- GTI special model will be presented to the public at the Nürburgring
- Racing weekend is all about Volkswagen performance models
- Two Golf GTI Clubsport 24h will take part in the ADAC 24-hour race
The ADAC 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the largest motorsport event in Germany (19-22 June 2025), is once again all about the fans. More than 230,000 car and motorsport enthusiasts are expected at the legendary Nordschleife. Volkswagen is once again offering numerous highlights this year: among other things, the world premiere of a GTI special model is on the agenda. Other highlights include the performance models from Volkswagen R – which will be presented off the track at the race weekend – as well as, of course, the legendary 24-hour race itself. After the class victory last year, the Max Kruse Racing customer team will compete in the race with two fast Golf GTI “Clubsport 24h” cars.
The Golf GTI will soon turn 50. Volkswagen wants to celebrate this – together with the many fans of the three red letters. And there is no better way to do this than at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. After all, both the legendary racetrack and the GTI designation stand for driving pleasure, dynamic performance and sportiness. To mark the upcoming anniversary year in 2026, Volkswagen will present a sporty special model already at this year’s 24-hour race and reveal it simultaneously to both the media and spectators in the Eifel region.
In addition to the world premiere, Volkswagen will be offering numerous other highlights for fans at the racing weekend – including the performance models from Volkswagen R. The all-wheel drive models Golf R, Golf R Variant and the Golf R Black Edition special model represent the world’s fastest Volkswagen production models and offer a special driving mode for the particularly demanding Nordschleife.
Two Golf GTI Clubsport 24h in the ‘Green Hell’ for the first time
Volkswagen also has ambitious goals on the racetrack: the Max Kruse Racing team will compete in the 24-hour race with two Golf GTI Clubsport 24h for the first time. One familiar face behind the wheel will be Benjamin ‘Benny’ Leuchter. The professional touring car driver is also a development driver for Volkswagen and is therefore the perfect link between motorsport and the Volkswagen performance models.
Last year, Leuchter celebrated victory in the AT class at the wheel of the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h alongside seven-time rallycross world champion Johan Kristoffersson and the two Nürburgring professionals Nico Otto and Heiko Hammel. With the same team, the quartet will also be back at the starting line in 2025 in order to try and defend their title. In the second Golf GTI Clubsport 24h from Max Kruse Racing, Fabian Vettel, younger brother of Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, will take the wheel.
Preparations are underway: Testing in Portugal, racing at the Nürburgring
The preparations for the event are already in full swing: the Max Kruse Racing team completed a winter test in Portimão at the end of February. The days in Portugal offered an excellent opportunity to test the vehicles under racing conditions and further optimise their performance. Before the start of the 24-hour race itself, participation in races of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) is planned to ensure everything is ideally prepared for the highlight in the ‘Green Hell’. The NLS race season starts next weekend with the 70th edition of the ADAC Westfalenfahrt over a distance of four hours.
