The ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers from April 13th to 14th promise an extremely exciting Nordschleife weekend. The two four-hour races of the weekend will be the highlight of the preparation phase for the race of the year, as this is the ideal opportunity for testing before the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (May 30 to June 2). In addition, both heats on Saturday (start at 17:30) and Sunday (start at 13:00) will be scored for the NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie). Over 130 cars will be lining up to take advantage of this double opportunity - the entry list is available online (see links). Among them are the winning teams of the first two NLS races, Falken Motorsports and Manthey with their Porsche 911 GT3 R. Whether they can also be considered favorites for the 24h will be decided during the 24h Qualifiers. That's when many top teams who were still involved in other racing series at the NLS season opener will join the field. Good reasons not to miss out on this race weekend - especially as there is also plenty of highly interesting motorsport to experience in the supporting program.

Tickets for the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers are available here - admission to the Nordschleife (except camping and parking) is free!

The 24h Qualifiers are the crowning finale to intensive weeks of full-throttle racing. This also included the "double-header" at the NLS season opener on the first weekend in April. This gave a first impression of this year's balance of power on the Nordschleife. Daniel Juncadella took pole position on both days in the HRT team's Mercedes-AMG GT3. In the first race on Saturday, the Porsche teams in particular made an extremely strong impression: one of the 911 GT3 Rs from Falken Motorsports took victory on Saturday ahead of the legendary "Grello" 911 from Manthey Racing. If the second Falken Porsche had not retired shortly before the end, there would have been a triple podium for the 911s. As it was, the remaining podium place went to the strong performance of Frank Stippler in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 from Scherer PHX.

On Sunday, Manthey then took the lead in a spectacular photo finish when Laurens Vanthoor overtook Jordan Pepper in the Abt-Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II practically at the finish line. The Lambo had previously put in a magnificent performance and looked like a sure winner until shortly before the end. But final driver Jordan Pepper, who was signaled by the pits that he would not have enough fuel for another lap, reduced the pace a little too much to avoid crossing the finish line again before the four-hour time limit expired. Manthey's final driver Laurens Vanthor took full advantage of this and ultimately won by half a car length. "You can't make something like that up," marveled the winner. His team, which was one of the most successful teams at the 24h, could be highly satisfied. Team colleague Kevin Estre had already been delighted with "a super preparation" the day before after P2 in the first race. "The Grello is a legend on the Nordschleife, many fans celebrate the car. It's great to be part of it."

24h Qualifiers offer the chance for revenge
The brand colleagues from Falken Motorsports were also highly satisfied after the victory on Saturday and P3 on Sunday. "Super cool!" said a jubilant Nico Menzel after the first race. "After many class wins, this was finally my first overall victory in the NLS." Tim Heinemann took over his racing seat on the second day and was also beaming after the race: "It's good to start the season with a podium and even collect leading kilometers. But we didn't see the true balance of power today - we won't have a picture of that until next weekend at the qualifiers. But it was a great start and our team had a super weekend." There was no sign of similar euphoria among the runners-up in Sunday's NLS race. "A huge mistake," said Jordan Pepper, bemoaning the narrow loss of victory. His colleague Kelvin van der Linde was at least able to celebrate the "mega performance of the team", but also summed up: "This is absolutely bitter, we can't be satisfied. The good news for him and all those for whom this season opener did not go smoothly: There is already a chance of revenge for the beefy Lamborghini, which proved to be new additions to the crowd favorites, at next weekend's qualifiers. The imposing Italo-GT3 proved to be just as competitive at the NLS opener as the celebrated returnees from Glickenhaus Racing: the SCG 004c of the Le Mans participants will also be a visual highlight at the 24h Qualifiers with its sports car look.

A first look at the 24h favorites
The GT3 class, in which the majority of the teams capable of winning compete, was not yet fully occupied at the NLS opener because a number of top teams were tied up with other series. This will change radically in the qualifiers: 30 GT3 and SP-X cars are registered, which should already provide a fairly complete overview of the teams and makes that will be fighting for victory in the 24h. The fastest drivers from the NLS season opener will therefore meet their most important 24-hour rivals on the legendary asphalt for the first time. Among them are last year's 24h winners from Frikadelli Racing with their Ferrari 296 GT3. The Mercedes-AMG teams will be joined by GetSpeed and Schnitzelalm, while RMG and Rowe Racing will be there with their BMW M4 GT3s. The Aston Martin squad will be reinforced by three Vantage AMR GT3 Evo cars in the colors of Trinity Solutions / Walkenhorst. Dinamic GT, Lionspeed and Herberth Motorsport will be joining the action for Porsche.

Glock wants to go to the 24h
If the entry list for the 24h Qualifiers is anything to go by, then the 24h Nürburgring on the last weekend in May will be a full assembly of GT racing: teams and drivers from at least the most important European series will meet. There could even be a few more names. Ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Timo Glock, for example, climbed into a Cup BMW in the NLS to qualify for the DMSB Permit - an additional racing license for the major vehicle classes on the Nordschleife. "I've always wanted to compete in the 24h," reveals the Odenwald native. "Now it's finally possible, and my big goal is to start in a car with Timo Scheider at the 24h. My permit is a prerequisite - but we still have a few more hurdles to overcome. Then a small lifelong dream of the 42-year-old would come true: "The stage is even more open here than elsewhere, and you are very close to the fans. Everything is very open and the atmosphere is cool. It's a lot of fun. One of the highlights of the NLS is the start lap, when the fans line the track. At the 24h, all of that is magnified once again - I would like to finally experience that for myself."

Lots of motorsport to experience
It's not just the two main races of the qualifiers that will offer great sport. In the breaks between the practice sessions and races, it's worth taking a stroll through the paddock, where the youngest motorsport drivers can be admired in the youth kart slalom on the heliport. Car slaloms will take place in the Mercedes Arena on both days. The season opener of the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) on Saturday afternoon also promises a very well-staffed field of amateur sports cars on the Nordschleife. The motorsport fun is available in advance for 25 euros (day tickets Saturday / Sunday), the weekend ticket costs 39 euros.

Those who cannot experience the 24h Qualifiers on site can watch the most important highlights in the livestream on the 24h homepage (www.24h-rennen.de) on Saturday from 16:45 and on Sunday from 10:30.