Ferrari Triumphs at NLS9: Verstappen and Lulham Seal Victory
In a dominant display at NLS9, Max Verstappen and Christopher Lulham secured Ferrari’s first win in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) since June 2017, driving the #31 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Verstappen, starting from third on the grid, swiftly took the lead at Turn 1 and established a 65-second advantage by the time he handed over to Lulham during the first double stint.
Lulham navigated through a series of Code 60s, maintaining the lead and ultimately winning by 24.496 seconds over the #6 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3. This victory marks Ferrari’s third in NLS history.
The Haupt Racing Team highlighted its capabilities as the #9 Ford Mustang GT3, shared by drivers Fabian Scherer, Dennis Fetzer, and Jann Mardenborough, secured a podium finish alongside the #6 entry of Frank Stippler and Patrick Kolb. Stippler’s impressive opening lap saw him leap from 11th to second, a position he held until the final hour.
The evening concluded with the #22 Max Kruse Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II achieving a commendable fourth place, marking it as the first GT3 vehicle to compete on the Nordschleife with sustainable fuel. Benjamin Leuchter finished just 0.517 seconds shy of the podium.
Walkenhorst Motorsport clinched SP9 Pro-Am honors with its #34 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, courtesy of Christian Krognes, who took pole position with a time of 8:06.057.
CUP2 category was dominated by Mühlner Motorsport’s #921 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, while the SP9 Am category saw the #786 Renazzo Motorsport Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 claim victory, surpassing Klaus Abbelen’s solo effort in the #21 Ferrari.
Notably, the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3 R faced mechanical issues and was unable to start in a timely manner, eventually finishing 93rd.
The final round of the 2025 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie is set for October 11.
