From April Fool to Race Winner: BMW’s M3 Touring Stuns at the Nordschleife NLS2

The BMW M3 Touring 24h and Max Verstappen were the standout talking points at the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.
What began as an April Fool’s joke in 2025 became reality in 2026, following overwhelming fan interest.

Fielded by Schubert Motorsport in the SP-X class, the BMW M3 Touring 24h completed the full four-hour race distance without issue, gathering valuable data and experience. It ultimately secured victory in class and finished an impressive 12th overall.

Jens Klingmann later revealed in a video alongside German YouTuber JP Performance that BMW is planning a special livery for the 24-hour race. Technically, the car is based on the BMW M4 GT3, sharing its front-end and engine, but required a complete redesign of the rear section—including doors—to achieve the Touring configuration. The car also underwent full wind tunnel testing, matching the development process of a standard GT3 machine.

Elsewhere, Jimmy Broadbent, Steve Brown (SuperGT), Misha Charoudin and Manuel Metzger made the switch from the Bilstein BMW M4 GT4 Evo to a Fanatec-sponsored Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the 2026 season.

Competing in the AT2 class due to its Bilstein suspension setup, the team secured class victory after the GITI Cup Porsche—run by an all-female driver lineup—was forced to retire. Their long-term aim is to step up and compete directly with the Cup 2 class in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Max Kruse Racing, owned by former professional footballer Max Kruse, entered two Audi R8 GT3 cars in the AT1 class, reserved for alternative fuel vehicles. With experienced names such as Tom Coronel and Benny Leuchter in the lineup, the team brought significant Nordschleife expertise to the grid.

KCMG also made a return to the Nordschleife, having focused on rallying in recent seasons. The Hong Kong-based team fielded Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery, with a strong driver lineup including former Aston Martin factory driver David Pittard and Jesse Krohn, alongside Edoardo Liberati. The team finished 10th overall.

Reiter Engineering returned to the Nürburgring with the KTM X-BOW GTX, marking its first NLS appearance since 2022. Powered by a five-cylinder Audi engine, the car was driven by Julian Apotheloz, Miklas Born and Arne Hoffmeister.

The team secured second place in the SP-X class and finished 27th overall. In a post-race statement, Reiter described the event as a success, focusing on data collection and further understanding the car ahead of future outings..