The racing season is in full swing in Germany’s Rhineland, which means that every other weekend, pretty much, finds GT3-spec race cars ripping around the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. The daunting 12.9-mile circuit winds through the mountainous forests in southwest Germany and if you somehow haven’t heard of it, I have no idea where you’ve been for the past 10 years. Simply put, it’s the world’s most epic racing circuit with bonkers high-speed sections interspersed with technically challenging sections. Horsepower makes a huge difference at the ‘Ring, but you can’t give up on the twisty bits.

Last weekend, the Nordschleife hosted the qualifying race for the ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours, a race where several hundred maniacs race for a full day through the winding track in the valleys. I’m not sure exactly what the teams were qualifying for or even how that whole system works, but many of the top N24 teams were in full regalia on the ‘Ring and caning their high-dollar supercars at the limits. Naturally, with the Nordschleife being its intimidating self, that meant chewing up Team Black Falcon’s #9 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT and spitting it out with rubber pointed skyward. The driver, Nico Bastian, strolled casually away from the upturned Merc and later reported he was fine. Black Falcon won Mercedes’ first N24 in 2012 with an SLS GT3 and you can rest assured they’ll be back with a rebuilt AMG GT in time for the 24-hour race the last weekend in May.