Positive results for the largest classic car racing festival on the European continent:  42,000 spectators experienced an all-round successful mix at the 51st BELMOT Oldtimer Grand Prix at the weekend. Against the backdrop of historic racing at the highest level, the Nürburgring became a meeting place for insiders, experts and, of course, motorsport fans. Around 600 historic vehicles were on display on the race track, as well as numerous classic cars exhibited in the paddock and many fantastic treasures brought to the Nürburgring by the participating one-make clubs or the visitors themselves.

The range of participating vehicles in the weekend's twelve racing classes and driving events spanned a good 100 years. There were highlights in practically every starting field with rare or unique racing cars, well-known current and former racing drivers or vehicles taking part for the first time. An American La France from 1918 with an impressive 14.5-liter displacement was the oldest model of the entire weekend. The fully booked starting fields with touring cars, GTs and sports cars also captivated the spectators. A remarkable "class reunion" of top drivers took place in the "Touring Car Golden Era" and the DRM Revival, for which over 100 vehicles had already entered. The autographs of ex-DTM drivers such as Roland Asch, Harald Grohs, Olaf Manthey, Kris Nissen, Peter Oberndorfer, Kurt Thiim and Leopold Prinz von Bayern were particularly popular. Ford GT3 works driver and reigning 24-hour Nürburgring winner Christopher Mies climbed into one of the legendary Ford Capri Turbo cars from the former DRM. Former Formula 1 driver Arturo Merzario - who became famous at the Nürburgring for his rescue of Niki Lauda in 1976 - did the honors as a participant in the FCD Racing Series in the youngest starting field of the weekend.

Unique racing cars on the track
The races for the two-seater sports cars and GTs up to 1965 once again lived up to their reputation as a meeting place for rare and beautiful racing cars. There was a strong Italian accent here with models such as the Ferrari 246 SP and 250 GT, O.S.C.A 37, several Maserati 300 S and two impressive Bizzarini 5300 GTs. British sports cars such as the Austin Healey and Elva MK8 and, of course, German models such as the Porsche 356 and 904 as well as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL were also on display. The British HGPCA racing series presented Formula 1 cars from the same era in which the monoposti made the transition from front-engined to rear-engined vehicles. There was plenty of historical flair, information and personal encounters with the cockpit stars over the weekend, for example during the grid walk through the starting grid of the Golden Era touring cars, at talks and autograph sessions or during the demonstrations of the legendary Le Mans start.

Organizer: Positive balance
The unique atmosphere at the BELMOT Oldtimer Grand Prix inspired everyone involved and made for satisfied faces: "As organizers, we draw an all-round positive conclusion," says Wolfgang Schulz, Managing Director of CHRSN Sport GmbH for the OGP organizer association, "The historic races this weekend not only impressed with full starting fields, but also with many outstanding vehicles. We are also delighted that numerous participants and guests have already given us positive feedback during the weekend." Despite all the love for history and the preservation of motorsport and automotive heritage, many of those responsible were also looking to the future. Wolfgang Schulz: "After the big anniversary with the 50th edition last year, we started this year with fresh ideas and innovations for the future. We owe this success to the joint efforts of numerous supporters and volunteers. The organizer consortium of CHRSN GmbH, Histomobil GmbH and HMSC-Wirtschafts-GmbH would like to thank all these people and institutions. We look to the future with great optimism." The next edition of the event is already being planned and is expected to take place on the first weekend in August 2025.

Strong partners helped shape the event
On the road to the future, the BELMOT Oldtimer Grand Prix can rely on new and proven partners, who once again played a major role in making this year's event a success. As a new addition to this circle, BELMOT was particularly influential: "It was a great debut for us this year as the title partner of this traditional event. Together with a number of partners, we were able to present ourselves to a knowledgeable and open-minded audience and take away many positive impressions and good encounters," says Roland Koch, Head of Marketing at Mannheimer Versicherung. "It's great that we were also able to set new accents and show perspectives for the future of classic cars and classic car sports with top-class panel discussions." The trade magazine Motor Klassik proved to be a long-standing and loyal partner. In 1984, the magazine was presented to the public at the classic car Grand Prix and consequently celebrated its 40th birthday at the Nürburgring. Watch manufacturer Junghans was not only involved as the official timekeeping partner, but was also present in the paddock. In addition to the timepieces, vehicles from the Steim car collection and a DTM vehicle from Schnitzer-Classic, which was once driven by Jockel Winkelhock, were also on display. The fuel specialists from Aspen were in high demand in the paddock: at their debut, they presented participants with a fuel specially tailored to the needs of classic cars. In the coming years, there are plans with this partner to use more sustainable fuels in racing, which will lead to CO2-neutral historic motorsport in the future.