The sixt round of the NLS delivered a strategic battle at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with DUNLOP Motorsport claiming victory thanks to a commanding performance from Nico Menzel and Sven Müller in the #17 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The ‘Pikachu’ Porsche, as nicknamed by fans and Menzel himself, stormed to P1 after starting on the fourth row and having serious contenders starting ahead of them. When the race of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie started at 12:00h on Saturday 20 June, the #35 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 guided the pack into the first curve.

Pole position had been claimed by the #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin, featuring Nürburgring 24 Hours runner-up Christian Krognes and Matteo Villagomez. However, the team was unable to convert its starting advantage into victory. KCMG Motorsport also attracted attention with former Formula 1 driver and recent Le Mans winner Kamui Kobayashi in its squad, but the team lost four places in the opening fase with the Japanese driver behind the wheel.

Starting from seventh on the grid, the #77 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 shared by Robin Frijns and BMW factory driver Jens Klingmann steadily worked its way through the field during the opening stages. The duo emerged as one of Porsche’s main challengers throughout the four-hour contest and ultimately secured second place.

Porsche and BMW opting for early stops

Before the first round of pit stops, the #77 BMW found itself battling the #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche of Tim Heinemann and Tobi Müller, while the eventual race-winning #17 Porsche was still making its way through the field. Müller and Menzel executed their strategy to perfection.

Like the Schubert BMW, the black-and-yellow Porsche opted for an earlier pit-stop sequence than the pole-sitting Aston Martin, allowing it to gain crucial track position. As the race progressed, pit strategy became increasingly important, with teams carefully balancing pace and timing to maximise their chances.

The Schubert BMW briefly led during the middle stages of the race, but the Dunlop Porsche ultimately regained control. In the closing minutes, Klingmann attempted to reduce the gap to the leading Porsche, but with four minutes remaining the deficit still stood at approximately eight seconds.

Behind the leading Porsche and BMW was a large gap of over two minutes, with the #48 Losch Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche comfortably sitting in third. The squad from Luxembourg got a penalty earlier in the race for forcing another driver off the track.

Late code 60 renews fight for the win

The race steadily worked towards the flag as code 60s on track – at Adenauer Först – caused the distance between Müller and Klingmann to become smaller and smaller. In the final lap, the #77 BMW was on the Porsche’s tail and looking for opportunities to take the win. With flashing lights, the Schubert BMW chased Müller across Döttinger Hohe.

The #17 Porsche managed to stay ahead and crossed the line first. Klingmann and Frijns slot in on P2. Good momentum for the Dutchman, who stood on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last week as well. The #48 Porsche of Dylan Pereira, Patrick Assenheimer and Tobi Müller completed the podium.

No luck again for the fan-favourite Falken Porsche, who’s race ended early by seemingly a mechanical failure. The squad, featuring Tim Heinemann and Klaus Bachler, suffered damage in a crash during the Nürburgring 24 Hour Qualifiers and weren’t able to finish the 24-hour-race itself either, after suffering from a crash during the night stint of Morris Schuring.