A 61-car field representing 10 manufacturers will tackle the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS three-hour race on the Nürburgring this weekend. The race comes two months after the landmark CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, which saw Grasser Racing finally deliver Lamborghini its first victory in the Belgian classic. With the dust settled on that midsummer epic, all focus now turns to the Eifel mountains and the final push for the Endurance Cup crown.

Three-way fight at the top

The title race could hardly be closer. The #48 Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG of Lucas Auer, Matteo Cairoli and Maro Engel leads the standings on 54 points, just one clear of the #32 Team WRT BMW shared by Ugo de Wilde, Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts. A further point back sits the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Sven Müller, Patric Niederhauser and Alessio Picariello, ensuring that Mercedes, BMW and Porsche all arrive in Germany with everything still to play for.

Behind them, Garage 59’s McLaren has emerged as a dangerous outsider. The #59 car has carried strong momentum since Spa and underlined its pace again at the Sprint Cup round in Magny-Cours, keeping the British team within striking distance. Grasser Racing’s Lamborghini is also firmly in the mix: buoyed by its breakthrough Spa 24 Hours win, the Austrian squad sits fifth in the standings and remains capable of mounting a late-season title charge.

A decisive moment for the classes

While the Pro battle looks set to run to Barcelona, other titles could be decided as early as this weekend.

Verstappen.com Racing is firmly in control of the Gold Cup. The Aston Martin trio of Harry King, Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen has been the class of the field, scoring strongly at every round to open a commanding 25-point advantage. If they extend that margin by just two points at the Nürburgring, the title will be secured with a race to spare. CSA Racing’s McLaren and AlManar Racing by WRT are best placed to delay the coronation, but will need to strike back quickly to keep the fight alive into Barcelona.

Over in the Silver Cup, the fight remains more open. Century Motorsport leads the class on 65 points thanks to the efforts of Mex Jansen, Will Moore and Jarrod Waberski, who have combined consistency with strong results throughout the campaign. Paradine Competition remains the closest challenger with Charles Clark, Pedro Ebrahim and James Kellett on 49 points, while Saintéloc Racing’s Ivan Klymenko and Lorens Lecertua are only four points further back. Tresor Attempto, Steller Motorsport, Team WRT and Boutsen VDS complete a tightly packed group of contenders, ensuring that the Nürburgring round will be another fiercely competitive battle among a 17-car field representing all 10 manufacturers.

In Bronze, Kessel Racing’s Ferrari has dominated with wins at Paul Ricard and Spa. Dustin Blattner, Conrad Laursen and Dennis Marschall lead on 81 points, 21 clear of the #81 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3  of Marvin Dienst, Gabriele Piana and Rinat Salikhov. A Nürburgring win for Kessel would make the gap unassailable with one round left.

Looking back: Grasser on top in 2024

Last year’s Nürburgring round was defined by Lamborghini success. Grasser Racing delivered a faultless performance to score the Huracán EVO2’s first Endurance Cup victory, and marked the team’s first overall win since 2017. Franck Perera, Jordan Pepper and Marco Mapelli controlled the race from the front and underlined Lamborghini’s enduring strength at the Eifel venue.

The 2024 edition also saw Saintéloc Racing edge a close fight for Gold Cup honours, while Boutsen VDS dominated the Silver Cup with its Mercedes-AMG and Rutronik Racing powered to Bronze Cup victory with its Porsche. Remarkably, the race ran without a single Safety Car or Full Course Yellow, producing a pure three-hour sprint to the flag.

That Nürburgring triumph proved to be the launchpad for Grasser’s Spa 24 Hours victory earlier this summer. Now, with two wins in as many seasons, Lamborghini arrives for 2025 as both defending race winner and reigning Spa champion — a formidable platform for a renewed title push.

The final word

The Nürburgring has often played a decisive role in shaping Endurance Cup seasons, and with the current standings so finely balanced, this year promises to be no different. Mercedes-AMG, BMW and Porsche remain locked in a three-way duel, but with Garage 59 and Grasser Racing lurking close behind, the fight for the crown is wide open.

Adding to the jeopardy: the Eifel forecast points to cool, showery conditions, around 15-16°C with rain likely on both Saturday and Sunday.

The three-hour race begins Sunday at 15:00 CET.

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