The 57th ADAC Barbarossa Prize on September 27, 2025, will make history. For the first time, four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen will be competing in a GT3 race in the Green Hell and is among the favourites. But the penultimate round of the 2025 ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie offers much more than just the world champion: the GT3 debut in the alternative fuel class, a surprising comeback, new “student drivers,” and even more girl power on the world’s most demanding race track. Tickets start at €25 at VLN.de/tickets. Young people up to 14 years of age are admitted free of charge. Those unable to attend can follow the race day via a free livestream on VLN.de.
Max Verstappen is fulfilling a long-held dream of conquering the Green Hell in a GT3 car at NLS9. He will be competing in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 alongside Briton Chris Lulham. The duo had already tested the Ferrari in the Green Hell prior to NLS3. Two weeks ago, the pair drove their first race together in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, earning the DMSB Nordschleife Category A permit. Lulham previously competed in the KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal race in August. “Every lap at the Nordschleife is a different kind of experience”, says Verstappem. “The atmosphere is also really good and there are a lot of endurance fans present. It’s my hobby to race in other categories than Formula 1. My dream is to eventually participate in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.”
Verstappen and Lulham will face tough competition in the SP9 class. The Haupt Racing Team will field two Ford Mustang GT3s, one driven by Nordschleife veterans Frank Stippler and Vincent Kolb, who recently celebrated the Blue Oval’s first victory. In the second car, DTM driver Fabio Scherer will share the driving duties with Dennis Fetzer and Jann Mardenborough. Bastian Buus and reigning FIA World Endurance LMGT3 Champion Joel Sturm will drive the Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3. Lap record holder Christian Krognes (7:49.578 minutes on the NLS version) will be competing in the Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Premiere: the first GT3 in the AT class
Max Kruse Racing, together with the Fugel Group, is fielding the first Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II in the alternative fuel class. The team is relying on the E20 Gasoline biofuel developed by Volkswagen, which is 60% renewable. Dominik and Marcel Fugel will share the cockpit with Benny Leuchter, who celebrated his GT3 debut in the Falken Porsche in the doubleheader two weeks ago, finishing second twice. “I’m really looking forward to the race,” says Leuchter. “We are proud to be the first team to field a GT3 car with alternative fuel on the Nordschleife. We began this journey in 2024 with the E20-powered VW Golf in the sustainable class and expanded our commitment first to include the Audi RS3 and then a Cup Porsche. Now we’re taking the next step.”
Klaus Abbelen: Withdrawing from Retirement
He can’t help it. Two weeks after his announced final Nordschleife race, Klaus Abbelen is celebrating withdrawing from retirement. In NLS8, he retired with transmission problems in his Frikadelli Ferrari 40 minutes before the end of the race. “It was incredibly fun to drive for such a long time without stopping. Four hours alone on the Nordschleife is a challenge and a dream I want to fulfill. It wasn’t possible last time, but the support of our fans showed me how much joy this path can still bring. That’s why I want to try again,” explains the 65-year-old.
Hup, Holland, hup!
In addition to Verstappen, other Dutch drivers are participating. Tom Coronel will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Max Kruse Racing with Jan Jaap Van Roon. Coronel attracted attention on the Nordschleife, including second place in the 2007 24-hour race in a Zakspeed Viper. Marco Van Ramshorst will also be racing a 911 for PB Performance. John Van der Sanden will be driving a BMW M240i Racing for PTerting Sports by Up2Race, and Piet-Jan Ooms and Calvin de Groot will be in the BMW 330i for SRS Team Sorg Rennsport. Last but not least, ‘Recardo,’ one of four drivers with a Porsche 911 GT3 R in SP9, will be competing under the Dutch flag.
A former Formula 1 driver in the field is Tiago Monteiro, who competed in the premier class for Jordan, Midland F1, and Spyker in 2005 and 2006. At NLS9, he shares the cockpit of a Honda Civic TCR FL5 with Mike Halder, the current leader of the Spanish TCR series.
Among the prominent ‘student drivers’ at NLS9 are Juliano and Sandro Holzem. The two drivers from the ADAC GT Masters, where they are fourth in the championship before the final weekend, will compete in the BMW M2 CS Racing of Schubert Motorsport from Oschersleben to gain the necessary laps for the high level of the DMSB Permit Nordschleife. Team boss Torsten Schubert will also be back in the cockpit for this occasion. The 22-time NLS class winner will also be competing in an M2 with Michael and Stefan von Zabiensky.
GITI TIRE MOTORSPORT BY WS RACING bringt ein weiteres reines Damenfahrzeug an den Start
More girl power in the NLS
The ‘Girls only – Ready to rock the Green Hell’ team has been a fixture in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie for years. Carrie Schreiner and Janina Schall drive the BMW M4 GT4 in NLS9, which recently achieved two podium finishes in the NLS double-header. GITI TIRE MOTORSPORT BY WS RACING is upping the ante by fielding another all-female car. Elena Egger from Munich, Carmen Kraav from Estonia, and Julia Ponkratz from Wetzlar share the team’s BMW 330i. This is the Nordschleife debut for all three. “We’re excited to see how our new young girls will perform in the fiercely competitive VT2-RWD class,” says team principal Matthias Möller. “Our goal – also with a view to the coming year – is more female power in the NLS.”
Tickets and Program
Tickets for the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis cost €25 (children up to 14 years old are free) and are available at VLN.de/tickets and at the box office. These tickets grant access to the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, the exclusive Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten spectator areas, as well as the paddock, pit lane, and the starting grid. The final of the NLS Kart Slalom Championship will take place on the helipad in the paddock.
The best starting positions will be determined in qualifying between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. During the break between qualifying and the race, fans have plenty of time to experience the cars up close: With a ticket, they can take a pit walk into the pit lane starting at 10:20 a.m., before heading to the starting grid at 11:10 a.m. The race start for the four-hour endurance race is at 12:00 p.m. The live stream at VLN.de begins at 8:15 a.m. ‘Radio Nürburgring’ is also available at rpr1.de and in the RPR1 app.
