19.04.2023
The Red Bull Formula Nürburgring is already casting its shadow. On 9 September 2023, Formula 1 cars will return for showruns at the 12h Nürburgring - the season highlight of the Nürburgring Endurance Series - to a place that could hardly be more iconic: the legendary Nordschleife. > more info & tickets Daniel Ricciardo has already confirmed his coming. The 33-year-old Australian has been part of Formula 1 since 2011 and already has eight Grand Prix victories to his name - seven of them in a Red Bull car. The 2014 and 2016 World Championship bronze medallist is currently a test driver for Red Bull Racing. After 2007 and 2013, there is finally a Formula 1 car on the Nordschleife again. In 2007, Germany's Nick Heidfeld drove around the Nordschleife in a Formula 1 demo, followed by Michael Schumacher in 2013 as part of the 24-hour race. On 9 September, Ricciardo will now follow in his footsteps and celebrate the comeback of Formula 1 alongside other former F1 drivers in a show run on the Nordschleife. But not only F1 will provide a breathtaking motorsport day. Drift and Nascar interludes as well as many other Red Bull show highlights will ensure a motorsport weekend in a class of its own. And the fans can be there right up close. Combination weekend tickets for the Red Bull Formula Nürburgring and the 12h Nürburgring are now available for 59 Euros (children up to 14 years 29 Euros), day tickets Saturday for 39 Euros (children up to 14 years 29 Euros). The tickets include access to the event area in the Müllenbachschleife (Saturday only), the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, the exclusive spectator areas Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten as well as the paddock, the pit lane, the starting grid and the motorsport experience museum ring°werk.
13.04.2023
The 54th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy will conclude the first third of the Nürburgring Endurance Series season on 15 April. Once again, more than 140 cars have announced their participation, no less than 26 in the GT3 class SP9. Two of the nine races have been completed and the first tendencies are already emerging as to who will have a say in the battle for the championship. NLS3 runs over the usual distance of four hours. Tickets are available from 20 euros, children up to 14 years have free entry. Those who can't be there can follow the action in the Green Hell via livestream on VLN.de from 8:15 a.m. onwards. > More info & tickets Two races, two winning teams, one brand: BMW dominated the first two NLS races. While Maxime Martin and Dries Vanthoor from ROWE RACING triumphed in the opener, Jakub 'Kuba' Giermaziak and 'Jesse Krohn' in the BMW M4 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport did the same in NLS2. The other podium places went to Audi (Scherer Sport PHX) and Mercedes-AMG (Schnitzelalm Racing) as well as Porsche (Rutronik Racing) and the BMW Junior Team. The exotics in the GT3 class SP9 are currently still under the radar: Ferrari 296 GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 and Aston Martin Vantage GT3. But it seems to be only a matter of time until the supposed underdogs will also score points in the Green Hell. Adrenalin and FK Performance drivers lead the standingsAfter two races, there are already first tendencies in terms of the championship. Three teams are leading the standings with equal points, each having started the season with two victories in strongly contested classes: Daniel Zils, Oskar Sandberg and Philipp Leisen were successful in VT2-R+4WD for Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec. Their teammates - Sven Markert, Nils Steinberg and Yannick Fübrich - won the BMW M240i Racing by Goodyear class twice. Thorsten Wolter and Nick Wüstenhagen are entered for FK Performance Motorsport, who were flagged off as winners twice in SP10 with the BMW M4 GT4. Steinberg leads the medienkraftwerk Junior classification. In the NLS Speed Trophy, the BMW Junior Team takes first place ahead of the Rutronik Porsche and the Walkenhorst BMW #34. In classes with seven or more participants, full points are awarded in the NLS for registered drivers and teams. This also applied to the two classes of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring (CUP2 and CUP3) at the first two races of the season, to SP9 and VT2-FWD. However, no team managed two wins in a row. At the end of the year, two strike results are taken into account after nine races have been run. Nordschleife debut for Samantha TanSamantha Tam will be making her Nordschleife debut this coming Saturday. The Canadian will start in the BMW 325i from RPM Racing in the V4 class, with the aim of recording her compulsory laps for the big Nordschleife permit. Normally, Tam is used to more powerful cars. In 2021, she won the 24h GT Series with her own team in a BMW M4 GT4. Last year, she moved up to the top class with an M4 GT3 and was also successful here at the 12h of Mugello. In 2023, she will be driving multi-track: