W&S Motorsport kicks off the season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) with a class victory in SP10, as the #165 AVIA W&S Motorsport car driven by Moritz Oberheim, Philip Miemois, and Toby Goodman secured the win.
The season opener of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) marked the beginning of W&S Motorsport’s 2025 endurance racing campaign. With 4 cars on track, the team started the season on a high note with a class victory in SP10 with the AVIA car of Oberheim-Miemois-Goodman.
A particularly strong performance came from the #982 W&S Motorsport crew in Cup3. The trio of Christoph Krombach, Richard Jodexnis, and René Höber finished sixth in Cup3 and secured third place in Cup3 AM classification. René Höber impressed with a strong start in challenging mixed conditions, advancing to second place in class. The team showed consistent performance throughout the race, earning valuable points for the championship.
The W&S Motorsport #962 with Joshua Bednarski, Kai Riemer, and Lorenz Stegmann showed great potential after a strong qualifying performance. Under challenging conditions with varying grip levels, two collisions led to mechanical damage and tire failures. An additional stop-and-go penalty prevented any recovery, resulting in a thirteenth-place finish. Despite this, the driver trio demonstrated excellent teamwork in the highly competitive one-make cup.
In SP10 AM, the W&S Motorsport #164 with Stephan Brodmerkel, Jürgen Vöhringer, and Hendrik Still finished fourth in class. The trio used the season opener to gather important test mileage in preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, bringing the car home without incidents.
Quotes after the race:
Patrick Wagner, Team Principal W&S Motorsport:
“It was a strong start to the NLS season for the entire W&S Motorsport team. The #165 AVIA car did an excellent job to secure class victory. Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on our great pace with the #962 due to the tire failures, but the drivers can be very satisfied with their performances.”
Moritz Oberheim, Driver #165 AVIA W&S Motorsport:
“The first laps were pretty tricky with wet spots on track and contact with other drivers, but we made our way through.”
Philip Miemois, Driver #165 AVIA W&S Motorsport:
“At the beginning of the race, I felt we had a big gap. But then I realized it was getting shorter. In the end, we managed to win in SP10.”
Toby Goodman, Driver #165 AVIA W&S Motorsport:
“It was a pretty difficult decision whether to start on slick or wet tires. When I took over from Moritz, I tried to keep consistency as it was my first full stint with this car and I learned a lot. The pace was there, and it’s a fantastic result to end the day.”
Richard Jodexnis, Driver #982 W&S Motorsport:
“After a long winter break, the time had finally come: On Friday, we were able to complete our first laps on the Nordschleife and get back up to racing speed. Then on Saturday, a dream start – René brought the car up to second place in our class in wild mixed conditions. I was able to hold onto that position during my stint and get perfectly familiar with the car again. The final result with third place in the Cup3 AM classification is a great result to kick-start the season! Now it’s time to keep pushing, keep learning, and really attack in the amateur classification in 2025!”
Christoph Krombach, Driver #982 W&S Motorsport:
“A strong start for our driver trio in the NLS with W&S Motorsport. In the end, third place in the Cup3 AM classification, earning the first podium finish and valuable points. My thanks to the team for a perfectly prepared car and a strong team performance. Thanks also to René and Richard for their strong performance on the track. I’m looking forward to NLS 2 and hope we can build on a successful start.”
René Höber, Driver #982 W&S Motorsport:
“With third place in the AM classification and sixth place in Cup3, we can be very satisfied as a new team and build on this. Richard and Christoph contributed to our successful finish of this first race with their strong performance. We will try to make further progress in the upcoming races to score points again.”
Joshua Bednarski, Driver #962 W&S Motorsport:
“A difficult first race! After a good qualifying session, the start was difficult with wet and drying track conditions. Unfortunately, after two contacts and mechanical damage and punctures, we were at the bottom of the standings with no chance of victory. But it doesn’t matter, the cohesion with Lorenz and Kai is very good, and W&S knows how to revise the strategy to come back to the front in the next races.”
Lorenz Stegmann, Driver #962 W&S Motorsport:
“The NLS season opener didn’t go according to plan. Two collisions at the start and later three tire failures made it impossible to stay competitive. Now it’s time to analyze everything and focus fully on NLS 2. The season is long, and we’re ready to fight back.”
Kai Riemer, Driver #962 W&S Motorsport:
“Of course, this is not an ideal start to the season, but in a one-make cup with such a strong field, things are always tight, especially at the beginning. The team will have to investigate whether the collision was the cause of the tire damage. But with 25 years of one-make cup experience, all I can say is: The season is long – let’s focus on the next race.”
Hendrik Still, Driver #164 W&S Motorsport:
“The first NLS race was a solid start to the new season for us. We were able to collect important test kilometers in preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The team provided us with a very well-prepared car, which allowed us to complete the race without any incidents.”
The next NLS race will be held on April 25-26.
