The premiere of the 12h Nürburgring from 9 to 11 September will be a new highlight in the Nürburgring Endurance Series calendar. Lots of entertainment for the spectators on and off the race track meets a whole new challenge for teams and drivers. While the fans camp out at the Nordschleife, the team bosses face the demanding task of finding the right strategy with pinpoint accuracy in the two-part race with six hours each on Saturday and Sunday.
"The 12h Nürburgring will be a challenge, especially tactically," says Daniel Sorg, team boss of Sorg Rennsport. The team from Wuppertal is represented in the NLS with up to eight BMW and Porsche cars in different classes. "The most important thing will be to position ourselves in the best possible way for the restart." In addition, according to Sorg, the most important thing is excellent preparation in the run-up to the race: "Race cars have become more and more stable in recent years. There are hardly any technical defects any more. Nevertheless, every car has its Achilles' heel. A 12h race is more than just a double-header or a 6h race. We will keep a very meticulous eye on the running times of individual assemblies and in the end we will prepare our cars almost as we did before the 24h race at the Nürburgring." Sorg unreservedly welcomes the concept of the 12h Nürburgring: "This will be a huge festival - a real highlight in the NLS. And thanks to the parc fermé regulation at night, we can have a cold drink with the whole team and our guests in peace on Saturday evening and continue racing on Sunday morning after a good night's sleep."
The event character is also welcomed by Vincent Kolb, who will contest the 2022 NLS season together with Frank Stippler in Phoenix-Racing's Audi R8 LMS. "It was already really nice at the first NLS races to have spectators at the race track again," says the 27-year-old. "That makes driving twice as much fun. And I think that at the 12h Nürburgring with camping at the Nordschleife, the atmosphere is even better then." From the Audi driver's point of view, it's all about the restart phase: "The most important thing here is that the drivers manage to get the tyres and brakes properly up to temperature before things really get going again." The cars will be sent into the race on Sunday morning in the time intervals in which they were waved off on Saturday evening. Code 60 will apply throughout the circuit until all cars have started from pit lane - only then will they be allowed to drive. "Race control has really put a lot of thought into this point so that there is no backlog," says Kolb. "For example, if a vehicle is going slower than 60 km/h, you are allowed to pass it."
For Marcel Hoppe, who competes in Cup2 with Mühlner Motorsport, it is a great moment to be part of the premiere. "History will be made at the beginning of September and we will be at the start," he says. "I believe that the 12h Nürburgring is a winning concept." The biggest challenge is to keep tension and concentration. "You have to drive with your head in every race on the Nordschleife, but you have to drive a tad more in a 12h race. After all, after part 1 on Saturday, you also have to complete part 2 on Sunday without making any mistakes. Compared to the Double Header, where the cars could be prepared overnight, here you have to be careful with the material. If you can do that, you're in with a chance of a top place."
Fans have the opportunity to camp at the Brünnchen from Thursday to Sunday at the 12h Nürburgring. The camping area is well equipped with toilets, showers, water supply and lighting. Person tickets for camping are available online as well as tickets for the big "Back to the 90's" party, which will rock the ring°arena on Saturday evening with Masterboy & Beatrix Delgado, Candela Squad, Caught in the Act, Loona and Mütze Katze. And during the day there is also a lot going on next to the race track. Exhibitions by BMW M and the Porsche Club Nürburgring, the Haribo Road Show and the RPR1.Livemobile make a visit to the ring°boulevard and the ring°carré a must. Fans can then experience the protagonists up close during the extended pitwalk with autograph session of all participants and the starting grid.