she will be competing in the GT World Challenge America with a BMW M4 GT3 and in the European equivalent with a Ferrari 488 GT3. Timo Scheider celebrates his NLS comeback. The two-time DTM champion (2008/2009) and 2003 24h winner last competed in the Nordschleife Championship in 2019. In the 54th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy, he will share the cockpit in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II of Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX with he Frédéric Vervisch and Mattia Drudi. Manthey-Racing evaluates customer feedbackThere is a special guest entry in CUP2: With an exceptional permit, Marco Holzer and Jaxon Evans will start in a further developed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992). The car features a number of technical modifications based on feedback from participants in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring.Leading the drivers' standings in CUP2 are Benjamin Leuchter and Nico Otto, who are competing for Max Kruse Racing. With two second places, the team of the eponymous professional footballer leads the standings ahead of Paul Harkema and Tim Scheerbarth (AVIA W&S Motorsport) and Christopher Brück and Moritz Kranz (KKrämer Racing). In CUP3, W&S drivers Finn Zulauf, Marius Rauer and Moritz Oberheim are ahead of the SRS Team Sorg Rennsport trio of Heiko Eichenberg, Patrik Grütter and Fabio Grosse. Brand diversity in the TCR classSeven cars from five different manufacturers are named for the third NLS race of the season in the TCR class: Audi RS3, Cupra, Honda FK7, Opel Astra and VW Golf ensure brand diversity. Three of the TCR teams prove that motorsport is also a family affair: Marco and Mike Knappmeier start in the Golf together with Dirk Groneck, 2013 VLN Champion, while Michelle and Mike Halder take turns with Roger Vögli in the Honda. And one of the two Cupra cars will be driven by the Italians Armando and Dario Stanco. Excitement guaranteed - get your tickets now!Tickets for the third race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series are available for 20 Euros (children up to 14 years free of charge) online and at the box offices. This will get you into the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, the exclusive spectator areas Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten as well as the paddock, the pit lane, the starting grid and the motorsport experience museum ring°werk.
11.04.2023
BMW in provisional favourite role for the 24h after two NLS wins Last chance to prepare at the 24h Qualifiers (22/23 April) Tickets for the Qualifiers available from 23 euros here Every year, it's like waiting for Christmas presents when teams,teams, drivers, organisers and fans look forward to the ADAC TotalEnergies 24hNürburgring. At the big season highlight from 18 to 21 May, it is always proven anew who has brought together the best combination of racing equipment, drivers and team on the legendary Nordschleife. And fortunately, the waiting time - much like in Advent - is shortened in the most pleasant way: Two of three rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series before the 24h have already been completed, in which the GT3s from BMW and Porsche in particular made a strong impression. One more NLS round and the final prologue as part of the ADAC Qualifiers 24h Nürburgring 2023 on 22-23 April remain for the protagonists to prepare perfectly. Around 30 starters recently competed in the top class, where the GT3s of the provisional favourites battle for supremacy with their rivals from Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG. Every kilometre on the race track is coveted in order to put together a successful package.It's just as well that two races can be used for this purpose at the Qualifiers: A short two-hour heat on Saturday evening is followed by a race over the four-hour distance on Sunday. Together with the time in the qualifying sessions, this is a perfect last test before the season's highlight in the "Green Hell". If you want to experience the 24h Qualifiers live on site, you can get your tickets here (day tickets Saturday / Sunday 23 Euros each, weekend ticket 38 Euros). At www.24h-rennen.de you will also find all the other important facts and news. The race win in the second NLS round of the year also went to a BMW. After Rowe Racing (NLS 1), this time it was Jakub Giermaziak (POL) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) who brought the M4 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport home ahead of Matteo Cairoli (ITA) and Julien Andlauer (FRA) in the second-placed Porsche 911 GT3 R from Rutronik Racing. Third place was also firmly in BMW hands as factory Juniors Daniel Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (Wernau) and Neil Verhagen (USA) claimed the remaining podium spot after the #3 Falken Porsche collected a drive-through penalty following an incident in lapped traffic. With two wins now, the BMW teams could therefore be the favourites for the time