Motorsport news

Nico Menzel and Sven Müller claimed a dramatic victory in the sixth round of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, crossing the finish line in their new Dunlop Porsche 911 GT3 R with a margin of just 0.319 seconds after 4 hours 9 minutes 46.280 seconds. The pair's triumph marked Menzel's fifth NLS career win and Müller's seventh overall, decided in a tense final sprint under midsummer heat that tested both drivers and machinery on the Nordschleife. Jens Klingmann and Robin Frijns in the Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO finished second after 27 laps, while the Pro-Am entry of Patrick Assenheimer, Tobias Müller and Dylan Pereira in a Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO from 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON secured third place. The result was shaped by early pit stop strategy: both the winning Porsche and second-placed BMW made their first stops on lap six, while most rivals stayed out until lap seven, allowing the pair to establish control. A rear-left puncture for the Falken Motorsports Porsche of Klaus Bachler and Tim Heinemann on lap 21 eliminated another podium contender, handing third to Black Falcon. In the BMW M240i Racing Cup class, Sven Markert, Edoardo Bugane, Tim Lukas Müller and Yannick Fübrich won by 1.028 seconds in car 651 for Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels, taking sole leadership of the championship with 60 points. Their rivals Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach crashed on the Schwalbenschwanz section and retired early, allowing the Adrenalin crew to break a points tie at the season's halfway mark. Raphael Rennhofer was named Driver of the Race for his performance in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring Cup 2 class, finishing second in car 902 for Team LIQUI MOLY by BLACK FALCON alongside Ryan Harrison and Leon Wassertheurer. Class honours went to Nico Bastian and Martin Rump in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from Mühlner Motorsport. The NLS Youth Kart Slalom Championship held its second round in the paddock, with class winners including Leonie Heiermann (K1), Luise Schwarz (K2), Jeremy Port (K3), Leo Pawelczyk (K4), Tim Schneider (K5) and Francis Rittinger (K6). The next event, the KW 6h ADAC Ruhr Cup, is scheduled for 1 August with 50 per cent increased race duration and additional championship points available.

Swiss outfit HOFOR Racing claimed overall victory at the Michelin 12 Hours of Paul Ricard on 8 June 2026, piloting a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to the top step of the podium. The team's success was built on disciplined pit strategy and consistent pace throughout the endurance race. The winning driver lineup comprised Torsten Kratz, Maximilian Partl, Alexander Prinz, and Michael Kroll. Their coordinated approach to fuel management, tyre changes, and driver rotations proved decisive against a competitive field of rivals.

Assetto Corsa Rally has been selected as the official platform for a new international rally esports championship backed by the FIA. The competition will run across multiple stages throughout 2025 and 2026, culminating in a global final during FIA Awards Week in Shanghai in December 2026. The FIA Esports Global Rally Tour will operate on a merit-based format, beginning with a global online qualifier on 12 May that will select 56 drivers from around the world. Competitors will be distributed across six regions: 16 from Europe and 8 each from MENA, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The qualifier winners will advance to regional shootouts structured as knockout tournaments. Regional events are scheduled for the Asia-Pacific shootout on 23 June during the FIA Conference in Macau, and the European shootout on 16–18 October at SimRacing Expo in Frankfurt, Germany. Dates and venues for the remaining regional competitions will be confirmed later. The top 16 drivers from these regional finals will earn places at the Shanghai finals, where they will compete for the championship title. The grand final will take place live on stage during the FIA Awards Ceremony on 12 December 2026, with the top two drivers facing off in a head-to-head match. Supernova Games Studio Studio Director Mauro Notarberardino stated that the FIA's selection validates Assetto Corsa Rally as a leading rally simulation, despite the game still being in Early Access. The initiative has received support from all FIA regions and reflects the governing body's commitment to expanding esports participation in motorsport globally.

