17.04.2024
Thrilling motorsport and an entertaining mix of music, trade fair and festival - that's what visitors can look forward to at the season highlight of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship: the 37th edition of the International ADAC Truck Grand Prix, which will take place at the Nürburgring from July 11 to 14, 2024. For almost four decades, the Eifel has been dominated by truck racing in July. There is a good reason for this success story, because hardly any other motorsport event promises the public so much variety. Whether truck race fans, festival fans or trade visitors - there is something for everyone. Last year, for example, around 130,300 fans created a great atmosphere at the Nürburgring and watched the presentation of the world's first fully electric eTruck, among other things. "The International ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix stands for motorsport and entertainment, but also for sustainability and innovation. Advance ticket sales have started very well and fans can look forward to a spectacular weekend full of action and entertainment," says Jörg Hennig, Sports Director at ADAC Mittelrhein e.V. Festival tickets available from 10 euros & day tickets from 20 eurosThe organizers are once again expecting over 100,000 visitors and are offering fans an innovation: for the first time, festival-only tickets are also available for the country evening on Friday (12 July) and party evening on Saturday (13 July). On Friday, old master Tom Astor will be the musical highlight of a fantastic country evening at his 37th appearance at the ADAC Truck Grand Prix, where Alina Sebastian, Big S and Jake Lindholm will also delight the fans. After last year's great success, Saturday promises another exuberant party atmosphere in the Müllenbachschleife. Isi Glück, Julian Benz, Nancy Franck and Peter Wackel will get the floor shaking. The festival culminates with a breathtaking firework display. The ticket for the country evening (Friday) costs 10 euros and the ticket for the party evening (Saturday) 12.50 euros. The ticket entitles the holder to access the entire Müllenbachschleife and festival area from 17:00 in each case. For the entire event, including motorsport, the cheapest day ticket is available for 20 euros, the cheapest weekend ticket for 50 euros. Children up to and including the age of 12 have free admission in many categories. Tickets are available here. Motorsport up close: Goodyear FIA ETRC & ADAC GT MastersThe focus of the sporting part is on the races of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. This is where the best truck racers in Europe compete, including top German drivers Jochen Hahn and Sascha Lenz, who finished second and third overall behind Hungarian Norbert Kiss last season. In the Mittelrhein Cup, fans can look forward above all to the race trucks of the Dutch series (Dutch Truck Racing). Also back at the Ring: the ADAC GT Masters, which will be staging the third of six race weekends at the Nürburgring following its successful comeback last year as part of the ADAC Truck Grand Prix. Super sports cars from manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and McLaren, with 550 hp and a top speed of 250 km/h at the Nürburgring, will meet race trucks with more than 1,000 hp. As different as the performance is, as sustainable is the fuel: both racing series rely on alternative energies such as hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. Top decision-makers at one of the largest commercial vehicle trade fairsThe International ADAC Truck Grand Prix has long been more than just a motorsport event and festival. While people are battling for points and trophies on the race track, one of the largest industrial trade fairs in the commercial vehicle sector takes place in the infield. National and international truck manufacturers, suppliers and freight forwarders present themselves to the public on around 10,000 square meters. The Innovation Camp will showcase the sustainable (drive) technologies of tomorrow. The 17th ADAC/TÜV Rheinland Truck Symposium will take place on Friday, July 12. This year, high-ranking experts from politics and business will be discussing the topic of "Climate-friendly logistics in the area of conflict between tolls and technical challenges". Interested trade visitors can register at trucksymposium.de. Family entertainment with road safety educationA varied supporting program awaits visitors throughout the entire race weekend: from trucker parade to fan village and trucker camp to Kinderland, where there will be a traffic promotion for children as well as a duck rodeo and bouncy castles. Job fair for those interested in a career One issue that is affecting the entire economy is the shortage of skilled workers. To this end, ADAC Mittelrhein e.V. and the Nürburgring are organizing the ADAC Truck-Grand- Prix Job Expo for the third time, which brings together people interested in careers with future employers. The fair takes place from Friday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm at the ring°boulevard (Nürburgring Boulevard 1, 53520 Nürburg), admission is free.
