Thirteen years after winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours outright with Black Falcon, Jeroen Bleekemolen is back at the Nordschleife once again. The Dutch veteran returns for the 2026 edition with Cerny Motorsport aboard the #145 Riller & Schnauck powered by Cerny Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, competing in the SP10 Pro-Am class alongside Peter Cate, Joshua Bednarski, and Tom Schütze.
Bleekemolen remains one of the many familiar names that keep returning to the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring year after year. After experiencing the race from the sharp end in GT3 machinery and taking overall victory in 2013, the Dutchman still clearly enjoys being part of the event just as much now in GT4 competition.
That passion for the Nürburgring itself remains one of the reasons he keeps coming back.
“In 2024 we won the class, and that was a fantastic weekend,” Bleekemolen explained to GT REPORT his return to Cerny Motorsport. “Now the regulations changed, so you’re allowed to have a Pro driver in the car, which wasn’t possible before. At the last moment they asked me to join because they wanted me in the team.”
Memories of the 2013 Nürburgring 24h win
Bleekemolen’s name remains closely linked to the 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours, where he claimed overall victory with Black Falcon alongside Bernd Schneider, Sean Edwards, and Nicki Thiim in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
It was a race remembered for extreme weather conditions and a nine-hour overnight stoppage caused by heavy rain and fog.
“It was a very strange race with a nine-hour interruption,” he recalled. “The whole night the race was stopped because of massive rain and fog. It didn’t start very well for us, but the second half of the race went really well and eventually we managed to win it. That was very special.”
The victory remains one of the highlights of his Nürburgring career, especially given the strength of the line-up and the nature of the event itself.
“When you win here, that’s always something special,” he said. “The year after we finished second, which was also a really strong race. I also won an NLS race together with Bernd Schneider once, so those were beautiful moments.”
Still enjoying the Nürburgring battle
Although Bleekemolen spent many recent years racing in the United States, including victories at Sebring and multiple championships, he still enjoys coming back to the Nürburgring and following the fight at the front of the field.
“I raced in America for 15 years,” he said. “I won Sebring a few times, won quite a lot of races and championships there, so that was all very nice.”
That American programme also explains why Bleekemolen gradually disappeared from the Nürburgring GT3 field in recent years, despite previously racing for some of the biggest manufacturers in endurance racing.
“I couldn’t for a number of years because I was racing a lot in America,” he explained. “But I’ve driven for most brands indeed: Audi for a year, Bentley for a year, Glickenhaus, Mercedes for many years of course. I also did a few races for Porsche.”
Even after all those years abroad, the Nürburgring still remains one of the events he enjoys most. Comparing American racing to Europe, Bleekemolen pointed to the completely different nature of endurance racing at the Nordschleife.
“In America you have a lot of yellows and safety cars, so the field always stays together,” he explained. “That’s very different compared to here. The circuits there are beautiful and often more challenging than many modern tracks with lots of run-off. This is of course also a fantastic circuit.”
Even though he has not competed in GT3 at the Nürburgring recently anymore, Bleekemolen still follows the top category closely and expects a spectacular race this year. Rather than putting attention on his own class battle, the Dutchman immediately pointed towards the fight for overall victory when asked why fans should follow him this weekend.
“I’d just watch Max,” he said. “The battle at the front will be fantastic. There are around twenty GT3 cars that can win, and more than thirty entered. The level is incredibly high with so many top drivers.”
He singled out Porsche factory driver Kévin Estre in particular after watching the Frenchman in wet conditions.
“I was just watching Kévin Estre,” Bleekemolen said. “It’s unbelievable how fast he is in the rain. The fight at the front is just going to be fantastic.”
Experience remains key
For Bleekemolen and the #145 Cerny Motorsport BMW crew, the target is clear: fight for class victory and survive one of the toughest endurance races in the world.
“We have a good chance to win the class,” he said. “For overall, you can’t do anything because you’re much slower, but in our class we absolutely have to be fighting at the front.”
At the Nürburgring, experience can often be the deciding factor, especially when changing weather and tyre strategy come into play.
“Making the right decisions at the right moment with tyres is important,” Bleekemolen explained. “And just staying on track. A lot of cars won’t make the finish, so those are the important things.”
Even after decades in endurance racing, Bleekemolen still has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ve actually always had bad luck at Daytona,” he admitted. “There were a few times where I should have won. So maybe that chance will come again one day. I just want to keep racing and keep doing nice things.”
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