This coming Saturday (1 August), the traditional KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen will take centre stage as the season highlight of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. With 50 percent more racing than the regular four-hour events, the six-hour spectacle on the legendary Nordschleife promises even more action, strategy and drama. With favourable weather conditions forecast, the entry list features a thrilling and diverse field: from brand-new GT3 projects and emotional comebacks to unique grassroots racing stories. Tickets are here available from 25 Euro, while youngsters up to and including the age of 14 enjoy free admission. Fans unable to attend in person can follow all the action live and free of charge from 08:15 (race start at 12:00) via the official livestream.

A rolling work of art celebrating family: Tribute to the Porsche Museum
The six-hour race will feature a historic highlight on the Nordschleife. An exclusively designed Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport serves as a rolling work of art, creating a bridge between history, architecture and modern customer racing. What makes this project particularly special is the family spirit behind it: for this one-off appearance, the teams from Porsche Heritage and Museum, the motorsport specialists from Weissach, and Team 75 Motorsport are working hand in hand. The car pays tribute to Porsche's successful GT4 customer racing heritage while also marking the farewell of the very last mid-engine race car of this model line built in Zuffenhausen, featuring a design inspired by the futuristic architecture of the Porsche Museum. The spectacular anniversary entry will be driven by two true Nordschleife icons and Porsche brand ambassadors: Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister. Both bring extensive Eifel experience to the cockpit – Bernhard has celebrated ten overall victories in the NLS, while Bergmeister has claimed two overall wins. For the first time, the two Nordschleife legends will share the cockpit of a GT4 race car and are eagerly looking forward to the challenge, with the Eifel circuit being one of their favourite tracks.

Coming out of retirement: Passion and high-revving Civic Type R sounds
Providing the perfect contrast to the factory-supported anniversary project is the entry of Mark Giesbrecht, Frank Kuhlmann and Michael Flehmer, who perfectly embody the diversity and grassroots character of the NLS. The trio consists of genuine Nordschleife veterans. Flehmer leads the group with an impressive 42 class victories and crowned his career with the overall NLS title in 2014 alongside Rolf Derscheid. Giesbrecht and Kuhlmann complete the experienced line-up, each having celebrated 26 class victories in the series. The fact that their faithful Honda Civic Type R will line up for the six-hour race is an emotional twist in their season plans and perhaps only the beginning of their return, as Giesbrecht explains: "For us, it's basically a comeback from retirement. We originally planned to compete in the DHLM this year, but had to postpone those plans due to scheduling conflicts. After sitting on the sidelines for half a season, we simply couldn't stay away any longer. We decided at short notice to enter the six-hour race and if everything goes well, we'll definitely add one or two more races this season. Everyone in the team was immediately excited, and we're really looking forward to bringing a genuine two-litre Group H car back to the fans on the Nordschleife."

Long-awaited racing comeback: Ralf Aron returns after injury
GT3 fans can look forward to an emotional highlight. Around five months after his serious accident at the Bathurst 12 Hour, Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Ralf Aron is returning to racing. The 28-year-old Estonian, who suffered two fractured vertebrae in February, will make his comeback in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL during the seventh NLS round. Following months of intensive rehabilitation, Aron is delighted to be back: "The motorsport community gave me incredible strength during this time. After rehabilitation and intensive training, everything immediately felt right again during the tests in May. I'm even happier now that my first race weekend is finally here." He will share the cockpit with newly crowned 24h Nürburgring winner Luca Stolz, who celebrates his 31st birthday during the race weekend.

GT3 category continues to grow: New projects with long-term ambitions
Speaking of GT3, the NLS's premier category welcomes several exciting new additions for the season highlight. Alongside the established contenders, several teams are launching fresh projects—many with long-term ambitions. One particularly exciting debut comes from American team ERA Motorsport, well known from IMSA competition. The team will field a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO customer racing car on the Nordschleife for the first time, entering Kyle Tilley, Adam Christodoulou and Jake Hill in the SP9 Pro-Am class. Another eye-catching return comes from Dörr Motorsport, entering the spectacular McLaren 720S GT3 in SP9 Am for brothers Ben Dörr and Phil Dörr, alongside Nordschleife legend Volker Strycek. Reigning NLS champions FK Performance Motorsport will also reach a major milestone. After securing last year's overall title, the Bremen-based team makes its GT3 debut on the Nordschleife with a BMW M4 GT3 Evo driven by an impressive quartet consisting of BMW factory driver Dan Harper, Leyton Fourie, Maxime Oosten and Pavel Lefterov.

Meanwhile, Joos Sportwagentechnik is making the long-term step into SP9 Am with a Porsche 911 GT3 R for team owner Michael Joos, Nordschleife regular Fidel Leib, and Marco Lamsouguer. Their ambitions extend far beyond the six-hour race, as Joos explains: "Since our test last year, we've been working on our own GT3 programme for the Nordschleife. We'll compete in the remaining four NLS races this season with the 911 GT3 R. Our goal is to gain as much experience as possible and build a solid foundation for a long-term commitment to the series." Completing the line-up is team up2race, making its NLS debut with its gold-coloured Porsche 911 GT3 R, affectionately nicknamed "Goldy". In SP9 Pro-Am, DTM star and former sim racer Tim Heinemann will share the cockpit with former professional footballer Oleksii Kikireshko, whom Heinemann also coaches.

International star power and Permit A challenge at Four Motors
Sustainable racing team Four Motors also adds a fascinating story to the entry list. Their Bioconcept Car #420 (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport) will be shared by an outstanding international trio: 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 driver Jarno Trulli.
For all three drivers, the seventh NLS round also represents an important milestone as they complete their DMSB Permit Nordschleife A in the Bioconcept race car, securing the highest licence level required for future appearances in the top classes of the Green Hell.

Tickets for the race weekend cost 25 Euro (children up to and including the age of 14 receive free admission) and are available here as well as at the ticket offices on site. The ticket includes access to the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, the spectator areas at Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten, as well as the paddock, pit lane and starting grid.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday morning from 08:30 to 10:00. Afterwards, fans can get up close to the cars and drivers during the Pitwalk in the pit lane from 10:20, followed by the Gridwalk on the starting grid from 11:10. The six-hour race begins at 12:00.
Those unable to attend can tune in to the official livestream from 11:15 or follow the action via Radio Nürburgring on rpr1.de and in the RPR1 App.