After the razor-thin photo finish the previous day, Falken Motorsports bounced back on Sunday at the 66th ADAC ACAS Cup (NLS9). Amidst occasionally challenging weather conditions, Tim Heinemann and Morris Schuring claimed overall victory in their Porsche 911 GT3 R after starting from pole position. Right behind them, Nico Menzel and Flynt Schuring secured a commanding one-two finish for Sven Schnabel’s team in the sister car. Rounding out an all-Porsche podium were Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller, and Dylan Pereira in the #48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO; despite some turbulence, they secured the win in the SP9 Pro-Am class.
Tight Qualifying and Start-Line Scramble
The drivers held nothing back right from qualifying. Pole-sitter Heinemann raved about a “perfect lap”—the kind rarely experienced in motorsport. However, the competition was hot on his heels: Tobias Müller trailed the Black Falcon Porsche by a mere 0.020 seconds. The top four cars were separated by just 0.460 seconds. Chaos ensued immediately at the flying start in the AMG Arena: Ugo de Wilde (Schubert BMW)—winner from the previous day—attempted to squeeze past Nico Menzel on the inside. After slight contact, Menzel was forced to open up his line; shortly thereafter, the BMW was hit by “Daan Arrow” and dropped far back. The Schubert BMW’s race ultimately ended prematurely on lap eight following a crash at the Brünnchen section.
Tire Gamble, Heart-Stopping Moments, and Wild Spins
When rain began to fall in the Eifel, a nerve-wracking strategic gamble between slicks and rain tires unfolded. For the Black Falcon trio, the race turned into a real rollercoaster ride: First, Tobias Müller missed a “Code 60” board and rear-ended Thomas Schönfeld’s VW Golf GTI, resulting in a bent rim and a subsequent drive-through penalty. Shortly after came the heart-stopping moment of the day when Müller spun on the wet track in the ultra-fast “Mut-Kurve” (Courage Corner)—miraculously catching the car without touching the track limits. “The spin, the drive-through penalty, and so on—I think we can be incredibly proud to be standing on the overall podium here,” Müller breathed a sigh of relief at the finish. Patrick Assenheimer added regarding the tactics: “We managed the situation quite well by pitting earlier, just when conditions became too poor for slicks.”
Charge Through the Downpour and a Schuring Family Celebration
Meanwhile, a brotherly duel broke out at the front: Morris Schuring led the field for a time ahead of his younger brother, Flynt. For GT3 debutant Flynt, it was a true baptism of fire: “My first weekend in a GT3—and on the Nordschleife, no less—racing on slicks in the rain… it was incredibly difficult, but I’m absolutely thrilled.”
From the pit lane, father Gerwin Schuring—himself a former overall winner at the Nürburgring—proudly watched his sons’ double success. Race winner Morris Schuring beamed after crossing the finish line: “I was happy just watching from the pit lane, but I always had faith in Tim. It all feels so normal right now, but in two or three weeks, we’ll probably look back and think: ‘That was actually pretty awesome.'”
“Driving a Speedboat” in the Eifel – and the Heroes of the Day
During the final laps, the track turned into a landscape of lakes. Breidscheid, Fuchsröhre, and Schwedenkreuz became slippery slides. “To call it ‘exciting’ is a massive understatement,” reported race winner Heinemann. “I’ve never experienced conditions as bad as today’s. Aquaplaning in every corner, on every straight. I’m really glad we made it through unscathed.” Runner-up Menzel also breathed a sigh of relief: “Towards the end there, it was almost like driving a speedboat. There was so much aquaplaning—it gave us a heart-stopping moment or two—but we managed it pretty well.”
The “Driver of the Day” trophy went to Moritz Oberheim (#962 AVIA W&S Motorsport). After being forced to watch from the sidelines on Saturday following a practice accident, he celebrated a triumphant comeback on Sunday by securing pole position, a lights-to-flag victory in the CUP 3 class, and recognition from the ILN, race control, and the TV commentators: “It means a great deal to me. I know there are many talented drivers out there. Today was truly a good day—it is an honor to accept this trophy.”
Title Fight Postponed: First Scoreless Race for the Leaders
The race proved highly dramatic regarding the overall NLS standings as well: The Adrenalin trio of Edoardo Bugane, Yannick Fübrich, and Sven Markert—undisputed leaders up to that point—were forced to retire their BMW M240i due to a technical failure and be towed off the track; it was the first time this year the championship leaders failed to score points. Their pursuers seized the opportunity: although Alexander Fielenbach and Oskar Sandberg missed out on the CUP3 class victory to Moritz Oberheim and Lorenz Stegmann in their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, they secured valuable points by finishing second. As a result, Fielenbach and Sandberg have closed the gap to the top of the standings to just four points.
The tide has also turned in the 2026 Production Car Trophy following the intense double-header: Piet-Jan Ooms and Ionuc Catalin Timis (Toyota Supra, SRS Team Sorg Rennsport) and the trio of Philipp Leisen, Philipp Stahlschmidt, and Daniel Zils (BMW 330i, Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels) had arrived in the Eifel tied on points in the VT2-RWD class. After hard-fought battles on both race days, Ooms and Timis ultimately crowned their weekend on Sunday by taking the class victory—finishing right ahead of their Adrenalin rivals, who had to settle for second place. With this success, the Sorg duo has taken sole possession of the lead in the Production Car Trophy standings and will head to the grand season finale in October with a four-point advantage.
The battle for the NLS title will thus be decided at the grand finale on October 10, 2026. The 2nd NLS Sportwarte-Trophy (4h) will see the season’s final victory contested—and the new champion crowned. Fans shouldn’t miss the season finale: tickets for the decisive race day start at 25 euros (free for children up to and including age 14) and are available at VLN.de/tickets as well as at the box office on the day. As always, admission includes access to the grandstands, paddock, pit lane, grid walk, and the popular spectator areas at Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten.
