+ BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche set for back-to-back Intercontinental GT Challenge races
+ CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa follows ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring
+ IGTC entry list: ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring
48 hours of racing across two huge GT3 events await Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers in the coming days when BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche contest the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring and CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa on consecutive weekends.
Mercifully, just 90 minutes separate the two circuits, which stage rounds two and three of an IGTC campaign that began with BMW scoring maximum points at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour in February. However, that early advantage will be under serious threat at the Nordschleife where just one M4 GT3 EVO appears amongst the 27 SP9 class entries.
Two members of Bavaria’s winning Bathurst crew, Augusto Farfus and Kelvin van der Linde, also feature in ROWE Racing’s entry. Both are heading to Germany direct from Le Mans where their three 24-hour races in as many weekends begin this Saturday.
Theirs is one of 12 cars eligible to score IGTC points at the Nürburgring. Five of Porsche’s seven 911s feature Pro driver line ups, Mercedes-AMG fields a total of three cars, and Ferrari – like BMW – has a single Pro entry at its disposal.
Those numbers will increase significantly at Spa, but for now all eyes are on the Eifel where only Porsche and Mercedes-AMG’s two highest finishers will score IGTC manufacturers’ championship points.
BMW | 1x M4 GT3 EVO | 43 POINTS
WRT gave the first-gen M4 a fitting factory farewell at Bathurst by claiming BMW’s first GT3 era victory at the 12 Hour. What’s more, a one-two finish and maximum manufacturers’ points leaves BMW 18 clear of Mercedes-AMG, while Farfus and Van der Linde are seven ahead of Raffaele Marciello with whom they share ROWE’s entry this weekend. Fellow works driver Jesse Krohn completes the quartet.
BMW has scored more 24h Nürburgring wins than anyone else, but only one has been achieved in the GT3 era and that was back in 2020 with the M6. However, it did claim pole and finish third overall last year when thick fog restricted the race to just nine hours of running.
Its chances of adding a record-extending 21st win rest solely with Farfus, Van der Linde, Krohn and Marciello whose glittering CV does not yet include a win at the ‘Ring.
MERCEDES-AMG | 3x GT3 EVO | 25 POINTS
Given success elsewhere and staunch commitment to this event it’s remarkable that Mercedes-AMG last tasted 24h Nürburgring victory back in 2016. But although it has fewer cars than Porsche, Audi and Aston Martin this year, Affalterbach’s two Pro entries – both entered by GetSpeed – are amongst the very best.
Luca Stolz, who lies third in IGTC’s drivers’ standings after claiming a podium at Bathurst, is joined by works colleagues Fabian Schiller, Maxime Martin and Maro Engel who was part of the winning line up 10 years ago. One of his co-drivers that season, Adam Christodoulou, shares GetSpeed’s ‘PRPL Beast’ with DTM championship leader Lucas Auer, Mikael Grenier and Ralf Aron.
In terms of outright pace, it’s these two cars that look most likely to lead Mercedes-AMG’s assault. But its third entry, run by Nordschleife specialists SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm, also has the potential to contribute manufacturers’ points if either of the factory cars falter. Four Silver-graded drivers – Kenneth Heyer, Jay Mo Härtling, Jannes Fittje and Christopher Brück – share the Pro-Am entry.
FERRARI | 1x 296 GT3 | 18 POINTS
A solid run at Bathurst leaves Ferrari third in the early IGTC standings. However, none of the drivers that competed Down Under are heading to Germany, while only one car has an opportunity to add to the manufacturer’s total.
Nevertheless, the 296 GT3 is a proven package at the Nordschleife where Frikadelli scored a remarkable victory – the first by a non-German manufacturer since 2002 – two years ago. The team isn’t competing this time but Ferrari does retain a presence thanks to Japanese squad Kondo Racing, which has teamed up with Maranello stalwarts, Rinaldi.
The driver line up does at least retain an element of that 2023 triumph, though, through Felipe Fernandez who has David Perel, Axcil Jefferies and Thomas Neubauer for company.
PORSCHE | 7x 911 GT3 R | 12 POINTS
With seven cars and five Pro entries it’s tough to know where to begin with Porsche’s N24 assault. 12 points represented a meagre return at Bathurst, so Stuttgart’s new-found strength in numbers could not have come at a better time.
Scherer Sport PHX won with Audi last year and has added a 911 to its 2025 roster. What’s more, the same combination – which pairs one of last year’s winners Ricardo Feller with Laurens Vanthoor and Patric Niederhauser – claimed both wins in the recent Qualifiers. Pre-race favourite? Almost certainly.
But Porsche has plenty more ammo at its disposal. No team has won this race more times than Manthey EMA and its combination of Kevin Estre, Ayhancan Güven and Thomas Preining is as good as any on the list. Another of last year’s winners, Dennis Marschall, features amongst Falken’s two-car effort, while Bastian Buus and Matteo Cairoli are paired at Dinamic.
Hankook Competition and Black Falcon field additional Pro-Am entries.
ADAC RAVENOL 24H NÜRBURGRING TIMETABLE
Thursday 19 June
13:00 – 15:00: Qualifying 1
20:00 – 23:30: Qualifying 2
Friday 20 June
13:20 – 14:30: Top Qualifying
16:15 – 17:45: Qualifying 3
Saturday 21 June
12:00 – 12:40: Warm-up
16:00: Race start
Sunday 22 June
16:00: Race finish