Nürburgring Endurance Series
Country Germany
Inaugural season1977
Official websitewww.nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de
Current season
Touring cars passing in front of the Nürburg castle in 2009

The Nürburgring Endurance Series[1] (NLS, German: Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie) is an organisation of motorsport clubs of which each hosts one event of a nine-race series held on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Participants of NLS races range from amateurs in small road legal cars with rollcages and harnesses to professional factory teams racing Group GT3 cars. The NLS series is closely associated with the Nürburgring 24 Hours, as it has similar rules (mostly), and mainly the same participants. In the calendar, several weeks around the 24h date in May/June are taken off to allow teams to prepare for the 24h, and to fix their cars afterwards. The 24h is not part of the championship anymore, though.

The championship is known for its large quantity of cars as well as its variety, with an average of 113 cars starting per race in 2023.[2]

As of December 2023, future of the championship is unclear, with the series' current right holders involved in a legal battle with Nürburgring owners over race dates for 2024,[3] and plans for a rival Nürburgring-based series currently under way.[4][5]

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 on the 'Ring

Name

The series was formerly known as VLN (German: Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring, Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organisers) until 2020. The series was named "BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft (BFGLM)" from 2001 to 2009.

History

The VLN was founded in 1977 by several motorsport clubs, which are members of ADAC or Deutscher Motorsport Verband (DMV), in order to join forces. Previously, each club had run its own touring car racing event on the Nürburgring, lasting for 3.5 to 6 hours, with about 150 cars and 400 drivers taking part. The rules were unified and the races were made part of a series.

The winners of the series were awarded a Cup (German Pokal), sponsored by Valvoline and later Veedol lubrication products. Due to this, both organisation and races were simply informally called "Veedol-Cup" for many years. Since the change of sponsorship and the official recognition by Deutscher Motor Sport Bund (DMSB) as the German endurance championship (German Meisterschaft) in 2001, the former Veedol Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring was the BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring. The championship was renamed the NLS in 2020, however the name of the VLN organisation stays the same.

Apart from the 24 Hours, the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN/CHC) and GLP are related smaller events dedicated to non-professionals.

Races

Each NLS race is held as a "one-day event" on Saturdays only, in order to limit costs. The mandatory drivers briefing is at 07:30, qualifying is from 08:30 to 10:00. Following a warm-up lap behind safety cars, the first of three groups starts the race at 12:00, followed by the other two a few minutes later, in time before the fastest cars complete their first lap in just over 8 minutes. After parc fermé is opened and the winners are honoured, the teams can travel home on race day. At some events, the schedule also accommodates additional sprint races of visiting other series, mainly classic cars and youngtimers.

The "Nürburgring 6 Hours" is considered the season highlight – in 1998, even Sir Jack Brabham took part, at age 72. Here, 2 to 4 drivers per cars are entered, while in all others races, a single driver can drive all alone for 4 hours, or up to 3 can form a team. There are two other standout races – the NLS-6 "Barbarossapreis", in which Michael Schumacher's success with Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One is honoured with all podium placegetters receiving red wigs; and the NLS-9 "Münsterlandpokal" or "Schinkenrennen" (ham race), where large pieces of ham from the Münsterland area are presented to class winners.

Most of the fans watch the race on the Nordschleife. To get to the favourite viewing points it is often necessary to take a walk. Several sections, including "Adenauer Forst", "Karussell", and "Wippermann", are up to a kilometer away from the nearest main road. Easy to reach and always well attended are sections such as "Breidscheid", "Brünnchen", and "Pflanzgarten". Around most of the Nordschleife no entrance fee is raised. A ticket for the price of 20€ is needed for access to the paddock and grid walk, the grandstands on the Grand Prix circuit of the Nürburgring, and two spectator areas at the Nordschleife.

