Driving for Smyrlis Racing in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, Henry Lindloff made his debut at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring last weekend at the age of just 19. Despite not being able to finish, his quick rise, having only started car racing in 2024, hasn’t gone unnoticed, and he joined the Manthey Racing Talent Pool this year to improve himself even further.

Karting Champion to Last‑Lap Showdown: “I Refused to Give Up”

The German-born driver started karting at the age of 15 and began competitive karting one year later in the ROTAX Max Challenge in his home country. “It was my first full season in karting.”

In that first year he grabbed his first championship by the finest of margins. “I got consistent results and in the end we won it by, I think, three points,” he says to GT REPORT. “It was quite a nice beginning to my career.”

Despite that, it wasn’t easy to make his mark in motorsport. “I didn’t come from a racing family, but my dad is interested in motorsport. My parents help me with getting sponsors and reaching out to them. It is hard, maybe the important thing for sponsors is not the results but that you can sell yourself to them.”

After winning the championship, he made the move to racing cars the following year in the BMW 318ti Cup at TT Assen. “It was just some testing, we did this, and the next year was my first racing season.”

His first season was in the DMV BMW Challenge, driving the same car he had used in Assen. It was slower, but much more fun. “You just have more time, because in relation to weight and horsepower the BMW wasn’t that fast as a car, but for sure it was much cooler to drive because it was manual and not too tricky. You just have to get used to it.”

Having success there didn’t take long, as he grabbed the championship on his first attempt. “We raced the full season and despite not having too much luck, just with consistency and hard work we won it.”

But the win didn’t come easy. An epic showdown followed, and adrenaline kicked in. “We managed the championship in the last race on the last lap. Before that moment it had been 15 minutes of full course yellow, I was in fourth place and I knew I had one more round to win this. I overtook three of them in one corner, and then I won it! I refused to give up.”

 

Midnight Heartbreak Ends Comeback: Lindloff’s Nürburgring 24 Hours Debut

He won the championship driving for KTW4 Racing and moved to Smyrlis Racing. With this team he made his debut at the iconic endurance race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife last week. “It’s very nice to have like a family feeling here. I can’t describe it in words, it’s just a dream, it’s crazy.”

He drove the race with no endurance experience and only little experience of the track itself. “I have two races done here,” he says. But racing at night was going to be something new. “I think it will be cool but a bit more tricky, especially with so many cars around you.”

The race started well as he and the team went from P16 to P7 in their class driving the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, but when midnight arrived several mechanical issues stopped the team from climbing further up the ranks. Despite several attempts to fix the issues, they were unable to finish the race.

Supported by the Manthey Talent Pool with Only One Target

The young Lindloff’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed, as he joined the Porsche Manthey Talent Pool for this year, just like Calvin de Groot. “We don’t get financial support, but we do get media training, publicity on social media and fitness programs. It’s good for your mind to get this support.”

For the long term, the 19‑year‑old Henry has his sights set on only one thing. “Being a Porsche works driver.”