14.04.2024
The second victory in the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers also went to Falken-Porsche: Nico Menzel and Martin Ragginger took the second win for the blue and green #44 Porsche 911 GT3-R on Sunday. After 27 laps, they were 1.793 seconds ahead of the #98 Rowe-BMW M4 GT3. The third-placed brand colleagues from Manthey completed the podium on Sunday with the #911 "Grello" nine-eleven. The extensive opportunity to prepare for the 24-hour race at the end of May and the classification of both races for the Nürburgring Langstreckenserie (NLS) meant that the tenth edition of the event attracted more participants than ever and an even bigger crowd. After a top-class sporting weekend, fans will have to wait a little longer until the season highlight in seven weeks' time, when the winner's trophy will be awarded for the 52nd time in the longest race on the world's most beautiful and challenging race track. Information and results from the weekend as well as continuous reporting on the official homepage at www.24h-rennen.de will help to shorten the wait until the race of the year. "It can go on like this - if there was a subscription, I would book it immediately," said local hero Nico Menzel after the finish. He had celebrated his second victory on the Nordschleife in the Falken Porsche #44 in Sunday's race of the 24h Qualifiers, having already won the NLS opener. Team-mate Martin Ragginger, who had previously driven the nine-eleven to the finish in the lead, grinned: "I'm delighted that I was able to clinch victory for Falken with Nico. The weekend went very well for us. Everyone in the team really did a top job and it finally worked out for me." In the end, only the Rowe-BMW #98 was able to hold its own against the dominant Porsche: "As long as you're not at the top, things can always be better - but in principle, I'm personally satisfied with our performance," said former DTM champion Marco Wittmann, who shared the GT3 with Maxime Martin and Raffaele Marciello over the weekend. "After we had a small accident yesterday and were unable to finish the race, things went well today. But we're still missing that crucial bit on Porsche, and I hope that we can make up for that before the 24-hour race. I can hardly wait." Porsche in the role of provisional favoriteWith a track time of just over twelve hours, the weekend offered the top teams in particular a perfect opportunity to prepare for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from May 30 to June 2 and the last chance to drive the 25.378 km "24h version" of the Nürburgring under competitive conditions. Even though many of the top teams were therefore primarily focused on preparations for the 24h at the end of May, this weekend gave a first impression of the balance of power on the Nordschleife. Porsche in particular left a strong impression. After the one-two success at the 24h Qualifiers and two race wins at the NLS opener a week earlier, the Porsche 911 GT3-Rs are now definitely the favorites for the 24h Nürburgring as well. Afterwards, race director Walter Hornung assessed the results from his point of view: "We saw some great endurance racing on the Nordschleife this weekend. Around 130 participants, well-filled spectator areas around the Nordschleife - that was an impressive foretaste of the 24h Nürburgring on the Corpus Christi weekend. The two races on Saturday and Sunday were extremely exciting, but of course we will be intensively evaluating the huge amounts of data from the GT3 cars over the next few days and readjusting the Balance of Performance. After all, that is one of the most important functions of the qualifiers: to enable fair and balanced racing in the actual 24-hour race." NLS brings record number of participants to the 24h QualifiersAround 130 teams submitted their entries for the tenth edition of the 24h Qualifiers, offering thrilling battles across all classes. For them, it was not least about the class and overall placings in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), which included both races of the weekend for the first time this year. With now four races in two "double-header weekends", the NLS has already reached the halfway point of the season. Sven Markert, Ranko Mijatovic and Toby Goodman in the Adrenalin BMW #650 from the M240i Racing Cup class were able to celebrate the unofficial title of "half-time champions". On Sunday, they were the only NLS team to take victory in their well-staffed class for the fourth time in a row, while all their closest rivals in the championship battle had to give up ground. "Our weekend went perfectly again," said a delighted Ranko Mijatovic. "We're taking a more relaxed approach, driving defensively, and that's the key to success. At the moment, I don't even realize that we really are half-time champions - of course I'm mega-happy about that. But it's obviously going to be a huge challenge to keep this up throughout the season."
