Nürburgring 24 Hours, Porsche group picture, Nürburgring, 2026, Porsche AG

Challenging conditions ahead of the 24-hour classic

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is represented this weekend by 60 customer cars at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The field comprises around 160 racing cars. 

At a glance

  • Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is the most heavily represented brand
  • Factory drivers Estre, Güven and Preining will start from the fourth row
  • A record crowd of over 260,000 spectators is expected

Following the final qualifying session, Manthey’s number 911 will start the race from eighth position as the highest-placed 911 GT3 R. A total of 13 Porsche are battling for overall victory in the highly competitive SP9 class.

Porsche is celebrating 75 years of motorsport history with a strong line-up of customer teams at the endurance classic in the Eifel. The 24-hour race in the ‘Green Hell’ gets underway on Saturday at 3 pm local time. Racing cars from the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer are competing in a total of eleven different classes. The range of vehicles extends from the Porsche Cayman S in the production car category to the latest-generation 911 GT3 R. Changeable weather conditions characterised the various practice sessions yesterday and today.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey (#911), Thomas Preining (AUT), Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Kévin Estre (FRA), Nürburgring, 2026, Porsche AG

In the first Top Qualifying segment, four 911 GT3 R made it through to the next round of the top 20: alongside Black Falcon’s No. 48, Dinamic GT’s No. 54 and the Lionspeed 911 with start number 24, Manthey’s ‘Grello’ also qualified. Frenchman Kévin Estre handed the green-and-yellow Porsche over to his Turkish factory team-mate Ayhancan Güven, who advanced to the individual time trial for the top twelve with the third-fastest lap. Thomas Preining from Austria – like Güven a DTM champion and former Porsche Junior – then secured a place on the fourth row of the grid.

“The overall picture after qualifying is clear: we’re a little way off our rivals,” said Maximilian Müller, GT Race Support at Porsche Motorsport. “We had a Porsche in Top Qualifying 3, not least because Ayhancan managed to put in a very strong lap. Following the crash of a competitor, Manthey went all-in and sent the ‘Grello’ out for a final flying lap with as little fuel on board as possible. That’s how we made it into the final Top Qualifying segment. Overall, all the drivers did a good job; we had no incidents and no cars in the crash barrier. Now we’re focusing on our own work and prepare thoroughly for the race. We expect things to be very chaotic – especially in the early stages.”

Max Müller, Porsche Motorsport GT Race Support, Nürburgring, 2026, Porsche AG
Maximilian Müller, Porsche Motorsport GT Race Support

The 24-hour race live on TV and via live stream

The German free-to-air channel Nitro will be broadcasting this Nürburgring highlight live for the full 24 hours. The race’s official website offers a free live stream and live timing at www.24h-rennen.de/live/.

Further information and links

2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours: The full entry list
The challenger in detail: The upgraded Porsche 911 GT3 R
Keep track of the action at all times: Live streams and live timing
75 years of Porsche Motorsport: The history of #Raceborn

Driver quote after Top Qualifying

Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “We’re still lacking a bit of pace, especially in the sectors where engine power really counts. Overall, the Porsche handled well and I felt comfortable in it. Conditions were tricky, with parts of the track damp and oily. We’re hoping for changeable conditions for the race.”

Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey (#911), Nürburgring, 2026, Porsche AG

Result Qualifying

1. Engstler/Bortolotti/Niederhauser (DEU/ITA/CHE), Lamborghini #84, 8.11,123 Minuten
2. Mapelli/Catsburg/Yelloly (ITA/NLD/GBR), Lamborghini #130, 8.11,468 Minuten
3. Haase/Sims/Green (DEU/GBR/GBR), Audi #16, 8.11,984 Minuten
8. Estre/Güven/Preining (FRA/TUR/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey #911, 8.13,939 Minuten
17. Bachler/Heinemann/S. Müller/Schuring (AUT/DEU/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports #44, 8.15,689 Minuten
20. Arrow/Assenheimer/T. Müller/Pereira (GBR/DEU/DEU/LUX), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Black Falcon #48, 8.18,088 Minuten
21. Buus/Christensen/Sturm/Hartog (DNK/DNK/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dinamic GT #54, 8.18,580 Minuten
24. Heinrich/Vanthoor/Feller (DEU/BEL/CHE), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Lionspeed GP #24, 8.30,917 Minuten
27. Andlauer/Boccolacci/Menzel/Picariello (FRA/FRA/DEU/BEL), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dunlop Motorsport #17, 8.19,941 Minuten
28. Beretta/Ghiretti/Sturm/Hartog (ITA/FRA/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dinamic GT #55, 8.20,158 Minuten
29. Kaya/Kiefer/Piana/Stursberg (TUR/DEU/ITA/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Black Falcon #5, 8.20,519 Minuten
30. Goroyan/Kivtka/Berthon/Fontana (ARM/KGZ/FRA/CHE), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Car Collection #4, 8.22.065 Minuten
33. Rump/Bünnagel/Brundle (EST/DEU/GBR), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Mühlner Motorsport #123, 8.24,299 Minuten
36. Tilley/Hill/Kolb/Hofer (GBR/GBR/DEU/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Lionspeed GP #18, 8.27,886 Minuten
37. Kim/Bruins/Cho/Seefried (KOR/NLD/KOR/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Hankook Competition #30, 8.28,453 Minuten
42. Li/Fjordbach/Ye/King (CHN/DNK/CHN/GBR), Porsche 911 GT3 R, High Class Racing #86, 8.35,904 Minuten

Related Content