The 54th running of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring kicks off today, and for a race that has had a close connection with the Gran Turismo world for decades, this year’s edition is unusually significant.
Of course, the big headline for this year’s race is Max Verstappen. The reigning four-time Formula 1 world champion is making his 24h Nürburgring debut in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, sharing the car with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella. Verstappen’s draw has been strong enough that the race has sold out for the first time in its history, with multi-day tickets sold out long ago.
But there’s a lot more going on at the Ring this weekend than just the Verstappen show.
Kazunori Yamauchi (himself a Nurburgring 24h veteran) is on the ground, a Gran Turismo World Series champion is making his 24-hour racing debut, and two of the most recognizable YouTubers (and GTPlanet members) in the sim racing community are sharing a Porsche in the same race. Here’s everything worth paying attention to…
ニュルブルクリンクに来ています。
— 山内 一典 / Kaz Yamauchi (@Kaz_Yamauchi) May 15, 2026
マックスが参戦するとあって、ものすごい観客の数。
I'm at the Nürburgring.
With Max competing, there's a huge crowd here. pic.twitter.com/tbjDBpI3kp
Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Are On The Ground
Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi posted to social media earlier this week confirming his presence at the Nürburgring for the race weekend, and a handful of other Polyphony staff are there with him.
The timing is worth noting. The first round of the 2026 Gran Turismo World Series takes place in Milan next Saturday, May 23, at the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber. With Polyphony staff already in Europe for the Ring, the trip ties in nicely with the team’s European calendar.
Takuma Miyazono is Making His 24-Hour Debut
For Gran Turismo World Series fans, the #520 Toyota GR Supra entered by Toyo Tires with Ring Racing is one to keep an eye on. Behind the wheel will be Takuma Miyazono, the most decorated driver in the history of the Gran Turismo World Series.
Miyazono is the only person to have completed the GTWS “triple crown” in a single year (2020), and his Nations Cup victory in Amsterdam in 2024 moved him out on his own as the most successful GTWS driver of all time with five world titles. He has two Manufacturers Cups (2020 and 2022) and a Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup (2020) to go with his two Nations Cup titles.
Miyazono has been steadily building out a real-world racing career alongside his sim work, with backing from Toyo Tires. The #520 Supra runs in the VT2 class, and the team will share driving duties between Miyazono, Masato Kawabata, Hokuto Matsuyama, and Jin Horino. The car finished fifth in class at a recent NLS round, so they arrive at the 24h with some real form.
This is Miyazono’s first ever 24-hour race. For a driver who built his career on the virtual Nordschleife in Gran Turismo Sport and GT7, racing the real thing for 24 straight hours is a serious step up, and a major endorsement for Gran Turismo players around the world.
The Ring Racing team is also no slouch. Its broader program includes Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Toyota GR Supra GT4 entries in the NLS, and they hold a DTM Trophy championship from 2022 and an NLS SP10 title from 2024.
Black Falcon Team FANATEC: Jimmy Broadbent and Steve Alvarez Brown in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The other big GT-adjacent story this weekend is the Black Falcon Team Fanatec, a new partnership between long-running endurance outfit Black Falcon and sim racing hardware brand Fanatec (and don’t forget to use our Fanatec discount code ZZ-GTPLANET5 for 5% off your next order!). The team will run a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup in Class AT (alternative fuel) in the 24h, with a driver lineup pulled straight off YouTube.
The four announced drivers are Jimmy Broadbent, Steve Alvarez Brown, Misha Charoudin, and Manuel Metzger. Of course, for most GTPlanet readers, Jimmy and Steve need no introduction. The former is one of the most-followed sim racing creators on YouTube, and a long-time Gran Turismo World Series commentator. The latter is better known to most GTPlanet readers as “Super GT” on YouTube, where his Gran Turismo content has been a fixture of the community for years.
Of course, we have a strong connection to both drivers here on GTPlanet as well. We’re proud to call both of them our friends and community members; Jimmy has authored many articles here, and Steve is a regular in our forums.
As with Miyazono-san, we’ll be watching them closely and cheering them on!
How to Watch
The 2026 ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring starts at 15:00 CEST on Saturday, May 16 (14:00 BST / 9:00 AM Eastern). The cars roll off for the formation lap at 14:40 local time. The race finishes 24 hours later at 15:00 CEST on Sunday, May 17.
Coverage will be free to stream on YouTube via the official Nürburgring channel. Also, don’t forget to head on over to GTPlanet’s official Nurburgring 24h thread to chat about all the action as it happens!
