From 17 to 19 April, the ADAC 24h Qualifiers offer fans a truly intense preview of the 24h Nürburgring on Ascension Day weekend. The provisional entry list features 132 cars, with 37 GT3 cars on the grid in the top SP9 class alone. The most prominent driver of the weekend is once again four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who will be driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 and aims to use the weekend’s two four-hour races to intensively prepare for the season’s highlight on the Nordschleife – the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from 14 to 17 May. The Dutchman will have to fend off extremely strong competition, as the elite of the world’s best GT3 teams are expected at the Ring. After all, the 24h Prologue offers the final opportunity to gather data and put the race cars through their paces. The weekend will also see the first preliminary decisions made. As part of the 24h Qualifiers, a number of starting positions for the Top Qualifying of the 24h will be allocated – another reason why teams must not just ‘test’ here, but deliver. Anyone who doesn’t want to miss this motorsport spectacle can secure their ticket from €10 (taster ticket for Friday, weekend ticket: €45).
After the first NLS race of 2026 was cancelled due to the weather, the second race was dominated by Formula 1 star Max Verstappen. With thrilling battles and a top lap time, the Dutchman demonstrated just how seriously he takes the Nordschleife challenge and how thoroughly he is preparing for his debut at the 24h Nürburgring. Together with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, he was even waved off as the winner, though the team had to be withdrawn from the results because more tyre sets were used than the regulations allow. At NLS3, a week before the 24h Qualifiers, it was three experienced 24h teams that dominated proceedings. Schubert BMW took the win ahead of the traditional Porsche team Manthey and a Ford Mustang from HRT. Winning driver Philipp Eng subsequently raved about the “very high quality” of the field. “That was my first race on the Nordschleife in two years. The fact that we were able to win straight away was pretty cool,” said the Austrian happily.
At the 24h Qualifiers, Belgians Charles Weerts and Ugo de Wilde will be in the Schubert cockpit and will once again have to contend with the Manthey Porsche. Reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, in the cockpit of the bright yellow 911, confirmed the winner’s impression: “I think the competition is particularly strong this year. It wasn’t easy to overtake some of the drivers and cars.” He knows only too well what he’s talking about: after bad luck in qualifying, he had to fight his way through the field from 16th place in the race. “Sometimes you have to wait 20 km before you can fight your way past the next competitor,” he explained after the race, although the result wasn’t the primary focus: “The top priority was to gather data and run a good test without taking too many risks,” said Güven.
GT3 summit in SP9: nine brands and big names
In the highly competitive starting grid, a glance at the top SP9 class is almost enough to understand why the 24h Qualifiers have such appeal: the entry list features GT3s from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini and Porsche – ensuring the leading group is as diverse as possible. Verstappen is not the only big name on the list: with Thomas Preining (2023 DTM champion) and Mirko Bortolotti (2024 DTM champion), two influential DTM title-holders from the recent past are represented in the field. The SP-X class is also making its mark: four cars are entered, including two HWA Evo R – visually a cult-like nod to the legendary DTM Mercedes 190 Evo and thus one of the fans’ favourite photo opportunities. Speaking of cult status: the BMW M3 Touring 24h will also be on the grid – the estate car with GT3 technology under the bonnet and an excellent driver line-up is also a favourite with many fans.
Strong line-up: GT4, Cup classes and production-based duels provide plenty of excitement
The quality of the starting grid at the 24h Qualifiers isn’t limited to the top tier. Eleven cars from four manufacturers are entered in SP10 (SRO-GT4). Here, highly attractive cars such as the BMW M4 GT4, Mercedes-AMG GT4, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and Toyota GR Supra GT4 will battle it out. And as valuable points for the NLS are also at stake in the weekend’s two races, the Cup classes are well-staffed too. This applies, for example, to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) and 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport from the Porsche Endurance Trophy, which are known for close battles and thrilling races. In the production car categories, it is the entrants in the two ‘smaller’ VT2 categories that are set to cause a sensation – nine front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive cars, and nine rear-wheel-drive cars respectively, are entered here. For many, it is precisely these cars that embody the true spirit of the 24 Hours and form the heart and soul of the colourful multi-class field on the Nordschleife. There are ten entries in the BMW M240i class, making it the strongest of the three single-make racing classes for the Munich-based touring cars.
It’s smells like 24h: two races and a historic premiere
The racing weekend kicks off as early as Friday lunchtime with the test and set-up runs for the 24h Qualifiers. This will be followed in the afternoon by qualifying for the DHLM, which will be making its debut on the circuit: the series succeeds the previous 24h Classic race at the 24h weekend and has developed over the winter into a genuine historic championship, with the official title of German Historic Endurance Champion at stake. 108 teams have entered this first round, which will provide three hours of action on Saturday morning from 12:00. This is the perfect warm-up for the first of the two four-hour races that form the sporting highlight of the weekend. Classified as NLS Rounds four and five, the focus is naturally on intensive preparation for the 24-hour race. This includes the opportunity to drive into the twilight in the first heat on Saturday (from 17:30). Race 2 on Sunday (starting at 13:00) will be preceded by a top qualifying session, in which the battle for pole position will be decided in individual time trials. The 90-minute qualifying sessions are also scheduled for each morning (Saturday from 08:30, Sunday from 08:15). Tickets are available in advance; the taster ticket for Friday is available for €10.00, whilst the weekend ticket (Friday to Sunday) costs €45.00. All ticket and visitor information here: