23.05.2023
In its 39th year, the DTM will be held under the umbrella of the ADAC for the first time. The change at the top brings with it a number of innovations in the sporting regulations that make the racing even more attractive and transparent for spectators. In addition, the DTM will become more sustainable: from this season onwards, the popular racing series will rely on an innovative fuel, thus underlining its pioneering role in worldwide motorsport. In addition, with the Circuit Zandvoort, the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and the Sachsenring, three race tracks will again be on the tour calendar, which were the venues for the last DTM rounds five, eight and 21 years ago, respectively. New sustainable fuelFor the first time, all DTM cars will be running on Shell's innovative fuel this season, which consists of about 50 per cent regenerative components and thus makes a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. The fuel complies with the standard for super-plus fuel and can therefore also be used in production cars. Longer racesSpectators and fans can look forward to even more racing action: the duration of the 16 championship races will be extended by five minutes each and will be one hour plus one lap this season. All championship rounds of the 2023 DTM season will start at 13:30. TV partner ProSieben will go on air before both races with comprehensive live coverage from 1 p.m. already. Worldwide, the DTM will be broadcast live on television in more than 70 countries. Bottle Free ZoneSustainability will also be lived in the DTM paddock this season. Thanks to the partnership with the world-renowned water treatment company BWT, the entire DTM will be equipped with water dispensers. These will be provided for the teams both in the pits and in the team hospitality areas. Additional BWT water dispensers will also be placed in the DTM Media Centre, in the Race Control and the ADAC Members' Lounge as well as in the TV compound and at the Pirelli tyre service. In the paddock, four BWT Water Stations will also ensure free access to BWT water products for all visitors. New points systemA new points system will provide additional excitement in the fight for the DTM title, as the top 15 of each championship round will receive points instead of the top ten as before. The winner collects 25 points, second place 20 points. Third place on the podium is rewarded with 16 points, fourth place earns 13 points. From fifth place (11 points) onwards, there is one point less for each position up to 15th place (one point). This means that more than 50 per cent of the 28 starters can finish in the points. Tyre sets from new partner PirelliThis season, the DTM will start with tyres from premium manufacturer and Formula 1 supplier Pirelli. The top five on the grid have to start the respective race with the four tyres with which they achieved their fastest lap time in the corresponding qualifying session. The Balance of Performance is based on Pirelli's tyres and is run this season by SRO Motorsport Group, the ADAC's long-standing partner. "Milder" penalty: Penalty lapIn future, minor offences in the DTM will be punished with a penalty lap. For this purpose, a penalty zone will be set up on each track. The DTM drivers have to drive through this defined area at a maximum speed of 50 km/h and lose almost five seconds due to this somewhat "milder" penalty. In addition, the penalty lap ensures clear conditions on the track instead of adding time penalties to the overall time at the end of the race. Compulsory pit stop within 20 minutesTyre changes are a race-deciding factor in the DTM - the time window for this will be reduced from this season onwards and will provide more clarity for the fans. The performance pit stop must be completed between the 20th and 40th minute, there is no minimum standing time. All four tyres of a vehicle must be changed. The race director can shift the time window if there is a safety car deployment or a full-course yellow phase before or during the pit stop. Family-friendly pricing modelTickets for a DTM weekend are on average ten to 20 Euros cheaper this season than last year and available from as little as 39 Euros on dtm.com. Children and youngsters under 16 years of age are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. In addition, ADAC members receive a discount of ten per cent in online advance sales. All tickets entitle the holder to free admission to the DTM paddock.
