NÜRBURG (May 18, 2026) – “It’s unbelievable: 161 cars, nearly 600 drivers, 352,000 visitors, and a track over 25 kilometers long. It really is the biggest car race in the world,” says Tom Coronel about the annual 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, in which he competed for the 15th time. Together with his teammates, Jan Jaap van Roon, Duncan Huisman, and German driver Christian Kohlhaas, Coronel won the AT1 class in the Max Kruse Racing team’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo running on biofuel. “It was another one of those typical Nürburgring races, where we experienced all kinds of things, but that’s exactly what makes it so cool! And then going home with a trophy makes it even better. Too bad we have to wait another year now,” said Coronel.
“It really is the biggest car race in the world!”
Tom Coronel – GT3 Driver at Max Kruse Racing
Coronel’s teammate Jan Jaap van Roon had already said beforehand that he expected “quattro stagioni,” or four seasons, and that prediction came true. Rain, hail, snow, fog, but also sunshine were all on the menu during the four-day event. The practice sessions on Thursday and Friday went off without a hitch for the team, and so the Audi started on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. from 31st place in a field of 161 registered cars.
“I had already said beforehand that I would ride the formation lap and the start, and that really gave me goosebumps,” said Coronel. “Thousands of people waving, clapping, and cheering, right alongside the track, flags, fireworks… In all these years, I’ve never seen it this crowded; it was packed everywhere! Of course, that had a lot to do with Max Verstappen’s participation, but there were still plenty of other great teams and drivers at the start.” The early stages of the race were quite turbulent, with many incidents and crashes. “A lot of people wanted to take on Verstappen, but then they were too eager, took too many risks, and spun out,” Coronel noted.
He and his teammates steadily moved up through the field until the clutch failed late Saturday night. “I pulled out onto the track, but immediately felt that something wasn’t right. I managed to drive another twelve laps with it, but eventually the clutch had to be replaced. That took an hour and 20 minutes, which of course caused us to fall far behind, but after that the race actually went very well. We finished the race and drove some good stints. Of course, there are always moments when you’re caught off guard—by the weather, traffic on the track—but we managed to stay out of trouble for the most part, and that’s how we were able to bring home the result. Thanks also to my teammates! Jan Jaap did a great job. Duncan, who introduced me to the Nordschleife, hadn’t raced for three years, but quickly got back into the rhythm. Christian Kohlhaas also did well, and the Max Kruse Racing team, led by Benjamin Leuchter, gave us a perfect car!”
For Jan Jaap van Roon, it’s left him wanting more: “My first 24-hour race in a GT3—I never want to go back. It’s the best class. The night stint was truly amazing, but also quite challenging. You don’t have the braking and steering reference points you use during the day. Fortunately, we finished the race.” Duncan Huisman said: “We finished the race and won the class—a great result for bio-ethanol racing. We had a fantastic time and look back on an exciting race!”
“I can hardly wait to go back,” Coronel concluded. “It’s also wonderful that so many people from the Netherlands have now discovered the Nordschleife and seen how beautiful racing here is. Max Verstappen really pulled that off!” For Coronel and Van Roon, the next event on the schedule is the NLS8 four-hour race on September 12 in the Audi.
