China GT Championship held its first round at the Shanghai International Circuit, and it was such a good race! Very entertaining.
The overall winner got disqualified after the race ended for a technical breach that might be related to their fuel, since they ran out of fuel right after finishing the last lap. It's such a shame because Dengyi and Yuan Bo won Race 1; they were going for a 2/2.
During today's first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven participants occurred during the start. Following the collision of several vehicles, race control immediately stopped the race to allow for extensive recovery and rescue operations.
Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, paramedics were unable to save driver Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121) after he was extricated from his vehicle. The driver died at the Medical Center after all resuscitation attempts failed.
The other six drivers involved were taken to the Medical Center and nearby hospitals for precautionary examinations. None of the injured are in life-threatening condition.
The race will not resume on Saturday evening. The thoughts of everyone involved in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring are with the bereaved family of Juha Miettinen.
A minute's silence will be held in memory of the late motorsport competitor during the grid formation for Sunday's race at 13:00.
iUPDATE FROM RACE CONTROL: A total of seven vehicles were involved in the multi-car collision in the Klostertal section. The cars involved are #27 Wahl / Rönnefarth/Dumarey / Böckmann (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3), #111 Becker / Spölgen (BMW 325i (e90)), #121 Miettinen / Berghult (BMW 325i (e90)), #410 Croci / Larbi /Ackermann/ Le Bihan (Porsche Cayman GTS), #448 Klinkmüller / Beckwermert (Porsche Cayman CM12), #503 Tamm / Egger/Hökfelt (Toyota Supra), and #992 Griesemann /Griesemann/Adorf / Holzer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Manthey (992.1)). Rescue operations are currently underway for several injured drivers. We will provide updates from Race Control as soon as further information becomes available.
UPDATE #2 FROM RACE CONTROL: The race has been suspended until further notice.
The footage of how the pile-up came to be doesn't really show exactly what happened because the frames are frozen. But according to Misha Charoudin, somebody left fluids on the track. His Black Falcon Fanatec Porsche was close behind it. Six or seven cars have crashed heavily, while dozens of cars behind them are now stuck at Klostertal.
13 minutes ago, Vincent Bruins stated that: "I do not know the conditions of the drivers. 42 cars have currently not made it back to the pits, as Klostertal is blocked."
UPDATE FROM RACE CONTROL: A total of seven vehicles were involved in the multi-car collision in the Klostertal section. The cars involved are #27 Wahl / Rönnefarth/Dumarey / Böckmann (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3), #111 Becker / Spölgen (BMW 325i (e90)), #121 Miettinen / Berghult (BMW 325i (e90)), #410 Croci / Larbi /Ackermann/ Le Bihan (Porsche Cayman GTS), #448 Klinkmüller / Beckwermert (Porsche Cayman CM12), #503 Tamm / Egger/Hökfelt (Toyota Supra), and #992 Griesemann /Griesemann/Adorf / Holzer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Manthey (992.1)).
Rescue operations are currently underway for several injured drivers. We will provide updates from Race Control as soon as further information becomes available.
The 2026 Shanghai 8 Hours (Sept 25–27) and Sepang 12 Hours (Nov 27–29) have launched a strategic partnership, forming a new Asian endurance racing collaboration. Managed by Top Speed, these races are linked to create a premier two-month endurance racing season, with the Shanghai event at the Shanghai International Circuit and the Sepang event at the Sepang International Circuit.
China GT Championship Youtube (English commentary):
China GT Championship Facebook:
Parc Fermé TV (Deutsch commentary):
Motorsport Television Deutschland (German commentary):
ACELERA GP (Portuguese commentary):
Race 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/o6fAITWMk9w