMW also initially passed its brand-mate from Schubert Motorsport, who dropped back to fourth place. Over the four-hour distance, a strategic chess match unfolded, in which Schubert gained the upper hand through flawless pit stops and a consistent pace. Meanwhile, Güven and Campbell plowed through the field for Manthey, gaining position after position until they finally crossed the finish line in second place. The Ford quartet secured the third podium spot. In fourth place followed the pole-sitters Kamui Kobayashi, Jesse Krohn, Edoardo Liberati, and David Pittard. An interesting detail: In the end, the quartet was almost exactly 85 seconds behind the leader—the penalty the team incurred for a speed violation during a Code 60 phase.
Winner Eng was thrilled with the race: “I generally never go into a race with the firm expectation that we’ll win. Of course, you hope for it and wish it for the whole team, but today we didn’t necessarily have victory on our radar. Although the GT3 field was a bit smaller in numbers, the quality of the competition was extremely high. The fact that we were able to win right off the bat here in my first Nordschleife outing in almost two years is just incredibly cool and was a ton of fun.” Third-place finisher Mies was also satisfied: “It was just great to be back here, and it was a ton of fun—especially with this weather and all the fans along the track. After a two-year break from the Nordschleife, I was doing my first laps, so you have to get your bearings again first. A lot has changed. It was all a bit unfamiliar to me at first, but it worked out very well in the end. I’m really happy: My last race up here ended with a victory in the 24-hour race, and the fact that my first outing since then was immediately rewarded with a podium finish makes me very satisfied.” Güven reflected primarily on the comeback: “I think it was a good race. This morning in qualifying, we had a bit of bad luck with Code 60 phases. But in the end, we put on a good race, paired with a good strategy. Together with Matt, we’re a strong lineup and we worked our way up the field. Overtaking isn’t always that easy—at times I had to wait 20 kilometers for the next opportunity—but for me, the top priority was to keep the car intact and collect data.”
A particular highlight was the performance by Gamota Racing, which not only finished sixth overall but also comfortably won the SP9 PRO-AM class. Moritz Kranz was named Driver of the Race by the ILN Drivers’ Association, race control, and the commentators for his exceptional performance during the first stint. “I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “When the phone rang and my teammate said Dirk Adorf was on the line, I wondered what I’d done wrong. That makes me all the more happy about this special award.”
Sorg Triumphs Amid Drama in Cup 2
Away from the battle for the overall victory, the one-make cup classes in particular delivered their usual thrilling motorsport, which significantly shapes the picture at the top of the standings. In Cup 2 (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup), the SRS Team Sorg Rennsport underscored its ambitions: Patrik Grütter and Fabio Grosse celebrated a narrow victory and, with an impressive pace, moved up to tenth place overall in the field. For long stretches, Tim Scheerbarth and Joshua Bednarski had led the class in the Mühlner Porsche before they had to throw in the towel two laps before the finish following a collision that wasn’t their fault.
Eight drivers at the top of the standings
In Cup 3 (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS), Team Smyrlis Racing triumphed. The duo of Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach prevailed in a close battle and maintained their perfect record with another class victory. With a perfect 30 points, the pair now leads the series’ overall standings. Edoardo Bugane, Sven Markert, Tim Lukas Müller, and Yannick Fübrich (Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels) as well as Piet-Jan Ooms and Ionuc Catalin Timis (SRS Team Sorg Rennsport) are also tied for first place with the maximum number of points.
Racing debut for an exotic car: the HWA EVO.R
Special attention was also focused on the two spectacular HWA EVO.Rs in the SP-X class. The trio of Luca Ludwig, Jamie Green, and Lance David Arnold (#62) brought the car home in 18th place overall after a solid performance. The sister car with start number 61 was less fortunate: For Evald Holstad, Christian Gebhardt, and Sebastian Asch, the race ended prematurely due to a technical failure. Nevertheless, the prototype-like vehicles provided an exciting glimpse into the technical diversity at the Nürburgring.
Full throttle into the future: First showdown for the junior karters
The season opener of the NLS Youth Kart Championship in the Historic Paddock was all about the next generation of motorsport talent. In the six age classes, Leonie Heiermann (K1, MSC Altenbach), Ben Heiermann (K2, MSC Altenbach), Maxim Wagner (K3, MSF Steinfeld), Matteo Strauß (K4), Florian Rauhe (K5, MSC Adenau), and Florian Rehmann (K6, AMC Birkenfeld) secured the coveted victories on the track. The closing awards ceremony in the Nürburgring Media Center provided a fitting conclusion to a successful race day for the talents born between 2005 and 2019.
The NLS continues at a rapid pace. Already this coming weekend (April 18–19), the two races of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers will mark races four and five of the 2026 season. The next event organized by the VLN is the ADAC Eifel Trophy on June 20.
Tickets are available at the Nürburgring ticket shop.