21.05.2023
Emotional double premiere at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring: The Frikadelli team won the "Eifel Marathon" for the first time and thus also gave Ferrari its first success at the endurance classic. After 24 hours through the "Green Hell", the Briton David Pittard steered the new Ferrari 296 GT3 of the local heroes across the finish line in first place. Together with Earl Bamber, Nick Catsburg and Felipe Fernandez Laser, he also set a distance record: Never before had a winning team completed 162 laps since the race's premiere in 1970. After 4,085.858 kilometres, the Frikadelli-Ferrari had a 26.911-second lead over the Rowe-BMW #98. The previous record was 159 laps of 4,035.102 kilometres from 2014 and 2022. The weekend was overshadowed by the death of a sporting director who collapsed during his stint on Sunday morning and passed away despite immediate medical attention and transport to the hospital in Mayen. "The blood pressure is maybe a bit high at the moment, but of course I'm feeling very good now. We'll have a Kölsch tonight," said Frikadelli team owner Klaus Abbelen in the initial exuberance immediately after the success. "I don't know what to say. I'm just incredibly proud of everyone. This is my first really big success. Sabine Schmitz has helped us from heaven. I'm also very happy for dear Klaus," Fernandez Laser said. "Unbelievable, what a victory," Nick Catsburg declared. For the Dutchman, it was already the second victory after 2020, back then still in the Rowe BMW. A premiere is the jump on the top step of the podium for his teammates Felipe Fernadez Laser, the Briton David Pittard and Earl Bamber from New Zealand, who has already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and the 24 Hours of Spa once. In the Rowe BMW #98, Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde took second place in the "Eifel Marathon", as they had done in 2021. This time they were supported by Maxime Martin and Dries Vanthoor, who had triumphed in an Audi in 2022. The podium was completed by Raffaele Marciello, Luca Stolz and Philip Ellis in the #4 from Mercedes-AMG Team Bilstein. A total of 235,000 spectators watched the endurance classic over the weekend. The 52nd edition of the 24h Nürburgring will take place from 9 to 12 May 2024. Duel since sunrise Since sunrise, the Frikadelli-Ferrari and the Rowe-BMW #98 had taken turns at the top due to the pit stop difference of two laps. Adjusted, however, there was a clear advantage for the Ferrari crew, which had only lost a little time in the early stages due to a puncture a few kilometres before the pits. The #98, on the other hand, had only started the race from 31st place after a run-out in the top qualifying 1, but then worked its way into the leading group after only a few hours with a faultless performance. The Frikadelli-Ferrari made its last pit stop 61 minutes before the end of the 24 hours. With 44 minutes to go, Dries Vanthoor took to the track just under a minute behind, but was unable to make a decisive move. "In the end, we can be totally satisfied. We started from 31st place and therefore in the last row of our starting group. To be honest, we never thought we would get so far ahead," said Wittmann. "But when you are so close to victory in the last third of the race, you want to win. But the Ferrari is too fast for that. We didn't make any mistakes in the race and therefore have nothing to reproach ourselves for." The best Porsche in the final classification was the #96 from Rutronik in fifth place, the best-placed model from Ingolstadt was the #39 Land Audi in sixth. The revival of the three former DTM champions Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk in the #40 Scherer-PHX Audi ended in twelfth place. It was also the last 24-hour race of outgoing team boss Ernst Moser, who celebrated six overall victories with Phoenix at the "Eifel Marathon". Mapelli in the Abt Lamborghini the man of the first laps After Marciello had initially maintained the pole position he had fought for on Friday evening and led the field onto the Nordschleife in first place, Marco Mapelli was the man of the first laps. The Italian in the Abt Lamborghini #27 initially moved up from third to second at the start and also overtook Marciello on the third lap. In doing so, he immediately gave Abbots the first lead laps on their 24h return with the new manufacturer. An early puncture, however, set the team back significantly soon afterwards, and in the end it was enough for ninth place. Turbulent night with the premature end for several candidates for victory Up to the halfway point of the race, there were some interesting duels, but even as darkness fell, there were hardly any major incidents. The numerous fans around the Nordschleife created a great atmosphere with the smell of barbecue, music and the usual bizarre set-ups at the popular hotspots such as Hatzenbach, Brünnchen or Schwalbenschwanz. In the early morning, events came to a head when several of the winners left the race early within a short period of time. For example, the two Scherer-PHX-Audi with the #1 and the #5 spun off the track almost synchronously on an oil track, the sister car with the #16 threw a time penalty of 4:36 minutes for a total of three flag violations far behind. The Rowe-BMW #99 retired after a collision while lapping, later the Junior-BMW #72 was also withdrawn due to suspension damage. The "Grello" also retired early - the #911 Manthey Porsche kept having problems after an early puncture. Mercedes-AMG lost the #3 around Maro Engel, who started from the front row, early on.