Car classes

Three Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport overtaking a VT2 BMW 328i

A variety of cars compete at the same time during each race. In the 2023 season, cars in 22[6] classes competed in at least one race. Most of them can be classified in the following groups:[7]

  • The VLN production cars group is intended to allow relatively low cost racing with near-series cars. It consists of several classes of normally-aspirated cars (V3 to V6), several classes of turbo-charged cars (VT1 to VT3, with separate classes for front-wheel drive cars), plus one class for hybrids (VT Hybrid) and one class for electric cars (VT Elektro).
  • The 24h-Special group consists of pure race cars that may compete in other race series. It consists of the classes SP1 to SP8 differentiated by engine displacement with an optional suffix T for turbo charged engines, the SP9 class for FIA GT3 cars, the SP10 class for SRO GT4 cars, plus the SP-Pro class for prototype racecars over 3000cc, SP-X for "special vehicles" and AT (-G) for vehicles using alternative fuel sources.
  • The H (historic) group consists of cars made in 2008 and before. It consists of the classes H2 (up to 1999cc) and H4 (2000 to 6250cc).

A large portion of the field is made of TCR and Cup classes (BMW M240i, BMW M2 CS, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport) that do not fit in specific groups.

Safety

A Code 60 flag

Due to the length of the track and championship's format, the NLS has unusual safety procedures compared to other modern professional racing series. Safety cars are not used, double yellow flags indicate a local speed limit of 120 km/h, and code 60 flags, used locally for conditions warranting a safety car on shorter tracks, limit the speed to 60 km/h.[8] It is common for course cars and vehicle recovery trucks to travel around the course under local double yellow flags.

Closing speeds between the fastest and slowest car classes is a common concern, as the track has many blind crests and corners.

Four drivers have died in accidents in the NLS, Wolfgang Offermann in 1986, Wolfgang Scholz in 1998, Carola Biehler in 2000 and Leo Löwenstein in 2010.[9][10][11][12] Two drivers have died of heart attacks at the wheel, Stefan Eickelmann in 1998 and two times drivers champion Wolf Silvester in 2013.[13][14] One marshal and one spectator have died after being hit by a car in 1977 and 2015 respectively.[15][16]

Championship standings and trophies

Current teams champions, #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport

The NLS has the particularity of awarding its main championship, the drivers championship, based on group positions rather than overall positions. This means that championship contenders very often do not contend for overall wins or podiums, and do not race directly against each other. As of 2023, the last four drivers championships were won by entries in the slower production cars group, while drivers piloting entry level hatchbacks such as the Renault Clio, Opel Corsa or Suzuki Swift have won the championship in the past.

There is however an overall teams' championship, named NLS Speed-Trophy, based on overall results only, meaning that it is contested by the faster SP9 (GT3), or Cup 2 (Porsche 992 GT3) classes. Other trophies such as the Junior or Ladies trophy follow the same format as the drivers championship, while each class has its own individual drivers and teams championship.