being, but race winner Giermaziak urges caution. "Our BMW M4 GT3 was clearly one of the fastest cars in the field today and we made no mistakes. But before the 24h race, it's also always the case that some teams don't want to reveal their performance. We, on the other hand, didn't hide, and already had that pace in the first NLS run - now we were able to translate it into the victory we were hoping for." After taking pole position at NLS1, Walkenhorst rewarded itself this time with victory against strong competition - the team's first ever NLS triumph with the BMW M4 GT3. Team-mate Jesse Krohn was also delighted after his successful first outing in the M4: "You couldn't wish for a better start to the preparation for the 24-hour race." Every preparation chance must be usedPorsche also proved to be very competitive at the second NLS round, where Rutronik and Falken fought it out on equal terms with their 911 GT3 R in the leading group. The runners-up from Remchingen in Baden-Württemberg also underlined their strong form with the pole position. "We worked consistently and fine-tuned the set-up," described Cairoli. "Especially in qualifying in the morning, I felt very comfortable - the 911 GT3 R was almost perfect and I was able to finish on the podium." His team-mate Andlauer was also very satisfied after the race. "We did a great job over the two days and everyone worked hard to get the car perfect. We're still missing a little something to be completely at the music, but in the difficult conditions we were able to stay out of any trouble and finish on the podium with a good strategy." So there is little doubt that Porsche will also be fully competitive at the 24h at the latest: The strong performance at the second NLS round and three remaining preparation races (NLS3 as well as the two rounds at the 24h Qualifiers) still give the teams the opportunity to get their beefy race cars into shape down to the last detail. The chasers have also long been on a par with usIt is also clear that these opportunities should not be missed! Because not only BWM and Porsche definitely have competitive equipment this year: Audi and Mercedes-AMG have also long since shown what their GT3s of the 2023 season are capable of. In NLS2 qualifying, the two GetSpeed-Mercedes AMG GT3s captured places on the second and third rows of the grid, while Audi brought two R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs home in top-10 positions - both brands also made it onto the podium at the NLS season opener. And with the changeable weather typical of the Nordschleife, a race day can end without a countable result, even with the most meticulous preparation. Ernst Moser, team principal of the best-placed Audi team Scherer PHX, was nevertheless able to take something positive from the event. "There are days like this in motorsport. We put in a lot of effort, which unfortunately wasn't reflected in the result in the end. We still learned a lot, especially about tyre handling in mixed conditions. The drivers also gained a lot of track time, which is worth its weight in gold with regard to the 24h race." His driver, Frédéric Vervisch (BEL), sees it similarly. The previous year's 24h winner shared the best-placed Audi with Mattia Drudi (ITA) and Dennis Lind (DEN) and was particularly pleased with "a trouble-free race that was a lot of fun. It was the first time I've been back to the Nordschleife since my victory in 2022 - great to be back." Endurance feeling at the 24h Qualifiers Even if the individual GT3 top models of the 2023 vintage are largely competitive, every testing opportunity is highly welcome for the individual teams. After all, in the end there will probably be between 20 and 30 cars capable of winning at the Nordschleife classic. Even the smallest advantage can be decisive. That's why practically all the top teams are likely to use the two remaining preparation weekends. After the third NLS round in mid-April, the main focus will be on the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on the fourth weekend in April. The compact two-day programme offers a lot of driving time on the Nordschleife, including six hours of racing alone. On Saturday, after two and a half hours of intensive practice on the Grand Prix circuit and the entire circuit, a two-hour race will start in the evening. When the race is waved off at 9.30 p.m., the headlights will already be flashing - the aim is to deliberately prepare the evening and night procedures as well. On Sunday, there will be another qualifying session as well as the individual time trials of the top teams for pole position. From 1 p.m. on, it's another four hours of seconds, positions and, of course, data. Because when race director Walter Hornung waves the black and white chequered flag at 5 p.m., the wheels won't start rolling again until the season's highlight a month later. So if you don't have your set-up together by then, you will be behind from the start at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring.
