10.10.2026
With golden October showing its best side and bright sunshine bathing the Eifel forests surrounding the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, the stage was perfectly set for the grand finale of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. While damp patches made for tricky conditions during qualifying, the track gradually dried out. The four-hour season finale eventually took place in consistently dry conditions, treating the many fans trackside to a thrilling battle for the championship. With their seventh class win of the season in the tenth round, Edoardo Bugane, Yannick Fübrich and Sven Markert secured the 2026 NLS championship title in the BMW M240i Racing Cup (#650 Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels).
In the final overall standings, the trio finished on 109 points, eight points ahead of Alexander Fielenbach and Oskar Sandberg (#953 Smyrlis Racing, 101 points), who finished second in the CUP3 class. The success also marks a historic milestone for the team led by team principal Matthias Unger, as it is already the eighth overall championship title in the history of the series for Adrenalin Motorsport. The newly crowned champions were visibly relieved after crossing the finish line. “A perfect race all round and, once again, a fantastic job by the guys – the car handled absolutely beautifully,” said Fübrich, full of praise. Markert struggled to contain his emotions at the finish: “I’m just incredibly relieved. I feel like I’ve bitten all my fingernails off from the tension. We were able to control the race from the front, but the nerves before the start were huge.” Bugane summed up the result with delight: “Anything is possible – today, an absolute dream has come true for us!”
The final decisions were also made in the series’ special classifications. Piet-Jan Ooms and Ionuc Catalin Timis claimed the Production Car Trophy in the Toyota Supra entered by SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (#524). The prestigious NLS Speed Trophy went to Schubert Motorsport (#77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO) with a total of 183.00 points. Alexandru Vasilescu (#177 AV Racing by BLACK FALCON) secured the Gentleman Trophy with 86 points.
Gamota locks out the front row in qualifyingThe first surprise of the day came during qualifying, when Gamota Racing fielded two GT3 cars for the first time and immediately secured an impressive front-row lockout. Antal Zsigo, Moritz Kranz and David Jahn (#23 BMW M4 GT3 EVO) claimed pole position with a lap time of 9:03.855 minutes, ahead of their teammates Zsigo, Csaba Walter and Dennis Fetzer (#36). Pole-sitter Jahn defended the lead at the start, but a spectacular battle broke out immediately behind him. Adam Christodoulou (#26 PROsport Mercedes-AMG GT3) surged from fourth on the grid around the outside into second place at Turn 2, then went wheel-to-wheel with Sven Müller in the Falken-Porsche (#44). The GT3 field showcased impressive brand diversity, with six different manufacturers occupying the top eight positions in the early stages. A collision later dropped the PROsport-AMG down the order and necessitated repairs using duct tape in the pit lane.
Porsche one-two at NLS10Dunlop Motorsport ultimately celebrated overall victory at the season finale. Nico Menzel and Sven Müller (#17 Porsche 911 GT3 R) crossed the finish line as winners after 24 laps, with a 27-second lead. Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller (#44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R) secured second place to complete the team’s one-two finish, while Jordan Pepper and Tim Tramnitz (#77 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO) completed the podium after a strong recovery drive. Müller, who contested both races and took just five laps off between switching from the Falken to the Dunlop Porsche, was named ‘Driver of the Race’ by the ILN, race control and the commentators.
“First and second place for our team is an absolutely perfect result. The car was great fun to drive today,” said Sven Müller. The victory was also a special personal milestone for Nico Menzel: “With my fifth overall NLS win, I’ve now drawn level with my father – it’s just amazing that we won!” Runner-up Tim Heinemann was equally positive in his assessment: “The whole team did a top job preparing the cars, so a huge thank you to everyone.” Tim Tramnitz, who had worked his way up from 16th on the grid alongside Jordan Pepper, added proudly: “The first few laps in traffic were still pretty tricky, but given where we started, third place was the absolute maximum we could achieve.”
Gamota ultimately earned a double class podium to reward its strong performance. The pole-sitters (#23) finished sixth overall and second in SP9 PRO-AM, while the sister car (#36) crossed the line in 13th overall, also securing second place in SP9 AM. Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller and Dylan Pereira (#48 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON, Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO) won the SP9 PRO-AM class and secured third place in the 2026 drivers’ standings. Alexey Veremenko and ‘SELV’ (#8 JUTA Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) took victory in SP9 AM.
“Simply breathtaking!”: Formula talent Mathilda Paatz shines on Nordschleife debutMathilda Paatz wrote a special family story at the NLS finale. At just 18 years old, the youngest competitor in the field made her endurance racing debut alongside her father Michael in the VW Scirocco R entered by mathilda racing, and was absolutely thrilled with the experience: “It’s completely different from formula racing. My first long stint was simply breathtaking.” The long-term goal shared by the Aston Martin junior driver and her father is to compete in the 24-hour race in the Green Hell. The two are already on equal footing within the team, as she revealed with a wink: “He’s doing a great job, especially considering he hasn’t driven much himself for a long time and has invested all his energy in me. It’s really cool that he’s now making my dream of racing together come true. Of course, I hope I’ll soon be faster than him – but for a first race, it was okay.” The father-daughter duo ultimately finished sixth in their class.
A strong field and worthy champions: NLS boss Mike Jäger reflects on the seasonFor the organisers of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the finale marks the end of a successful year both on and off the track. The series is clearly moving in the right direction: while an average of 112 cars took to the track for qualifying last year, that figure rose to an impressive 123 cars per round this season. “We can look back on a thoroughly successful season with some really great racing,” said NLS Managing Director Mike Jäger. “We have seen absolutely worthy champions in both the overall standings and the other classifications. The series is clearly on an upward trajectory. After some more challenging periods, we are now back on very solid foundations. We can be proud of this positive development, our new champions and the work of the entire team.”
Winter break with sim racing and a historic anniversary year in 2027Before the engines roar back to life in the Green Hell, the Digitale Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (DNLS) will help fans get through the winter break. The official sim racing counterpart to the NLS begins its new season on 19 December, bringing the thrilling action of the Nordschleife straight to fans’ screens. When real-world racing returns with the season opener on 20 March 2027, the lights will turn green for a major motorsport celebration: the traditional racing series will mark its 50th anniversary, coinciding with the Nürburgring’s historic 100th birthday.
Note: Due to ongoing appeal proceedings, the results of NLS9 and NLS10 remain provisional, as does the championship standings. However, the outcome of these proceedings will not affect the leading positions in the overall standings.