The sixth race of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series offered motorsport at the highest level. With summer temperatures and the best weather conditions, only 0.319 seconds separated the overall winners in the end. Nico Menzel and Sven Müller celebrated their first joint success in the new Dunlop-Porsche 911 GT3 R, marking a historic milestone for the vehicle.
After 27 laps, the Porsche duo crossed the finish line just ahead of Jens Klingmann and Robin Frijns in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Schubert Motorsport at the 1st ADAC Eifel-Trophy. The Pro-Am team of LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON, with Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller, and Dylan Pereira in the Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, secured third place.
In qualifying, Walkenhorst Motorsport had initially set the best time. Christian Krognes secured pole position with a strong lap in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO and maintained the lead in the early stages of the race. However, the team lost ground during pit stops and fell back from the fight for the top positions. In the final phase, the Aston Martin also had to concede another position to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from PROsport Racing with Adam Christodoulou, Jake Hill, and Kyle Tilley. The pole-sitters ultimately finished in fifth place.
Strategy played a crucial role in the fight for the overall victory. While many top teams didn't make their first pit stop until lap seven, the eventual winning Porsche and the BMW from Schubert Motorsport pitted a lap earlier. Through this tactical undercut, both vehicles moved to the front of the field. On the twelfth lap, Menzel took the lead, laying the foundation for their eventual success.
For a long time, Falken Motorsports also looked like it was in contention for a podium finish. However, a tire failure on the Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Klaus Bachler and Tim Heinemann forced the team to retire on lap 21. This moved the BLACK FALCON team up to third position.
In the final minutes of the race, a gripping duel for victory unfolded. Aided by lapped traffic and a late Code 60 phase, Jens Klingmann significantly closed the gap to the leading Porsche. However, Sven Müller kept his cool and maintained his lead until the finish line, where only a few tenths of a second separated victory from second place.
For Nico Menzel, it was the fifth overall victory in the Nürburgring Endurance Series, while Sven Müller celebrated his seventh success. Simultaneously, the triumph marked the first overall victory for the new Dunlop-Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Alongside the fight for the overall victory, the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring also made headlines. Raphael Rennhofer impressed in the LIQUI MOLY by BLACK FALCON Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with a strong performance in the Cup 2 class and was jointly elected „Driver of the Race“ by race control, ILN, and the track announcers. The junior driver, along with Ryan Harrison and Leon Wassertheurer, achieved second place in his class. The class victory was secured by Nico Bastian and Martin Rump for Mühlner Motorsport.
The BMW M240i Racing Cup also offered excitement right up to the finish line. After more than four hours of racing, Sven Markert, Edoardo Bugane, Tim Lukas Müller, and Yannick Fübrich for Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels secured victory with a lead of just 1.028 seconds. The close result had an immediate impact on the championship. With this class win, the quartet took sole possession of the lead in the overall standings. Their rivals, Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach, who had been tied on points, lost crucial points instead after their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS retired early due to an accident.
The motorsport juniors were also the focus at the Nürburgring. The day's winners were determined in six age groups as part of the second event of the NLS Youth Kart Slalom Championship. Leonie Heiermann, Luise Schwarz, Jeremy Port, Leo Pawelczyk, Tim Schneider, and Francis Rittinger were successful.
The Nürburgring Endurance Series is now entering the second half of its season. The next highlight awaits on August 1st with the traditional KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen. The race over the six-hour distance is considered the season's climax and offers additional championship points due to the longer driving time.