Laurenz Rühl was unbeatable in the first free practice session for ADAC GT4 Germany at the Norisring. The Wimmer Werk Motorsport driver finished ahead of two fellow Porsche racers, as well as Mercedes-AMG and BMW.
The second race weekend of the 2026 ADAC GT4 Germany season is up and running: the opening free practice at the legendary Norisring in Nuremberg took place on Friday morning – and it was Porsche who made the early pace. The fastest time of 54.017 seconds was set by Laurenz Rühl (19/Friedrichdorf) from Wimmer Werk Motorsport in a 718 Cayman GT4. “You cannot wish for a better start to the race weekend. I expected to be in the top 15, but it ended up being first place,” said a beaming Rühl, who shares the cockpit with gentleman driver Jesper Brunoj Jensen (50/DEN). “The team did not tell me the good news over the radio. Only when they were celebrating in the team tent did they let me know. The goal for the races at the Norisring is a top-ten finish.” It is also the first time that Rühl has ever come out on top at the end of a session in ADAC GT4 Germany.
Porsche, in general, looked really strong in Free Practice 1. Second place, 0.129 seconds off the top time, went to the 718 Cayman GT4 of Denny Berndt (21/Berlin) and Lachlan Robinson (22/AUS). That duo is currently second in the table and has grand plans for the Norisring. They were followed by their AVIA W&S Motorsport team-mates Alon Gabbay (22/ISR) and Maximilian Schreyer (17/Marburg), who missed out on top spot by 0.185 seconds.
As usual in ADAC GT4 Germany, the battle at the top of the timing sheet was an entertaining one. Roman Fellner-Feldegg (24/Landsberg am Lech) and Marek Böckmann (29/Lautersheim, both Prosport Racing) were fourth fastest, ending the session 0.237 seconds down in their Mercedes-AMG GT4. Rounding out the top five were Daniel Drexel (25/AUT) and Simon Birch (19/DEN, both Razoon - more than Racing). Birch is making his ADAC GT4 Germany comeback at the Norisring, having last appeared in the series at the Hockenheimring in 2024. He and his partner Drexel share the driving duties in a BMW M4 GT4. Drexel actually contested the opening round of the 2026 season at the Red Bull Ring in a Porsche.
The action continues to come thick and fast in ADAC GT4 Germany on Friday. Free Practice 2 gets underway at 13:55. The two qualifying sessions will then take place on Saturday morning, before the two one-hour races get underway at 15:10 on Saturday and Sunday.
