RCN season finale set for Nürburgring Nordschleife in September

The Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) will host its third Nordschleife-only event of the 2026 season on 5 September, with nearly 170 teams entered for the "Rhein-Ruhr" time attack organised by AC Oberhausen under ADAC sanction. The competition begins at 12:30 on Saturday at the T13 grandstand.

The 15-round challenge will cover the full 20.793 km Nordschleife circuit, totalling 311.895 km across one timed lap, one confirmation lap, ten sprint rounds, two fuel stops with a 50-minute maximum time, and one cool-down lap. RCN series manager Willi Hillebrand welcomed the strong entry after the summer break, noting that weather conditions in Germany could prove variable but expressing hope for competitive racing and decisive moments in the championship fight.

Jens Schneider and Robin Reimer (BMW 325i, class R4) currently lead the championship standings, with 20 entries in their class making it the largest field. Close challengers Sven Markert and Lars Harbeck (BMW 320i, class H3) have 13 competitors in their division, while third-placed Christian Koch (BMW 325i, class H4) remains in contention with 15 cars in that class. Other competitive classes include R2A with 14 starters, RS4 with nine teams, and BMW M240i Racing with ten entries.

Favourites for overall victory or top placings include Michael Luther and Markus Schmickler (BMW M4 GT4), Andreas Schwarz (Cupra Leon TCR), Alain Dutronc (Porsche Cayman GT4 CS), Rolf Weißenfels (Peugeot 308 TCR), Alexander Böhm and Jürgen Marzi (Porsche Cayman GT4 CS), and Eric Petrich (BMW M3). David Vogt (Opel Astra TCR, class RS3A), a regular front-runner who has already claimed an overall win this season, will share driving duties with experienced co-driver Marc Basseng, using the event as preparation for the season finale.

Documentation and technical checks run Friday 4 September from 15:30–20:00 and 15:30–20:30 respectively, with additional checks Saturday morning from 08:15–11:30. A drivers' briefing is scheduled for 11:40, with results posted virtually at 17:00 and the awards ceremony at 17:30.