Michelin 12H Nürburgring 2026
The first weekend of July, I returned to the Nürburgring. It was time for the 12 Hours of the Nürburgring, part of the 24H Series, organized by Creventic. The 12-hour race itself was run in two parts; 6 hours on Saturday, and another 6 on Sunday. This had another advantage for me: there were two race starts. Above you can see the photo of the first start on Saturday.
Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. In the morning, races with Radical Cup cars and LMP3 prototypes in the Prototype Cup had already taken place. Late in the morning, the cars, teams, and fans alike took over the straight. The atmosphere was good; people were looking forward to it. Bollywood star Ajith Kumar was already surrounded by plenty of Indian fans on the grid. Throughout the weekend, it was also constantly busy behind his garage with fans hoping to meet him there.
The race started well initially, without any really major incidents. But after I had cleared the first few corners following the start and walked halfway around the track, I suddenly saw a large cloud of dust from behind the hill. The brand-new Haas RT BMW M4 GT3 had spun off completely. And a moment later, the car passed by on the trailer, heavily damaged and written off. A shame; it looked very sharp in the new livery.
Ajith Kumar also had a moment and caused a Code 60 by trying to move the barriers with the nose of the Mercedes. He wouldn't be the only one. Throughout the weekend, several Mercedes cars were driving around with their noses taped together. Only the eventual winner would keep it looking neat. Saturday ended under a red flag when a Porsche shot straight ahead without brakes and disappeared into the tire barriers. The repairs took quite a bit of time, causing the race on Saturday to be shortened.
On Sunday, the second part of the race started under much cloudier conditions. And several times during the race, a brief shower passed over. These were tricky conditions where an incident was just around the corner. It was mainly a matter of staying out of trouble and also strategically managing pit stops, tire choices, and the timing of Code 60 situations.
The work in the pit lane was of great importance here as well. However, after my experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the difference in level was noticeable here. You saw more minor mistakes, things that just took a little more time. But still, they went for it full force.
The race was ultimately won by the GetSpeed Mercedes pictured above. The crew, consisting of Patrick Liddy, Tanner Harvey, Jonathan Hirshberg, and Steve Jans, kept their cool, the car intact, and ultimately pulled the race in their favor. During the final shower, I was rewarded with beautiful photos of cars coming over the hill. Earlier, with bright sunlight and the heat from the road surface, the photos there were a bit less impressive. So I felt like it would be nicer if it were darker and with some rain. And after hanging around in that area for a while waiting for the right shower, my patience was eventually rewarded with cool photos of the cars in the rain.
View the full album below. Would you like photos, or would you like to hire me as a photographer for your next race?
