- Verstappen Racing’s driveshaft issue denies Affalterbach 1-2
- Li and High Class make it back-to-back IGTC Independent Cup wins
- Lamborghini and Aston Martin complete overall podium
- Provisional Result: ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring
Mercedes-AMG scored its first ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring victory for 10 years by dominating Round 2 of this year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge at the Nordschleife.
The Ravenol-backed entry shared by Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz started 25th but inherited the lead with just over three hours remaining when the other Winward-run Verstappen Racing car suffered a driveshaft issue.
It was Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Max Verstappen’s race to lose up to that point after the latter seized control during the night when battling with Engel. Indeed, Winward appeared on course for a dominant one-two before Juncadella made an unscheduled stop and failed to return until the final lap. That ended the hopes of his four-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion co-driver whose presence contributed towards the record 352,000 attendance and many millions of livestream views.
An 84-second post-race penalty for Team ABT’s Lamborghini, which ended lap one in the pits after starting from pole, set up a thrilling finish with Walkenhorst’s Aston Martin. But it was ultimately the Huracan shared by Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser that beat Nicki Thiim, Christian Krognes and Mattia Drudi to runners-up spot.
BMW scored second place IGTC points by finishing fourth overall. ROWE Racing’s Dan Harper, who dropped to the tail of the field after being spun around on lap one, Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Max Hesse came home 17 seconds shy of the overall podium, while Lionspeed GP’s Porsche completed Intercontinental’s top three in sixth overall behind the SP-X class-winning BMW M3 Touring.
A second IGTC win in as many events leaves Engel and Martin firmly in control of the drivers’ standings, while Mercedes-AMG also consolidated its manufacturers’ championship lead.
There was also a second consecutive Independent Cup victory for Li Kerong and High Class Racing whose Porsche took the chequered flag 16th overall on what was the driver’s and team’s Nordschleife debut.
VERSTAPPEN CAMEO LIGHTS UP NORDSCHLEIFE
Pre-event build-up was all about one driver. But the Dutchman more than lived up to the hype surrounding his 24h Nürburgring debut by going toe to toe with the world’s best GT drivers around the fearsome Nordschleife.
His opening double stint was memorable for a near-miss with the Armco barriers that almost ended in disaster, but also a masterful overtaking display that helped his Mercedes-AMG climb from a net sixth to first before handing over to Gounon.
Rain at various parts of the circuit helped Ford’s wet-tyre-shod Mustang driven by Dennis Olsen to briefly take the lead, but as the track dried so the HRT-run car dropped out of contention, leaving Winward’s Mercedes-AMGs to run in formation up front. They swapped places several times but appeared to be managing their pace after establishing a two-minute-plus lead over a chasing pack that dropped further away as the race developed.
Only in the early hours, when Verstappen and Engel climbed aboard, did the phony war turn hot. The pair upped their pace whilst running together before Verstappen found a way past towards the bottom of Döttinger Höhe. His team-mate attempted to return the favour at the same section next time around when side-by-side contact whilst approaching traffic sent the #80 Mercedes-AMG across the grass at high speed. Engel lived to fight another day, but the battle cooled thereafter – perhaps following a team call to hold station.
The ebb and flow thereafter helped #3 build a 30-second advantage heading towards the final three hours when Juncadella was forced to pit with driveshaft issues. He only emerged to complete the final lap alongside Engel who was back aboard for the winning moment – just as he had been 10 years prior.
Such was Winward’s advantage that the final three hours largely centred on who would finish second. ABT’s pole-winning Lamborghini spent the entire race fighting its way back into contention following a puncture on lap one, but only overcame the 84-second penalty due to be imposed at the chequered flag thanks to a slow zone on the final lap that prevented Walkenhorst’s chasing Aston Martin from remaining close enough to jump ahead.
BMW’s GT3 contingent was almost entirely eclipsed by its April Fools M3 Touring which enjoyed a trouble-free run to fifth – one place behind the best of its M4s. ROWE’s #1 entry retired before midnight due to a refuelling problem, while the Schubert example came home ninth overall and sixth in IGTC’s classification.
Porsche finished third and fourth in IGTC, as well as sixth and seventh outright, thanks to Lionspeed GP – which fought its way into the top eight early on – and Dinamic GT. Their points’ haul leaves the manufacturer nine points behind Mercedes-AMG in the standings.
HRT’s sole surviving Ford was next up but will rue what might have been after Olsen in particular featured towards the sharp end on Saturday afternoon. The car he shared with Chris Mies, Fred Vervisch and Frank Stippler was eighth overall.
Merecedes-AMG’s manufacturers’ points scorers were completed by the Toyo Tires with Ring Racing entry, which finished 17th.
But there were no points for Ferrari whose sole entry, represented by the Kondo/Rinaldi 296, crashed out early on whilst running in the top five.
IGTC 2026 reaches its halfway mark next month when the world’s biggest GT3 race – the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – takes place just a short distance from the Nürburgring. Indeed, the event’s Prologue kicks off official preparations this Tuesday and Wednesday.