The KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie delivered a spectacular setting for the traditional season highlight in the Green Hell on August 1, 2026. Under glorious sunshine and in front of packed grandstands during the height of the summer holidays, the seventh NLS race of the year featured six hours of strategy, intense wheel-to-wheel battles, and an outstanding atmosphere. After completing 41 laps, Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL claimed overall victory ahead of Schubert Motorsport and 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON.

The emotional return of Ralf Aron was one of the defining stories of the race. Around five months after his serious accident at the 12 Hours of Bathurst, the Estonian made an impressive racing comeback in the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Aron already made a statement during the morning qualifying session by securing pole position with a sensational lap time of 7:51.506 minutes. In the race, Aron and Luca Stolz delivered a flawless performance, crossing the finish line after six hours as overall winners. For Stolz, the triumph was the perfect present for his 31st birthday.

“It was a fantastic race for us and an incredible amount of fun. Six hours of action in perfect Eifel weather – I still have a huge smile on my face. It really is the best birthday present I could have wished for. We had a completely mistake-free day, and the car barely picked up a scratch – simply perfect,” said a delighted Luca Stolz after the finish.

Ralf Aron was equally emotional: “This completes my comeback, and I couldn't be happier. I wouldn't even have dared to dream of this beforehand. It was a tremendous pleasure to share this race with Luca.”

Second place overall, 39.480 seconds behind after 41 laps, went to Schubert Motorsport. In the #77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, and Nordschleife GT3 debutant Tim Tramnitz delivered a highly focused performance.

“Luca was an incredibly strong opponent. The Mercedes crew was already extremely fast in qualifying and deserved today's victory. We were within striking distance at times, but whenever we got closer, they were able to raise the pace again. I'm extremely proud of both of my teammates – especially Tim, who contested his first GT3 race on the Nordschleife,” summarized veteran Jens Klingmann.

Tim Tramnitz was equally pleased with the result: “It feels fantastic. We had a slightly tricky pit stop after my opening stint, but the car was excellent. Jens' experience helped me enormously during the preparation for this weekend.”

His teammate Ugo de Wilde added: “I really wanted to achieve my first Nordschleife podium. Tim did a fantastic job on his debut.”

The final place on the overall podium went to 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON, who also claimed victory in the SP9 PRO-AM class with the Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (#48). Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller, and Dylan Pereira also produced a strong performance. While Dylan Pereira immediately left for his next race in Magny-Cours after completing his stint, Patrick Assenheimer and Tobias Müller celebrated the trophy on site.

“Dylan called us via FaceTime from the car on his way to the airport, and we were able to experience his celebrations live. He followed the entire race with great excitement. The race went brilliantly, and after the final round we are back on the overall podium. Despite slightly misaligned suspension settings, we delivered a completely solid race without any mistakes or penalties,” explained Tobias Müller.

Fourth overall went to the #4 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Goroyan RT by Car Collection, driven by Artur Goroyan, Alex Fontana, and Nico Menzel, who also secured second place in the SP9 PRO-AM class. Fifth overall was claimed in dramatic fashion by FK Performance Motorsport in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO (#1). On the final lap, Leyton Fourie, Dan Harper, Pavel Lefterov, and Maxime Oosten overtook the Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (#123) of Mühlner Motorsport, driven by Martin Rump, Ben Bünnagel, and Noah Nagelsdiek, which ultimately finished sixth overall.

In the SP9 AM class, Renazzo Motorsport emerged victorious after a dramatic battle following the final pit stop. Sak Nana, Christoph Breuer, and Thomas Mutsch guided the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II (#786) to class victory ahead of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (#5) of BLACK FALCON Team EAE, driven by Mustafa Mehmet Kaya, Gabriele Piana, and Mike Stursberg.

Emotional Moments and Action in the One-Make Cup Classes
Beyond the headline SP9 category, the six-hour Eifel classic produced many memorable stories. One of the emotional highlights came from the joint project of Porsche Heritage and Museum and Team75 Bernhard. In the specially designed Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS (#718), Nordschleife legends and Porsche brand ambassadors Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister gave the very last mid-engined race car of this model line built in Zuffenhausen a fitting farewell.

“This car has been an extremely important customer racing model for Porsche. We wanted to give it the farewell it deserved. The reception from the fans was simply incredible – it makes you immensely proud,” said an emotional Timo Bernhard before the start.

Jörg Bergmeister added with a smile: “When I received the invitation, I didn't have to think twice. Just as we started together back then, it feels like we've now come full circle here on the Nordschleife.”

The duo completed 37 flawless laps and crowned the emotional farewell with fourth place in the SP10 class.

The fiercely contested one-make cup categories also provided plenty of excitement. In the CUP2 class, BLACK FALCON Team ZIMMERMANN celebrated a commanding class victory. Alexander Hardt, Benjamin Hites, and Benjamin Koslowski prevailed in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (#900) ahead of teammates Ryan Harrison, Raphael Rennhofer, and Leon Wassertheurer from LIQUI MOLY by BLACK FALCON (#902). Third place in the CUP2 standings went to Patrik Grütter and Fabio Grosse for SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (#901).

In the CUP3 category (Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring), Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach celebrated their fourth victory of the season. Driving the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS (#953) for Smyrlis Racing, the duo fought back brilliantly after serving a drive-through penalty for a jump start and emerged as class winners after six hours. They finished ahead of Lorenz Stegmann and Moritz Oberheim of W&S Motorsport (#962), while Marius Rauer, Michal Makes, and Toby Goodman (#961, also W&S Motorsport) completed the podium in third place.

Championship Battle Intensifies
With another class victory at the season highlight, Edoardo Bugane, Yannick Fübrich, and Sven Markert from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels further strengthened their lead in the overall standings. The trio has scored a perfect 79.00 points, with their BMW M240i (#650) winning its class in every race entered so far this season.

Alexander Fielenbach and Oskar Sandberg follow in second place with 64.00 points, ahead of Anton Abée, Yannik Himmels, and Jörg Viebahn on 56.00 points. Benjamin Albers and Raphael Rennhofer round out the top ten with 55.00 points each.

As there are no dropped scores this season, every result counts towards the championship. This makes the title battle even more intense, as the championship contenders must continue to score consistently in the remaining rounds without any mistakes or retirements.

Following the successful six-hour spectacle, the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie now heads into a short summer break before returning on September 12–13, 2026, when the highly anticipated Double-Header featuring NLS8 and NLS9 takes place at the Nürburgring.