This coming Saturday (1 August) sees the traditional KW 6h ADAC Ruhr Cup race, the highlight of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie season. With 50 per cent more racing time than the regular 4-hour races, the six-hour spectacle on the legendary Nordschleife promises plenty of action, tactics and drama. With good weather forecast, a glance at the entry list promises a highly exciting and varied field: from brand-new GT3 projects to emotional comebacks and unique stories from grassroots motorsport, everything is represented. Tickets are available from €25 at VLN.de/tickets; children up to and including the age of 14 get in for free. Anyone unable to follow the action up close at the venue can tune in to the free live stream on VLN.de from 08:15 (the race starts at 12 noon).
A rolling work of art celebrating family: a tribute to the Porsche Museum
At the 6-hour race, fans can look forward to a historic highlight on the Nordschleife: an exclusively designed Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, a rolling work of art that bridges the gap between history, architecture and modern customer motorsport. What makes this so special is the brand’s living family ethos: in a unique collaboration, the Porsche Heritage and Museum team, the motorsport experts from Weissach and Team 75 Motorsport are working hand in hand on a joint racing project. It is a tribute to the successful history of GT4 customer motorsport and, at the same time, a farewell to the very last mid-engined racing car of this series built in Zuffenhausen, whose design echoes the futuristic styling of the Porsche Museum. The spectacular anniversary car will be driven by two true Nordschleife icons and Porsche brand ambassadors: Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister. The two long-standing colleagues bring a wealth of Eifel experience to the table – Bernhard has already celebrated 10 overall victories in the NLS, whilst Bergmeister has claimed victory twice. Now, for the first time, the two Nordschleife record-holders are sharing the cockpit of a GT4 racing car and are raring to go – after all, the Eifel circuit is one of their favourite tracks.
The Reversal of the Withdrawal: Passion and the Sound of Revving Engines in the Civic Type R
In stark contrast to the factory-backed anniversary project is the participation of Mark Giesbrecht, Frank Kuhlmann and Michael Flehmer, who perfectly embody the unrivalled diversity and grassroots nature of the NLS. The trio are true Nordschleife veterans: Flehmer leads the pack with an impressive 42 class victories and crowned his career in 2014 with the NLS overall title alongside Rolf Derscheid. Giesbrecht and Kuhlmann complete this experienced line-up – both have already celebrated 26 class victories each in the series. The fact that their tried-and-tested Honda Civic Type R is even taking part in the 6-hour race in the Eifel marks an emotional turnaround in the season’s schedule – and may well be just the start of the remainder of the racing year, as Giesbrecht explains: “For us, it’s basically a reversal of our retirement. We originally wanted to compete in the DHLM this year, but had to postpone it due to scheduling conflicts. After half a season of inactivity, we simply couldn’t sit still any longer. On the spur of the moment, we’ve now decided to compete in the 6-hour race – and if all goes well, we’ll definitely add another one or two races to our schedule this season. Everyone in the team was immediately up for it – and we’re absolutely delighted to be able to present a genuine two-litre Group H car to the fans on the Nordschleife once again.”
Long-awaited racing comeback: Ralf Aron returns to action after injury lay-off
Fans in the GT3 class are in for a powerful and emotional moment: around five months after his serious crash at the Bathurst 12 Hour, Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Ralf Aron is returning to the racetrack. The 28-year-old Estonian, who suffered two fractured vertebrae in February, is making his comeback at the seventh NLS round in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL. After months of intensive rehabilitation, Aron emphasised – with palpable relief – that the time is right: “The motorsport community has given me an incredible amount of strength during this time. After rehab and intensive training, everything felt just right again from the very first moment during the tests in May. I’m all the more delighted that my first race is now just around the corner.” In the cockpit, he’ll be sharing the car with the newly crowned 24 Hours of the Nürburgring winner Luca Stolz, who’ll be celebrating his 31st birthday right on the race weekend.
The premier class continues to grow: new GT3 projects with long-term ambitions
Speaking of GT3: the top category of the NLS is seeing further high-calibre additions as the season reaches its climax. Alongside the established names, several teams are entering the fray with new projects – many of them with long-term prospects. ERA Motorsport, a team from the USA that competes in the IMSA, amongst other series, is making an exciting debut: the team is bringing a Mercedes-AMG customer sports car (GT3 EVO) to the Nordschleife for the first time and fielding a strong trio of Kyle Tilley, Adam Christodoulou and Jake Hill in the SP9 Pro-Am class. Another real highlight in the SP9 Am class is the return of Dörr Motorsport: the team is fielding the spectacular McLaren 720S GT3, driven by brothers Ben and Phil Dörr alongside Nordschleife legend Volker Strycek. The reigning NLS overall champions, FK Performance Motorsport, are also setting a milestone: following last year’s title win, the team from Bremen is making its GT3 debut on the Nordschleife. The BMW M4 GT3 Evo will be driven by a top-class quartet comprising BMW works driver Dan Harper, Leyton Fourie, Maxime Oosten and Pavel Lefterov.
Meanwhile, Joos Sportwagentechnik is taking the long-term leap into the SP9 Am class. The team is fielding a Porsche 911 GT3 R for team owner Michael Joos, Nordschleife veteran Fidel Leib and Marco Lamsouguer. And their ambitions extend far beyond the 6-hour race, as Michael Joos emphasises: “Since our test last year, we have been working on our own GT3 programme on the Nordschleife. We will now contest the remaining four NLS races of the season with the 911 GT3 R. Our aim is to gain as much experience as possible in order to lay a solid foundation for a long-term commitment to the series.” Finally, the up2race team is set to provide a visual and sporting highlight as it makes its NLS debut with its gold-coloured Porsche 911 GT3 R – affectionately known as ‘Goldy’. In the SP9 Pro-Am class, DTM star and former sim racer Tim Heinemann shares the cockpit with former professional footballer Oleksii Kikireshko, whom Heinemann also coaches.
International star power and the hunt for a Permit A at Four Motors
The sustainable Team Four Motors is also set to be a real highlight on the entry list for the 6-hour race: in the #420 Bioconcept car (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport), an international trio will share the cockpit, combining world-class motorsport expertise. With Australian WEC driver and Le Mans class winner Yasser Shahin, reigning Porsche Junior Marcus Amand from France, and Italian Enzo Trulli – son of former Formula 1 pioneer Jarno Trulli – three extraordinary careers come together. For all three drivers, the seventh NLS round also represents a crucial test of their mettle: they are completing their DMSB Nordschleife A permit in the Bioconcept racer to secure the highest level of authorisation for future outings in the top classes of the Green Hell.
Tickets for the race weekend cost 25 euros (children up to and including the age of 14 go free) and are available at VLN.de/tickets and from the ticket offices on the day. The ticket includes access to the open grandstands on the Grand Prix circuit, the Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten spectator areas, as well as the paddock, the pit lane and the starting grid.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday morning from 08:30 to 10:00. Afterwards, fans will have the chance to see the cars and drivers up close during the pit walk from 10:20 in the pit lane and the subsequent grid walk from 11:10 on the starting grid. The six-hour race starts at 12:00. Anyone unable to watch the spectacle in person can tune in to the official live stream on VLN.de from 08:15 or follow the action via “Radio Nürburgring” on rpr1.de and in the RPR1 app.