13.04.2024
Porsche is the match winner in the first prologue race for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. Three nine-eleven GT3s were in the lead at the finish line after the thrilling first of two four-hour races at the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on Saturday evening. Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller in the Falken Porsche (#44) were ahead of their team-mates Julien Andlauer and Klaus Bachler in the #33 and Ayhancan Güven and Thomas Preining in the Manthey 'Grello' (#911) after 27 laps. However, the Falken Porsche with the #33 was given a time penalty of 32 seconds for overtaking under yellow flags after crossing the finish line, meaning that second place ultimately went to the Grello shortly after the podium ceremony. The second part of the intensive weekend of preparation for the season highlight at the end of May starts tomorrow: The four-hour race starts on Sunday (April 14) at 13:00. Admission to the open spectator areas around the Nordschleife will again be free (only parking fees apply), tickets for the paddock and the grandstands of the Grand Prix circuit will be available at the open box offices. After winning the season opener of the NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie), today's success was the second triumph for Falken Motorsports in the young Nordschleife season. "I had a bit of trouble keeping up with the pace of the Audis at the start today. But things went better and better for us," said Falken driver Sven Müller, summing up the opening race of the weekend. "The balance of the 911 was perfect and the tires were great. The pit strategy was also right - that's a successful start to the season! Tomorrow we'll change the driver pairings a little and want to continue working on the set-up for the 24-hour race." Team boss Sven Schnabel was also in a positive mood: "As a team, we've had a good start to the season and I hope it stays that way. If it stays like this for the 24h race, that would obviously be perfect." Previously, a quintet had dominated the action at the front of the field for a long time: Initially, the two Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II cars from Scherer Sport PHX (#15 and #16) were able to maintain the lead, having also shared the front row of the grid. Starting driver Ricardo Feller lost the internal team fight against Christopher Haase, who headed for the pits in the lead. "We are already close to the top condition of our cars, which can now really be considered 'bulletproofed'," said the driver from Kulmbach, describing the team's current advantage over the competitors with fresher material, who used the two qualifying races in particular to further refine the optimum set-up for the 24-hour race at the end of May. Ultimately, however, it was not enough against the currently strong Porsche. Axel Randolph, Team Principal of Scherer PHX, had to admit: "I think you could see today that we can't keep up with the Porsches at the moment. We were in front and drove a good race, but the Porsches are better in terms of speed." Large grid offers exciting motorsportAlmost 130 teams lined up for the first four-hour race of the weekend, providing the best entertainment of the evening. The starting field, which was significantly larger than last year, also included many entrants from the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), which is taking part in its third and fourth races of the season this weekend. Even though the almost 30 cars in the top classes, which are capable of winning, dominated the action at the front, there was also excellent sport in the fight for victory in the other outstanding classes. As the fastest non-GT3, #148 Steve Jans, Tobias Müller and Noah Nagelsdiek (Black Falcon) won the Cup2 category and thus also took the day's victory in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring (PETN). Things are looking particularly good for two touring car teams in the standings after the third NLS race. The Adrenalin Motorsport-BMW M240i Racing Cup #650 and the Hyundai i30N from Mertens Motorsport #491 both won their well-populated classes today, as they did in both NLS opening races, and are therefore leading the standings going into the overnight break. The action continues on Sunday!The second race of the weekend will take place on Sunday (April 14) at lunchtime. Before that, however, the morning qualifying starts at 8:15 am. At 10:40 a.m., the fastest teams will then start the top qualifying for the best grid positions. The four-hour race will be released at 13:00. On Saturday, the RCN performance test brought the first sporting decisions of the weekend. Prominent guest in the field: former national soccer player Max Kruse, who also used this opportunity to gain practical experience. His goal is to compete in the 24h next year. Throughout the weekend, there will be real junior and amateur sport with automobile slalom competitions in the Mercedes Arena and youth kart slaloms on the helicopter course in the paddock.
12.04.2024
Rock am Ring, Loco Beach and the music festival at the ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix. The upcoming start of the festival season at the Nürburgring promises a wealth of HeartRace moments - from rock to party to country music, the Nürburgring once again provides an impressive stage for artists from all over the world. Those who want to celebrate live have a free choice: whether a weekend experience with camping or a day visit. Tickets are available for every budget and every personal plan. The festivals at a glance: Rock am Ring (June 7 - 9) Rock am Ring celebrates the 2024 festival with a spectacular line-up that focuses on exclusivity in a very special way. In just under two months, it will be ringing in the 2024 festival summer and welcoming its fans to the Eifel region from June 7 to 9. Måneskin, Kraftklub, Billy Talent and Babymetal will play their only two German shows in 2024 at the Ring. Green Day celebrate 30 years of Dookie and 20 years of American Idiot. Die Ärzte are playing their only shows besides the two open airs in Berlin and Broilers are celebrating their 30th stage anniversary. In addition to the festival and camping tickets, there is now also an offer for day visitors. Tickets are available here from € 109.00. Loco Beach (August 22 - 24) Germany's craziest party festival celebrates its premiere this year with "Loco Beach". From August 22 to 25, the event will offer four days of live acts and DJs from various genres at the Nürburgring Müllenbachschleife. In addition, camping in the Loco Village and an exclusive Fun & Activity Park await visitors. The musical orientation at the Loco Beach Festival breaks through the boundaries of genres. Colorful, shrill and loud is the motto on the main stage. Mega acts such as Bausa, Scooter, Mia Julia, Die Atzen and Alexander Marcus will be performing on the stages. The organizers' planning was based on the playlists of festival-goers, who are not limited to one musical genre. Day and weekend tickets are available here from € 39.99. ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix (July 11 - 14) Between motorsport and music festival. The international ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix will once again shake the Nürburgring from July 11 to 14. In the Müllenbachschleife, the country and pop music festival invites you to party. For the first time, tickets can only be purchased for the festival. The Friday ticket is for all fans who want to experience the country music evening up close. A legendary atmosphere awaits with performances by Alina Sebastian, Big S, Jake Lindholm and Tom Astor. Saturday offers the perfect opportunity for those who want to enjoy party music to the full - with performances by Isi Glück, Julian Benz, Nancy Franck and Peter Wackel. Both day tickets for Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13 include access to the entire Müllenbachschleife and the festival area from 17:00. Tickets are available here from € 10,00.