01.04.2023
The second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series was a true motorsport thriller. The notorious Eifel weather played a big part in this at the NIMEX 47th DMV 4-hour race. Jakub 'Kuba' Giermaziak and 'Jesse Krohn' in the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 coped best with the difficult conditions in the Green Hell. After 4:02:08.251 hours, the duo was flagged off as winners. Their lead over second-placed Matteo Cairoli and Julien Andlauer in the Porsche 911 GT3 R from Rutronik Racing was 21.764 seconds at the finish. Daniel Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen in the BMW M4 GT3 of the BMW Junior Team finished third. In qualifying on Saturday morning, the runners-up were still the fastest: Rutronik Racing celebrated its first pole position in the NLS. Italian Cairoli lapped the 24.358-kilometre combination of the Nürburgring short circuit and Nordschleife on a drying track in 9:06.584 minutes. The first 18 positions were within an interval of less than ten seconds at the end of the time chase. Second place in qualifying went to ROWE RACING. In the race, however, starting driver Eng had an accident at the airfield on lap one, so that the #99 car was unable to repeat its victory from the opening race.The opening phase turned into a tyre poker game. On a wet track, the choice of tyres was crucial at the start. Courage paid off, as in the end the teams that opted for slicks were successful. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed with drivers Adam Christodoulou, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller returned from lap one in the lead. Giermaziak took the lead on lap two. Due to a deviating strategy, the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Manthey EMA with Kévin Estre and Thomas Preining also took the lead for a while. In the end, however, Walkenhorst was too dominant. Overall, Giermaziak / Krohn led the field for 17 of 27 laps."These mixed conditions simply suit me," said Giermaziak. "Maybe that's also because I've been concentrating exclusively on the Nürburgring Endurance Series for the last two years. Besides that, we always made the right tyre choice and had a perfect strategy in the end." However, the Pole suspects that some of his competitors did not exploit their full potential: "That's always the case before the 24h race. Some teams don't want to reveal their performance. We, on the other hand, just drove full throttle."In the end, the Rutronik team was very satisfied with second place. "We are very happy," said Cairoli. "We already worked very consistently during the test on Friday and improved our setup step by step. So I felt very comfortable in our Porsche, especially in qualifying in the morning. With an almost perfect car and a bit of luck in the Code 60 stages, we were able to finish on the podium."The BMW Junior Team managed a real tour de force. "Our qualifying wasn't ideal with seventh place, then at the start I lost a few more places, so we dropped back to P16," said Verhagen. "After that, we drove strong stints and worked our way forward. But in the end - admittedly - we also benefited from a penalty from the third-placed Falken Porsche. Otherwise it would have been very tight with the podium on our own."The fact that the Falken-Porsche only finished in a thankless fourth place was due to a penalty handed out by the stewards after Alessio Picariello touched a car while lapping. The Manthey EMA Porsche was classified fifth. ROWE RACING took sixth place with the remaining BMW M4 GT3. Best Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II was the #15 Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX. The top 10 positions were completed by Audi Sport Team Land, the second Falken Porsche and the GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG of Christodoulou/Götz/Schiller.Victory in the SP9 Am classification went to Maxime Dumarey and Christoph Breuer in the PROsport-Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Best Pro-Am drivers were Charles Espenlaub and Shane Lewis in CP Racing's Mercedes-AMG GT3.Victory in the highly competitive CUP2 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring went to Christopher Brück and Moritz Kranz for KKrämer Racing. Second place went to BLACK FALCON Team IDENTICA. There was also a thrilling duel in the CUP3. AVIA W&S Motorsport with Marius Rauer, Moritz Oberheim and Finn Zulauf prevailed against SRS Team Sorg Rennsport. Heiko Eichenberg, Patrick Grütter and Fabio Grosse were only 1.617 seconds off first place at the finish. The fastest car in the alternative fuel class was the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from FourMotors Bioconcept-Car - driven by rapper Smudo, Henrik Bollerslev, Thomas Kiefer and 'TOM'. Last year's champions are still on course for success. Daniel Zils, Oskar Sandberg and Philipp Leisen in the Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec BMW 330i delivered a thrilling duel with Ranko Mjatovic, Michael Schrey and Sindre Setsaas in the FK Performance Motorsport counterpart, who again had to settle for second place.In a fortnight' time, the Nürburgring Endurance Series will be back in action. The 54th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy will conclude the first third of the season on 15 April 2023. Tickets are available for 20 euros (children up to 14 years free of charge) at vln.de/tickets and at the box offices. This will get you into the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, the exclusive spectator areas Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten as well as the paddock, the pit lane, the starting grid and the motorsport experience museum ring°werk.
