Tragedy at Nürburgring, driver Juha Miettinen dies
The weekend dedicated to qualifying races for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring turned into tragedy. Finnish driver Juha Miettinen, 66, died as a result of injuries sustained from a serious accident during the first race of the event. Confirmation came in the evening from race management, which reported that the driver did not survive despite attempts to save him.
The impact occurred about 25 minutes into the race on the Klostertal section, one of the most challenging sections of the Nordschleife, the historic 20-plus-kilometer-long track that hosts the 24 Hours. A multiple collision involved seven cars, completely blocking the track and necessitating immediate rescue efforts.
Many emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. Despite attempts at stabilization, Miettinen died at the circuit’s Medical Center. Six other drivers were transported to the hospital-their conditions reportedly were of no concern. The carriers involved were the #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 (Wahl/Rönnefarth/Dumarey/Böckmann), the #111 BMW 325i e90 (Becker/Spölgen) and #121 (the one driven by poor Miettinen, with crewmate Berghult in the pits at the time), the #410 Porsche Cayman GTS (Croci/Larbi/Ackermann/Le Bihan) and CM12 #448 (Klinkmüller/Beckwermert), the #503 Toyota Supra (Tamm/Egger/Hökfelt) and the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Manthey.1 #992 (Griesemann/Griesemann/Adorf/Holzer).
The official live streaming of the event was interrupted and removed from the official event channels shortly after the incident. It was then decided to discontinue the date permanently, given the very serious news. Organizers announced that on Sunday, however, the second race will be run, preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of Miettinen. Among the drivers expected over the weekend was Max Verstappen, who was expected to take part in the second heat of the event.
Miettinen was a well-known figure in the endurance scene. A specialist in the Produktionwagen categories, he had achieved numerous successes in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), particularly in the V4 class, where he was considered an absolute reference.
His long career on the Nordschleife had earned him the respect of colleagues and fans, who remember him as an experienced, consistent driver who was deeply connected to the world of top-level amateur motorsport.
The Nürburgring community, accustomed to living with the hazards of the world’s most challenging track, once again finds itself reckoning with a painful loss.