A fatal accident involving seven competitors brought an early end to the first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on 18 April 2026. Race control suspended the event immediately following the multi-vehicle collision to facilitate recovery and emergency response operations. Juha Miettinen, driving a BMW 325i (#121), was fatally injured in the incident. Despite prompt extraction from the vehicle and immediate medical intervention at the circuit's Medical Centre, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Six other drivers involved in the accident were transported to the Medical Centre and surrounding hospitals for precautionary assessment. None of the remaining injured competitors are reported to be in life-threatening condition. Race control confirmed that the first qualifying race will not resume on Saturday evening. A minute's silence will be observed during the grid formation for Sunday's race, scheduled for 13:00, in tribute to Miettinen.

Le Mans Ultimate has announced a competitive online event to mark the arrival of the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar in the simulation. The sim-to-sim challenge invites players to compete for exclusive prizes described as unavailable through conventional purchase. Full details of entry requirements, competition format, and prize specifications were not disclosed in the announcement.

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen made his debut in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie at the 58th ADAC Barbarossa Prize, piloting a Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon. The trio crossed the line first after four hours of racing, with Verstappen having set pole position that morning with a lap time of 7:51.751 minutes around the Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife. Around 25,000 spectators attended the event to witness the historic moment. However, the victory was short-lived. During post-race technical scrutineering approximately two hours after the podium ceremony, officials discovered that the team had used seven sets of tyres instead of the permitted six. The stewards issued a disqualification, handing the win to Jordan Pepper and Dan Harper in the BMW M4 GT3 from ROWE RACING, who had started seventh on the grid and worked their way forward through strategic pit work. Despite the disqualification, Verstappen's qualifying performance remained impressive. He secured pole ahead of Christopher Haase in the Scherer Sport PHX Audi (7:53.725 mins) and the eventual-winning ROWE RACING BMW. The race itself proved competitive from the start, with Haase pressuring Verstappen into the first lap before taking the lead. Pepper acknowledged the significance of Verstappen's participation: "Having Max competing here is great for the sport. He's an absolute professional who pushes us all. The attention he brings to the Nordschleife is a win for us all." Falken Motorsport secured third place in the GT3 class with their Porsche 911 GT3 R, while 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON inherited the final podium spot and won the PRO-AM classification. In the CUP3 class, Smyrlis Racing dominated a record-breaking field of 17 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS entries, with Oskar Sandberg and Alexander Fielenbach taking victory and Sandberg named Driver of the Race. PROsport racing GmbH won the SP10 GT4 class with their Mercedes-AMG GT4, while SRS Team Sorg Rennsport triumphed in VT2-RWD with a Toyota Supra driven by Piet-Jan Ooms, Ionuc Catalin Timis and Thomas Fleming. Verstappen expressed enthusiasm for future appearances at the circuit: "For me, the Nordschleife is one of the craziest tracks in the world. I definitely want to drive here as often as possible." The third round of the NLS takes place on 11 April with the 57th Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy over the classic four-hour distance.

Kunos Simulazioni and 505 Games have released version 1.10.4 of Assetto Corsa Competizione, introducing the 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge season as a free update for all Steam players. The patch delivers official content aligned with the real-world racing calendar, maintaining the simulation's competitive relevance. The update includes 86 new liveries for GT World Challenge Europe and 9 new liveries for GT World Challenge America, alongside updated driver rosters. Some entries may require ownership of specific DLC packages to access fully. Players should note that the update may reset game menu settings stored in menuSettings.json on first launch, requiring reconfiguration of preferences. The release continues Kunos's commitment to Assetto Corsa Competizione despite ongoing development of Assetto Corsa EVO and the recently launched Assetto Corsa Rally in Early Access.

A trackday organiser has announced upcoming private driving events at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Spa-Francorchamps.

Time Attack UK has unveiled its 2026 championship calendar, which will span seven rounds across five leading British circuits. The season runs from May 4th through September 20th, 2026. Each round will be integrated with Club Time Attack Org's car show programme, including Modified Live, JDM JAM, Tunerfest and Go Japan events. The organisers aim to create a comprehensive experience combining competitive time attack racing with spectator-focused automotive entertainment.

A blog post about Nürburgring Touristenfahrten overtaking rules, apparently prompted by a collision between a Porsche 992 GT3 RS and a BMW M2 during a public session in July 2025.

A Xiaomi SU7 Ultra achieved a 7:04.957 lap time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, establishing a new benchmark for electric executive-class vehicles on the circuit.