29.03.2023
Thrilling motor sports, breathtaking drifts, thousands of bikers in the Grand Prix paddock and numerous opening hours for tourist drivers - the Nürburgring season kicks off in April with quite a few highlights. On three weekends at once, drivers from a wide variety of nations will face the world's most demanding race track when the vehicles of the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the 24h Qualifying Race chase each other through the Green Hell. Meanwhile, the Nürburgring Drift Cup in the Müllenbachschleife and the motorcyclists at "Anlassen" celebrate the start of the season. Tourist drivers can look forward to over 20 dates and two real highlight weekends in April. The entire event calendar and all information is available at nuerburgring.de. Races 2 & 3 of the Nürburgring Endurance Series in the Green Hell Dress rehearsal for 24h race: ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers Over 20 dates for tourist drivers and Green Hell Driving Days Season opener for Nürburgring Drift Cup and motorcyclists A portrait of the highlights: Nürburgring Endurance Series | Saturday, April 1 & April 15ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers | Saturday, 22th & Sunday, 23th April Gentlemen - start your engines! Endurance motorsport is going full throttle in April: three race weekends are scheduled on the historic Nordschleife. Twice - on April 1 and 15 - the lights go green in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. And with the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on April 22 and 23, the dress rehearsal for the big 24h race in May immediately follows. The spectators can look forward to thrilling motorsport at close quarters during the endurance formats. On the track, hundreds of drivers will engage in thrilling battles with a whole range of vehicles - from arrow-quick GT3 bolides to production-based racers. But the experience also includes small talk with the drivers in the paddock or a visit to the starting grid, autographs and souvenir photos included. At the Nürburgring Endurance Series, visitors to the Nürburgring VIP Lounge can look forward to a special adventure: between qualifying and the race, they will be taken around the circuit by bus. Nürburgring Drift Cup | Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 The drifters are loose again in the Müllenbachschleife. Europe's best drifters face off in hot door-to-door duels. The fluid track layout allows the drivers to perform high-speed drifts and provides the spectators with fast-paced action. In spectacular battles, two drivers compete against each other at the same time - whoever convinces the judges more is in the next round. Day tickets are available for 15 euros - young people up to 17 years of age and people with disabilities pay half price. There are also special benefits for visitors to the Nürburgring Endurance Series taking place on the same weekend. With the NLS ticket they get up to 50% discount at the Drift Cup on Saturday and Sunday. Motorcycle season opening "Anlassen" | Sunday, April 2 The Nürburgring in biker hands: On Sunday, April 2, the motorcycle service "Anlassen" will take place. The traditional event promises to once again become a meeting point for thousands of motorcyclists from all over Germany and neighboring countries. Various exhibitors and demonstrations await in the Grand Prix paddock, as well as the opportunity to take part in guided tourist rides on the Grand Prix circuit. The highlight of the event will be the ecumenical church service followed by a parade around the Nordschleife. Admission to the event and participation in the parade are free. Tourist drives: experience the Nürburgring for yourself A lap around the legendary Nürburgring: this is possible during the tourist drives. In April, there are over 20 dates for this popular leisure activity. Two weekends stand out as real holidays for tourist drivers, because they offer several whole days of driving fun at once. For example, the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit will be open daily from dawn to dusk throughout the Easter weekend (April 7-10). The first Green Hell Driving Days of the year will also offer ample opportunity to experience the Green Hell at the end of April. From April 29 to May 1, the legendary Nordschleife will open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. Events in April 2023: 01.04. Nürburgring Endurance Series 201 - 02.04. Nürburgring Drift Cup02.04. Motorcycle service "Anlassen15.04. Nürburgring Endurance Series 322 - 23.04. ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers & RCN / GLP29.04. - 01.05. Green Hell Driving Days
29.03.2023