11.04.2024
The Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit has a new bend. As the centerpiece of an extensive partnership, PAGID Racing now holds the naming rights to the first right-hand bend of the so-called Müllenbachschleife. In addition, the brand, which has been successful with its brake pads in the motorsport and high-performance segment for 30 years, will become a partner of the Nürburgring Driving Academy and will be involved in the ring°kart track and the Nürburgring Business Club. The partnership will initially run for three years until 2026. As part of the collaboration with the Nürburgring Driving Academy, PAGID Racing will also equip the Nürburgring's formula cars with high-quality, asbestos-free racing brake pads, helping the ring's customers to find the perfect braking point in future. At the Driving Academy's formula training sessions, anyone can climb into the cockpit on various courses. At the ring°kart track, PAGID Racing ensures that guests also feel comfortable off the track and sets up a "chill and brake zone" for visitors. In addition, the performance brand uses the offers of the race track's networking platform with a membership in the Nürburgring Business Club. Over 50 companies involved in the Nürburgring are already connected here. "We are delighted to be intensifying our collaboration with the Nürburgring. Due to the enormously high demands on drivers and vehicles, the Nürburgring has been a very important location for the PAGID Racing brand for decades, not only serving as a test track for our high-quality friction materials, but also as the central link to our partners who successfully compete there year after year," explains Carolin Leo, Global Brand Marketing Manager at PAGID Racing. "PAGID Racing's commitment across several modules of our Nürburgring destination shows how versatile and at the same time targeted partners can present themselves at our race track. We are proud to be able to offer PAGID Racing such a wide range of activities, from advertising at the track to the sensible use of the company's high-quality products as part of the Nürburgring offers. In this way, a partnership is also lived in terms of content and, above all, can be experienced by our customers," says Nürburgring Managing Director Christian Stephani. About PAGID Racing and TMD FrictionPAGID Racing is a performance brand of TMD Friction, a leading global supplier of high-quality brake pad solutions for the automotive and brake industry. TMD Friction employs more than 4,200 people worldwide at locations in Europe, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, China and Japan. The company develops and produces disc and drum brake linings for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The product portfolio is rounded off by the PAGID Racing brand in the motorsport and high performance segment and has been successful in this area worldwide for more than 30 years.
10.04.2024
After the brilliant season opener last weekend, the ADAC Nürburgring endurance series continues without a break. With the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the next double-header is scheduled for April 13 and 14. Two 4-hour races - on Saturday even into the twilight - once again promise thrilling motorsport in the Green Hell. Tickets are available from 25 euros at 24h-rennen.de and at the box offices. As usual, those staying at home can followthe action around the Nürburgring via livestream at vln.de. After not all GT3 teams were on the grid at the two opening races of the NLS due to overlapping dates, the qualifiers will feature a full load of GT3 power. Of course, the two victorious Porsche teams Falken Motorsports and Manthey EMA will also be competing this weekend. This time, DTM champion Thomas Preining and his DTM teammate this year, Ayhancan Güven, will take turns at the wheel of 'Grello'. After almost achieving the historic first victory for the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO II in NLS2, RED BULL TEAM ABT is now looking for revenge. In the qualifiers, Frikadelli Racing, last year's 24-hour winner, will once again attack with the Ferrari 296 GT3 and Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed is also aiming for success. The racing team from the business park at the Nürburgring took a race win in last year's qualifiers. Herberth Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R), Schnitzelalm Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3), Lionspeed GP - PK Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R), Dinamic GT (Porsche 911 GT3 R) and the two BMW teams BMS M Team RMG and ROWE RACING will also contest the first race in the Green Hell 2024. A total of 28 GT3 cars will be on the grid, promising spectators first-class racing action. Following the brand switch from BMW to Aston Martin, Walkenhorst Motorsport will contest the first Nordschleife event with the British super sports car. Christian Krognes, Jakub Giermaziak, David Pittard and Nicki Thiim will take turns at the wheel in the #34 car, with Chandler Hull, Benjamin Mazatis and Patrick Assenheimer in the #35 and Stefan Aust, Christian Bollrath, Anders Buchard and team founder Henry Walkenhorst in the #36. Last season, the racing team from Melle took five victories in the NLS - albeit all in BMWs. Double lead in the championshipAfter two of eight