16.05.2023
The ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring (18th - 21st) will be one of the highlights of the European motorsport season this weekend. The starting field includes 136 vehicles, and more than 200,000 spectators are expected to attend the race weekend around the world's longest race track. Thirty of the mighty GT3 cars from Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche alone with an excellent international driver line-up will be fighting for victory - in many cases with factory support and drivers from the factory squads. The supporting programme is also gigantic with historic and current racing cars as well as countless attractions in the paddock and around the more than 25 km long circuit. TV partner NITRO will broadcast the race live in full length. Those who want to enjoy the "rock festival among motorsport events" on site can purchase tickets around the track. High-tension battle for victoryThe 24h Nürburgring does not only exert a special fascination on the visitors, teams and drivers are also magically attracted to the prestigious race again this year. Since Monday morning, the fans have been moving into the camping areas around the circuit and creating a tingle in the air. In a short time they traditionally transform the Ring into a festival mile full of party atmosphere, barbecue fetes and expert discussions. From Ascension Day (Thursday, 18 May) the sound of the engines can be heard. In the main race (start on Saturday, 4 p.m.), the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II of Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX with start number #1 will enter the race as the defending champion, but it will face extremely strong competition both within and across brands. In the Nordschleife season so far, the BMW M4 GT3s, for example, have announced their ambitions with victories. The two races of the 24h Qualifiers were won by Mercedes-AMG Team Getspeed (Mercedes-AMG GT3) and Frikadelli Racing Team (Ferrari 296 GT3). Porsche teams also took podium places (as did other manufacturers). So it will be exciting at the top. And not only there - the battle for champagne or seltzer in the 19 different classes, which will take to the track at the same time, will also be exciting. Especially the GT4 and Cup cars promise some action with well-filled classes. Sporting Supporting Programme Guarantees Best EntertainmentThe sporting supporting programme on the Nordschleife will start with the RCN performance test on Thursday morning. During the weekend, the historic racing cars of the Touring Car Legends as well as the Cup and Touring Car Trophy will complete the programme on the Grand Prix circuit with two heats each. Another fan highlight is the three-hour race of the historic cars from the ADAC 24h Classic on the overall circuit, which will shorten the waiting time until the start of the 24h on Saturday morning. All in all, five races promise the best entertainment during the weekend. Huge fan programmeIn addition to the sporting delicacies, the 24h Nürburgring will offer a continuous stream of highlights: the Adenauer Racing Day on Wednesday afternoon will kick things off with a come-together for participants from the 24h and supporting races in the racing city at the Nürburgring. From 4 p.m. there will be a vehicle parade, interview rounds on the stage as well as autograph and selfie opportunities. On Friday, the Pitwalk / Trackwalk and autograph session will attract visitors to the area around the start and finish after the top qualifying. At the same time, the popular Falken Drift Show will take place in the Müllenbachschleife. Throughout the weekend, there will also be the big fan mile on the ring°boulevard as well as numerous activities and attractions in the paddock and around the circuit. > All details can be found in the fan schedule. 24h Nürburgring are on air around the clockThe first important decisions at the 24h Nürburgring will be made on Friday afternoon in the top qualifying. TV partner NITRO will then broadcast the spectacular individual time trial live from 17:00. On Saturday, the Cologne-based channel will be broadcasting live from 2:45 p.m. until 4:40 p.m. on Sunday. As early as Thursday, fans can also follow the action at the Ring via the 24h homepage. There, the live page offers a choice between livestream and 14 onboard perspectives, a race ticker, the live timing as well as the link to the audio commentary via the digital channel of Radio RPR. The following button leads directly to the 24h live page.