The Nürburgring Endurance Series really gets going on 1 April at the NIMEX 47th DMV 4-Hour Race. Entries for 141 vehicles have been received by the organising racing community of Düren, 30 of which are in the GT3 class SP9. The fans can look forward to thrilling motorsport - entertainment is the order of the day. Tickets are available from 20 Euros, children up to 14 years of age have free admission. Those who are not on site can follow the race day in the Green Hell from 08:15 onwards in the livestream. > more info & tickets The range of participants in the NLS is huge - in more ways than one. In the NLS, reigning DTM champion Sheldon Van Der Linde in the BMW M4 GT3 of ROWE RACING will meet rapper Smudo in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Four Motors Bioconcept-Car. One of the Fanta 4 legend's fellow competitors is Tom von Löwis of Menar - the oldest driver in the field. The veteran from Reutlingen is now 75 years old, but is still in top shape and full of energy. His counterpart is Ben Dörr. At just 18 years and two months. The scion of the Frankfurt-based sports car dealer family of the same name shares the cockpit of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 with Théo Nouet, who finished second in the ADAC GT4 Germany in 2021 - at that time, by the way, as Ben Dörr's competitor. His brother Phil Dörr will be driving the GT3 version of the British super sports car in race two. As far as the successes of the drivers in the NLS are concerned, the gap is also wide - and in a positive sense. On the one hand, there is Jürgen Nett, who will be competing in the Volkswagen Scirocco fielded by mathilda racing - Team LAVO Carwash. The driver from Mayen was the eleventh champion in the Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring in 1987, from which the NLS emerged. Opposite him are last season's reigning champions: Daniel Zils and Oskar Sandberg, who will start together with Philipp Leisen in the BMW 330i of Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec, as well as Sindre Setsaas, who shares the cockpit of the same car with Michael Schrey and Ranko Mikatovic in the service of FK Performance Motorsport. The Nordschleife captivates racers from all over the worldFurther contrasts result from the drivers' travel routes. The Briton Alex Wright resides in Wiesemscheid, just 4.5 kilometres from the Ring. He will contest the race in the Hyundai i30N of Keeevin Sports & Racing. Home sleeper is also David Ackermann, who will be competing in a Porsche Cayman GTS with his team Rent2Drive. At home in Döttingen, his route to the ring is just five kilometres. The two Australians Jordan Love and Joshua Burdon probably have the longest journey - from "Down Under" to the Eifel. Love shares the cockpit of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team Bilstein with the Indian Arjun Maini and Hubert Haupt. Burdon takes turns in the Toyota Supra GT4 with Edoardo Liberatori from Italy and Martin Rump from Estonia. By the way, the production-based sports car from Japan is entered by the Hong Kong-based team KCMG - pure globalisation, which is also reflected in the participants' countries of origin, as a good third of the drivers come from foreign countries near and far. Production-based touring cars meet full-blown racing carsThe different vehicles ensure that there is never a dull moment on the track. They range from the fan-favourite Dacia Logan with around 200 hp to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with up to 548 horsepower. The latter will be fielded by the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed, among others, which will be taking part in the 2023 event for the first time with two well-staffed vehicles. Maro Engel, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella will share the #9 car, while Adam Christodoulou, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller will take turns in the #12. Audi Sport Team Land is also contesting its first race of the season. The racing team from the Westerwald around Wolfgang and Christian Land is known for the fact that poker playing in the run-up to the 24h race is absolutely not one of their strengths. So spectators should definitely keep the trio of Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Patric Niederhauser in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II on their minds.There is also a breath of fresh air beyond the professional segment of the GT3 class SP9. Christian Kohlhaas and Jody Fannin will pilot the Ferrari 296 GT3 from racing one in the Pro-Am category for the first time. Michael Heimrich, Lorenzo Rocco and 26-time NLS race winner Arno Klasen will enter the race with an Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. The équipe vitesse is responsible for the entry. Next to SP9, the class of production cars up to 2,000 cc with turbo and front-wheel drive is the second strongest class. 17 vehicles from a wide range of brands will be competing. Models from BMW, Hyundai, Mini, Opel, Renault and Volkswagen are represented. There is a real splash of colour in the same class with rear- or four-wheel drive: Here Richard Jodexnis, Sophia Menzenbach and 'Ben Herper' will compete with a Toyota Supra from TOYO TIRES with Ring Racing against an armada of eight BMW 328i and 330i. It will be interesting to see whether the team around Uwe Kleen can make up ground on the strong competition over the course of the season. Dinner is served - get your tickets now!Tickets for the second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series are available for 20 Euros (children up to 14 years free of charge) online and at the box offices. This will get you into the open grandstands at the Grand Prix Track, the exclusive spectator areas Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten as well as the paddock, the pit lane, the starting grid and the motorsport experience museum ring°werk.
