Desiree Müller clinches Cup-3 class podium at Nürburgring 24 Hours

Desirée Müller wrapped up an outstanding weekend at one of the world’s most demanding endurance events, the 24h Nürburgring, by claiming second place in the fiercely contested Cup 3 class, and emerging as the highest-finishing woman overall in the race in P35.

Photo credits: Tim Upietz

Desirée Müller wrapped up an outstanding weekend at one of the world’s most demanding endurance events, the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, by claiming second place in the fiercely contested Cup 3 class.

Sharing the #977 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 with teammates Tim Lukas Müller, Michael Fischer, and Juan Carlos Carmona Chavez under the banner of Wiesmann SHK by EiFelkind Racing, Müller emerged as the highest-finishing woman overall in the race — bringing home P35 across the entire field.

An experienced Nordschleife competitor and regular in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, Müller entered the 24-hour classic with strong momentum. In the highly competitive Cup 3 field — featuring Porsche Caymans piloted by strong entries including fellow female drivers such as Indy500 veteran Pippa Mann and SRS Team Sorg Rennsport’s Anna Lena Binkowska — the #977 team quickly established themselves as podium contenders.

During Thursday’s qualifying, the squad clocked a best time of 9:17.585, which secured third place in class. With no improvements in the subsequent sessions on Friday under sunny and warm conditions, the team lined up a strong fourth in class for the start of the race.

Qualifying drama however struck one of the fellow female drivers: Anna Lena Binkowska, in the #979 entry, was caught speeding under Code 60 conditions — a mistake that not only revoked her Nordschleife permit but also incurred a 90-second stop-and-go penalty for her team at the end of the first lap. It was an infraction that also caught out more experienced drivers throughout the grid, not always with consistent penalties.

Michael Fischer was tasked with starting duties in the #977 Porsche, and although the car slipped to tenth in class on the opening lap, he methodically worked his way forward. Climbing to eighth on lap two, Fischer continued to make progress and was up to sixth by lap four. By the time early pit strategies came into play, he had moved into fifth place before completing his opening stint with a solid run in P6.

Then came an unexpected disruption: a power outage in the pit garages — later traced to a failed cooling unit that triggered a major short circuit — forced a red flag stoppage just 90 minutes into the race. After a lengthy pause, racing resumed behind the safety car at 7:45 PM, with Fischer retaining the wheel of the #977 and holding fifth in class.

When the race went green with just under 20 hours to go, Fischer immediately found pace and charged into second place. Only the #962 driven by Oberheim was faster in the Cup 3 category at that stage, and the two traded fast laps into the nighttime hours.

As the sun set over the Eifel mountains, Müller took the wheel for her first race stint from second position. Delivering a consistent and clean drive, she maintained the #977 in a strong P2 before handing over to Chavez, who continued the team’s solid performance overnight. Though Pippa Mann managed to get ahead during one of the night stints, the #977 remained firmly in podium contention.

Despite some challenges, Chavez held onto third and began to regain momentum with increasingly competitive lap times. At the halfway mark, Müller was now in the cockpit and continued to hold third position, while race leader Zulauf in the #962 had controlled the class since the start.

By sunrise, Müller was back in second — the car having benefitted from mistake-free runs and consistent pace from all four drivers. Fischer resumed driving duties as the final hours approached, once again delivering fast laps without issue. When Chavez climbed in for the final driving segments, the team held a commanding two-lap advantage over the third-placed #969 Porsche. Müller would take another stint, maintaining the gap and solidifying their podium run.

With just under three hours remaining, Müller handed over to Chavez for the final push. The #977 Porsche ran smoothly to the finish line, claiming a brilliant second place in class and 35th overall, completing a near-perfect race in one of the most demanding categories in the field.

Desirée Müller not only celebrated a well-earned class podium but also finished as the highest-placed woman overall at the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours in a flawless performance from the entire Wiesmann SHK by EiFelkind Racing team.

Photo credits: Tim Upietz