The 2026 Nürburgring Drift Cup wrapped up on the Müllbachschleife layout under clear skies, crowning Roene Zwanenburg in the PRO class and Cedric Luyckx in OPEN. The organiser tweaked the track slightly for the final two rounds, and the drivers responded with some of the best battles of the year.
PRO: Zwanenburg finishes in style
Zwanenburg, in a 650 PS BMW E46, won the final day as well as the title. His team was still working on the gearbox until four in the morning before the event, and he credited that night shift and a set-up he described as absolutely perfect. He celebrated with a smoke-filled solo lap after his final opponent, Jan-Eric Seeber, retired with a clutch failure. Seeber, in a new car, was voted the most exciting driver of the event.
Second in the championship was decided on a tiebreak: Niels Visser and Dylan Mougenot finished level on points, and Visser took the spot thanks to his race win during the season. Hendrickx Kain took third on the day after Kenneth Konz’s 1,400 PS Mazda MX-5 LSX Turbo ended in the gravel in the semi-final.
OPEN: Luyckx’s dream comes true
Cedric Luyckx retired from the Top 16 with technical problems in his BMW 130, nicknamed “Diesellok”, but his points lead was enough. In only his second season, he called the title a dream he had held for a decade. Janis Spohner, who entered both PRO and OPEN to test his car under race conditions, won the OPEN final against Randy Congedo on the lead run, while Kevin Paefgen beat Jan Gerrit Toonen for third.
Looking to 2027
Organiser Andy Jaenen of Skylimit Events said he was very satisfied with the level of driving and the growing crowds, and preparations for 2027 start this autumn — with the Nürburgring again at the heart of the calendar.
Lead image is illustrative. Photo: Lewis Collard / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).