races in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, two teams are level on points at the top of the standings. Daniel Mertens and Joshua Hislop won the VT2-FWD class twice in the Hyundai i30N from Mertens Motorsport. Sven Markert, Ranko Mijatovic and Toby Goodman from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhattan Wheels achieved the same feat in the BMW M240i Racing Cup. Both classes had a strong field in the opening races, guaranteeing a full points haul. In second place are three teams that claimed a win and a second place in NLS 1+2. AVIA W&S Motorsport was successful with Joshua Bedarski, Lucas Daugaard and Moritz Oberheim in their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS in the Cup 3 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring. In the SP10, TOYO TIRES with Ring Racing with Andreas Gülden, Tim Sandtler and Marc Hennerici in the Toyota Supra GT4 and Dörr Motorsport with Oskar Sandberg, Aaron Wenisch and Nick Wüstenhagen in the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 took turns in first and second place. Horst Baumann, who together with Stefan Schmickler drove the Porsche from Schmickler Performance powered by Ravenol to third and second place in Cup 3, leads the new Gentlemen trophy for drivers born in 1973 or earlier. The two championship leaders Goodman and Hislop are currently also the best-placed drivers in the Junior Trophy. Desiree Müller, who drives a BMW 325i in the V4, is in first place in the Ladies' Trophy. And - after a second place in the first race and a much-acclaimed victory in the second - Grello, the Porsche 911 GT3 from Manthey EMA, leads the Speed Trophy. Thrilling program with plenty of racingThe ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers are part of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie for the first time this year. The dress rehearsal for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (May 30 to June 2) is organized by ADAC Nordrhein. The two-day event begins with qualifying for race one on Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon. The first four-hour race starts at 5:30 pm and continues into the evening hours. On Sunday, the 90-minute qualifying session starts at 08:15. The top qualifying session, in which the fastest cars take to the track in an individual time trial, is a highlight from 10:40 am. The second race of the weekend starts at 13:00 and the chequered flag falls at 17:00. Both races will be contested on the 24-hour version, consisting of the Grand Prix circuit (without the AMG Arena) and the Nordschleife. In addition to the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers themselves, the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) will run a performance test on the Nordschleife on Saturday from 13:00 to 16:30. In the paddock, there will be a youth kart slalom on the helipad and automobile slaloms will take place in the AMG Arena on both days.
09.04.2024
The ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers from April 13th to 14th promise an extremely exciting Nordschleife weekend. The two four-hour races of the weekend will be the highlight of the preparation phase for the race of the year, as this is the ideal opportunity for testing before the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (May 30 to June 2). In addition, both heats on Saturday (start at 17:30) and Sunday (start at 13:00) will be scored for the NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie). Over 130 cars will be lining up to take advantage of this double opportunity - the entry list is available online (see links). Among them are the winning teams of the first two NLS races, Falken Motorsports and Manthey with their Porsche 911 GT3 R. Whether they can also be considered favorites for the 24h will be decided during the 24h Qualifiers. That's when many top teams who were still involved in other racing series at the NLS season opener will join the field. Good reasons not to miss out on this race weekend - especially as there is also plenty of highly interesting motorsport to experience in the supporting program. Tickets for the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers are available here - admission to the Nordschleife (except camping and parking) is free! The 24h Qualifiers are the crowning finale to intensive weeks of full-throttle racing. This also included the "double-header" at the NLS season opener on the first weekend in April. This gave a first impression of this year's balance of power on the Nordschleife. Daniel Juncadella took pole position on both days in the HRT team's Mercedes-AMG GT3. In the first race on Saturday, the Porsche teams in particular made an extremely strong impression: one of the 911 GT3 Rs from Falken Motorsports took victory on Saturday ahead of the legendary "Grello" 911 from Manthey Racing. If the second Falken Porsche had not retired shortly before the end, there would have been a triple podium for the 911s. As it was, the remaining podium place went to the strong performance of Frank Stippler in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 from Scherer PHX. On Sunday, Manthey then took the lead in a spectacular photo finish when Laurens Vanthoor overtook Jordan Pepper in the Abt-Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II practically at the finish line. The