The second round of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie double-header made history in several ways. Frank Stippler and Vincent Kolb took the first victory for the beefy Ford Mustang GT3 in the Green Hell at the 64th ADAC Reinoldus Endurance Race. The Haupt Racing Team duo thus ended Porsche’s seven-race winning streak this season. At the finish, their lead over second-placed Tim Heinemann and Benny Leuchter in the Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was a whopping 2:05.634 minutes. Mike Stursberg and Mustafa Mehmet Kaya took third place for the second time in a row in the BLACK FALCON Team EAE 911, today alongside Ben Bünnagel. Klaus Abbelen was also cheered on, as he celebrated his farewell as a driver in the series with his final GT3 race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. For his performance as a soloist, Abbelen was named ‘Rider of the Race’.
The second day of racing began with a surprise: In qualifying, Alex Fontana took pole position in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, which he shared with Artur Goroyan. With a time of 8:50.741 minutes, the Swiss driver relegated Bünnagel to second place by a razor-thin 0.647 seconds in the Black Falcon Porsche. In the race, however, the joy of first place only lasted about eight minutes, as after the first lap, the previous day’s winners, Julien Andlauer and Joel Sturm, returned to first place in the Falken Porsche – and for much of the race, it looked like another victory for the Japanese tire manufacturer’s team. With three laps to go, Andlauer retired from the lead after a slip on the approach to the Hohe Acht. This cleared the way for Vincent Kolb. He took the lead in the Ford Mustang GT3 and ultimately took the chequered flag as the winner.
“I’m happy that we were able to take the first victory with the Ford Mustang GT3 here at the Nürburgring today,” said Matthias Meister, head of the Ford Mustang Nürburgring GT3 project at HRT. “We kept our cool throughout the entire race, made excellent pit stops, and the car ran superbly. Vincent is getting more and more comfortable with the Mustang.” Kolb, who celebrated his second NLS victory, was overwhelmed: “Sensational. I’ve never experienced anything like the last two laps. The fans and the marshals cheered for me; it was so much fun. Thanks to HRT for bringing a truly beautiful car to the Nordschleife. The entire team is working with Frank (Stippler) to continuously develop the car. Today was finally payday, and the whole team is overjoyed.”
While the sister car retired while leading, Heinemann and Leuchter lost a lot of time before the end of the first half of the race due to a tire puncture, presumably caused by debris on the track. “Of course, I wanted to win today,” said Heinemann. “But we had a lot of bad luck. After that, we tried to squeeze out the maximum. In the end, it wasn’t meant to be.” Leuchter was satisfied at the end of his guest appearance with the Falken team. “I’m extremely happy. I was able to improve significantly today compared to yesterday. Thanks to the team for giving me the chance. I hope this wasn’t the last time.”
Third place for Stursberg, Kaya, and Bünnagel also secured victory in the SP9 Am category. Alexey Veremenko and ‘SELV’, along with double starter Stippler, drove the fastest Pro-Am car, the JUTA Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, in fourth place. Christian Krognes, Mateo Villagomez, and Anders Buchardt finished fifth in the Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO, ahead of the Car Collection Motorsport polesitters.
Final Exit: Klostertal Curve
Klaus Abbelen, who celebrates his 65th birthday on Monday after the double-header, completed his final race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife at NLS8: fittingly in the Ferrari 296 GT3 fielded by Frikadelli Racing. He delivered a strong solo performance, which ultimately wasn’t rewarded with a good finish. Running in eleventh place, he retired with gearbox problems in the Klostertal Curve 40 minutes before the end of the race. Although he managed to tow the battered supercar from Maranello back to the pits, he didn’t rejoin the race. “That’s the technology; you can’t control it,” Abbelen admitted. “I was very proud of myself for being able to keep up so well for so long. I would have liked to have finished, but there’s nothing you can do.” Abbelen was named ‘Driver of the Race’ not only for his performance today, but also for his many years of commitment as a driver and team principal of Frikadelli Racing. The award is presented by the Nürburgring Long Distance Interest Group (ILN), and representatives of the race management, the Drivers’ Association, and the track announcer are responsible for selecting the winner. Abbelen had already announced ahead of the race that his team would once again compete in the NLS next year with a top-class lineup.
Important preliminary decision for the championship
Ranko Mijatovic and Nick Wüstenhagen have taken an important step towards the championship with their eighth win in eight races. The duo drives the FK Performance Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 in the SP8T class. Including the first of three discarded results, they both have 109 points. Currently just eight points behind are Arne Hoffmeister and Tim Scheerbarth in the Mühlner Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. With two more wins, they can also reach 109 points. The Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels, which has produced the championship titles for the past seven years, currently sits third with drivers Philipp Leisen, Daniel Zils, and Philipp Stahlschmidt and also leads the production car trophy. The trio plays no role in the championship, as 109 points are no longer possible even with two wins. Only the drivers of the number 1 Adrenalin car still have a theoretical chance. After two retirements in the double-header, they currently sit fourth in the standings, but could draw level on 109 points with two more wins. According to the regulations, different criteria apply to the title award, such as the best result in the last qualifying race.
The decision in the VLN Junior Trophy remains open. Noah Nagelsdiek (LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON) leads Harley Haughton (SRS Team Sorg Rennsport) by just one point. In the Gentleman’s Trophy, Heiko Eichenberg (SRS Team Sorg Rennsport), despite a retirement in the NLS8, has the edge over the two veterans Joachim and Jürgen Nett (Dupré Motorsport Engineering). In the Ladies’ Trophy, Janina Schall (GITI TIRE MOTORSPORT BY WS RACING) is emulating her successful father Ralf Schall, who claimed 105 class victories in the NLS.
The ninth round of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie takes place in two weeks. The 57th ADAC Barbarossa Prize will take place on September 27th over the usual distance of four hours.
