From August 9 to 11, the Nürburgring became the stage for a historic spectacle of the fastest kind: hundreds of historic touring cars and GTs, formula cars and sports cars from practically all eras of motorsport came together on the traditional Eifel racetrack for the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix. They celebrated a three-day full-throttle revival that thrilled young and old visitors alike. Right next to the paddock, hundreds of fascinating vintage and classic cars as well as super sports cars met at the one-make club meeting in the Mercedes-AMG Arena. Other clubs met with their legendary models in the reserved areas around the Grand Prix circuit, where there was of course also a special parking area for all visitors arriving in their own classic cars. Information about the big historic festival in the Eifel can be found here.

At the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix, nostalgia met action when the participants from ten different racing series and invitational races took to the track: The event ranged from the 1920s to the more recent motorsport past - and thus from the first races on the then newly opened Nürburgring to the cars of the DTM and other touring cars of the turn of the millennium. The two sports car races set a special accent, as they were as spectacular as they were legendary: in the two-seater racing cars and GTs up to 1965, spectators were able to experience the top-class cars from a golden era of endurance racing in action. In recent years, the iconic models from Mercedes and Porsche have repeatedly come up against their contemporary rivals from Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lotus, Ferrari and Maserati at the classic car Grand Prix. The traditionally packed race offered a magnificent kaleidoscope of some of the most beautiful racing cars of all time. A few years later, this vehicle class had mutated into a breathtaking full-throttle circus - the Historic Championship Can Am & Sportscars race was dedicated to this era. The racing series provided a home for what were probably the most powerful vehicles of the weekend, such as those that used to compete in Group 5, the CanAm or InterSeries. At the front of the field, spectators were treated to a reunion with racing cars whose performance was on a par with contemporary Formula 1. The race was therefore an insider tip for lovers of engine sound and performance.

Big emphasis on "racing with a roof over your head"
Touring cars and GTs have traditionally played an important role in German motorsport and were correspondingly well represented at the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix. The DRM Revival, for example, was particularly popular with visitors. In this invitational race with vehicles from the former German Racing Championship, Ford Capri battled against Porsche and BMW as they did in the 70s and early 80s. The legendary DTM, which still attracts crowds of spectators today, became the top-class successor. Its former vehicles formed the core of the starting field of the "Golden Era of Touring Cars". There was a special run for some of the most unusual vehicles in this race under the heading "Iconic Two Liters". Points for the German Championship were also up for grabs: the races of the Historic Championship '65 and '81 counted as championship races of the German Historic Automobile Championship - the only official historic championship of the German motorsport umbrella organization DMSB. Of course, the sports cars of the FCD Racing Series should not be forgotten in this list. The championship organized by the Ferrari Club Deutschland was a fast-paced showcase for the sporty Italian brand.

Formula Vau was new to the program
There were new highlights this year with the formula cars as part of the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix. With the Historic Formula Vau, there was a look back at the greatest young motorsport series of all time, whose single-seaters powered by Beetle engines became the nursery of numerous racing drivers from the mid-1960s. The same applied to Formula 3, which, with its two-liter monoposti, became the "racing classroom" of the later stars from around the mid-1970s - there was also a reunion with this series. And of course, Formula 1 was not to be missed! This accent was provided by the British HGPCA, whose racing cars dated back to the early days of the premier class from 1950. After a decade, the designers of the premier class switched from front to rear engines. This milestone was commemorated at the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix with separate races for the HGPCA vehicles on Saturday, before the starting fields lined up for the joint race on Sunday.

Time travel with historic racers and road vehicles
The pre-war vehicles, some of which were older than the race track itself, which was inaugurated in 1927, were naturally also an integral part of the program on the race track. However, the participants in the Vintage Sports Car Trophy did not compete in a classification, but presented their magnificent historic vehicles during free laps on the track - not only on the Grand Prix circuit, but also on the Nordschleife and during an Eifel excursion. With this special program, they also formed the bridge to the classic cars that could be experienced in the paddock, Mercedes-AMG Arena and as part of the club meetings in the areas around the track. Many enthusiasts of classic cars from a wide variety of manufacturers used the Belmot Oldtimer Grand Prix as a meeting place for like-minded people, which also gave visitors the opportunity to marvel at the lovingly maintained vehicles. The doors for the clubs were therefore wide open at the event, and the Oldtimer Grand Prix put together an attractive package of services for the participants. Individual visitors with a historic vehicle were also very welcome. A dedicated classic car parking lot was set up as an exclusive parking area.