Lambo had previously put in a magnificent performance and looked like a sure winner until shortly before the end. But final driver Jordan Pepper, who was signaled by the pits that he would not have enough fuel for another lap, reduced the pace a little too much to avoid crossing the finish line again before the four-hour time limit expired. Manthey's final driver Laurens Vanthor took full advantage of this and ultimately won by half a car length. "You can't make something like that up," marveled the winner. His team, which was one of the most successful teams at the 24h, could be highly satisfied. Team colleague Kevin Estre had already been delighted with "a super preparation" the day before after P2 in the first race. "The Grello is a legend on the Nordschleife, many fans celebrate the car. It's great to be part of it." 24h Qualifiers offer the chance for revengeThe brand colleagues from Falken Motorsports were also highly satisfied after the victory on Saturday and P3 on Sunday. "Super cool!" said a jubilant Nico Menzel after the first race. "After many class wins, this was finally my first overall victory in the NLS." Tim Heinemann took over his racing seat on the second day and was also beaming after the race: "It's good to start the season with a podium and even collect leading kilometers. But we didn't see the true balance of power today - we won't have a picture of that until next weekend at the qualifiers. But it was a great start and our team had a super weekend." There was no sign of similar euphoria among the runners-up in Sunday's NLS race. "A huge mistake," said Jordan Pepper, bemoaning the narrow loss of victory. His colleague Kelvin van der Linde was at least able to celebrate the "mega performance of the team", but also summed up: "This is absolutely bitter, we can't be satisfied. The good news for him and all those for whom this season opener did not go smoothly: There is already a chance of revenge for the beefy Lamborghini, which proved to be new additions to the crowd favorites, at next weekend's qualifiers. The imposing Italo-GT3 proved to be just as competitive at the NLS opener as the celebrated returnees from Glickenhaus Racing: the SCG 004c of the Le Mans participants will also be a visual highlight at the 24h Qualifiers with its sports car look. A first look at the 24h favoritesThe GT3 class, in which the majority of the teams capable of winning compete, was not yet fully occupied at the NLS opener because a number of top teams were tied up with other series. This will change radically in the qualifiers: 30 GT3 and SP-X cars are registered, which should already provide a fairly complete overview of the teams and makes that will be fighting for victory in the 24h. The fastest drivers from the NLS season opener will therefore meet their most important 24-hour rivals on the legendary asphalt for the first time. Among them are last year's 24h winners from Frikadelli Racing with their Ferrari 296 GT3. The Mercedes-AMG teams will be joined by GetSpeed and Schnitzelalm, while RMG and Rowe Racing will be there with their BMW M4 GT3s. The Aston Martin squad will be reinforced by three Vantage AMR GT3 Evo cars in the colors of Trinity Solutions / Walkenhorst. Dinamic GT, Lionspeed and Herberth Motorsport will be joining the action for Porsche. Glock wants to go to the 24hIf the entry list for the 24h Qualifiers is anything to go by, then the 24h Nürburgring on the last weekend in May will be a full assembly of GT racing: teams and drivers from at least the most important European series will meet. There could even be a few more names. Ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Timo Glock, for example, climbed into a Cup BMW in the NLS to qualify for the DMSB Permit - an additional racing license for the major vehicle classes on the Nordschleife. "I've always wanted to compete in the 24h," reveals the Odenwald native. "Now it's finally possible, and my big goal is to start in a car with Timo Scheider at the 24h. My permit is a prerequisite - but we still have a few more hurdles to overcome. Then a small lifelong dream of the 42-year-old would come true: "The stage is even more open here than elsewhere, and you are very close to the fans. Everything is very open and the atmosphere is cool. It's a lot of fun. One of the highlights of the NLS is the start lap, when the fans line the track. At the 24h, all of that is magnified once again - I would like to finally experience that for myself." Lots of motorsport to experienceIt's not just the two main races of the qualifiers that will offer great sport. In the breaks between the practice sessions and races, it's worth taking a stroll through the paddock, where the youngest motorsport drivers can be admired in the youth kart slalom on the heliport. Car slaloms will take place in the Mercedes Arena on both days. The season opener of the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) on Saturday afternoon also promises a very well-staffed field of amateur sports cars on the Nordschleife. The motorsport fun is available in advance for 25 euros (day tickets Saturday / Sunday), the weekend ticket costs 39 euros. Those who cannot experience the 24h Qualifiers on site can watch the most important highlights in the livestream on the 24h homepage (www.24h-rennen.de) on Saturday from 16:45 and on Sunday from 10:30.
