Spring has not only turned the trees green again, it has also brought new life to the ‘Green Hell’: The season on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is already in full swing, and after the second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), the first favourites for the legendary ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from 19 to 22 June 2025 are crystallising. But before the spectacular highlight of the season on the world’s longest race track, there will be further opportunities for testing and training kilometres as part of the NLS. The ADAC 24h Qualifiers on 24 and 25 May will be the glittering finale to the preparations. As these are also counted as an NLS double race, they have special significance for both the year-round Nordschleife series and the 24h Nürburgring as the highlight of the season. Reason enough to mark the weekend in your diary – and secure your ticket now.
Two teams attracted particular attention at the start of the season. Both times, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 from Juta Racing was on pole, driven by last year’s 24h winner Frank Stippler. The driver from Bad Münstereifel once again proved that although the GT3 ‘veteran’ is no longer part of the latest generation of vehicles, it is still one of the favourites in the hands of an experienced driver. Nevertheless, the victories went to state-of-the-art racing cars. The Porsche 911 GT3 Rs from Falken Motorsports have now claimed two race victories, making them early favourites.
The long-established works team from the Japanese tyre manufacturer prevailed against extremely strong competition. This was proven not least in the second NLS race, when the Walkenhorst team’s Aston Martin crossed the finish line in first place but was classified in P2 due to a time penalty for a pit stop that was too short. “The time penalty really annoyed me, but in the end I managed to finish on the podium,” summarised Walkenhorst driver Mattia Drudi (Melle), who was delighted with a successful debut. “It was my first time on the Nordschleife in an Aston Martin, and it’s all about preparing for the Nürburgring 24 Hours.” The race winners were also looking ahead. Falken driver Alessio Picariello (BEL) spoke about “a super preparation for the 24h”, and team-mate Dorian Boccolacci (FRA) reported on his second Nordschleife race in a GT3 car: “I don’t have that much experience on the track in a car like this yet. So it’s all the better that the season started with two podium finishes. In NLS1 it was second place, now we’ve won. And in the end, we didn’t have to take any more risks because we knew that the runners-up would have a penalty time added on.”
Spectacular showdown of the super sports cars
This year, the variety of brands in the leading group of the long-distance elite on the Nordschleife is greater than ever before. A BMW M4 GT3 from Rowe Racing was the third brand to finish in the second NLS race, with six different makes sharing the top 10 positions. Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche turned the GT3 category into a showcase for spectacular super sports cars.
To make the actual season highlight at the 24h in June particularly exciting, the warm-up this year is particularly long: after the third NLS race, two races will be held at the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (24/25 May), which will also count towards the NLS championship standings. Teams whose race cars have not yet been finalised will also appear on the scene, because things will get serious at the Qualifiers at the latest. That’s when there will be extra grid positions up for grabs for the top qualifiers at the 24h, and Nordschleife rookies will have a good opportunity to shorten the route to their ‘permit’ – the necessary additional licence for Nordschleife races. The entrants for the 24h highlight will not be known until after the qualifying weekend: the entry deadline for the 24h Nürburgring is just a few days after the qualifiers on 28 May. As a result, there is already lively interest and the qualifiers are likely to feature a well-filled field.
The journey to the Ring is worthwhile
As if two NLS races on one weekend and the intensive 24h preparation were not reason enough to plan a visit to the 24h Qualifiers, the weekend also offers an extra programme. For example, there will be plenty of junior and amateur sport to experience. On Saturday afternoon, the RCN will complete a performance test on the Nordschleife. During the entire race weekend, there will also be automobile slalom competitions in the AMG Arena and eKart slaloms for young drivers in the paddock. Another highlight is the first race, which will run for four hours into the evening on Saturday from 17:30 and promises that endurance racing feeling. Sunday will be enhanced by the top qualifying for the best grid positions at the front of the field. The four-hour race then starts at 13:00.
If you would like to experience this spectacle live, you can secure your ticket here at the 24h offical homepage from just 25 euros (day tickets Saturday or Sunday). They are valid in the grandstands on the Grand Prix circuit, in the paddock and in the top spectator seats on the Nordschleife in the Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten areas. If you can’t make it to the Ring, you can switch on the stream at 24h-rennen.de/live. It will be broadcast on Saturday from 4.30 pm to 10.15 pm and on Sunday from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm.
