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History of the legendary and much anticipated 24 Hours Nürburgring race

Michele Lupini23.05.2020

The 24 Hours Nürburgring race, a festival of racing for fans, revolves around one of the most remarkable motor races of the modern era and is an undoubted bucket list item for the world's best drivers and race teams.  

Officially known as the ADAC 24h Rennen Nürburgring, the 24 hour race began in 1970 when the German auto federation ADAC formalised an endurance race on the Nordschleife.

Mainly aimed at amateurs who make up the bulk of the 150 car grid, the 24 is a standalone international event that rather races alongside the VLN 4-hour races, it has run every year except for 1974 and ’75, when it was cancelled due to the fuel crisis .

While this year’s event was affected, it will indeed still race, albeit three months later in the season on the weekend of 26 and 27 September 2020.

That date is likely to throw in a few curve balls — there will be more nighttime racing around time of the equinox, rather than the traditional date closer to summer solstice, never mind that the weather, as has often been the case when inclement and impassable conditions have caused the race through the night at the Green Hell to be paused several times over the years.

The 24 Hours was originally run to standard FIA Group N Production Car regulations, but that has evolved over the years to see the race catering for GT3 race cars up front, with a large field made up of Touring Car and faster Production cars racers and even quick street cars in hot pursuit.

Many of them are specialist Nürburgring 24 racers with machinery developed for that race only, the likes of Manthey’s wild Porsches’ the Zakspeed Viper and even adapted DTM and ALMS machinery competing.

The 24 Hour races on a 25.3km version of the Nürburgring that combines the Nordschleife and the newer Grand Prix Circuit. 180 cars are allowed to qualify for the 150 starting positions and that is followed by a Top 40 qualifying shootout. The race is started in speed group waves to prevent congestion on the first lap, but the lead cars are already usually lapping backmarkers by the third lap of the race.  

With two to four drivers per car, 700 drivers can race, but driver stints are limited to a 2 hour 30 minute maximum and a two hour minimum rest time between shifts, although one driver can enter in two cars.

The Nürburgring 24h is however far more than just a race and the weekend has developed into something of a mythical motorsport fan festival over the years, too.

With more than ample facilities for race fans to camp, barbecue and buy bratwurst and most importantly beer around the Nordschleife, more than 200.000 spectators make the pilgrimage to the Nürburgring 24 every year - this year we will have to see, but for sure given half a chance and fans will flock to the great race.

Many will even pitch tents several days before the racing starts, attracted by the wildest and weirdest traditions from bonfires to the allure of the main camping and party zone at Brünnchen. And maybe even watch a bit of racing, too.

Don’t expect any creature comforts or any tranquillity, but the Nürburgring 24 weekend is perfect for another week of mythical motorsport partying. The Nürburgring 24h is however first and foremost a major international motor race that happens to have an incredible history.

Last year, Pierre Kaffer, Frank Stippler, Dries Vanthoor and Frédéric Vervisch won in a Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo, while Nick Tandy, Frédéric Makowiecki, Patrick Pilet and Richard Lietz took 2018 honours in Nürburgring 24h super team Manthey Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R, that race red flagged for two hours in the early hours of Sunday to allow the fog to pass over the Green Hell.

2017 winners were Kelvin van der Linde, Markus Winkelhock Connor De Phillippi and Christopher Mies' Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS, but the fastest-ever Nürburgring was in 2014 when Christopher Haase, Christian Mamerow, René Rast and Markus Winkelhock’s Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra set a new distance record by completing 159 laps, breaking Manthey’s 2006 mark by eight laps. In between all that, Mother Nature has kept average speeds down with everything from hail to sleet and even snow!

The Nürburgring 24 has had many top drivers race and win over the years, with former F1 star Pedro Lamy, the ever present Timo Bernhard and Marcel Tiemann the most successful, having won five times each. Romain Dumas, Fritz Müller, Marc Duez and Peter ‘Zakspeed’ Zakowski have won four Nürburgring 24h races and Hans-Joachim Stuck, who’s first and second wins were 28 years apart, Herbert Hechler, Klaus Ludwig and Marcus Winkelhock have each won three times.

Other notable winners include Niki Lauda back in ’73, local Nordscheife lady pro Sabine Reck, Johnny Cecotto, Christian Danner, Nicki Thiim, Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Mike Rockenfeller and F1 safety car master Bernd Mayländer. There are many remarkable stories among the lower classes too, like the humble BMW 120d that ended up fifth overall one year and top-ten finishes by VW Golf GTIs, and Opel Astra GTCs over the years and a near-standard Hyundai Coupe V6 ending up 13th overall.

But best of all is that the Nürburgring is looking likely to happen at the end of September after all and between then and now we are proud to offer the official #24HNBR merchandise online to commemorate what is sure to be another historic adventure of racing through the legendary track with 156 corners!

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