A rare scenario awaits at the Norisring: Not a single driver in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland has raced on the Nuremberg street circuit before. The last time the one-make cup was held at this venue was during the ADAC Norisring Speedweekend in 2019 – when none of this year’s entrants competed. With no testing permitted on the street circuit just outside Nuremberg, all drivers will arrive at the fourth race weekend (4-6 July 2025) with very little preparation. Their only opportunity to familiarise themselves with the shortest circuit on the calendar – measuring just 2.3 kilometres – has been via simulator training.

This is also the situation for Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti. Like his team, Schumacher CLRT, the 23-year-old Frenchman is contesting his debut season in the German Carrera Cup. Over the first three race weekends, Ghiretti and his engineers were able to draw on existing data. The French squad already knew the Autodromo di Imola, Italy, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, and the coastal Zandvoort track in the Netherlands from their experience in the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The result: two wins from so far six Carrera Cup races and the current lead in the drivers’ standings for Ghiretti.

Round four, however, presents a completely different challenge. While Ghiretti has previously raced on German circuits during a season in ADAC Formula 4, the Norisring is not one of them. “So, none of my competitors has the advantage of track experience,” he noted. The championship leader will be particularly mindful of his closest rivals: Dutchman Robert de Haan of Proton Huber Competition trails by just four points in second place, with Israeli Ariel Levi of Team GP Elite sitting third.

The highest-ranked German in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland field is Janne Stiak, ranking fifth overall. The 18-year-old recently celebrated his first win of the season at Zandvoort. “I enjoy the challenge of new tracks,” says Stiak, as he looks ahead to the Norisring. “I use a special software to incorporate the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup into my simulator. It helps me get a feel for key aspects like braking points and the racing line. Still, I want to get in as many laps as possible during the one-hour practice session to optimise the 911’s setup.”

In the ProAm class, Kuwaiti driver Ahmad Alshehab, racing for the German outfit [a-workx] by Porsche Paderborn, currently leads the standings. Among the rookies, Dutchman Sacha Norden holds the top spot. The 24-year-old from Proton Huber Competition has already secured four wins in the newcomers’ classification so far this season.

“I’m delighted that the Norisring is back on the German Carrera Cup calendar for the first time in six years,” says Thorsten Rückert, Project Manager of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. “With its short layout, the race features more laps than any other round, treating fans to even more on-track action with the Cup 911. The large crowds also create an incredibly special atmosphere.”

Due to its compact length, roughly half that of for example the Hockenheimring, the Norisring requires a unique qualifying format. The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland field will be split into two qualifying groups, allowing each driver a better chance to set a clean flying lap without interference from traffic.

Racing with synthetic fuel
Committed to cutting CO2 emissions in motorsport, the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland will use the synthetic fuel “DTM Pro Climate” across all eight race weekends in the 2025 season. Partnering with the Carrera Cup, ADAC is also adopting this fuel for the first time for its DTM, ADAC GT Masters, and GT4 Germany series.

The racetrack: Norisring, Nuremberg
The Norisring, named after the medieval name for Nuremberg, is the only street circuit on the German Carrera Cup calendar. Located on the city’s historic Zeppelin and Beuthener Strasse, the track is transformed each year over a three-week period with the installation of barriers, a temporary pit lane, additional grandstands, and motor racing infrastructure.

Today measuring just 2.3 kilometres, the Norisring first hosted motorcycle racing in 1938. Automobile racing followed in 1948, gaining prominence in the 1960s with the “200 Miles of Nuremberg,” a major fixture in sports prototype championships including the World Sportscar Championship. In 1987, the DTM made its debut at the Norisring, which today remains the centrepiece of the ADAC Norisring Speedweekend.

The Porsche Carrera Cup has a long history at the circuit, appearing on the calendar regularly since its inaugural season in 1990. Most recently, in 2019, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup thrilled fans on the imposing stone grandstand opposite the pits, with Frenchman Julien Andlauer and Germany’s Michael Ammermüller each taking a victory at the doubleheader event.

The Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland on the internet
Fans can follow all the races live with English commentary on the internet, including on the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland social media channels on YouTube and Facebook.

Aside from the race weekends, the one-make cup is also present with dedicated channels via the social networks Instagram and X.

Schedule Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland,
Round 4, Norisring Nuremberg (Germany)

Friday, 4 July
11:55 – 12:55 hrs: Practice
17:42 – 18:20 hrs: Qualifying

Saturday, 5 July
11:20 hrs: Start race 7 (30 minutes plus 1 lap)

Sunday, 6 July
11:15 hrs: Start race 8 (30 minutes plus 1 lap)

Standings Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland (after 6 of 16 races)
1. Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA/Schumacher CLRT), 105 points/2 wins
2. Robert de Haan (NLD/Proton Huber Competition), 101 points/2 wins
3. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 71 points

Full results and championship standings on the Porsche Motorsport Hub.

Calendar Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland 2025
18–20 April: Imola (ITA), FIA World Endurance Championship WEC
8–10 May: Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), FIA World Endurance Championship WEC
6–8 June: Zandvoort (NLD), DTM
4–6 July: Norisring Nuremberg (DEU), DTM
8–10 August: Nürburgring (DEU), DTM
22–24 August: Sachsenring (DEU), DTM
12–14 September: Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (AUT), DTM
3–5 October: Hockenheimring (DEU), DTM