07.04.2024
The opening weekend of the ADAC Nürburgring Endurance Series will go down in the history of the Nordschleife championship. Laurens Vanthoor won the race in the Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R with a wafer-thin lead of 0.042 seconds over Jordan Pepper in the RED BULL TEAM ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo II. This was the closest finish in the 48-year history of the NLS. The number of spectators at the double-header was also record-breaking. "That was a dream start to the NLS season," said a delighted VLN Managing Director Mike Jäger. "Two days of thrilling racing action in glorious weather at the Nürburgring in front of a fantastic backdrop - that makes you want more! Many thanks to the participants and fans who made it an unforgettable weekend." Even the early stages of the race were a demonstration of GT3 perfection in the Green Hell. The protagonists who played a role in the showdown at the end of the race were already involved here. In addition, the two Mercedes-AMG GT3s from HRT and the two Falken Porsches fought for every centimeter. The six-pack chased through the Green Hell at intervals of just a few seconds until the first pit stop. After that, the leading group pulled apart somewhat due to different strategies. Later on, the battle between Joel Eriksson in the Falken Porsche and Grello driver Vanthoor, who flew around the track in pairs in the fight for overall victory, was also worth watching. After the final pit stop, the Abt-Lamborghini took the lead when the team benefited from the resolution of a Code 60 phase, which both the Manthey and Falken Porsche had previously driven through at reduced speed. Pepper went into the final lap with a whopping eight-second lead over second-placed Vanthoor. "We would never have been able to make up that gap on the track," admitted Vanthoor's teammate Kévin Estre, even though Vanthoor set the fastest lap of the race in 7:56.473 minutes on the final lap. Nevertheless, it was a close call in the end, as Pepper did not have enough fuel on board for another lap and literally drove against the running clock to avoid having to complete another lap. The Briton was waved off 1.810 seconds after the end of the four-hour distance - and Vanthoor managed the feat of being 0.042 seconds faster. When accelerating out, the front of the Grello moved forward by a few meters. "I tried everything to keep Laurens behind me until the line, but unfortunately it didn't work out," said Pepper and his teammate Kelvin van der Linde was devastated. "I just don't have the words. This is so bitter!" The previous day's winner, Joel Eriksson, completed the podium in third place together with Tim Heinemann at his side in the Falken Porsche. Daniel Juncadella and Frank Bird finished fourth in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT. Thomas Mutsch, Franck Mailleux and Lance David Arnold finished fifth in the Glickenhaus SCG9004c. Hubert Haupt, Dennis Fetzer and Ralf Aron took victory in the SP9 Pro-Am classification in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Team ADVAN x HRT. At the debut of the new Renazzo Motorsport team, Kiki Sak Nana, Christoph Breuer and 'Dieter Schmidtmann' took their first class win in the Am category. The decision in the Cup 2 of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring was also exciting right to the end. Just 0.282 seconds separated the top two at the finish line. Here, too, the decision was only made in the final meters. In the Tiergarten depression, Tobias Müller in the BLACK FALCON Team 48 LOSCH Porsche 911 GT3 R overtook Peter Terting in the Mühlner Motorsport 911. The gap in the Cup 3 class was clearer, with AVIA W&S Motorsport winning by 1:58.366 minutes over Schmickler Performance powered by Ravenol. Last year's champions have bad luck for the first timeThe champion BMW from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhatten Wheels has been unbeaten in the VT2-R+4WD class for two years - in all NLS races, the 24h Qualifiers and the Eifel Marathon itself. In race two, Daniel Zils, Philipp Leisen and Moran Gott lost a lot of time after a puncture following contact in the Sabine Schmitz corner. "Philipp was forced to limp back into the pits with the defective tire," explained team boss Matthias Unger. "After that, we wanted to send the car back into the race, but the electronics went on strike. Even clearing the fault memory didn't help." In the end, the trio finished seventh in the class. Malte Tack, Manfred and Matthias Röss thus celebrated the first Toyota victory in the VT2-R+4WD for TOYO TIRES with Ring Racing. Ex-Formula 1 drivers enjoyed the 'Green Hell' challengeFormer Formula 1 driver Timo Glock drove both races in the BMW M240i as part of the Up2Race team with the aim of completing the mandatory laps for the Nordschleife Permit. "I've always had a love of the Nordschleife," recalls Glock. "I used to drive my private car a lot in tourist traffic." Now tackling the Green Hell in a racing car was a special experience for Glock. "I'm used to being close to the fans in the DTM, but people get even closer here. They just come into the pits and look at the cars. The whole atmosphere is a lot of fun. But my personal highlight was the formation lap. The many fans in the Green Hell - it's fantastic." Former Formula 1 driver and Toyota works driver Kamui Kobayashi also had a lot of fun at his race premiere at the Nürburgring. "I enjoyed it," said the Japanese driver. "The Nordschleife is a huge challenge. But it went better from lap to lap. The fact is, I still have a lot to learn." Kobayashi completed both races of the opening weekend together with his compatriot Kazuto Kotoka in the Toyota Supra Evo GT4. His intention was also to obtain the Nordschleife permit, but he kept a low profile when it came to concrete goals: "First of all, I want to keep open the possibility of racing in the Green Hell. Only time will tell when that will be the case." Races three and four of this year's ADAC Nürburgring Endurance Series will take place next weekend (April 13-14). The ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers will provide the protagonists with points for the NLS championship for the first time. The dress rehearsal for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (May 30 to June 2) will also feature two four-hour races. Tickets for the ADAC Nordrhein event are available here. Both races will be livestreamed on the NLS channels.