Member organisations

Champions

Current drivers champions, Philipp Leisen, Oskar Sandberg and Daniel Zils(#1 Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec)
Year Driver(s) Car Team
1977 Germany Ernst Thierfelder Simca Rallye Germany ETH Tuning (1)
1978 Germany Hans Weisgerber BMW 2002 (1) Germany MSTC Erbach
1979 Germany Wolfgang Kudrass
Germany Norbert Schiffbauer		 Audi 50 Germany Veytal Tuning
1980 Germany Johannes Scheid Autobianchi A112 Germany Scheid-Motorsport (1)
1981 Germany Johannes Scheid (2)
Germany Reinhold Köster		 Fiat 127 Sport Germany Scheid-Motorsport (2)
1982 Germany Arno Wester
Germany Walter Jirak		 Volkswagen Golf GTi (1) Germany Tannenkamp Motorsport
1983 Germany Karl-Heinz Schäfer Opel Kadett GT/E (1) Germany Mich Tuning (1)
1984 Germany Heinrich Sprungmann
Germany Dierk Meyer		 Volkswagen Golf GTi (2) Germany VAG Sprungmann Essen
1985 Germany Karl-Heinz Kuhlendahl Volkswagen Scirocco (3) Germany Nothelle Motorsport
1986 Germany Herbert Kummle Ford Escort RS2000 Germany Pontus Racing
1987 Germany Ludwig Nett
Germany Jürgen Nett		 Peugeot 205 GTi Germany Nett Tuning (2)
1988 Germany Wolfgang Schrey
Germany Günter Schrey		 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Germany Team Matter Sicherheit
1989 Germany Lutz-Wilhelm Höhl Volkswagen Polo Coupé (4) Germany Veytal Tuning
1990 Germany Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(1)
Germany Jürgen Fritzsche (1)		 Opel Kadett GSi 16V (2) Germany Mantzel Tuning (1)
1991 Germany Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(2)
Germany Jürgen Fritzsche (2)		 Opel Kadett GSi 16V (3) Germany Mantzel Tuning (2)
1992 Germany Dirk Adorf
Germany Guido Thierfelder		 Citroën AX Sport Germany ETH Tuning (2)
1993 Germany Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(3)
Germany Roland Senge		 Opel Astra GSi 16V (4) Germany Kissling Motorsport (1)
1994 Germany Johannes Scheid (3)
Germany Hans Widmann		 BMW M3 (2) Germany Scheid-Motorsport (1)
1995 Germany Johannes Scheid (5)
Germany Hans Widmann (2)		 BMW M3 (3) Germany Scheid-Motorsport (2)
1996 Germany Dirk Adorf
Germany Thomas Winkelhock		 Opel Astra GSi 16V (5) Germany Günther Müller Sports
1997 Germany Dirk Adorf (2)
Germany Heinz-Josef "Juppi" Bermes		 Opel Astra GSi 16V (6) Belgium Mühlner Motorsport
1998 Germany Johannes Scheid (6)
Germany Sabine Reck		 BMW M3 (4) Germany Scheid-Motorsport (3)
1999 Germany Peter Zakowski
Germany Hans-Jürgen Tiemann		 Chrysler Viper Germany Zakspeed Racing
2000 Germany Jens Lührsen
Germany Uwe Unteroberdörster		 Suzuki Swift Germany Fleper-Motorsport
2001 Germany Klaus-Peter Thaler
Germany Heinz Remmen		 Opel Astra GSi 16V (7) Germany Kissling Motorsport (2)
2002 Germany Mario Merten BMW 318iS (5) Germany Bonk Motorsport
2003 Germany Heinz-Otto Fritzsche (4)
Germany Jürgen Fritzsche (3)		 Opel Corsa C (8) Germany Kissling Motorsport (3)
2004 Germany Arnd Meier
Germany René Wolff		 BMW 318iS (6) Germany SAX Racing
2005 Germany Claudia Hürtgen BMW 320 (7) Germany Schubert Motorsport
2006 Germany Mario Merten
Germany "Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess)		 BMW 318iS (8) Germany Bonk Motorsport (1)
2007 Germany Heinz-Otto Fritzsche (5)
Germany Jürgen Fritzsche (4)
Germany Marco Wolf		 Opel Astra (9) Germany Kissling Motorsport (4)
2008 Germany Alexander Böhm (1)
Germany Matthias Unger		 BMW 325i (9) Germany Black Falcon(1)
2009 Germany Alexander Böhm (2)
Republic of Ireland Seán Paul Breslin
Germany Christer Jöns		 BMW 325i (10) Germany Black Falcon (2)
2010 Germany Mario Merten
Germany "Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess)		 BMW Z4 (11) Germany Bonk Motorsport (2)
2011 Germany Carsten Knechtges
Switzerland Manuel Metzger
Germany Tim Scheerbarth		 BMW Z4 (12) Germany Black Falcon (3)
2012 Germany Ulrich Andree
Germany Dominik Brinkmann
Norway Christian Krognes		 Volkswagen Scirocco GT24 (5) Germany LMS Engineering
2013 Germany Dirk Groneck (1)
Germany Tim Groneck (1)		 Renault Clio (1) Germany Groneck Motorsport (1)
2014 Germany Rolf Derscheid
Germany Michael Flehmer		 BMW 325i (13) Germany Derscheid Motorsport
2015 Germany Dirk Groneck(2)
Germany Tim Groneck(2)		 Renault Clio (2) Germany Groneck Motorsport (2)
2016 Germany Alexander Mies
Germany Michael Schrey (1)		 BMW M325i Racing Cup (14) Germany Bonk Motorsport (3)
2017 Germany Michael Schrey (2) BMW M325i Racing Cup (15) Germany Bonk Motorsport (4)
2018 Germany Philipp Leisen (1)
Germany Christopher Rink (1)
Germany Danny Brink (1)		 BMW 325i (16) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport
2019 Germany Yannick Fübrich
Austria David Griessner		 BMW M240i Racing Cup (16) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport (2)
2020 Germany Philipp Leisen (2)
Germany Christopher Rink (2)
Germany Danny Brink (2)		 BMW 325i (17) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport (3)
2021 Germany Philipp Leisen (3)
Germany Danny Brink (3)		 BMW 325i (18) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport (4)
2022 Germany Daniel Zils
Norway Oskar Sandberg
Norway Sindre Setsaas		 BMW 330i (19) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport (5)
2023 Germany Daniel Zils (2)
Norway Oskar Sandberg (2)
Germany Philipp Leisen (4)		 BMW 330i (20) Germany Adrenalin Motorsport (6)
Sources:[17][18][19]

