With 29 drivers, one Team Principal and two outfits, the Super Sports Cars League is well represented in this weekend's ADAC Total 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, and in the vanguard, Frank Stippler, Pierre Kaffer and Dries Vanthoor, who as Audi Sport Drivers made up three-quarters of last year's winning crew. Stippler and Vanthoor will share an Audi R8 LMS again this year, but Stippler will also drive a second Phoenix R8 which he will share with Kim-Luis Schramm and 2017 ADAC GT Masters champion Jules Gounon.

Two of the three vehicles in Audi's factory-supported line-up will be operated by Car Collection Motorsport and Land-Motorsport, outfits from the ADAC GT Masters. Two of Car Collection's drivers will be Mirko Bortolotti and Christopher Haase, who both secured podiums at Hockenheim on Saturday while ADAC GT Masters champions Christopher Mies, René Rast and Kelvin van der Linde are in Wolfgang Land's line-up. Car Collection will service and maintain two other Audis whose drivers include last year's champion, Patric Niederhauser, plus, Pierre Kaffer and Elia Erhart in the sister car from Iron Force Racing. Switzerland's Rahel Frey will be at the wheel of another Audi R8 LMS fielded by RacingIng - Powered by HFG/Racing Engineers.

Many drivers, with whom we are familiar from the ADAC GT Masters, can also be found, racing Mercedes AMGs. Maro Engel and Luca Stolz, for example, will share a GT3 Evo prepared by Hubert Haupt's team in the 24-hr race and Philip Ellis will line up for HRT in the sister car. Maximilian Götz and Raffaele Marciello will be team-mates still at GetSpeed in the Eifel, and former champion Sebastian Asch will also start in a vehicle with the star for new outfit, 10Q Racing.

Küs Team75 Bernhard Team Principal Timo Bernhard has won the 24-hour race a record number of times and is making a comeback in the classic, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R from Hong Kong outfit, KCMG. Robert Renauer (Frikadelli Racing Team), Klaus Bachler, Sven Müller and Christian Engelhart (all Falken Motorsports) will likewise be in Porsche line-up.

Lamborghini works driver Franck Perera will race the Konrad Motorsport Huracán GT3 Evo on the Nordschleife. He excelled in Q1 by posting best time. Nicolaj Rogivue is normally to be found at the wheel of an Audi in the ADAC GT Masters but will drive the 'racing one' Ferrari 488 GT3 in the Green Hell. Jens Klingmann (BMW Team Schnitzer) and Nick Yelloly (Rowe Racing) will race a factory-supported BMW M6 GT3. Jordan Pepper from South Africa is actually under contract to Bentley but will also be in one of the muscle sports cars produced in Munich, lining up for Walkenhorst Motorsport.

Carrie Schreiner is another contestant returning to the 24-hour race. The 22-year-old will share a VW Golf GTI of the SP3T class with the WS Racing all-female crew. By contrast, Dorian Boccalacci in a Porsche Cayman fielded by Mathol Racing is about to enter the event for the first time. Also competing in a Cayman is Marvin Dienst who drives for W&S Motorsport. What makes this car so special is that it is the first to start the 24-hour race with the revolutionary Steer-by-Wire Space Drive System from Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co, in which there is no longer a mechanical connection between the steering unit and the steering gear.

RTL NITRO will carry extensive live reports from the Nürburgring over the weekend. Top qualifying will go out on Friday, starting at 18.15 and ending at 20.15 CEST. Live broadcasting of the race will commence Saturday, 14.45 CEST.