This weekend’s ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers were a rollercoaster of motorsport emotions. After the first race on Saturday had to be stopped early following a tragic accident, Race 2 on Sunday delighted fans with a thrilling contest. After 28 laps, Christopher Haase / Alexander Sims / Ben Green in the Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16 were flagged off as winners. They crossed the line 28.024 seconds ahead of Luca Engstler / Mirko Bortolotti / Patric Niederhauser in the Abt Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 #84. The 24h Qualifiers weekend also marks the end of the preparations to the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from 14 to 17 May 2026. The season’s highlight on the Nordschleife promises a continuation of the thrilling duels seen in the Prologue and plenty of top-class motorsport. Even shortly before the entry deadline, it is clear that the cap of 150 potential starters for the world’s biggest endurance race will be reached this year. Anyone who doesn’t want to miss the spectacle can find all the information and the ticket shop at www.24h-rennen.de.
In the top qualifying session, it was Thierry Vermeulen who set the fastest time in the #45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo26, beating David Jahn in the #23 BMW M4 GT3 Evo by the narrowest of margins – just one thousandth of a second. Dennis Marschall took the wheel of the Realize Kondo Racing Ferrari at the start, but was only able to defend the lead for a short while. The Italian racer was soon overtaken by the chasing pack and retired on lap three after making contact with the crash barrier. Max Verstappen in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 and Christopher Haase in the Scherer Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16 then provided some truly spectacular racing action: Both engaged in a sensational battle featuring slipstream duels and overtaking manoeuvres. The four-time Formula 1 world champion initially held the upper hand and dominated as the leader for the first hour and a half of the race, before a defect in the front splitter forced him into the pits for a half-hour repair stop after lap 10.
Thrilling motorsport in the gripping finale
In the end, it was Team Scherer PHX that came out on top with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16. “Our weekend was a bit of a rollercoaster,” said Christopher Haase, analysing the Scherer PHX perspective. “We really struggled with the wet conditions today. I also had a minor collision with the tyre barriers. We really struggled to get the car working properly. In the top qualifying session, the whole picture changed again and the Audi went pretty well, almost perfectly. Things went well for us in the race, but the balance isn’t necessarily where I’d personally like it to be.” Satisfied faces among the runners-up: “From a sporting perspective, it was a great weekend for us. We had two good race starts – yesterday and today. Things are heading in the right direction as far as preparations for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring are concerned,” said Mirko Bortolotti, summarising the race from the perspective of the #84 Abt-Lamborghini. There was an ultra-thrilling finish in the battle for third place, which was ultimately won by Thomas Preining / Matt Campbell in the Manthey-Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 #911, who put up a spectacular fight over the final kilometres against Maro Engel / Fabian Schiller / Luca Stolz in the RAVENOL-Mercedes-AMG GT3, #80.
Minute’s silence for Juha Miettinen
The second race of the weekend was preceded by a minute’s silence. The gathered endurance racing community paid tribute to the Finn Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), who was killed in a serious accident during the first race on Saturday. “The members of the racing team had also come to the starting grid for the minute’s silence and felt the support of the other drivers and the fans in the stands,” explains race director Walter Hornung. “Our thoughts are with the family and his team-mates. At the same time, I am relieved that the other injured drivers were all able to leave hospital that evening following a thorough check-up. This is also thanks to the emergency services who were on duty during this serious accident. For the volunteer marshals, paramedics and emergency counsellors who were on site, the accident involving a total of seven vehicles was an extreme challenge. I would like to express my sincere thanks for their efforts.”