GT World Challenge powered by AWS heads to the Nürburgring on 29–31 August for the penultimate stop on the Endurance Cup schedule. It comes two months after the marquee CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – as well as a pair of Sprint Cup races – and kicks off the final run towards October’s finale in Barcelona.
This will be the 14th time that GT World Challenge has visited the Nürburgring and, as ever, a significant contingent of German drivers is expected. The country has produced no fewer than 24 Endurance Cup race winners – that’s more than France and Great Britain combined – while six German drivers have won the series title.
There is every chance of another champion being crowned this year. Indeed, we've already seen a German driver secure the most important win of the season after Lamborghini ace Luca Engstler clinched the 77th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with Grasser Racing. Engstler comes from a racing family – his father Franz made a name for himself in touring cars – and Luca also cut his teeth in tin-tops before stepping up to GT racing in 2023.
He's already won the biggest GT race in the world, putting Engstler on the path to becoming a major player in German motor racing. That status has already been achieved by Maro Engel (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) and Maximilian Götz (#9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG), who will be two of the most established names competing at the Nürburgring. Their fellow countrymen Sven Müller (#96 Rutronik Racing Porsche), Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller (both #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed) are also very well regarded, and are likely to be in the fight for victory on home soil.
So too should Marvin Kirchhöfer and Benjamin Goethe (#59 Garage 59 McLaren). This German duo is on a serious roll following a runner-up finish at Monza, an excellent run to sixth at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, and Sprint Cup victories at Misano and Magny-Cours. Sharing with British teammate Joseph Loake, they are now chasing McLaren’s first Endurance victory since 2016.
These are the likely contenders for overall victory, but there will be plenty more local interest among the class runners. The Gold Cup was introduced in its current configuration in 2023 and has taken a major step forward this term. The biggest name is Jens Klingmann, a BMW factory driver since 2014, who represents AlManar Racing by WRT. His rivals include Tim Sandtler, a Nordschleife veteran who joined the GT World Challenge grid this year with Nordique Racing. German fans should recognise the name: Sandtler is the biggest motorsport equipment seller in the German-speaking part of Europe.
Young talents Tim Heinemann and Joel Sturm are part of the #92 Herbert Motorsport line-up, sharing with the vastly experienced Rolf Ineichen, who hails from the German-speaking region of Switzerland. Heinemann caused a splash on his CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa debut in 2023, setting the fastest lap of the race, while Sturm made his series debut as a teenager in 2021 and has often shown big potential. Maximilian Paul adds another German name to the Gold Cup field, driving the #333 Lamborghini for the family Paul Motorsport squad.
Alex Aka is among the most experienced and competitive drivers in the Silver Cup. Piloting the #99 Audi, the 25-year-old heads to his home event firmly in contention for the Endurance title. There are two more German drivers among the Silver runners, both driving the #64 Mustang GT3 for HRT Ford Performance. Finn Wiebelhaus is a rising star of GT racing who helped Germany to take a gold medal at last year's FIA Motorsport Games. His teammate David Schumacher comes from the country’s most famous racing family: he is the son of Ralf, the nephew of Michael, and the cousin of Mick.
The Bronze Cup includes the only all-German line-up on the grid at Herberth Motorsport. In fact, if you add the Gold Cup crew, this team fields five German drivers (and a German-speaking Swiss) across its twin Porsche entries. In the #91 car, Ralf Bohn is among the most experienced and successful Bronze-graded competitors in the series. He's been racing Porsches at a high level for more than a decade and has raced with Herberth since 2016. He shares with twin brothers Alfred and Robert Renauer, who also run the team.
Christian Hook has a long association with the series that goes back to 2016. The majority of this time has been spent with Rinaldi Racing, with whom “Hooky” scored an Am class victory at the 2019 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Marvin Dienst drives for Winward Racing, with whom he recently earned a Sprint Cup win at Magny-Cours, while Patrick Kolb combines the role of team owner and driver in the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche.
Last but certainly not least, Dennis Marschall drives the #74 Ferrari for Kessel Racing. The German has been extremely impressive this year as the Swiss squad’s pro driver, helping Kessel to secure class victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Indeed, he and his team could clinch the Bronze Cup Endurance title this weekend.
The German contingent will be joined at the Nürburgring by a host of international stars. Mirko Bortolotti, Kelvin van der Linde, Arthur Leclerc, Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon and Nicki Thiim are just some of the names on the entry list – and fans will have a chance to meet them during an autograph session on Sunday afternoon. The event will also feature support racing from the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and McLaren Trophy Europe. For more information and to book tickets, please click here.