22.03.2023
The opening race of the motorsport season on the Nordschleife is heating up the anticipation for the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring: With more than two dozen GT3 race cars from seven manufacturers, the top of the field at the first race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) presented a colourful picture. In the end, Rowe Racing (BMW M4 GT3), Scherer Sport PHX (Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) and Schnitzelalm Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3) shared the podium - all of them teams that already gathered plenty of kilometres (and thus experience) with their competitive machines on the world's longest and most demanding race track last year. Right up to the last lap, the two front-runners engaged in a battle with open sights, which the victorious BMW finally won by 6.4 seconds. And the battle of equals is likely to become even closer in the next races, when the teams that are still lagging behind pack their Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin into optimised setups with the freshly gathered information. Their common goal: At the 24h Nürburgring (18 - 21 May) they want to join the fight for the top. Those who want to experience the ultra-exciting fight on the Nordschleife live will find all relevant information on advance ticket sales under the heading "Experience on site". Round one in the battle for supremacy on the Nordschleife goes to the top dogs this year: Rowe Racing landed victory with Maxime Martin and Dries Vanthoor, who joined the team in 2023. "A dream result," Maxime Marin enthused afterwards, and team-mate Dries Vanthoor added: "Everything was new here for Maxime and me, but the car is super on the Nordschleife. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs at the 24h Nürburgring." Team boss Hans-Peter Naundorf put the brakes on too high expectations despite all the jubilation about the victory: "It was closer than it looked," he admitted. "There were a lot of accidents and code 60 phases on the track, which made it exhausting and demanding". Typical Nordschleife - and the air at the top is likely to get even thinner. Kim-Luis Schramm, who shared the Audi R8 of the second-placed team Scherer Sport PHX with Ricardo Feller, remains ambitious: "A place further ahead would have been even better, of course, but with second place it was a great start for us." Feller also adds with a view to the sister car: "The cars ran absolutely smoothly. We showed the competition that they have to reckon with us again." Her team, which emerged from the merger of the 24h record winners Phoenix Racing with the Scherer team, represents the ranks of long-established teams, as does Rowe (24h winner in 2020). There is much to suggest that they will not be able to settle the victory among themselves this year. Newcomers and teams with new models in the huntThere are the newcomers, such as the Schnitzelalm team, which came third in the season opener. Driver Marek Böckmann was able to grin in view of the result: "Nobody can complain about that. The podium finish is the reward for weeks of intensive preparation and our winter tests in Portugal and Spain. That's the beauty of competing as an underdog team: nobody has you on their radar - and then suddenly you're there." Team-mate Marcel Marchewicz is convinced: "Even though it's not easy, I believe in our chance to cause a stir at the 24h even as a small team." Those who still have to put the finishing touches to their brand new cars are also very ambitious. These include the Porsche teams, which are using the latest evolutionary stage of the legendary 911 GT3 R. As the best representatives, Manthey EMA landed in seventh place at NLS1. This is certainly not the last word for the extremely successful traditional team. Manthey Managing Director Nicolaus Raeder sums up the Nordschleife season opener accordingly: "We still have to work on the performance of the new car to be able to compete at the front. We have collected a lot of important information and values. Our main task now is to work on the car's performance so that we have the package together for victory at the 24h in May." By then, the spectacular new Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Ferrari 296 GT3 and Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, which also started their 24h preparation programme at the first NLS round, will almost certainly be a lot stronger. Intensive and short preparation phase for the 24h.Until the Nordschleife classic in May, it's now blow by blow for the teams: Two more races (on 1 and 15 April) are available in the NLS before the final intensive test: the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (22-23 April) offer two races with a combined six hours of driving time, plenty of practice sessions and a top qualifying session - the perfect simulation opportunity for the season highlight one month later. For all the teams who want to shine there, this means the start of extremely busy weeks. So the fans can look forward to an exciting time.
20.03.2023
It was the perfect start to the season at the Nürburgring. While the Nürburgring Endurance Series offered thrilling motorsport on the track and ROWE RACING took its first win of the season, 3,600 fans cheered in the evening at the "Darts am Ring Gala" in the ring°arena. The players put in strong performances on the darts stage and the fans conjured up a world championship atmosphere. One of the highlights was a 9-darter by Jonny Clayton. Even before the players entered the stage, the fans in the ring°arena were at operating temperature. The 3,600 spectators sang along to songs like "Sweet Caroline" and warmed up for the big show. Most of them were dressed up - as has become a tradition with the audience at darts events. Gabriel Clemens visibly enjoyed his home match at the Nürburgring. The German, who reached the semi-finals of the Darts World Championship at the beginning of the year, showed at the legendary race track why he is one of the top players. Only in the final did he have to admit defeat to Luke Humphries from England. The competition was strong. Besides the two finalists, German World Championship participant Florian Hempel and three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen were also at the start. "9-Darter" by Jonny Clayton - anticipation for "Darts am Ring Gala" 2024Jonny Clayton provided a very special moment: The Welshman threw a so called - and especially rare - 9-Darter in front of the enthusiastic crowd. With only nine darts thrown he brought the 501 points to 0. To be present at such a moment live is something very special for the spectators. Accordingly, the mood was ecstatic. After the successful evening, the darts fans can already look forward to 2024. Then the Darts am Ring Gala will return to the ring°arena for the third time. The date as well as the start of the advance booking will be announced in the coming weeks. Outlook: Four events on two weekendsAfter this weekend's event kick-off, the Nürburgring continues at full speed. Four events are scheduled for the next two weekends. After the season opener of the RCN/GLP (Saturday, 25 March), the typical Nürburgring variety of events and experiences will follow the following weekend. There will be the second race of the season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (Saturday, 1 April), the first round of the Nürburgring Drift Cup (1 - 2 April) and the start of the two-wheeler season at the "Anlassen" motorbike service (Sunday, 2 April). And tourist drivers will also get their money's worth - the Nordschleife opens almost daily for fans of the Green Hell.
