The Nürburgring Endurance Series is in for a great season finale on 7 October. Not only will the championship be decided at the ninth and final race of the year, but the field of participants at the 47th PAGID Racing DMV Münsterlandpokal is also very strong. A number of spectacular GT3 cars will once again do the honours at the final race in the tradition-steeped Nordschleife championship. More than 120 racing cars - from touring cars close to series production to full-blown super sports cars - will tackle the 4-hour race. The two ex-Formula 1 drivers Timo Glock and Jack Aitken will also be taking part. Tickets are available from 20 Euros (children under 14 free).
Experience shows that for many teams the preparations for the coming year already start at the season finale. In the course of this, some spectacular GT3 cars return to the Green Hell. An armada of Porsche 911 GT3 R cars will be part of the action. In the service of Falken Motorsports, Sven Müller, Alessio Picariello, Tim Heinemann and Nico Menzel will attack with two 911s. Adrien De Leener and Dennis Olsen will start for Dinamic GT, while Julien Andlauer and Patric Niederhauser will take turns in the Rutronik Racing cockpit. The Haupt Racing Team and Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed will be flying the Mercedes-AMG flag. Arjun Maini, Frank Bird and Ralf Aron take turns in the HRT car, Lucas Auer and Fabian Schiller in the GetSpeed-AMG. Also strongly represented is the Aston Martin faction with two Vantage GT3s from PROsport Racing and one from Dörr Motorsport. In addition to the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II from Scherer Sport PHX - here Ricardo Feller will start alongside Frank Stippler - Car Collection Motorsport will bring a car for Florian Spengler and Markus Winkelhock to the Eifel. In the Ferrari 296 GT3 of the Frikadelli Racing Team, team boss Klaus Abbelen will personally contest the finale alongside David Pittard.
The main opponents are the two BMW M4 GT3s of Walkenhorst Motorsport. The racing team from Melle has already scored five race wins in 2023. Most recently, Jakub 'Kuba' Giermaziak and Christian Krognes were at the top of the podium three times in a row. And Dylan Pereira, who will be competing in the sister car together with Sami-Matti Trogen, has already proven his ability with second place at the seventh round. However, Walkenhorst is not only present in the top group.
Prominent starters at NLS9
In 2020, British racing driver Jack Aitken already fulfilled a dream when he competed for Williams Racing in the top class of motorsport in Bahrain. This year, he is racing with Emil Frey Racing in the DTM and entered his name in the winners' list at the Lausitzring. At the NLS finale, he is now ticking off the next item on his bucket list. "I'm really excited to contest my first NLS race with Walkenhorst Motorsport this weekend. It's been on my bucket list for a long time," says the 28-year-old, who shares the cockpit of the Hyundai i30N with Manuel Maldonado and Bailey Voisin. "It's one of those iconic tracks that everyone has to try. First and foremost, I want to arrive and have fun!"
Timo Glock has far more experience in Formula 1, with the 41-year-old having contested 91 Grand Prix between 2004 and 2012. He now heads to the Green Hell with considerably less power. In the BMW M240i Racing Cup, Glock starts together with Anton Abee and Michel Albers for Up2Race. Glock's goal is to qualify for the DMSB Permit Nordschleife level A. "I've never driven a race car in the Green Hell before, so accordingly I'm very excited about what lies ahead," he says. "The track is always a challenge, even with a relatively small vehicle. But I've already competed in the BMW 318ti Cup this year, so I know roughly what to expect. Of course, I'm also looking forward to seeing many of my colleagues again." With a grin, he adds, "Then when they whiz past me in the GT3 racer, I'll wave." For team boss Patrick Schneider, it is a great honour to have a top-class driver like Glock on his car: "We are very pleased that Timo has placed his trust in us to accompany him on his way to the permit. I competed in the BMW Cup class myself last year and I'm very excited to see how a proven professional will do in the field."
Exciting championship decisions in many classes
The decision in the drivers' championship is in focus ahead of the finale. Daniel Zils, Oskar Sandberg and Philipp Leisen lead the standings in the Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec BMW 330i. With another class win, Heiko Eichenberg, Fabio Grosse and Patrik Grütter in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS of SRS Sorg Rennsport would draw level on points. Then the comparison of the points from the two strike results comes into effect. Accordingly, a third place at the finale will be enough for the Adrenalin trio to clinch the title. For the team from Heusenstamm it would be the sixth in a row.
In the NIMEX Team Trophy, too, the die is not yet cast in all classes. For example, PROsport Racing with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 can still catch CP Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3) at the top in the SP9 Pro-Am classification. In the Ladies' Trophy, too, the decision will only be made at the finale. Flavia Pellegrino Fernandes (Keeevin Sports and Racing) currently leads by one point ahead of Desiree Müller (Eifelkind Racing). Both ladies are competing in the V4 class. Taking into account the two strike results, Müller can still turn the tide in her favour with a good result. There are also still titles open in the class winners' trophy before the final. Pellegrino Fernandes' team-mates - Dan Berghult and Juha Miettinen - are still fighting for victory in V4 against the trio from QTQ-Raceperformance. And in VT2-FWD, Felix Schumann, Joachim and Jürgen Nett (mathilda racing - Team LAVO Carwash) could also still catch the leaders Daniel Mertens and Christian Alexander Dannesberger (Zierau Hochvolt by Mertens Motorsport).
The 47th PAGID Racing DMV Münsterlandpokal will run over the usual distance of four hours. The grid positions will be determined in qualifying between 08:30 and 10 am. During the 'NLS-Pitwalk presented by PITWALK - das Motorsportmagazin' from 10:20 a.m. and the visit to the starting grid from 11:10 a.m., the fans will experience motorsport with all their senses. The race starts at 12 noon. The entire race day will be broadcast live.