The ADAC GT4 Germany kicked off the second half of the 2026 season in brilliant fashion at the Nürburgring. Here are a few fascinating tales and background stories from the paddock.
Returnee: Damon Surzyshyn (49/CAN) has started 22 races in ADAC GT4 Germany since 2023, but he was missing from the grid in the first half of the 2026 season. However, the Canadian is now back. “I just love ADAC GT4 Germany. It is the best sprint series in the world, and the competition is fantastic. The standard of the drivers is incredibly high,” said a beaming Surzyshyn, who made the trip from Winnipeg specially. “The plan is now to start at the Sachsenring and in Hockenheim too.” The race weekend at the Nürburgring was a very successful one for the Porsche driver from Razoon - more than Racing. Surzyshyn made it onto the podium in the PRO-AM class in both races.
Home outings: The race weekend at the Nürburgring is always a home event for many drivers and teams. “I always enjoy driving here. The Nürburgring is definitely the highlight of my season,” said Hendrik Still (39/Kempenich, AVIA W&S Motorsport). “I live just a few kilometres from the paddock, so I can sleep at home. I also had a lot of support from family and friends, who came to watch.”
Rapid rookies: The Rookie competition is for drivers contesting their first year in GT4 motorsport, and who are under the age of 25. On Saturday, Erik Bertilsson (25/SWE, KRT Racing) won for the very first time, making it his best race weekend of the season so far in the Ginetta G56 GT4. “We had really good pace and made it into the top five. The Rookie competition is really excellent. I hope that I can get a few more wins this season,” said the Swede. Victory in the Rookie competition in Sunday’s race went to the class leader Marius Schmid (18/Tengen, BWT Mücke Motorsport).
Debutant: Gregor Schneider (48/Nuremberg) made is first ever appearance in ADAC GT4 Germany at the wheel of a Porsche run by Razoon - more than Racing. “I really liked it. ADAC GT4 Germany is a big platform and one of the best-known GT4 series in the world. It is a huge honour to race in this series,” said Schneider. “I had the time of my life and would love to go racing here again.”
Impressive gentlemen: The PRO-AM class also produced some outstanding racing again at the Nürburgring. Class leaders Hendrik Still and Tim Horrell (36/USA, both AVIA W&S Motorsport) triumphed on Saturday. On Sunday, it was the turn of fellow Porsche drivers Jesper Brunoj Jensen (50/DEN) and Laurenz Rühl (20/Friedrichdorf, both Wimmer Werk Motorsport) to celebrate. “We really didn’t expect to take the class win. The race was really good fun,” said a delighted Jensen on the podium. His team-mate Rühl was full of praise for his partner: “The whole team was glued to the screens when Jesper was in the car. His speed was awesome.” To mark their success, the team from Austria has launched a new social media hashtag: #winnerwerk
Successful juniors: Denny Berndt (21/Berlin) and Lachlan Robinson (22/AUS, both AVIA W&S Motorsport) were successful in the Junior competition on Sunday. Saturday’s race was won by Philipp Gogollok (20/Bad Homburg, COSY Racing by ESM) in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. “The fact that I have picked up another trophy makes the Junior competition important,” chuckled Gogollok. “The focus this year is definitely more on the overall standings, but the Junior competition is also fiercely contested and very exciting. The goal for this year is to win both titles.”
