A year of watching from the pitlane was long enough. Moritz Kranz, the 38-year-old German driver and multiple Nürburgring 24 Hours class winner, is making his long-awaited comeback in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) after a serious injury wiped out his entire 2025 season. Driving for Slovakian newcomers Gamota Racing in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Kranz returns to the circuit he knows better than anyone — and he’s bringing a rookie team along for the ride.

From racing to engineering

The Nürburgring specialist was unable to compete last year due to a heavy crash during a test session. “I was testing for a manufacturer; we were doing a lap record tryout, but at the end I had a tyre failure while I was going over 300. In the end the accident wasn’t that big, but it still dislocated my shoulder,” he tells GT REPORT. “I hurt all the muscles and everything inside the shoulder. So this took quite a while to recover.”

Despite the setback, Kranz did not sit still. “I was engineering last year in the NLS Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring Cup 2 where we won the championship with Mühlner Motorsport.” For the experienced driver, engineering is nothing new. “I do engineering also a little bit longer in Porsche Sprint Series, Sprint Challenge in Europe, Sprint Challenge in Germany. And also this year Carrera Cup Germany. So it was nothing unusual.”

Even though he enjoyed the engineering role, he still missed being behind the wheel. “The Nürburgring is my home circuit. So that was a bit painful,” he admits. “But it was successful, so that was good.”

A Fresh Start

Moritz Kranz

Moritz Kranz

“The owner of Gamota is Antal Zsigo and I got to know him two years ago when he did the permit. Last year he was also driving a Cup car and we worked a bit together,” Moritz Kranz explains about his first contact with Gamota Racing from Slovakia. “That’s how we basically started the relationship.” The Nürburgring expert eventually decided to join the team after Antal offered him a seat. “He asked me if I wanted to join him for this year and that’s how we got together.”

Because the team is entering the NLS for the first time, expectations are modest. “For everyone here, it’s new territory with GT3. I mean, I raced it but it’s four or five years ago. Jahn David is a very good driver. But also the last time he raced GT3 here was like ten years ago. Antal is also new to GT3 and the team is also completely new here in NLS. So the first races will be a learning process.”

But the team from AZ CARS is not inexperienced when it comes to racing. “They are quite experienced. They competed in the International GT Open and other racing series. So experienced mechanics, good engineers. But NLS is new so they have to learn a bit how everything works here,” Kranz says with understanding.

The 2023 Cup 2 Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring winner knows exactly what it feels like to drive a Porsche. This season, however, he will take the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, having previously also raced the Mercedes‑AMG GT3. On the differences between the cars, he explains: “The last time I raced the Mercedes-AMG was about four years ago, in between I only drove Porsche. The main difference between Porsche and Mercedes or BMW is the corner entry.” With the Porsche, the engine sits in the rear. “This means you can load the front end a bit better. You have a wider window, I would say. And with the front‑engined cars you can overload the front end quite easily.”

When it comes to tyre wear, comparisons are difficult. “The thing is for the SP9 we have special Michelin tyres. So they work completely different. They have way lower tyre degradation compared to the normal Cup tyres from the Cup car. So you really can’t compare those two tyres.”

As for whether the BMW suits him, he says: “I think I like it. So far I drove a couple of laps while it was dry. Felt good and I like the balance. I like how you have to drive the car.”

Upcoming plans for his comeback

“At the moment we only have the NLS planned, which means ten races,” Moritz Kranz says about his plans for the season. Participation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours is not yet confirmed. “It really depends on what the plan is and what Antal wants to do.”

For his first season after a year away, he is keeping his schedule open, though it will be busy regardless. “Especially the first half of the season we have five races from March to the end of April. Nearly every second weekend. So it’s very busy.”

Alongside his NLS programme, Kranz will also continue his career as an engineer in 2026. “In addition to racing, I’m pursuing my engineering career, where I remain involved in development work for the manufacturer on the Nordschleife.”