The ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie is making a spectacular return from the winter break – and will kick off its 50th season in style on 14 March 2026 with the first race of the season. When the field of 132 entered cars lines up for the 71st ADAC Westfalenfahrt, it will quickly become clear that the concentration of top international drivers has rarely been as high as it is this year. Tickets are available from €25 at VLN.de/tickets. Children aged 14 and under get in for free. Those unable to attend in person can follow the race day via the free live stream on VLN.de.

At the head of this field sits Manthey’s legendary Porsche 911 GT3 R, bearing start number 911. At the wheel is not only the reigning DTM champion, Ayhancan Güven, but he also shares the cockpit with Porsche works driver Kévin Estre. However, the competition for the ‘Grello’ is more formidable than ever before. In Dunlop Motorsport’s car number 17 is Julien Andlauer, a driver who is heading to the Eifel on the back of his overall victory at the 2026 24 Hours of Daytona; he shares the cockpit with Nico Menzel.

Team Falken Motorsport also has its sights set on the overall victory. Starting in car number 44 is Morris Schuring, the reigning DTM Junior Champion, alongside Klaus Bachler. REALIZE KONDO RACING with Rinaldi is fielding a genuine powerhouse trio in car number 45. Thierry Vermeulen (GT World Challenge Gold Cup winner) and Dennis Marschall (GTWC Bronze Champion) will share the Ferrari 296 GT3 with Thomas Neubauer.

BMW and Mercedes-AMG step up their game

The Bavarian competition is particularly impressive: BMW is sending three top-class teams with factory support to the Green Hell. Schubert Motorsport is attacking with start number 77 and a high-calibre line-up – here, factory drivers Marco Wittmann, Philipp Eng and Robin Frijns share the cockpit of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. ROWE RACING is no less ambitious. Car number 98 will be driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello and Jordan Pepper, whilst car number 99 will be piloted by Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Sheldon Van Der Linde.

The Mercedes-AMG contingent is also gearing up in a big way. With start number 80, Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL is fielding a trio that embodies pure GT3 experience: Maxime Martin, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz are aiming to bring victory back to Affalterbach at the season opener. The line-up is complemented by another Mercedes-AMG GT3, the #3 car from Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, which features three exceptional drivers at the wheel: Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Lucas Auer. Four-time Formula 1 world champion and the team’s namesake, Max Verstappen, will then join the fray in NLS2.

Following a successful debut season with a victory, Haupt Racing Team is once again relying on the powerful Ford Mustang GT3. The Pro line-up is rounded off by Konrad Motorsport and Red Bull Team ABT (both Lamborghini Huracán GT3), Walkenhorst Motorsport (Aston Martin Vantage GT3) as well as Dinamic GT and Lionspeed GP (Porsche 911 GT3 R).

A breath of fresh air in SP9 AM and PRO-AM

But it is not only in the pure Pro category that the tension is high; the SP9 Pro-Am and Am sub-classifications also promise thrilling duels and interesting stories. ProSport Racing, a familiar face on the Nordschleife, returns to the top class and takes on the competition with an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. In the AM class, they will face Goroyan RT by Car Collection (Porsche 911 GT3 R), JUTA Racing (Audi R8 LMS) and Renazzo Motorsport (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO 2). Meanwhile, exciting new entries are bringing a breath of fresh air and fresh competition to the PRO-AM class: GAMOTA Racing (BMW M4 GT3 EVO), Toyo Tires with Ring Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3) and KKRämer Racing (Audi R8 LMS EVO II) are making their debut this season in the prestigious GT3 series. Their rivals include the two Porsche teams Lionspeed GP and 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON, as well as another Aston Martin from Walkenhorst Motorsport.

Masterful driver pairings

However, the NLS is not just about the top class: whilst the fiercely contested Cup classes may not be about the overall victory, there is still plenty to be won. In the BMW M2 Racing class, a line-up has emerged that is sure to catch the attention of championship fans: in car number 888, Ranko Mijatovic and Michael Schrey form an alliance of champions. Mijatovic, the reigning NLS champion since 2024, is teaming up here with two-time NLS champion Schrey to propel the Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport team right to the front. Together, they already have four titles to their name in a single car – a record that is usually hard to beat.

But the bar has been raised even higher this year, namely by the team that has dominated the series almost at will in recent years: Adrenalin Motorsport. The squad led by team boss Matthias Unger is fielding a pairing in the VT2-RWD class, starting from position 500, that can confidently be described as the ‘gold standard’. With Philipp Leisen (champion in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023) and Daniel Zils (champion in 2022 and 2023), two of the most successful NLS drivers in recent history are sharing a cockpit here. Together, they boast an impressive six championship titles – a statistical demonstration of strength that illustrates why Adrenalin Motorsport has been the team to beat for years. The trio is completed by Philipp Stahlschmidt.

Masterful team performances

Once again this year, the line-ups of some teams are impressive. SRS Team Sorg Rennsport leads the statistics with an impressive eleven registered cars, spread across the SP10, VT2, CUP2 and CUP3 classes. Close on their heels is the aforementioned Team Adrenalin Motorsport, which also has a massive presence with nine cars and covers, amongst others, the highly competitive V6 and V5 classes as well as the BMW M240i category. Speaking of class strength: the CUP3 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring (PETN) for the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS boasts the largest starting grid of the season opener with 21 entrants, followed by the VT2-RWD with 14 and the CUP2 (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) with twelve cars.