Walkenhorst Motorsport has announced an impressive Aston Martin factory-backed driver line-up as the German squad aims for victory in the 2025 ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The race, scheduled for 19-22 June, sees Walkenhorst Motorsport entering its top Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO with four of the marque’s factory drivers: Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes, David Pittard, and Nicki Thiim. Each brings significant Nordschleife expertise to the challenge.

“For many years we’ve been chasing victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours,” said team founder Henry Walkenhorst. “This year, we’re starting with one of our strongest line-ups ever. I’m confident that we’ll be in contention at the front of the field and I’m already looking forward to the race.”

Star-studded driver quartet

The team’s star driver quartet combines proven endurance racing talent with extensive Nordschleife credentials. Nicki Thiim returns having previously won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2013. Since joining Aston Martin, Thiim has added a Le Mans class victory and two FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) titles in GTE Pro to his résumé.

David Pittard, another previous winner at the Nordschleife, clinched overall honours at the 2023 edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours driving a Ferrari. Pittard returns to Walkenhorst Motorsport, confident about the Vantage’s potential: “After a year of development for the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO, I’m delighted to be back on the Nordschleife with Walkenhorst Motorsport. Last year we proved the car’s competitiveness, and now with four AMR drivers, I’m confident we’ll be among the frontrunners again.”

Christian Krognes, newly-appointed as an official Aston Martin factory driver for 2025, continues his long-standing partnership with Walkenhorst Motorsport. The Norwegian first joined the team in 2016, achieving victory in the 2018 Spa 24 Hours and multiple Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) race wins, including five victories in 2023.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is always a personal highlight for me, and I’m thrilled to compete again with such an incredibly strong team,” said Krognes. “Our goal is clear and simple: we want to take our beautiful Vantage to our first Nürburgring 24 Hours victory.”

Mattia Drudi joins Walkenhorst Motorsport on his second year as an AMR works driver, making his first appearance at the Nordschleife 24 Hours with Aston Martin machinery: “I’m excited to return to the Green Hell, especially for the 24-hour race. The Aston Martin Vantage suits this track well, and with such an experienced team and teammates, I’m confident we can deliver a strong performance.”

Building towards the big one

Walkenhorst Motorsport will prepare for the 24-hour race with a full programme of lead-up events, including NLS rounds two and three and both ADAC 24h Qualifier races. In addition to the works-supported Pro entry, the team from Melle will field further Aston Martin Vantage GT3s in the SP9 Pro-Am and SP9 Am classes, along with a Vantage GT4 and a Hyundai i30N in the support categories.

The 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours takes place from 19 to 22 June.