26.04.2023
Glowing brake discs, steaming running shoes and racing legends: In May, one highlight follows the next at the Nürburgring. With the famous ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring (18 - 21 May) as a motorsport highlight, the challenging obstacle course Hootfoot Run (6 May) and the Nürburgring Classic (26 - 28 May) as a classic car event, the merry month is representative of the variety of events at the Ring. Sports enthusiasts who want to be active themselves on the legendary race track will also find the perfect opportunity at the first two cycling and running events of the year. > to the complete event calendar A brief portrait of the highlights: ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring | Thursday, 18 May - Sunday, 21 MayThe supreme discipline of endurance racing, on the most demanding race track in the world, four days in a row: far more than 100 racing cars will fight thrilling duels on the 25.3 kilometres of the Nürburgring at the 24h race. Large and small racing teams from all over the world are at the start again. In addition to high-powered GT3 racing machines, the 24-hour race also offers the familiar variety - including numerous near-series vehicles. In concrete terms, this means that Porsche 911s share the track not only with other super sports cars from Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Ferrari and Co. but also with an Opel Manta, Hyundai i30N or VW Golf GTI. They are cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators. Many of them have pitched their tents directly at the track to celebrate the biggest endurance party of the year. Tickets for the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring are available from 32 Euros. Hotfoot Run | Saturday, 6 MayThe well-known obstacle course at the Nürburgring will start this year for the first time under the new name "Hotfoot Run". Numerous obstacles on and around the Grand Prix track await the participants. Those who want to reach the finish line must also be able to climb and crawl. There are three routes to choose from: 6, 12 or 24 kilometres. Along the way, obstacles with names like "Spiderman", "Dip Dip Hurra" or "Hellstadl" get in their way. But between the mud, the pain and the sporting ambition, the Hotfoot Run is all about having fun together. The spectators on site can also experience this. Admission is free. The BMW M Power Grandstand and T12a will be open at the Grand Prix Track. Nürburgring Classic | Friday, 26 May - Sunday, 28 May Historic Formula 1 cars, pre-war racing cars, DTM touring cars from the 1980s and 1990s: At the Nürburgring Classic, fans can look forward to a time travel through a complete century of motorsport. More than 800 participants are expected at the event again this year. And despite the age of some of the vehicles, more than 20 races will be held at full throttle. Spectators will be able to get up close: The ticket - starting at 12 euros - always includes admission to the paddock. Historic motor sport at your fingertips with a colourful supporting programme: this is what awaits you at the Nürburgring Classic on the last weekend in May at the Ring. Cycling and Running Meeting | Monday, 8 May & Wednesday, 24 MayIf you simply want to jog around the Grand Prix Track or cycle around the Nordschleife, the cycling and running club is the right place for you. There are two dates in May: Monday, 8 May, and Wednesday, 24 May, both from 19:00 to 21:30. Runners and cyclists pay just € 5 for the time slot on the Grand Prix Track. Two and a half hours of driving time on the combined Grand Prix Track and Nordschleife cost €18. Participants can park for free in car park D5.
24.04.2023
Three whole days of tourist driving around 1 May: At the Green Hell Driving Days (29.04 -01.05.), Nürburgring fans can enjoy experiencing the Nordschleife for themselves all weekend. From morning to night, the gates to the legendary 20.832 kilometres will open again for everyone. Thus, the holidays for tourist drivers continue: already on the Easter weekend, tens of thousands travelled to the Nürburgring for the myth of the Green Hell last time. > more info, booking options and all opening hours At the Green Hell Driving Days, the Nürburgring again expects numerous guests from Germany and abroad. From Saturday, 29 April, up to and including Monday, 1 May, the Nordschleife will be open daily from 8:00 to 19:00. Anyone in possession of a driving licence and a proper vehicle can drive as part of the tourist drives. Visitors can top up their credit for the rides online