25.05.2025
Successful Prologue for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from June 19 to 22: The ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers offered everything that defines endurance racing on the legendary Nordschleife. Demanding weather and track conditions, thrilling racing action, and dramatic developments. Not only did the weekend whet the appetite for the season highlight in June, but it also provided the perfect opportunity for teams to fine-tune their preparations. In Saturday evening’s rain-soaked opening race, the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) from Scherer PHX came out on top—and the reigning 24h champions repeated the feat in Sunday’s race as well. After 27 laps, Laurens Vanthoor was waved across the line ahead of the Falken Motorsports #33 Porsche and the Manthey EMA #911. Now, teams have just under four weeks to prepare for the 24h race—and after this eventful weekend, they’ll take home plenty of valuable insights.
In Sunday’s Top Qualifying session, GetSpeed claimed pole with their #14 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and immediately engaged in a spectacular first-lap battle with the Scherer PHX Porsche. As the track dried quickly, both leaders came into the pits after just one lap to switch to slicks—followed by a host of other teams. The resulting shuffle in the field provided plenty of excitement as the race progressed.
After the first hour, it was the Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R #911 that held the lead. Having skipped qualifying due to repairs, the team had started from the back of the first starting group. By mid-race, things had settled somewhat, with the Abt Lamborghini #27 also taking turns at the front, alongside GetSpeed and the Porsches from Scherer Sport PHX (#16) and Falken Motorsports (#33). Ultimately, Scherer PHX’s strategy proved to be the winning one, with Laurens Vanthoor bringing home the victory in the blue “Elfer” of the reigning 24h champions. “The fact that it started raining again on the final lap made it unnecessarily exciting,” the Belgian driver grinned. “But overall, everything went great for us. We were able to push at all times, and the tires lasted through the eight-lap stints.” Teammate Patrick Pilet was also pleased: “A double victory this weekend is a mega start for both of us and perfect preparation for the 24h. Conditions today once again showed why the Nordschleife is called the ‘Green Hell’—starting with a drying track, racing in the dry, and then rain just before the end.”
Mühlner Porsche Loses NLS LeadSince both 24h Qualifiers races also count toward the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), extra attention was paid to the battle within the various classes. The team of Arne Hoffmeister and Tim Scheerbarth had arrived as unbeaten leaders of the Cup 2 Porsche class and, together with David Jahn, defended their NLS lead with another class win in Saturday’s race. In the second heat, they looked on course for another victory—but ultimately fell short, and with that, they also lost the overall NLS lead. That top spot is now shared by two teams following class wins on Sunday: Nick Wüstenhagen, Ranko Mijatovic, and Tobias Wahl took victory for FK Performance Motorsport in the SP8T class with their #187 BMW M4 GT4, while the Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels (#650) won the Cup class for BMW M240i Racing Cup cars, fielding drivers Sven Markert, Kevin Wambach, and Adrian Rziczny.
All Signs Point to a Thrilling 24h in JuneWith three NLS weekends and now the two 24h Qualifiers races completed, teams are entering the final phase of preparations for the race of the year. Porsche heads into the season highlight as the provisional favorite, having dominated the NLS season and won both Qualifiers races—five victories in total is a strong statement. But the top group is likely to feature seven other manufacturers: Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, and Mercedes-AMG. The GetSpeed Mercedes-AMGs and the Abt Lamborghini both delivered strong performances during the Qualifiers, indicating that the 24h will feature open, no-holds-barred battles. This also applies to the roughly 20 classes competing—ranging from full-blown race cars to near-production vehicles, ensuring variety and excitement for all fans. Numerous attractions on and off the track round out the event, making it a must-see. Organizers expect over 200,000 visitors during the race weekend once again this year.