ADAC GT4 Germany was at the Norisring for the second of six race weekends that make up the 2026 season. Here are a few fascinating tales and background stories from the paddock.
Full house: As usual, ADAC GT4 Germany featured on the support programme for the DTM – and that made the event a real crowd-puller. Over the course of the race weekend, 118,500 visitors flocked to the iconic street circuit in the south of Nuremberg. The Norisring was completely sold out on both Saturday and Sunday.
Comeback: The last time Simon Birch (19/DEN, Razoon - more than Racing) went racing in ADAC GT4 Germany was 2024, since when he has enjoyed success in GT2 and GT3 racing. At the Norisring, he returned to the ADAC championship. “It is always cool to race here. I only got the call shortly before the weekend. As such, there was no time for much preparation,” said Birch. “I just love racing – regardless of whether it is in a GT2, GT3 or GT4 car.”
Change of car: Birch shared the cockpit with Daniel Drexel (25/AUT) at the Norisring. Their number 10 car was a BMW M4 GT4. However, that entry was a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 at the season opener. “The BMW is better suited to my driving style, so we decided to do a swap,” said Drexel. “In my opinion, the BMW is slightly better when it comes to battling with other cars. That is definitely an advantage in a series, in which it is so fiercely competitive.”
Rapid rookies: The Rookie classification is for drivers in their first year in GT4 motorsport and under the age of 25. On Saturday, victory in this class went to Marius Schmid (18/Tengen, BWT Mücke Motorsport) in a Mercedes-AMG GT4, while Lukas Stiefelhagen (19/NED, ME Motorsport) triumphed in a BMW on Sunday. Both had also tasted success at the season opener. Their goal for the season: the Rookie title in ADAC GT4 Germany.
Successful gentlemen: There were also different winners in the PRO-AM class at the Norisring. Jesper Brunoj Jensen (50/DEN) and Laurenz Rühl (19/Friedrichdorf, both Wimmer Werk Motorsport) were successful on Saturday, before their fellow Porsche drivers Hendrik Still (38/Kempenich) and Tim Horrell (35/USA, both AVIA W&S Motorsport) won on Sunday. Still and Horrell continue to top the table.
A host of debutants: As the Norisring is not a permanent racetrack, it is not possible to test there, and races can only be held once per year. As such, many ADAC GT4 Germany drivers were taking to the track at the 2.162-kilometre street circuit for the very first time. “The track is great fun – even though there are hardly any corners. I was actually expecting there to be many more bumps, but that did not prove to be the case. That meant we were able to quickly find a good set-up,” said Ginetta G56 GT4 driver Erik Bertilsson (25/SWE, KRT Racing).
Generation game: On Friday, there was a very special get-together. The Toyota GR Supra GT4 of CRT joined the Toyota Supra MK3 DTM, which Switzerland’s Jörg Schori drove in the DTM Classic event at the Norisring, for a photo shoot on the start/finish straight. ADAC GT4 Germany driver Lucas Cartelle (18/BEL, CRT) was very excited by the old DTM Toyota: “It was totally fascinating to take a closer look at the historic car. In the cockpit alone, you can immediately see just how much progress has been made in motorsport in the last few decades. The engine and sound are also impressive. It goes without saying that I would have liked to have taken it out for a spin.”
