Ralf Aron returns from injury with NLS7 pole position: "Nobody is here to finish second"

Ralf Aron is back, and straight onto pole. The Estonian returns from the injury he sustained in his Bathurst 12 Hour crash to top qualifying for the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS7) KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen at the Nordschleife – his first race since February and a maiden Nordschleife pole.

A clean lap when it counted

Aron topped qualifying in the #80 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shares with Luca Stolz, sealing it with one clear lap late in a session where track position is never guaranteed.

“It’s always really tough here, it’s my first one here actually,” Aron told GT REPORT. “On the Nordschleife it’s always a game with traffic and everything, and there’s so many competitive cars, but on my last lap I got a clean lap and I was able to put it together, so I’m really happy.”

Months on the sidelines

The pole capped a long road back. Aron had not raced since his crash in the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, and the early weeks of recovery were spent doing very little.

“The first two months I wasn’t allowed to do really anything, so I had to lie down as much as possible at home,” he said. “But from the third month onwards I was able to go to the gym, do rehab and so on, which was nice because then I could move, do something and stay motivated to get back.”

A test in China gave him mileage before the Nürburgring return. He reported no lingering effects, even on a circuit that punishes the body more than most.

“Surprisingly, I wasn’t scared, but I was aware that maybe at the Nordschleife there’s more compressions and curves and stuff than other tracks,” he said. “But I had absolutely no issues at all. You caught me right after a full race stint and there were no issues.”

Back in a 24-hour-winning Mercedes-AMG

Aron steps into a car with real pedigree. The #80 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Stolz among its drivers, won this year’s 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.

“I really thank Winward and AMG to be able to be on this legendary car,” he said. “It’s really special to be with the team and to be in this car. I was imagining going through traffic, it’s a bit easier because people see the car in the mirror and move out of the way.”

‘Nobody is here to finish second’

Track position counts for a lot at the Nordschleife, and Aron starts from the front with one target.

“For sure, we came here to win, and track position is important here because the field is super competitive, so we have a good starting place,” he said. “The circuit itself is so tough, so we have to do a clean race to win for sure.”

Asked about the aim for his comeback, he put it plainly: “Nobody is here to finish second.”