at any time - at home on their PC or on the road by mobile phone. Tourist drivers can create their account quickly and easily on the Nürburgring website. Alternatively, the credit for the driving fun is also available on site. A lap of the legendary Nordschleife costs 35 euros on weekends. Special offers and attractions at the Nürburgring as a destinationIf you fancy some more driving offers from the Nürburgring, you can count on attractive discounts during the Green Hell Driving Days. At the pavilion of the Nürburgring Driving Academy at the Nordschleife access road, there will be a 10% discount on vouchers for formula training, co-pilot rides and much more. In addition, a flyer with various discounts for the other experience offers of Destination Nürburgring is waiting at the access road. These include, for example, a visit to the Nürburgring eSports bar, the motorsport experience museum ring°werk, the ring°kartbahn or the ring°kinos. In addition, the Nürburgring offers the popular backstage tours, where visitors can take a look behind the scenes of the legendary race tracks - guided by an expert guide. In the official ring°fanshop on the ring°boulevard as well as at the Nordschleife access road, visitors and tourist drivers can look forward to a special fan package at a special price. And those who would like to fortify themselves in the meantime will also find a large selection around the Ring: among others in the restaurants LUCIA - Pollo Italiano, Bitburger Gasthaus or Devil's Diner. By the way: Should the Nordschleife be closed in the meantime, many of the locations mentioned offer special discounts to shorten the waiting time. Opening hours Green Hell Driving Days Nordschleife: Saturday, 29 April 2023: 08:00 - 19:00 Sunday, 30 April 2023: 08:00 - 19:00 Monday, 1 May 2023: 08:00 - 19:00
22.04.2023
After the GLP drivers had to somehow cope with the weather chaos in the Eifel at the start of the season, optimal conditions awaited them for the second round. Although it was still a bit chilly in the Eifel for the time of year, the track was dry and a glance at the sky gave hope for a beautiful event. After a detailed and informative drivers' briefing, driving director Jürgen Seidel was able to send the 129 participants of the RCN GLP "Schloss Augustusburg" punctually onto the Nordschleife of the legendary Nürburgring. Ralf and Nicole Weiland from Schwetzingen took part for the first time. The couple had informed themselves in detail about the GLP at the RCN stand during the Essen Motor Show and were now at the start with a lovingly prepared Mini Works GP (#89). The fact that not everything went right from the start was certainly due to the nervousness at the first race. Two confirmation rounds with 9.9 and 10.1 penalty points clearly showed that there is still room for improvement. In the end it was enough for 96th place at the first GLP event. Welcome to the GLP family! Another and much more experienced Mini Team was not so lucky. Karin and Winfried Schlüter (#4) were still able to finish the first confirmation lap with a good 2.3 penalty points, when surprisingly, but no less insistently, the red engine control light came on the Mini JCW, which had been running perfectly until then. In the emergency programme, the Horstmar team saved themselves for the pit lane, but here they could neither localise nor repair the damage with on-board means. In order not to risk any engine damage, the pair ended the event prematurely at this point. The GLPs are a real "home game" for Max Löhmer, who not only lives in Aremberg, i.e. in the immediate vicinity of the Ring, but as Project Manager of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH should also be very familiar with the legendary Eifel race track. After sporadic GLP races last year, he and Robert Menzel (Porta Westfalica) want to compete in as many GLP races as possible with the BMW 318 ti this season. This time, 68.7 points were enough for 72nd place on the day and tenth place in the rookie classification. Luca Krüger from Remscheid was always seen with a broad smile on his face on the day of the event. This was not only due to the fact that he had won his first trophy at the season opener, together with his "father" Kai, in the BMW 120i that served as a replacement car. The decisive reason for his joy was the fact that the newly built BMW 325i E46 was ready for action immediately before the second GLP round of the season: "Our first test drive was from the Graf Ulrich Halle to the tourist entrance," grinned the man from Remscheid. "Now it's time