The Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie heads back to full GT3 competition this weekend for the KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen, the annual mid-summer six-hour race. It is the first time since the Nürburgring 24 Hours in June that the GT3 field takes on the Nordschleife, and with 25.378 km of challenging tarmac ahead, this is one of the longest and most demanding rounds of the season.

From NLS Light to full GT3 field

The last NLS race in early July was the NLS Light, a four-hour contest reserved for non-GT3 machinery. Max Kruse Racing came out on top with its #76 VW Golf GTI Clubsport, driven by Nico Otto and Timo Hochwind. Now, the top SP9 category is back in force, with a seven-car entry featuring both Pro, Pro-Am, and Am-class contenders.

GT3 contenders and title fights

Falken Motorsports leads the NLS Speed Trophy standings with its #3 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Klaus Bachler and Sven Müller. Müller is already a 2025 race winner, while Falken as a team has taken two victories this year. The sister #4 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Dennis Marschall and Nico Menzel also remains in striking distance.

Manthey EMA’s #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R sits second in the Speed Trophy after a win in NLS3, but will be absent from this round.

Other notable GT3 entries include Haupt Racing Team’s #6 Ford Mustang GT3 of Vincent Kolb, Frank Stippler, and Patrick Assenheimer, plus BLACK FALCON’s #48 Porsche 911 GT3 R in Pro-Am hands with Daan Arrow, Mustafa Mehmet Kaya, Gabriele Piana, and Mike Stursberg. JUTA Racing returns with its #8 Audi R8 LMS GT3 for Alexey Veremenko, ‘SELV’, and Stippler, aiming to convert their early-season poles into race results. Completing the SP9 field are the Am-class #50 équipe vitesse Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Michael Heimrich, Eric Ullström, and Arno Klasen, and Renazzo Motorsport Team’s #786 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo II for Sak Nana, Christoph Breuer, and ‘Dieter Schmidtmann’.

Championship picture

In the overall championship, Kevin Wambach and Sven Markert lead the standings in the #1 BMW M240i Racing Cup with Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels. The pair have won every race in the BMW M240i class so far this season, joined for most rounds by co-driver Adrian Rziczny, who missed the opening event. Consistency in the large M240i field has kept their points total at the top of the table.

Second place belongs to Arne Hoffmeister and Tim Scheerbarth in the #921 Mühlner Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Competing in the highly competitive CUP2 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring, they have been front-runners all season. With CUP2 not part of last month’s NLS Light, this weekend’s return offers them another opportunity to score heavily.

Strength in the other classes

Away from GT3, the biggest grids come from CUP3 for Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport with 17 entries, CUP2 for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with 13 cars, and the 11-car BMW M240i Racing Cup.

CUP2 highlights include Porsche GT3 regular Tim Heinemann in the #917 Speedworxx Automotive Porsche, using the race to stay sharp in a slower class, the #929 KKrämer Racing Porsche with Michele Di Martino joined by Tobias Vázquez-García, Fidel Leib, and Christopher Brück, and the #948 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON entry of Tobias Müller, Noah Nagelsdiek, and seasoned Carrera Cup racer Carlos Rivas.

CUP3 brings fierce multi-car competition from Mühlner Motorsport, SRS Team Sorg Rennsport, Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels, W&S Motorsport, and others, while the large M240i Cup field offers another chance for overall championship leaders Kevin Wambach and Sven Markert to extend their points advantage.

Representing NLS’s grassroots ranks are the 11-car VT2-FWD/4WD and 10-car VT2-RWD fields, featuring regular front-runners and former champions like Philipp Leisen and Daniel Zils.

Entry list and timetable

You can find the full 111-car entry list right here on GT REPORT, with every car and driver across the classes. Track action starts Friday with free practice, before qualifying kicks off on Saturday from 08:20 to 10:00. The KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen goes green at 12:00 for six hours of pure Nordschleife racing.

Watch all the action live on GT.REPORT/live.