Falken Motorsports finished a class above in a decisive one-two victory for race one of the 2025 Nürburgring Long Distance Series (NLS), as Porsche swept the top four in an awe-inspiring display. The victory was made all the sweeter in light of the tactical tire moves that proved pivotal to the win of the event, as rain showers presented the best teams a tricky beginning.
In a nail-biting battle, Sven Müller and Morris Schuring triumphed in their #3 Porsche 911 GT3 R, finishing 3.068 seconds in front of teammates Dorian Boccolacci and Nico Menzel in the #4 Falken Porsche. The Porsche hegemony continued as Ayhancan Güven and Thomas Preining finished third in the iconic #911 Manthey-Racing “Grello,” with Matteo Cairoli and Bastian Buus rounding out the top four in the #54 Dinamic GT-Porsche. Rowe Racing’s #98 BMW finished the top five.
The race had commenced with an unexpected turn. Audi driver Frank Stippler achieved an improbable pole position driving the #2 JUTA Racing Audi R8 LMS at 7:51.530 minutes. Unfortunately, disaster struck Stippler’s fellow driver Nico Bastian, when Bastian collided with heavy damage at Pflanzgarten while qualifying behind the wheel of the #2 HRT Ford Mustang. The car was wrecked and had been withdrawn from competition, yet Bastian survived injury.
After the start, Stippler was initially in control, but a brief rain shower between practice and race turned the early stages into a tire gamble. When the rain departed, the race leaders, including the two Falken Porsches, pitted for a tire change from wets to slicks. Schuring spoke about the difficult start, pointing out that the change to slicks by the team after the first lap was a decisive move. He also enjoyed his maiden NLS victory, marking the 10th anniversary of his father’s victory in the 2015 season finale. Müller added that their climb from 15th on the grid to victory was an ode to a good strategy.
While Müller and Schuring collected the win, their teammates Menzel and Boccolacci were satisfied with second place, describing it as the ideal season opener. Preining, who struggled at the start after spinning in on lap one, was happy with a third-place finish. His Manthey Racing stable had managed to stick on the right Falken tires the whole day and therefore didn’t need a second pit stop. Preining, however, narrowly avoided a catastrophe when he brushed against the barriers after a slide on oil that was on the track.
The remaining podium slots were occupied by the #17 GetSpeed AMG, the McLaren #69 of Dörr, and the Abt Lamborghini, which was between sixth and eighth. Daan Arrow, Gabriele Piana, Ben Bünnagel, and Mike Stursberg won Pro-Am in Black Falcon 911, which ended ninth overall, and the JUTA Audi secured a top-10 in tenth for themselves.
Not all teams had such a smooth sail, however. The Konrad Lamborghini, piloted by Danny Soufi, had to retire after a crash with a Porsche Cayman, and Maro Engel’s GetSpeed AMG also retired following a good performance. Class-wise results saw Fabian Vettel finish second in the AT3 category in his #76 VW Golf GTi, while Ugo de Wilde finished third in the BMW M240i Cup. The Sim racer team of Jimmy Broadbent, Misha Charoudin, and Steve Brown took the SP8T in their #150 BMW M4 GT4 with Manuel Metzger.
A major controversy surrounded both Toyota Gazoo Racing Supra GT4s, which were disqualified from competition.
Moran Gott First “Driver of the Race”
In an exciting new feature of the 2025 season, BMW 325i driver Moran Gott took the first-ever “Driver of the Race” after an incredible solo effort. Gott had built his #107 car himself just six weeks before the race. Despite having several mishaps on the day of the race, including repair work after accidents and a puncture toward the end of the day, Gott finished in fourth place in his class. He was proud of the accomplishment, saying that although the race wasn’t perfect, having refused to give up was what mattered most.
The “Driver of the Race” award is a new 2025 project, agreed upon jointly by NLS race management, the ILN Drivers’ Association, and the track announcer. The award is sponsored by the Nürburgring Long Distance Interest Group (ILN).
Other class-winning performances were the first win of the new BMW 325i Challenge by Goodyear with Eugen Becker and Jonas Spölgen. Keeevin Sports and Racing had second in class driven by Juha Miettinen, Oliver Frisse, and Dan Berghult. Third on the class podium were Simon Sagmeister, Jürgen Huber, and Dirk Vleugels.
The 2025 NLS season is off and racing in electrifying style, with Falken Motorsports calling the shots thus far. The championship continues to burn bright as teams eye the next on the calendar.