The two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s competing within this weekend’s seventh round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie also endured something of a hard time during Saturday’s six-hour race that left both crews leave empty handed.

The #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport crew of Christian Krognes and Dennis Fetzer had secured a P6 start to the race at the end of the earlier qualifying session but had sustained damage whilst the #37 Prosport Racing AMR of Maxime/Guido Dumarey alongside that of Marek Bochmann were still a respectable P16 on the grid with their older iteration of Vantage GT3.

 

During the early stages of the race, the #35 car suffered from that earlier damage that could not be repaired before the race which then need attention after the start. That sidelined the car for nearly half of the race and by the time the car returned to the track – they would only complete 27 of the race winners 41 completed laps not to be classified within the results.

The #37 car fared better as they would ultimately finish P5 within their Am class and just two laps off the race winning pace.

Photo credits – Teams / social media

 

 

It was a great display from the two Aston Martin Racing powered entries into today’s sixth round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie as one crew first secured an overall Pole position to the race before both crews delivered class podium finishes.

First time back at the Nurburgring Nordschleife since twenty-four hour for the NLS Series, todays entry was a typically more modest one hundred and twelve car entry for this four-hour race with both the Walkenhorst Motorsport and Prosport Racing AMR Vantage GT3 crews amongst them.

 

Competing like many across northern Europe at the moment with high ambient temperatures, it was the #35 Walkenhorst AMR of Christian Krognes who was first to deliver after he placed the car that he was to share with Mateo Villagomez and Dennis Fetzer onto the front row of the grid whilst the Maxime and Guido Dumarey alongside Marek Bochmann secured a P16 in SP9 start.

With the race starting just a few hours later, Krognes was to hold the race lead over the opening laps whilst Bochmann has elevated their track position onto the tail end of the top ten overall as the race then settled into its normal rhythm.

 

As the race progressed, the #35 crew would fall down the order to as low as fifth overall before a late charge brought them right back into the action to claim a P4 overall race finish but P3 within their own SP9 Pro class whilst the #37 Prosport Racing AMR entry did likewise within their own SP9 Am class car.

Photo credits – Teams / Series

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst there have been many other Aston Martin Racing powered team podium finishes this weekend, the greatest achievement of the year so far has to go to the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport entry in this weekend’s ADAC Ravenol N24 around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Giving early indications as to their speed and intentions, the #34 car of Nicki Thiim, Mattia Drudi and Christian Krognes not only took the race to the more dominant German brands but beat many of them in the process to eventually finish third overall at the end of the twenty-four earlier this afternoon. This result is the best overall race result on record for any AMR podium tea has achieved and has been something that has (and continues) to illude the British marque.

 

Starting from eleventh on the grid after Fridays top qualifying session, the #34 was quickly making its mark at the sharp end of the one hundred and sixty-one car entry – leading the race by right as the afternoon turned dark and as Drudi survived two laps around the sprawling circuit on slicks whilst others were coming off worse for the same.

With their success, there was also heartache to be felt within the AMR camp featuring four AMR Vantage GT3 powered crews and one Vantage GT4 powered crew as it was just the #34 crew who finished the race. The #35 Walkenhorst car failed to make it five times around the track before its stationary position on track was narrowly avoided by the chasing pack whilst the #39 Walkenhorst car didn’t go much further after being rear ended during the night.

 

The #37 Prosport Racing AMR did make it through the night only for a tyre failure along the Dottinger Hohe to spear the older Vantage headlong into the barrier and into immediate retirement. We unfortunately didn’t see much of the #169 Dorr Motorsport Vantage GT4, but they did also feature high within their SP10 class overnight before also failing somewhere soon after.

It’s been another great event – a great tribute to the sadness of the preceding Qualification race weekend but well done to all concerned.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / AMR / social media

 

 

 

 

 

The Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie becomes the first traditional European based race series to get its 2026 programme underway this weekend with its first of ten rounds around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife between now and mid-October.

Compared to previous seasons within the NLS Series, all Aston Martin Racing powered participation moves to the front of their traditional diverse and expansive grids will all three AMR powered entries competing within the SP9 class.

Over the winter, the usual participants from the Prosport Racing team have seen them realign to another platform leaving just there older iteration of Vantage GT3 to compete with the two Walkenhorst Motorsport and their newer Evo’d cars.

 

As the German based team continue to go about their pre-season testing business around Europe, the Walkenhorst Motorsport team have been the first Aston Martin Racing powered team to confirm their participation within this year’s ADAC Ravenol Nurburgring 24 Hour.

Having already confirmed a multi- AMR Vantage GT3 participation within the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups Series, the team today confirmed a two-car entry into this year’s event in both the SP9 and SP9 Pro-Am classes.

 

Aston Martin Racing’s works line-up of champion drivers now includes Norwegian Christian Krognes from 2025 onwards. The 2018 Spa 24 Hours winner will contest the GT World Challenge Europe in the Endurance Cup, alongside new works teammates David Pittard and Henrique Chaves, in Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Pro class #34 Vantage GT3 Evo.

Krognes, 34, whose pedigree includes the overall Nordschleife-based Nürburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS) title in 2012, is the official GT3 lap record holder on the fearsome circuit’s NLS layout since 2022. A long-serving driver for Walkenhorst Motorsport, he will also participate in the team’s SP9 Pro class assault on the Nürburgring 24 Hours in June.

“Christian’s performances over the years at the Nürburgring have ensured he has long been someone we’ve kept an eye on, and when the opportunity arose for us to bring him into the AMR family officially, it seemed like an obvious decision to make,” said Aston Martin Racing Director of Performance Gus Beteli. “He is super-fast, gives precise and consistent feedback, works well in a team environment and is a safe pair of hands behind the wheel; all key attributes when competing in the highest levels of endurance racing.”

Krognes, who since switching from karts to car racing has built his career mainly around Nürburgring-based endurance events, described becoming part of the AMR works driver line-up as the “realisation of dream”.

“Joining Aston Martin was always a childhood dream for me,” said Krognes. “Now I’m looking forward to taking on the challenges ahead with my great teammates at Walkenhorst Motorsport behind the wheel of the spectacular Aston Martin Vantage GT3. I’ve always admired the brand’s heritage and I’m very proud to represent such an iconic manufacturer. I also want to take this opportunity to thank AMR for putting its faith in me as well as all the people who have supported me so far on this journey. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Krognes joins arguably the strongest ever AMR works line-up, one full to the brim with stellar talent. Former FIA World Endurance Championship GT champions Marco Sørensen and Thiim both return with multiple programmes, while Spa 24 Hours winner Mattia Drudi will compete in WEC, GTWC Europe and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.