07.04.2024
Season opener in the Green Hell - and it wasn't just the weather that showed its best side for the first race of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie: Race one of the double-header provided the spectators - and the winners Joel Eriksson and Nico Menzel - with thrilling racing in bright spring sunshine. In the Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, the duo relegated the legendary 'Grello' from Manthey EMA to second place. Laurens Vanthor and Kévin Estre were 3.644 seconds off the pace at the finish. The podium was completed by Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 from Scherer Sport PHX. "It's hard to believe that this is my first race win here, after all, I've been competing in the NLS for a few years now," said Menzel. "I've been on the podium many times, I've taken class wins, but I've been denied first place so far. I think Joel is our lucky charm, because when he's on the car, it works. He already has four wins." Eriksson added: "It's fantastic to start the season like this," and praised the performance of the Falken 911. "Our car was simply perfect today." The Manthey boys were also delighted. "It's always very special to stand on the podium here at the NLS," said Estre. "And it's always great to be part of Manthey's Grello project." His teammate Vanthoor added: "Yesterday we were still in Spa to drive the LMDh, now on the Nordschleife. Those were two wonderful days. The great encouragement from the fans who cheered us on lap after lap was also fantastic." Markus Winkelhock in third place was also happy with the result: "That was a lot of fun today. Driving on the Nordschleife in such great weather, I can't imagine anything better." However, the team from Meuspath was unable to achieve more than third place today and was unable to match the performance of the Porsche at the front. "They were just too fast, I couldn't keep up," said Stippler after the podium ceremony. The Scherer Audi will not be on the grid for the second race on Sunday. "But I'll obviously be following the race on the live stream," said Winkelhock. "I won't miss out on that." The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO II of RED BULL TEAM ABT and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT finished fourth and fifth respectively. Daniel Juncadella took pole position in qualifying. With a best time of 7:56.507 minutes, the Spaniard relegated the Scherer Audi to second place by 2.455 seconds. In sixth place, Dennis Fetzer, Hubert Haupt and Ralf Aron in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Team ADVAN x HRT took victory in the Pro-Am classification. Behind the best-placed Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of PROsport-Racing, the SCG004c of Glickenhaus Racing LLC finished eighth. In the Am class, debutants Alexey Vermenko and 'SELV' won in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 from JUTARACING. Plenty of variety and thrilling racing in the SP10With eleven cars, the GT4 SP10 class had an extremely strong field at the season opener. Andreas Gülden, Tim Sandtler and Marc Hennerici took victory in the opening race in the Toyota Supra GT4 from TOYO TIRES with Ring Racing. The trio finished 32.198 seconds ahead of Oskar Sandberg, Aaron Wenisch and Nick Wüstenhagen in the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 from Dörr Motorsport. Third place was secured by Achim Waver, Claudius Karch, Ivan Jacoma and Kai Riemer, who are driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS from Schmickler Performance by Ravenol this year. The champions don't stop winningLast season's title winners picked up where they left off at the 2024 season opener. Champions Daniel Zils and Philipp Leisen won the VT2-R+4WD class together with newcomer Moran Gott in the BMW 330i from Adrenalin Motorsport Team Mainhatten Wheels. The runners-up in the championship, Heiko Eichenberg, Fabio Grosse and Patrik Grütter, won the Cup 3 class in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS. Robert Wickens uninjured after accidentOn lap 13, Robert Wickens, who was driving a Hyundai Elantra N TCR together with Mark Wilkins, had an accident in the Hohenrain chicane. After an initial examination at the Nürburgring Medical Center, the Canadian was transferred to the hospital in Neuwied by rescue helicopter. A computer tomography scan revealed no injuries. Wickens will remain in hospital overnight for observation. The ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie continues in quick succession. The second race will take place on Sunday and promises to be another exciting one. The 63rd ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen will run over the usual distance of four hours. Tickets are available at vln.de/tickets and those staying at home can follow the action in the Green Hell via livestream.
