At the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers this weekend, it was an emotional rollercoaster for motorsport fans. After the first race on Saturday had to be abandoned early on due to a tragic accident, Race 2 on Sunday delighted fans with a thrilling contest. After 28 laps, Christopher Haase / Alexander Sims / Ben Green in the Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16 were declared the winners. They crossed the finish line with a lead of 28.024 seconds over Luca Engstler / Mirko Bortolotti / Patric Niederhauser in the Abt Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 #84. The 24h Qualifiers weekend also marks the end of the preparatory phase for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, taking place from May 14 to 17, 2026. The season’s highlight on the Nordschleife promises a continuation of the thrilling duels seen in the Prologue and plenty of top-tier motorsport. Even shortly before the entry deadline, it is clear that the cap of 150 potential starters for the world’s largest endurance race will be reached this year.

In the top qualifying session, it was Thierry Vermeulen who set the fastest time in the #45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo26, edging out David Jahn in the #23 BMW M4 GT3 Evo by a mere thousandth of a second. Dennis Marschall took the wheel of the Realize Kondo Racing Ferrari at the start but was only able to defend the lead briefly. Soon, however, the Italian racer was overtaken by the chasing pack and retired in lap three after making contact with the guardrail. Max Verstappen in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 and Christopher Haase in the Scherer-Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16 then provided the real racing spectacle: Both engaged in a sensational battle featuring slipstream duels and overtaking attempts. The four-time Formula 1 world champion initially held the upper hand and dominated as the leader for the first hour and a half of the race, before a front splitter failure after lap ten forced him into the pits for a half-hour repair break.

Thrilling motorsport also in the gripping finish
In the end, it was Team Scherer PHX that prevailed with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #16. “Our weekend was a rollercoaster,” said Christopher Haase, analyzing the Scherer PHX perspective. “We really struggled with the wet conditions today. I also had a minor collision with the tire barriers. We really struggled to get the car working. In the top qualifying session, the whole picture changed again and the Audi went pretty well, almost perfectly. Things went well for us in the race, but the balance isn’t necessarily where I personally would like it to be.” Satisfied faces among the runners-up: “From a sporting perspective, it was a great weekend for us. We had two good race starts—yesterday and today. Things are moving in the right direction as far as preparations for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring are concerned,” said Mirko Bortolotti, summarizing the race from the perspective of the #84 Abt-Lamborghini. There was an ultra-thrilling finish in the battle for third place, which was ultimately won by Thomas Preining / Matt Campbell in the Manthey-Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 #911, who put up a spectacular fight in the final kilometers against Maro Engel / Fabian Schiller / Luca Stolz in the RAVENOL-Mercedes-AMG GT3, #80.

Minute of silence for Juha Miettinen
The second race of the weekend began with a minute of silence. The gathered endurance racing community paid tribute to Finnish driver Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121), who was killed in a serious accident during the first race on Saturday. “The members of the racing team also came to the starting grid for the moment of silence and felt the support of the other drivers and the fans in the stands,” explains Race Director Walter Hornung. “Our thoughts are with the family and his teammates. At the same time, I am relieved that the other injured drivers were all able to leave the hospital that evening after a thorough examination. This is also thanks to the responders who were on the scene during this serious accident. For the volunteer marshals, paramedics, and emergency counselors who were there, the accident—involving a total of seven vehicles—was an extreme challenge. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for their efforts.”