Aron's Emotional Comeback Wins NLS 6-Hour at Nürburgring
The KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen, round seven of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series, took place on August 1, 2026, under ideal summer conditions at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL claimed overall victory after 41 laps, with Schubert Motorsport finishing second and Team 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON rounding out the podium in third.
The race was defined by the remarkable return of Estonian driver Ralf Aron, who made his competitive comeback roughly five months after a serious accident at the Bathurst 12 Hour. Aron and teammate Luca Stolz delivered a flawless performance in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Aron securing pole position in qualifying with a time of 7:51.506 minutes. Stolz, celebrating his 31st birthday, described the victory as the perfect gift: "It was a fantastic race for us—we had so much fun. Six hours of action in perfect Eifel weather; I've still got a huge grin on my face. It really is the best birthday present. We had a completely flawless day, and the car didn't even get a scratch." Aron was equally emotional about his return to the podium: "This makes the comeback complete, and I'm overjoyed. I hadn't even dared to dream of this beforehand."
Schubert Motorsport finished 39.480 seconds adrift in the No. 77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, with Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, and Tim Tramnitz—making his Nordschleife GT3 debut—combining for a strong drive. Klingmann praised the opposition: "Luca was a formidable opponent. The Mercedes crew was extremely fast right from qualifying and truly earned today's victory." Third place went to the No. 48 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO of LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON, driven by Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller, and Dylan Pereira, who also won the SP9 PRO-AM class.
In the one-make cup classes, Team BLACK FALCON Team ZIMMERMANN dominated the CUP2 category with Alexander Hardt, Benjamin Hites, and Benjamin Koslowski in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The CUP3 class (Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring) saw Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach secure their fourth victory of the season in the Smyrlis Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, despite receiving a drive-through penalty for a jump start earlier in the race.
A special moment came when Porsche brand ambassadors Timo Bernhard and Jörg Bergmeister gave a farewell outing to the final mid-engine Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS built in Zuffenhausen, completing 37 flawless laps and finishing fourth in the SP10 class. In the championship standings, Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels (Edoardo Bugane, Yannick Fübrich, Sven Markert) extended their lead with a perfect 79.00 points after winning their class in every race contested so far. The series resumes with a double-header on September 12–13, 2026, featuring rounds NLS8 and NLS9.