Ferrari squad Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi will make its second consecutive appearance at the ADAC 24H Nürburgring this year, with a 296 GT3 Evo.
The Japanese outfit will field its Yokohama-shod #45 Ferrari in SP 9 Pro, with the line-up of Thomas Neubauer, Thierry Vermeulen, Dennis Marschall and David Perel.
Both Neubauer and Perel raced for the team last year, whilst Marschall joins from Falken Motorsports, and Vermeulen is set to make his 24H Nürburgring debut.
The 23-year-old Dutchman, who will also race in the DTM and GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup with Emil Frey Racing in 2026, previously made four starts in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie in 2024, during which he earned his Permit A.
“I am extremely happy and excited to be joining the NLS season as a member of Kondo Racing and Rinaldi Racing, and to be competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours for the first time,” Vermeulen commented.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone on the team for giving me this opportunity. I can’t wait to get on the track and start this new challenge with the team. We will work together to achieve the best possible result.”
Kondo Racing made its return to the Nordschleife last season, after six years away, and impressed with Neubauer qualifying second overall, and Perel leading the race during the opening laps, before the car retired following an accident.
“Last year, we were able to demonstrate great potential and speed, but we did not achieve the results we had hoped for,” Neubauer reflected.
“However, we learned a lot from that experience and have a strong sense of accomplishment. I am confident that we will be able to perform at a high level this year. I am very much looking forward to getting back in the car for the first round of the NLS.”
Masahiko Kondo, the CEO of MK Company, said: “We are very pleased to be able to take on the challenge of the Nürburgring 24 Hours race again in 2026, following on from last year. In the last Nürburgring 24 Hours race, we were fighting for the top positions until the end of the race, but we ended up with a disappointing result. However, as a team, we will continue to work together with the goal of becoming the first Japanese team to win the overall victory.”
Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi will begin its Nürburgring 24 Hours preparation at this weekend’s Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie season opener, with the team also set to contest NLS2 and the ADAC Qualifiers weekend before the 24-hour race on 14th to 17th May 2026.
Image courtesy of Frozenspeed
