The motorsport season on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is finally picking up speed and celebrating its first highlight at the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (April 13 - 14, 2024). The prologue weekend, which has been a must for many teams in recent years as they prepare for the 24h Nürburgring, is set to become a motorsport highlight this year. This is made possible by the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) classification, which attracts numerous other teams and drivers: over 130 vehicles are on the entry list - 30 of them in the victorious SP9 and SP-X classes alone. There will also be a thrilling battle for victories and placings in the rest of the starting field with a total of almost 20 classes. Numerous top drivers, fully occupied classes and spectacular cars will thrill spectators.
> Tickets for the ADAC 24h Qualifiers are available from 25 euros (per day ticket Sat./Sun.) in the ticket store
The 24h Qualifiers weekend will provide a good preview of what fans can look forward to at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (May 30 - June 2, 2024). The who's who of the top Nordschleife teams will be among the 30 cars in the classes that are capable of winning. No fewer than seven brands are represented with GT3 models - including the Ferrari of the 2023 24h winners, Frikadelli Racing. With a number of GT3 teams unable to compete at the Nürburgring in the NLS opener a week before the qualifiers due to a parallel round of the GT World Challenge Europe, the list of entry teams is also a parade of the best Nordschleife teams.
Get-together of the top teams
All other signs point to a real motorsport spectacle. Scherer Sport PHX (Audi), ROWE Racing and BMW M-Team for BMW, Konrad and Abt in the Lamborghini camp: this is a rendezvous of those who have set the tone on the Nordschleife in recent years. This also applies to the GT3 brands with the most participants: The six Porsche 911 GT3 Rs will be entered by Falken and Manthey, among others. The beefy Mercedes-AMG GT3s are represented eight times in the field, fielded by Bilstein and GetSpeed, among others.
NLS points and 24h preparations - the weekend counts double!
The fact that the tenth edition of the 24h Qualifiers will be the one with the most participants to date is of course due to its double appeal. For the top teams in particular, the focus will be on careful preparation for the 24h Nürburgring. Every lap on the track counts and every top speed kilometer provides valuable insights into what can still be improved. Of course, the fact that the first race on Saturday will not start until late afternoon will contribute to the maximum training effect. Starting at 17:30, the race will run for four hours into the darker evening hours - ideal preparation for the 24-hour race at the end of May. The second race on Sunday afternoon (start at 13:00) also lasts four hours. Both heats are classified as NLS races and are therefore doubly exciting.
Exciting cars, exciting drivers
Fans can look forward to an exciting starting field at the 24h Qualifiers. One of the eye-catchers is the popular Dacia Logan from Ollis Garage (#318), which was rebuilt with the support of a crowdfunding campaign after a racing accident at the 24h and now competes as a 280 hp turbo in the SP3T class. The newly built VW New Beetle RSR, which the White Angel team is sending into the race, also stands for crowdfunding of a special kind: Bernd Albrecht and his team are raising money during the race, which will be used to build schools in developing countries. There are also some exciting newcomers to the Nordschleife circus among the drivers. These include ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Timo Glock, who will share a BMW M4 GT4 (#145) with two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider (24h winner in 2003) and DTM Trophy driver Theo Oeverhaus. For Glock, it is also about qualifying for the "big" DMSB Nordschleife permit, which would then also allow him to compete in higher classes in the future. The same applies to former Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr, who is completing his permit qualification in a Porsche 718 Cayman from Four Motors. The team is also continuing its long series of sustainable motorsport projects and is refueling its Porsche with a bio-fuel, which is why it is competing in the "AT" class for vehicles with alternative fuels.
Huge supporting program with lots of motorsport and - judo!
If the two races on Saturday and Sunday aren't enough motorsport for you, the Qualifiers weekend offers plenty of other exciting competitions free of charge.
After the first qualifying session on Saturday morning, the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) will start its first performance test of the season at 13:00. Once again this year, the popular mass-sport series is reporting a large number of participants, which will provide great entertainment while waiting for the first qualifying race. Since both the RCN and the 24h Qualifiers will be using the special 24h track variant of the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit this weekend, the Mercedes Arena will traditionally not be used. The organizing ADAC Nordrhein will take advantage of this to offer the best motorsport here as well: There will be a car slalom event there on both Saturday and Sunday, for which three-digit numbers of starters are also expected.
There will also be a full house for the weekend's competition for the youngest motor sports enthusiasts: From 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 200 junior drivers will compete in youth kart slaloms on the "helipad" in the Grand Prix paddock. The special feature here is that there will be a competition with combustion engines as well as an e-kart slalom.
If that's not enough sporting entertainment for you, you should make your way to the ring°arena: The German Men's Individual Judo Championship in the over-30 age category will be held there this weekend. The competitions are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and admission to the ring°arena is free!