• Team Mann-Filter, Team WRT and Kessel Racing take titles with a round to spare
• Comtoyou Racing gives Aston Martin brilliant overall win from pole
• Packed weekend culminates in title-deciding Endurance Cup contest
• Tresor Attempto Racing, HRT Ford Racing and 2 Seas Motorsport earn class wins
• Big weekend of entertainment includes fan activities and BMW M3 Touring 24H
FINAL RESULT: Nürburgring
The Nürburgring delivered a GT World event to remember this weekend (28–30 August). Headlined by the GT World Challenge powered by AWS Endurance Cup, the long-running meeting in the Eifel mountains drew 28,000 spectators to experience a full schedule of entertainment on the circuit and activities in the open paddock.
The fans saw champions crowned on Sunday afternoon as Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter completed its mission to clinch the Endurance Cup on home turf. Fourth place was enough to put the drivers' title beyond doubt for Maro Engel, Lucas Auer and Luca Stolz, cementing their status among the elite of global GT racing.
The star of the three-hour race was the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin, which was in full control from start to finish. The Belgian squad came to the Nürburgring knowing that victory was essential to keep its title hopes alive and its trio of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi executed perfectly from pole.
It was not quite enough to take the fight to the finale at Portimão, but the win was a fitting reward for a peerless performance. Team WRT claimed the runner-up spot with its #32 BMW, followed by Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing which claimed its first-ever Endurance Cup podium just a few weeks after earning a maiden Sprint Cup triumph.
Tresor Attempto Racing took Gold Cup victory after Dylan Pereira seized the class lead during the final hour. The #99 Audi was a factor from the very beginning, first with Alex Aka and then Alex Frassineti at the wheel. The battle for the Gold Cup crown will go to Portimão with several crews still firmly in the hunt.
The Silver Cup has been settled. Team WRT wrapped up the title with its #30 BMW crew of Matisse Lismont, Ignacio Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel, who led much of the race but finished second after a late charge from HRT Ford Racing. This marked the first GT World Challenge class victory for the Mustang GT3 thanks to the crew of Eduardo Coseteng, Nicolas Baert and Niklas Kalus – the latter making a big impression on his series debut by completing the winning overtake.
The #222 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG won the Bronze Cup class from pole, though the car lost the lead at the start and did not regain it until the final hour. The same squad won this race last year with Charles Dawson at the wheel for both; on this occasion, his victorious teammates were Kiern Jewiss and Reece Barr.
The Bronze Cup teams' title has been decided in favour of Kessel Racing, which came home third in class with its #74 Ferrari despite being involved in a Turn 1 incident. The drivers' fight will be resolved at Portimão.
In addition to the action on the track, there were plenty of activities for spectators to experience at the Nürburgring. They were brought closer to the competitors with pit walks organised on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a pre-race autograph session featuring the full field of drivers.
The BMW M3 Touring 24H that won so many fans during this year's 24 Hours of Nürburgring was on display in the paddock, though it wasn't just a showpiece. The car ran taxi laps on Saturday and two lucky competition winners were among those to enjoy the ride of a lifetime, sitting in the passenger seat alongside BMW factory driver Max Hesse.
Support race action was provided by Lamborghini Super Trofeo, the GT3 Revival Series and Mazda MX-5 Cup Benelux. The notable storylines included a title success for former GT World Challenge racer Jean-Luc Beaubelique. The Frenchman clinched the GT3 Revival Seres Pro-Am crown in his Ferrari 458, the very same car with which he claimed CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa class victory in 2013.
GT World returns in full force on 18–20 September with the penultimate Sprint Cup event of the season taking place at Zandvoort. In addition to GT World Challenge powered by AWS, the legendary Dutch venue will also welcome the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, GT4 European Series and Porsche Carrera Cup France for a packed weekend on the North Sea coast. The Endurance Cup will conclude at Portimão on 16–18 October.