The 2026 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which begins on May 16, is generating enormous interest due to the presence of Max Verstappen behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3, as well as the three HWA Evo.R models that recall the glorious days of the German DTM touring car championship.
Photo: HWA
The 54th edition of the famous Nürburgring 24-hour race is attracting huge attention for several reasons. Among the 161 vehicles entered are more than 40 GT3 models, but the main highlights are the participation of four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and the HWA Evo.R team, which will field three cars that bring back memories of the golden era of DTM.
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo entered by the factory-supported Mercedes-AMG Team in the FIA GT3 (SP9) class, alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella.
Meanwhile, HWA Engineering Speed will enter three cars in the SPX class.
The livery of one of the cars was revealed just days before the big event. Designed by Hanna Schonwald in collaboration with Wempe, this Art Car will feature a special glow at night. Minimalist illuminated lines run across the matte-black bodywork, transforming it into a disco ball when lit up by the headlights of other cars.
The car will be driven by American racer Adam Adelson, former British DTM champion Jamie Green, German driver Lance David Arnold, and Dutchman Renger van der Zande.
The second car is painted dark green and prominently displays the name of sponsor Parkside. There is probably hardly anyone in the world who has never bought at least one Parkside power tool, a brand also promoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And those who have never heard of Parkside will certainly learn about it now thanks to Lidl’s latest promotional brochure, which features the HWA Evo.R to advertise Parkside products.
This car will be driven by former DTM champion Bruno Spengler together with Norwegian driver Evald Holstad, American Peter Ludwig, and German automotive journalist Christian Gebhardt from the specialist publication Sport Auto. Gebhardt is responsible for numerous Nürburgring lap records with various production cars, and together this crew has accumulated 93 appearances in the legendary 24-hour race, three victories, four podium finishes, and one pole position.
The third car will be driven by the sons of famous drivers who made history in DTM. Sebastian Asch, Markus Winkelhock, and Luca Ludwig are the sons of Roland Asch, Manfred Winkelhock, and Klaus Ludwig respectively, and they will share driving duties with American Adam Adelson.
The HWA Evo.R race car is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine producing 560 HP and competes in the special SP-X class. It is expected to be somewhat faster than GT4-class cars.
The car has completed 11,763 km of testing, and HWA’s goal is for all three crews to finish the race, which would further strengthen the model’s image. HWA intends to build 15 examples of the HWA Evo.R. With 560 HP, it is slightly more powerful than the HWA Evo, which produces 450 HP or 500 HP with the Affalterbach package and will be limited to 100 units.
