Overview
- ADAC Nordrhein confirms the 54th edition for May 14–17, 2026, with the race starting Saturday, May 16 at 15:00 local time.
- Top-Qualifying adopts a three-phase format with Q1 and Q2 on Friday morning from 08:50 and the pole decided in Q3 around 13:35, which also awards the James-Glickenhaus-Trophy.
- The support slate is reworked as a DHLM three-hour race replaces the 24h-Classic and the Cup-/Tourenwagen-Trophy, while Tourenwagen-Legenden remain on the Grand Prix circuit.
- RCN will stage its performance test on the combined Gesamtstrecke for the first time, marking a notable operational shift for the series.
- The 24h-Qualifiers run April 17–19 with two four-hour races that again count toward the NLS, and teams face a short night with Thursday’s night practice ending at 23:30 before early Friday sessions.