Nürburgring 24 Hours 2025 preview: 141 cars to embark on the toughest race of the calendar
As if Le Mans wasn’t enough of a test, the most gruelling endurance race of all is up next with the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours
With the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours now over and done with, teams are making their way across France and into Germany for an equally gruelling test of endurance: the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Featuring the largest grid in half a decade, a total of 141 cars will line up for the flag drop on Saturday June 21 before hitting the world’s longest circuit for 24 hours straight – all 15.76 miles and 73 corners of it…
While the Nürburgring 24 Hours goes without the exotic Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship, the top GT3 class of this year's N24 is well and truly packed. A total of eight different manufacturers will hit the circuit, with qualifying results pointing towards strong performance for the Porsche 911 GT3 R, with it occupying the top three spots in the final order – there are a total of seven GT3 Rs running this year, putting it top in terms of raw numbers too.
> When racing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours goes wrong
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 also came out with a good result in qualifying, with the new Ford Mustang GT3 running for the first time at N24 this year. The defending champions in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II will also be battling it out, with Aston Martin Vantage AMG GT3s, Ferrari 296 GT3s and BMW M4 GT3s also part of the top pack.
There are 20 classes at N24 in total, ranging from the VT2 class for more modest 'small' production cars, two Cup classes for Porsches, GT4 and a whole lot more. This year there's a Dacia Logan racing alongside the thoroughbred GT3 cars, a Volkswagen Beetle RSR and even a 997-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The McLaren Artura also makes its first N24 appearance in Trophy-form, with Lynk&Co also making its debut with the 03 TCR. As always, Cupra Leons, Toyota Supras, Audi S3s and a host of BMW 3-series-based racers can also be found throughout the entry list.
As varied as the cars are, there’s also a fascinating mixture of drivers competing this year. The son of ex-Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda, Daisuke Toyoda, will get behind the wheel of a Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing GR Yaris, with Maro Engel in an AMG GT3, N24 2023 winner David Pittard in a Vantage GT3 and Michael Schumacher's nephew, David Schumacher, in the HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3. There is even a team of automotive figures you might recognise back to compete again under Black Falcon in the BMW M4 GT4, with Jimmy Broadbent, Mikhail (Misha) Charoudin and sim racer Steve Brown behind the wheel. To say it's a diverse grid is an understatement.