for us to gain experience, especially in the wet." Although it stayed dry, Luca and Kai Krüger made plenty of experiences with the new car: good results in the first three confirmation laps, then a small setback. At the finish, father and son Krüger finished in 67th place with 60.9 penalty points (4.4/4.4/2.4/33.3/2.7/13.8). Motorsport veteran Kurt Bernhards, who has been active in motorsport since 1969, contested the GLPs in the hot seat alongside his son Marcus. With their Peugeot 206, the two drivers from Langenfeld scored 10.1 penalty points (1.4/3.5/1.0/2.6/1.0/0.6) this time and finished tenth. Ninth place went to René and Tina Göbbels (Eschweiler), who compete for MSC Wahlscheid in the ADAC, with 9.7 penalty points (3.4/3.2/1.1/1.1/0.8/0.1) in their lovingly maintained Golf 1 GTI. Michael Dedekind and Sandra Meier were at the start again with the beautiful BMW M3 (#42). With 9,3 points (0,5/1,1/2,9/1,4/2,2/1,2) the two drivers from Landshut placed the M3 on P8. Gorden Völksen (Barsinghausen) and Mario Bremer (Wiesbaden) were among the three teams that finished the first confirmation round with only 0.1 penalty points. In the following two rounds, things did not go quite as well, so that their Golf III finished in seventh place with 7.2 points (0.1/3.6/1.7/0.2/0.7/0.9). In P6, the second team of MSC Wahlscheid in the ADAC was in the top 10. With a zero-fault lap and a total of 6.6 points (2.3/1.8/1.6/0.7/0.0/0.2), Andrea and Rolf Derscheid (Much) in the Opel Corsa A also secured their club's good result in the team classification. Steven and Jennifer Ostrowski got off to a good start in the potent Mercedes AMG A45. But after the first confirmation lap with only 0.1 points, two more Nordschleife circuits followed, with the result of which the two from Essen were certainly not satisfied. In the second half of the GLP they then reached their well-known top level again and were in a good fifth place after the finish with 6.1 points (0.1/2.1/2.9/0.6/0.2/0.2). Equal points on the following two placings. Since, according to the GLP regulations, the performance in the first confirmation round is decisive in this case, Harald Ezaru with his father Harald Ezaru sen. (Pforzheim) in the BMW 330 ci and 5.9 points ended up in fourth place. Third place was secured by Falk and Monika Mellentin with also 5.9 penalty points (2.6/0.9/0.6/0.9/0.6/0.3) for the DAMC 05 in the ADAC. At the end of the GLP, the two drivers from Mönchengladbach still had to fear for their success: "In the fourth confirmation lap, the reserve indicator suddenly lit up, although we had filled up our Mini Diesel beforehand." Despite the last three laps in "energy saving mode", they were able to maintain their lap times and reached the finish line with the last litre of fuel. Markus and Michael Spiller from Hausweiler proved that you can still have fun and success on the Nordschleife with a 1989 VW hatchback Polo. After a not quite optimal first confirmation lap, father and son Spiller played out their Nordschleife experience, drove strong times and finished the GLP "Schloss Augustusburg Brühl" in second place with 5.2 points (2.4/0.5/0.6/0.5/0.4/0.8). And who was the day's winner? Time deviations in the confirmation rounds between only 0.1 and 0.5 points as well as one zero round speak a clear language: Specialists are at work here. The addition resulted in a top result of only 1.2 penalty points and thus the sovereign day's victory for Oliver and Udo von Fragstein (Leichlingen and Leverkusen) in the Ford Puma. The winners of the rookie classification also drove a Ford Puma. Here, Stefan Jacobs (Aachen) and Justin Schumacher (Hennef) won with 10.6 points (2.9/1.7/1.0/1.6/1.5/1.9) ahead of Sebastian Anding and Nadine Philipp from Blaufelden in a Honda Accord with 15.5 points (0.9/1.4/4.9/2.9/2.8/2.6). As there was unfortunately only one vehicle at the start in the RCN Green Challenge, the victory went without a fight to Thomas Overbeck (Tönisvorst) and Uwe Reichle (Recke) in the Renault Zoe with 62.5 penalty points (15.3/21.7/25.3). The team classification was deservedly secured by MSC Wahlscheid in the ADAC (Derscheid / Derscheid, Göbbels / Göbbels, Scholl / Scholl, Vosen / Vosen and Dahlhäuser / Dahlhäuser) with 27.74 points, followed by "Team Null Runde" (Ezaru / Ezaru, Dedekind / Meier, Großelanghorst / Bollweg and Schlüter / Schlüter) with 26.96 points. The award ceremony took a little longer this time, as the prize winners of the 1st run were also awarded. The awarding of the prizes marked the end of an all-round successful event.
