Aston Martin partner team Walkenhorst Motorsport has confirmed its plans for the 2026 ADAC 24H Nürburgring, where it will field two Vantage AMR GT3 Evos.
In SP9 Pro, factory drivers Nicki Thiim, Mattia Drudi and Christian Krognes will pilot the #34 Aston Martin. This trio, alongside David Pittard, shared the #34 entry last year, when a technical problem forced them to retire on Sunday morning.
As well as May’s 24-hour race, the #34 Vantage AMR GT3 Evo will also compete in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie season opener, and the qualifying weekend.
The sister #35 entry will race in SP9 Pro/Am, and be driven by Denis Fetzer, Mateo Villagomez and 2023 overall winner Felipe Fernandez Laser.
Fetzer is returning to Walkenhorst Motorsport after four years away. The 24-year-old, who won the SP9 Pro-Am class with HRT Ford Performance last year, previously raced for the team in the NLS and DTM Trophy in 2021.
Villagomez competed in GT World Challenge Europe with Walkenhorst last season, and also made select Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie starts with the team. This is set to be his first appearance at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Laser last raced for Walkenhorst at the Nürburgring 24 back in 2015, when he finished sixth overall on his debut. The German drove for Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi last year.
The #35 Aston Martin will take on a full NLS campaign, with the exception of NLS3, which clashes with the GT World Challenge Europe season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard. Fetzer and Villagomez will contest the full season, whilst Laser will be replaced by Krognes in the car after the 24H Nürburgring.
“We are proud of our line-up for this year’s 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Ever since the team was founded, it has been our goal to win the overall victory,” said team boss Jörg Breuer.
“With Christian, Mattia and Nicki, we have three very fast drivers in our line-up who have already proved their potential last year. Our Pro-Am trio also consists of three fast drivers, so we are confident that we can fight for a strong result in the class.”
Walkenhorst Motorsport will also compete in select races on the Nordschleife this year with a BMW M2 Racing and a Hyundai i30N, with the latter car forming part of its permit programme.
The 2026 ADAC 24H Nürburgring will be held on the weekend of 14th to 17th May 2026.
Image courtesy of Walkenhorst Motorsport
