NLS6 - Landgraf clinches the win, title for Falken

The final round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series saw cold and damp conditions set the stage for a thrilling race at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.

QUALIFYING

The qualifying session began on time under crisp, cold conditions with a three degrees celsius air temperature and no fog in sight. Initially, Frank Stippler set the benchmark with a 7:53.034 lap in the #15 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, on only his second flying lap. Confident in the performance, Scherer Sport PHX opted to play it safe by returning to the garage, and not risking the car any more.

However, the drama unfolded in the closing moments as Lucas Auer in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo delivered a stunning lap time of 7:51.376, clinching pole position from the Stippler driven Audi. “The car was fantastic, the lap felt smooth, and traffic was minimal. When you avoid traffic in the critical sections, the lap time comes together.”, said the Austrian. The #17 PROsport-Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 managed to secure third place just ahead of the #6 Team ADVAN x HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

Meanwhile the #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 992 GT3 R, affectionately known as “Grello”, could only manage fifth on the grid, falling short of scoring points for the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series Speed Trophy. This left the door open for the #4 Falken Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R, which did not appear on the NLS6 entry list, to retain their lead in the overall winners’ standings, unless Grello took victory.

Adding to the excitement, the debut of the McLaren 720s GT3 Evo on the Nordschleife was a notable highlight, with the #69 Dörr Motorsport McLaren clocking in an impressive 8:04.496 lap, earning sixth on the grid. Driver Ben Dörr expressed his delight with the car’s performance, noting significant improvements in the carbon chassis compared to its predecessor, the MP4-12C, which had struggled with stiffness on this demanding circuit.

Photo: Patrick Patrick

RACE

The race started cleanly, with Morris Schuring in the #911 Grello Porsche climbing to third place early on, in place of the #15 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8. However, it struggled to match the pace of the frontrunners. The #15 Scherer Sport PHX Audi capitalised on this, overtaking the Manthey EMA Porsche, and set its sight onto the leading pack, gradually closing the gap to the front.

At the front, the #48 Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and the #17 PROsport-Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 traded paint with the #15 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, with all three battling for the lead.

One of the race’s most spectacular moments came with Nico Bastian in the #17 PROsport-Racing Aston Martin GT3 executed a stunning double overtake on the Döttinger Höhe, leaving the #48 Landgraf Mercedes and the #15 Scherer Sport PHX Audi behind, with the Audi eventually getting ahead. The Aston Martin proved to be dominant on the straights, sparking some debate among other competitors who felt it might have been too fast.

Eventually, Frank Stippler took the lead from Nico Bastian, where he struggled to hold his position on the long straights, particularly on the Döttinger Höhe. Stippler completed the pass on the Aston Martin in the Tiergarten section after the Bilstein bridge.

The Landgraf Mercedes-AMG team opted to take an early pit stop, allowing them to gain a significant track position advantage and establish a comfortable lead over the other competitors. However, just past the halfway mark, the Scherer Sport PHX Audi, now with Markus Winkelhock at the wheel, made contact with the barrier, damaging the right rear of the car, forcing the car to retire from the final round of the season.

With the Scherer Sport PHX Audi no longer a threat, Landgraf’s biggest rival was out of the picture. However, Ayhancan Güven in “Grello” began to mount a charge. He quickly overtook Marek Böckmann’s #17 PROsport-Racing Aston Martin and closed in on the leader. Yet, during the final pit stop, the Manthey crew decided to hand the car back to the young Dutch driver Morris Schuring, to give him more track time at the infamous circuit. Schuring rejoined the track just five seconds behind Mikaël Grenier in the #48 Landgraf Mercedes, and despite closing the gap, he started to challenge the Canadian Mercedes-AMG factory driver during his debut in SP9 machinery at the Nordschleife.

Photo: Axel Weichert

In the end, Landgraf secured the win, aiding the absent Falken Motorsport crew to clinch victory in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series Speed Trophy. The victory for Mikaël Grenier and Landgraf reinforced the strong ties for future development of the team on the Nordschleife. “This feels fantastic! It was a clean race, and Luggi [Lucas Auer] did an excellent job with an outstanding qualifying performance this morning.” said Grenier.

Several cars were forced to retire during the race, including the #8 JUTARACING Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, and the debuting #69 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720s GT3 Evo in the hands of Ben Dörr and McLaren factory driver Marvin Kirchhöfer. The McLaren, after completing twenty-two laps and setting a personal best lap of 8:05.178 encountered a starter motor failure during their final pit stop. With all necessary data collected, the team opted to retire and save the car for another day.

Photo: Bianca Leppert

SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE TITLE FOR ADRENALIN MOTORSPORT

The battle for the title was nothing short of dramatic, with Tony Goodman, Sven Markert and Ranko Mijatovic achieving the near-impossible. They clinched their seventh consecutive title for Adrenalin Motorsport, despite racing with an injured and heavily repaired BMW M240i Racing Cup car. The odds, which were stacked against them from the start, especially heading into the final round of the season, were made worse when technical difficulties occurred in qualifying, with an ABS issue also running into the first stint of the four hour race. An electronic intervention was required during their first pitstop, which resolved the issue.

By that point, Adrenalin Motorsport had already overcome a significant hurdle in their title ambitions, where all seven BMW M240i Racing Cup cars took the start, ensuring they would collect full points. Despite a single car retiring after the first lap, the majority of the entries came from Adrenalin Motorsport, leaving little competition from the other minority teams.

NEGATIVE RECORD IN STARTER NUMBERS

While the race provided plenty of excitement, there was also a significant lack of numbers present in the final round of the 2024 season. The sixth edition of the event this year attracted only eighty-two cars, making it the third lowest participation record in the race’s history. The low turnout was a stark contrast to the usual large fields, usually over one-hundred cars, and raised concerns about the future of the event.

Given the small field, the organisers had anticipated a lower turnout due to the mid-November timing, which led to the decision to start the race with only two groups.

The November scheduling was a result of the turbulent political events surrounding the Nürburgring, which now feel like a distant memory. The 2024 season will be remembered as the year of two endurance racing series at the Nürburgring, with the rival Nürburgring Endurance Series (NES) still yet to host a race.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT SEASON

Looking ahead to 2025, we will see multiple Nürburgring Langstrecken Series events held over the year. We have also included the 24H Nürburgring Qualifiers, as well as the ADAC Ravenol 24H Nürburgring.

Round 1: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 1, 22nd March 2025

Round 2: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 2, 26th April 2025

Round 3: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 3, 10th May 2025

ADAC 24H Nürburgring Qualifiers, 23rd - 25th May 2025

ADAC Ravenol 24H Nürburgring, 19th - 22nd June 2025

Round 4: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 4, 5th July 2025

Round 5: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 5, 16th August 2025

Round 6: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 6, 13th September 2025

Round 7: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 7, 14th September 2025

Round 8: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 8, 27th September 2025

Round 9: Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie 9, 11th October 2025