Nürburgring 24 Hours: Difference between revisions

|Most wins team = [[Manthey Racing]] (7)

|Most wins manufacturer = [[BMW]] (20)

 

The '''Nürburgring 24 Hours''' is a 24-hour annual [[touring car racing|touring car]] and [[Grand tourer|GT]] [[Endurance racing (motorsport)|endurance racing]] event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the GP-Strecke ("Grand Prix track") circuits of the [[Nürburgring]] in [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], Germany. Held since 1970, the over {{convert|25.3|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} lap length allows more than 200 cars and over 700 drivers to participate.

== Cars ==

[[File:Opel Manta B VLN (Ausschnitt).jpg|thumb|The [[Opel Manta]] SP3 was a regular participant between 1994 and 2023]]

The Nurburgring 24 Hours is known for its wide variety of cars. In 2023, 135 cars in 20 classes were entered.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Participants 2023 – ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring |url=https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/participants-2023/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Available classes include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=The protagonists – ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring |url=https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/the-protagonists/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

 

=== 2007 race ===

{{main|2007 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

For the 2007 event held on Corpus Christi weekend of June 7–10, more than 260 teams had applied for the 220 race entries. Prior to the start which had been scheduled for 15:00, an approaching thunderstorm made the organizers delay the beginning of the race. Lightning struck the camp of fans, injuring several, while heavy rain made the track muddy. At 16:51, the race was started after two laps behind a safety car. Veteran Klaus Ludwig at the wheel of the [[Aston Martin DBRS9]] which had been given the number 007 took the lead in wet conditions, but hesitating too long with the change to dry tyres, the favorite Manthey team took the lead in their new [[Porsche 997 GT3]]-RSR. More weather-related drama occurred in the night, when the race was interrupted due to fog for six hours, making the race 18 hours.

 

=== 2008 race ===

{{main|2008 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

For the 2008, over 270 cars were entered, of which only 230 could be accepted. The race began in sunny weather with drama for the favorite Porsche teams of Manthey and Land, losing time with a leaky radiator and a tire failure, and the new Alzen 997 Turbo and the Zakspeed Viper battling for the lead. After the Viper was out, only the [[BMW Z4 (E85)]] of [[Claudia Hürtgen]], pole setter and winner of the recent [[VLN]] race, could challenge the Porsche armada and lead for some laps, but it crashed during the night.

 

=== 2009 race ===

{{main|2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

For 2009, the organizers announced that they wanted to reduce the gap in speeds, by not accepting small capacity cars any more, and by slowing down the fastest classes, SP7 and SP8. Also, the new [[FIA GT3]] and [[FIA GT4]] classes were adopted, called SP9 and SP10. Some of the new rules are controversial, especially the fact that instead of the regular fuel pumps as used in any public station, the top teams have to use expensive equipment designed to equal the times needed to refill, meaning that an economic car is punished compared to a thirsty car. Due to the various rule changes, some teams have declined to take part, namely [[Zakspeed]] with their Viper.

 

===2021 race===

{{main|2021 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

The 2021 race was won by the [[Porsche]]-based [[Manthey Racing]], who was forced to sit out the previous year's race due to COVID-19 concerns involving the team crew. A new record low of 58 laps (and less than ten hours of actual racing) was covered, as the race was once again interrupted for most of the night due to inclement weather.

 

===2022 race===

{{main|2022 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

The 50th anniversary<ref>{{Cite web |title=24h celebrate the anniversary with a huge programme |url=https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/2022/05/23/24h-celebrate-the-anniversary-with-a-huge-programme/ |website=www.24h-rennen.de |date=23 May 2022 |access-date=29 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The race of the year, for the 50th time |url=https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/2022/05/20/the-race-of-the-year-for-the-50th-time/ |website=www.24h-rennen.de |date=20 May 2022 |access-date=29 May 2022}}</ref> 2022 race took place on 28–29 May 2022. A total of 159 laps were completed by the winning car #15 from [[Phoenix Racing (German racing team)|Scherer Sport Team Phoenix]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.24h-rennen.de/en/home/ |title=Congratulations Audi Sport Team Phoenix |website=www.24h-rennen.de |date=29 May 2022 |access-date=29 May 2022}}</ref>

 

===2023 race===

{{main|2023 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}

The #30 Frikadelli Racing Team won the race in a [[Ferrari 296 GTB]] completing a total of 162 laps. The race set a new distance record and also marks [[Ferrari]]'s first ever Nürburgring 24 Hours victory.