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.
30.03.2023
Great events are known to cast their shadows ahead - and this is also the case at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburging from 18 to 21 May. Before the big highlight of the Nordschleife season, many teams and drivers will be preparing intensively once again on 22 and 23 April 2023. At the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, they will have nine and a half hours to test their equipment for the last time at the venue of the endurance showdown - because that is how long the qualifying sessions and races are scheduled for this weekend. Teams and spectators can experience all facets of the 24h race weekend "in miniature", after all, in addition to the qualifying practice sessions and a top qualifying session, the programme includes two races, the first of which runs into the evening hours. Six race hours offer enough time to optimise performance and assess the balance of power. > more info & tickets After that, the engines will be silent for almost a month before the 24h, and there will be no further opportunity for preparation. Accordingly, all the top teams and manufacturers from the top group are expected to be present at the 24h Qualifiers. So it's a great opportunity for real fans to get an idea of how things are going on site - especially since, despite all the professionalism in the preparation, many of the players will have even more time than at the season's highlight to have a petrol talk or fulfil an autograph request. Tickets for the 24h Qualifiers cost 23 euros (day tickets Saturday / Sunday in advance) or 38 euros (weekend ticket). More than one reason to startThere are three rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) before the 24h Qualifiers - even on the weekend before the 24-Prologue the wheels are turning at the Ring. And at least until after the second NLS round (8 April), one or the other team will still be playing poker before finally submitting their entry: The closing date for entries for the Qualifiers is the Wednesday after Easter (12 April). Accordingly, it is not yet possible to predict exactly who will be on the grid. However, the teams have already announced around two dozen GT3 cars, and there will certainly be one or two more. After all, the Qualifiers weekend is not only attractive as a testing opportunity. Here, teams can also secure a disproportionately large number of the highly coveted starting places for the top qualifying of the 24h. This time trial for the order in the first rows of the grid has become one of the factors that significantly influence success, not only at the 24h. It is also part of the programme of this prologue as the final time chase on Sunday morning before the second qualifying race. Here, the teams from the classes SP9 (GT3), SP-X and SP-Pro will have a final opportunity to intensively rehearse the procedures for this part of the programme. But the weekend of the 24h Qualifiers is also important for starters from other classes, so that there will be a number of starters in the other touring car and GT classes as well. For them, among other things, it is often a matter of acquiring the necessary practice to obtain the DMSB permit as a separate "Nordschleife licence". Because without this special licence level, no pilot is allowed to start at the 24h. Varied race programme on the NordschleifeThe fans at the race track will also experience other vehicles on the track at the 24h Qualifiers: On Saturday morning, a three-and-a-half-hour regularity test is on the agenda from 8:00 a.m. - mass sport of the most beautiful kind, which already encourages a visit to the Nordschleife. On Saturday afternoon, following the qualifying for the first race, there will be a performance test of the RCN, which is also scheduled for three and a half hours. For the 24h teams, the weekend offers two runs: the first one on Saturday evening (19:30 - 21:30) runs for two hours, run two on Sunday afternoon (13:00 - 17:00) offers four hours of racing action. Indicator for the distribution of power in the current seasonIn recent years, the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers have always been an important indicator of the balance of power on the Nordschleife. Although none of the winning teams in the eight editions so far has managed to win the 24h Nürburgring in the same year. But the composition of the podium has always been an important indicator of what will happen in the race: Brands that finished on the podium at the Qualifiers were usually also among the tight circle of podium aspirants at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring. But you can't really rely on that either. Last year, for example, it was the BMW teams in particular that shone in the qualifiers. In 2022, the poles in both qualifying races belonged to them, a double victory in Heat 1 was followed by a second place in Heat 2. Quite a different story then at the 24h, when the then brand-new M4 GT3 was dogged by bad luck. In general, the events of 2022 are a clear indication that all forecasts, especially on the Nordschleife, should always be treated with caution: The "Green Hell" has its own laws. And events like the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers can help to prepare optimally for the endurance classic. But the 24h of the Nürburgring remains unpredictable, exciting and unique.
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