Most overall race victories

#3 Falken Motorsports, Porsche's latest overall race winners

Last updated 8 October 2023, listing drivers with 10+ victories only.[20]

DriverOverall wins Manufacturer Overall wins
1 Olaf Manthey30 1 Porsche 226
2 Jürgen Alzen29 2 Mercedes-Benz 62
3 Ullrich Richter28 3 BMW 54
4 Marc Basseng26 4 Audi 29
Arno Klasen 5 Ford 27
6 Edgar Dören24 6 Opel 21
7 Peter Zakowski22 7 Chrysler 17
8 Hans-Jürgen Tiemann21 8 Alfa Romeo 4
9 Marcel Tiemann19 9 V8Star-Jaguar 3
10 Frank Stippler15 10 Ferrari 2
11 Uwe Alzen13 11 Aston Martin 1
Marc Lieb 12 Lexus 1
13 Otto Altenbach12 13 Toyota 1
Jürgen Lässig
Jürgen Oppermann
16 Timo Bernhard10
Lucas Luhr

Most group victories

Last updated 8 October 2023, listing top 10 drivers and maunfacturers only.[21]

DriverGroup wins Manufacturer Group wins
1 Ralf Schall67 1 Porsche 733
2 Edgar Dören53 2 BMW 506
3 Jürgen Alzen48 3 Ford 139
Olaf Manthey 4 Opel 120
5 Andreas Schall45 5 Mercedes-Benz 108
6 Ulrich Richter41 6 Audi 46
Johannes Scheid 7 Honda 43
8 Volker Strycek40 8 Alfa Romeo 24
9 Arno Klasen39 9 Renault 19
10 Paul Hulverscheid35 10 Volkswagen 16
Sabine Schimtz

Most class victories

Last updated 8 October 2023, listing top 10 drivers and maunfacturers only.[22]

DriverClass wins Manufacturer Class wins
1 Volker Strycek135 1 BMW 2179
2 Johannes Scheid134 2 Porsche 1532
3 Ralf Schall105 3 Opel 884
4 Daniel Zils99 4 Volkswagen 779
5 Andreas Schall 98 5 Ford 512
6 Peter Hass97 6 Audi 452
7 Jürgen Nett93 7 Honda 450
8 Heinz-Otto Fritzsche89 8 Renault 282
9 Wolfgang Weber77 9 Mercedes-Benz 268
10 Paul Hulverscheid76 10 Peugeot 256

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lloyd, Daniel (3 December 2019). "VLN Announces Series Name Change". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "2023 season stats". Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "NLS 2024: VLN kündigt nach Gerichtsurteil acht Termine an". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Interview mit Lutz Leif Linden: Wie es mit der NES klappen soll". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Teamvereinigung ILN gibt Neutralität auf und stellt sich hinter die NLS". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Redirecting to /analysis/result-analysis/" (PDF). www.nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Daubner, Robert (2019), "58. EG-Fahrzeugklassen – Anlage XXIX zu § 20 IIIa Satz 4 StVZO (Auszug)", Überprüfung von Fahrzeugen und Fahrzeugführern, Richard Boorberg Verlag GmbH & Co KG, pp. 113–115, retrieved 8 October 2023
  8. ↑ admin (1 February 2016). "Nordschleife: Detailed regulations published". Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Alle VLN-Meister auf einen Blick". nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de (in German). Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. ↑ "Brink und Leisen sind die lachenden Dritten in einem Finale voller Tragödien". nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de (in German). 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  19. ↑ admin (7 October 2023). "Adrenalin Motorsport holt sechsten Titel in Folge". Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (in German). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "Statistik: Gesamtsiege. The best drivers from 40 years VLN". www.vln.de. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "Statistics: group victories". Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Statistics: class victories". Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
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