18.03.2023
A thrilling duel in the final metres, the best weather and a balanced balance of power - all this was on offer at the 68th ADAC Westfalenfahrt right at the start of the new season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series. Dries Vanthoor and Maxime Martin from ROWE RACING were the first to sign the winners' list with their BMW M4 GT3. The two new BMW drivers delivered a flawless performance over 28 laps and crossed the finish line 6.435 seconds ahead of the competition after four hours. In the final minutes, Vanthoor had to defend himself against, of all people, his former brand colleague Kim-Luis Schramm in the Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. In the meantime, the two were separated by just 1.5 seconds. The task became all the more tricky for both of them because several Code 60 phases were still waiting. Sometimes one of them benefited, sometimes the other. In the end, however, Vanthoor kept a cool head and managed to bring the #99 BMW M4 GT3 home first. The curious thing: the sister car with the #98 was also driven by Vanthoor and Martin and even collected some leading kilometres at the beginning, but was parked in the pits in the meantime because the team only had these two drivers available. "Everything was new here for Maxime and me, but the car is super on the Nordschleife," Vanthoor said. "The Audi behind me was quite strong at the end. Then on the last lap I pushed hard and tried to get far enough away. With a bit of luck I was able to open up a bigger gap through some traffic."With the teams in the GT3 field relying on different strategies, the ROWE RACING BMW also didn't officially take the lead until lap 22. Although Team Scherer Sport PHX was using the same tactics, it wasn't enough for Schramm and his teammate Ricardo Feller in the end. "We also lost a bit of time on the last pit stop," said Schramm. "They were also a bit faster overall." Marcel Marchewicz and Marek Böckmann in Schnitzelalm Racing's Mercedes-AMG GT3 crossed the finish line 48.501 seconds behind, completing the brand diversity with three manufacturers on the podium. "We worked a lot over the winter, both on the engineering side and us drivers in the simulator," said Marchewicz. "The start phase was spectacular and there were a lot of nice overtaking manoeuvres. It was really fun to drive on the Nordschleife. We both really drove for our lives today," said Böckmann. In contrast to the other Mercedes teams, they relied on Goodyear tyres and achieved fourth place in qualifying with them. The fourth to sixth places in the race were also decided by Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Audi Sport Team Car Collection finished ahead of BMW Junior Team and Mercedes-AMG Team Bilstein. Behind them were the models that are among the newcomers and were particularly in the focus of the fans. The race debut in the final homologated version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R resulted in seventh place for Manthey EMA ahead of the Evo version of the Lamborghini Huracán fielded by Abt Sportsline. The debut for the Ferrari 296 GT3 in the hands of WTM by Rinaldi Racing was also successful with tenth place ahead of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R from Falken Motorsports.Two of the co-favourites from the GT3 field did not see the chequered flag. These included the BMW M4 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport, which initially took pole position with Jakub Giermaziak but retired with a puncture shortly before the finish. The second Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II from Scherer Sport PHX also failed to score a countable result as one crashed. The second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series will take place on 1 April. The NIMEX 47th DMV 4h Race takes place over the classic race distance of four hours. Tickets are available for 20 euros (children up to 14 years free of charge) at vln.de/tickets and at the box offices. This will get you into the open grandstands at the Grand Prix circuit, into the exclusive spectator areas Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten as well as into the paddock, the pit lane, the starting grid and into the motorsport experience museum ring°werk.
