Porsche fields 60 cars at Nürburgring

Porsche said on May 15 that 60 customer cars would represent the brand across this weekend’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring program, giving the Stuttgart carmaker one of the biggest footprints in a race that organizers list at about 160 entries. The company said 13 Porsche 911 GT3 R cars were entered, including cars from Manthey EMA, Falken Motorsports, Dinamic GT and Black Falcon Team EAE. (newsroom.porsche.com) Porsche said the race weekend would bring “challenging conditions,” with weather and traffic shaping the contest on the Nordschleife. BMW M, in a separate event preview published earlier in the week, said the 2026 race had the largest starting grid in 10 years. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### How large is Porsche’s presence in this year’s field? (adac-sport.com) Porsche said more than a third of the 161-car field carries its crest, a figure that underlines how heavily the company relies on customer teams at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The company’s May 12 preview said it was chasing a 14th overall victory in the race on May 16-17. The 60-car total stretches well beyond the top GT3 class. Porsche said its customer entries span several categories, with the 911 GT3 R leading the charge in SP9, the class that decides the overall winner, while Cayman and 911-based cars fill out lower classes across the four-day program. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Which Porsche teams are carrying the main overall challenge? Manthey EMA’s No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R was Porsche’s best-placed car after final qualifying, starting eighth, according to the company’s May 15 update. Porsche also listed GT3 efforts from Falken Motorsports, Dinamic GT, Black Falcon Team EAE, Lionspeed GP, Hankook Competition, Losch Motorsport by Black Falcon, Goroyan RT by Car Collection and Dunlop Motorsport. (newsroom.porsche.com) The official entry list shows Porsche GT3 cars spread across pro, pro-am and am lineups, adding depth even if the marque does not lock out the front rows. That list also shows nine manufacturers in the top GT3 class, matching BMW M’s description of a densely contested field. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why did Porsche flag “challenging conditions” before the start? Porsche said weather and the full weekend schedule would test teams over the Nürburgring’s mix of Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife, where changing grip and traffic are routine factors. The company’s race report after qualifying said the field comprised around 160 racing cars and noted Manthey’s No. 911 as the highest-placed Porsche after that session. (newsroom.porsche.com) The Nürburgring organizers’ official schedule shows qualifying and support-race sessions running through Friday and Saturday before the main race, leaving teams to manage setup, track conditions and traffic over a crowded program. The schedule lists warm-up on Saturday morning before grid procedures and the race start. (gt-report.com) ### How strong is the competition around Porsche? BMW M said on May 12 that the 2026 edition would feature the largest starting grid in a decade and nine manufacturers in the top GT3 category. That count points to a broader manufacturer fight than a single-brand contest, with BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ford also represented in GT3 entries. (newsroom.porsche.com) The 161-car entry list shows how crowded that battle will be. Rowe Racing entered BMW M4 GT3 cars, Scherer Sport PHX brought Audi R8 LMS GT3s, Walkenhorst Motorsport fielded Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3s, and Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari and Lamborghini teams also appear on the list alongside Porsche customers. (24h-information.de) ### When does the race start, and what comes next? The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring official schedule lists the race start for 4 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 16, after pre-grid, starting-grid and formation-lap procedures earlier in the day. The event runs through Sunday, May 17, on the combined Nürburgring layout. (bmw-m.com) Porsche’s next milestone is the race itself, with Manthey EMA, Falken Motorsports, Dinamic GT and the brand’s other customer teams trying to convert that 60-car presence into class wins and an overall result. The company’s preview said Porsche was seeking its 14th overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victory. (newsroom.porsche.com) (adac-sport.com) (gt-report.com)