02.07.2025
“Small ones make it big,” was the motto of the Mini Playback Show back in the 1990s. The same could be said of the premiere of NLS-Light. For the first time in the history of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), a race will take place without the presence of large and powerful vehicles. This time, others take the spotlight. New faces and familiar names are writing their own stories. A big barbecue party for all teams will take place in the paddock on Friday evening to celebrate grassroots motorsport on the most beautiful racetrack in the world. Tickets for the race start at 25 euros, and youths up to 14 years of age enjoy free admission. Those who can’t attend in person can follow the entire race day via livestream.
This coming Saturday, NLS-Light will celebrate its debut on the Nordschleife. Although it’s not an official championship points race, nearly 60 cars have registered for the 4-hour event. While the grid is smaller than that of a typical NLS race, it shows the strong interest from teams in the new format. “NLS-Light is a welcome event to give interested teams a low-barrier entry point to experience the NLS,” says VLN Managing Director Mike Jäger. “From the start, we knew that a date just two weeks after the 24h race at the Nürburgring and with seven federal states already on school holidays wouldn’t work for a regular points round. So we turned necessity into a virtue. Our core values—customer friendliness, professionalism, and strong media coverage—remain unchanged. I’m convinced this will be a successful event for everyone.”
This time, a different group of contenders will fight for overall victory. In the absence of vehicles from classes SP9, SP-X, SP-Pro, and Cup 2, GT4s, TCRs, and other race cars move to center stage—including entries from Max Kruse Racing. The team from Duisburg is entering three cars in the AT class, including two of the brand-new VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h. Drivers Benjamin Leuchter and Heiko Hammel (#19), Christoph Lenz and Jasmin Preisig (#333, Audi RS3), and Nico Otto and Timo Hochwind (#76) will share the cockpits. “We’re incredibly excited,” says Leuchter, who also serves as team principal. “Our stated goal is to fight for the overall win. We’ll be up against more powerful cars, but with our front-wheel-drive cars we have an edge especially in the corners—from Hohe Acht to Galgenkopf, we’ll try to maximize our performance. We’re going all in.” A victory would mark not only the team’s first overall win, but also the first for a car running on alternative fuels.
Their rivals in the AT class include Carrie Schreiner and Janina Schall in the BMW M4 GT4 from ‘Girls Only – Ready to rock the Green Hell’. In the GT4 SP10 class, Black Falcon is fielding a BMW M4 GT4 for American drivers Judson Holt, David Ogburn, and Denny Stripling. In SP8T, the Plusline and Schmickler Performance teams are also competing with BMW M4 GT4s. Schmickler also has a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS in SP7, while Extreme Racing enters a nearly identical Cayman. Not to be underestimated are the Cup 3 cars from the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring. One of the top dark horses for the overall win is the Porsche 911 Cup (997) of Aimpoint Racing by Gabionen24.de in the H4 class, driven by Axel and Max Friedhoff, who last competed in the NLS in 2023.
A colorful standout in the field is the pink and gray Mitsubishi Lancer CT9A from the Fuchs-Turbo team. This speedy estate car has already earned victories in the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring. Owner Mario Fuchs and Eugen Weber share the cockpit. “I think NLS-Light is a really cool idea, and we spontaneously decided to take part—even though I wouldn’t have minded racing in a regular event with the big cars,” says Fuchs. “Of course, we looked at how our lap times stack up. And if nothing breaks, we should be in good shape for this race.” The local hero from Grafschaft has prepared meticulously. How did he come up with the idea of racing a wagon? “Back when we built it, the estate version was actually cheaper. Everyone supported the idea: ‘Go for it, people will love it,’ they said. And they were right—the color certainly helps too. We’re really happy with the Lancer. In corners, we lose a bit to the TCR cars, but thanks to the aerodynamics without a wing, we make up ground on the straights.”
It’s a return to roots for David Pittard, who normally competes in the NLS in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. This time, he joins Graham Wilson and Andreas Ecker in a Toyota Supra entered by Jacos Paddock from Barweiler. “I’m excited for NLS-Light! I’ll be racing with my long-time teammate Graham Wilson. It’ll be his first race this year, so a format without the faster classes is a great way to ease back in. We’re running with Jacos Paddock in the new Toyota Supra. Back in 2018, I did my DPN with them and we’ve since become good friends. I rent cars from Jaco when I need them, and I also coach his clients. We have a great relationship.”
Bringing new talent into endurance racing is a mission for rent2Drive-racing from Döttingen, right by the Nordschleife. For the NLS-Light premiere, local roots play a major role. Marcel Weber and Richard Schäfer from Adenau want to use this stage to prove themselves with strong lap times. Interest in supporting the two young drivers was high even before the race, with their entry backed by a team-initiated fundraising campaign.
A group of Renault Clios will also make a comeback—one of them entered by none other than Reinhard Sesterheim, a five-time class winner during his active racing career. For NLS-Light, he’s entering the “Screwdriver Clio” of Holger Goedicke and Lukas Krämer. “The two drivers were eager to race NLS-Light,” he says. “I couldn’t say no to that. The Nürburgring is home for me—I live just 15 kilometers away.” Sesterheim fondly remembers the golden Clio era, when up to 30 of the cars would compete: “In 2011, we won the Cup class with Dominik Brinkmann and Stephan Epp and became vice champions in the VLN.” Epp will also be part of NLS-Light, sharing a Renault Clio III Cup from aufkleben.de – Motorsport with Michael Uelwer and Timo Kaatz.
NLS-Light is also the first opportunity for drivers to compete with a national-level A license. One of them is Paul Winter, who shares a BMW 325i from EiFelkind Racing with Markus Fischer and Henning Hausmeier. “I’ve had all the results needed for the international C license for a while now, and I’ve even filled out the application,” says Winter, who has been racing in the RCN since 2022. “But the social media post that a national A license is sufficient for NLS-Light came just in time last week and gave me the push I needed to finally make the jump into the NLS. The performance tests in the RCN are great, but racing on the Nordschleife for real and fighting for positions has been a lifelong dream that’s now coming true. I’m thrilled.”
The NLS-Light premiere follows the usual schedule of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Qualifying runs from 08:30 to 10:00. The pitwalk starts at 10:20, followed by the grid walk at 11:10, offering fans a full sensory experience of motorsport. Also on-site on Saturday: Racebot and Nürburgring mascot “Legend.” The race begins at 12:00. The new VLN fan collection will be available in the paddock. The livestream kicks off at 08:15 and runs through the entire race day.