24-hour race 2026
Second place after a night that was quite a do
Sometimes a race result doesn’t tell the whole story. Second place at the 2026 Nürburgring 24-Hour Race sounds like a solid result. But behind it lies one of the most emotional 24 hours in the history of ABT Sportsline.
352,000 spectators lined the track and thousands more watched the race at the public viewing in Kempten, through the night, right up to the final lap. This second place belongs to them just as much as it does to our team.
The 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24 Hours of Nürburgring could hardly have been more emotional. As in the previous year’s race, which was abandoned due to fog, we entered two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s. As a tribute to our company’s 130th anniversary, one bore the start number 130. The #84 is dedicated to Red Bull’s founding year and lined up at the start in the familiar Red Bull livery.
At the wheel of the #84 were Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Patric Niederhauser. The Schaeffler-Lamborghini #130 was shared by Marco Mapelli, Nicky Catsburg and Nick Yelloly — a driver line-up that could scarcely have been stronger: two former 24-hour overall winners, a DTM champion, and proven Nordschleife specialists.
Qualifying went perfectly: both Lamborghinis secured places on the front row of the grid. Luca Engstler secured pole position for the #84 car with a time of 8:11.123 minutes — Lamborghini’s first-ever pole at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Marco Mapelli completed the one-two on the front row with a time of 8:11.468 minutes in P2.
Victory seemed within reach. Motorsport Director Martin Tomczyk summed up the mood before the start in a single sentence: “We’ve got a score to settle with the Nürburgring. We want to win this race.”
As early as the second corner of the race, Mirko Bortolotti in the #84 Lamborghini was hit from behind by Daniel Juncadella in the Verstappen Mercedes. The collision caused a puncture — just before the turn onto the Nordschleife. Bortolotti just managed to make it into the pits. After an hour, the pole-sitter was down in 45th place.
The #130 car also suffered an early setback: starting driver Marco Mapelli had accelerated before the start lights gave the go-ahead. A 32-second time penalty followed, and the hard-won lead was gone.
Nerves were on edge.
What followed was one of the most remarkable comebacks in the race’s recent history. Once again, our team demonstrated that racing is in our DNA. Stint by stint, the #84 fought its way through the field. Both cars set the fastest lap of the race. The #84 Lamborghini set the fastest lap of the entire race with a time of 8:08.758 minutes – almost a new record – and was ultimately the fastest car on the grid.
The #130 Lamborghini came to a halt at the side of the track on Sunday morning. Nick Yelloly was at the wheel at the time. That was a blow. But the #84 carried on.
After a disastrous start, the #84 staged a spectacular comeback. Lap after lap, the Lamborghini made up position after position until it came down to a duel between ABT and Walkenhorst’s #34 Aston Martin. And then he was handed an 86-second penalty for a Code 60 infringement in the closing stages.
In the drizzle of the final minutes, Mirko Bortolotti tried to keep Mattia Drudi, who was driving on cut slicks, 86 seconds behind him on slicks. A vehicle that had broken down on the Döttinger Höhe eventually triggered a Code 60 — and the gap widened. Second place was secured.
One driver summed it up after the race: ‘It was an incredible rollercoaster ride for us. We pushed right to the end. We started with a 2:30-minute deficit and still managed to stage a comeback. Being on the podium is incredible. Finally, it’s a day we can look back on. Unfortunately, it’s not a win, but for us it feels like one.’