Difference between revisions of "24 Hours Nürburgring"

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The '''24 Hours Nürburgring''' is a GT and [[touring car racing|touring car]] [[endurance racing]] event on the [[Nürburgring]], inspired by the famous [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] and the [[Spa 24 Hours]]. The venue of this event is held on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (the 22.835km north loop), and is geared towards amateur drivers and primarily production cars. Conversely, the related 1000km Nürburgring is geared towards professional teams and drivers, and is held on the GP Strecke.
 
  
Officially called '''ADAC 24h Rennen Nürburgring''' in German, it was introduced in 1970 by the [[ADAC]] as a low cost alternative to the [[1000 km Nürburgring]] (a [[sports car racing]] event that counted towards the [[World Sportscar Championship]] from 1953 to 1992).
 
  
Typical entries range from standard road cars to [[European Touring Car Championship]] vehicles, and [[sports cars]] like the [[Porsche 911]]. As interest had dropped in the 1990s when only rather standard FIA [[Group N]] cars competed, stronger vehicles were admitted since 1999, like the [[Zakspeed]] [[Chrysler Viper GTS-R]] which originally was built to FIA GT2-spec, modified [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters]] cars from Opel and [[Abt Sportsline]]-Audi, and the [[Schnitzer Motorsport]]-entered [[BMW M3]] GTR V8 that had been run in the 2001 [[American Le Mans Series]].
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The '''24 Hours Nürburgring''' is a [[touring car racing|touring car]] and GT [[Endurance racing (motorsport)|endurance racing]] event on the [[Nurburgring#Nordschleife_map|Nürburgring Nordschleife]] (north loop). With a lap length of over 25 km, it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.
  
Due to various changes and versions of the ''Grand Prix Strecke'', the overall length of the track varied from the original {{convert|22.835|km|mi|3|abbr=on}} to nearly 26km of the maximum length configuration which was in use in 2002 and 2003, after the GP track had been extended by the ''Mercedes Arena''. A 25.3km variant is in use since 2005, bypassing the Arena which is used for a parking zone for the competitors of the other races.
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==Overview==
  
For practice, 230 cars are allowed, 220 qualify for the race, driven by 800 or more drivers, as 2, 3 or 4 can share a car. One driver is allowed to drive 150 minutes nonstop, and can enter on two cars, yet a rest time of at least 2 hours has to be observed between two turns.
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Officially called '''ADAC 24h Rennen Nürburgring''' in German, it was introduced in 1970 by the [[ADAC]] as a real race, unlike the earlier endurance contests that covered 12h, 24h (in 1961 and 1967), 36h, 84h and even 96h, like the [[Marathon de la Route]]. This substitute for the Liége-Rome-Liége and Liége-Sofia-Liège rallies was held on the Nürburgring from 1965 to 1971.
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It is similar to the [[Spa 24 Hours]], which had been introduced in 1924, following the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]]. The ADAC had held its first [[1000 km Nürburgring]] [[sports car racing]] event in 1953. As the [[1000 km Spa]] had been introduced in 1966, the 24h at the Ring gave both circuits a pair of endurance racing events at very long tracks, at least until Spa was shortened in the late 1970s.
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Just like the [[VLN]] series with its 4 hour races, the 24h race is mainly aimed at amateurs, in order to fill a starting field of around 200 cars. Unlike the VLN races, the 24h is officially an international event, with bilingual (German and English) organization, paper work etc. For each car, an entry fee of 4508 EUR (as per 2010) has to be paid, plus 3000 EUR in advance for fuel. Typical entries range from second hand standard road cars to [[European Touring Car Championship]] vehicles and GT3 [[sports cars]] like the [[Porsche 911 GT3]]. The participation of manufactures and professional teams and drivers has varied over the decades. As spectator numbers had dropped in the 1990s when only rather standard FIA [[Group N]] cars competed, more spectatular vehicles were admitted since 1999, like the [[Zakspeed]] [[Chrysler Viper GTS-R]] which originally was built by Oreca to FIA GT2-spec, turbo-charged Porsche, modified [[Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters]] cars from Opel and [[Abt Sportsline]]-Audi, and the [[Schnitzer Motorsport]]-entered [[BMW M3]] GTR V8 that had been run in the 2001 [[American Le Mans Series]].
 +
 
 +
Due to various changes and versions of the ''Grand Prix Strecke'', the overall length of the track varied from the original 22.835 km to nearly 26 km of the maximum length configuration which was in use in 2002 and 2003, after the GP track had been extended by the ''Mercedes Arena''. As this section and its large paved run-off areas was useful as extra paddock zone for the competitors of the support races, it is bypassed with a sharp Z-shape chicane since 2005 for a 25.3 km track length.
 +
 
 +
For practice, 230 cars are allowed, 210 qualify for the race, driven by 800 or more drivers, as 2, 3 or 4 can share a car. One driver is allowed to drive 150 minutes nonstop, and can enter on two cars, yet a rest time of at least 2 hours has to be observed between two turns.
  
 
== 2006 race ==
 
== 2006 race ==
Unlike the two previous races, held on [[Ascension Day]] weekend in May in rainy and very cold weather, the 2006 event [http://adac.24h-rennen.de/portals/24h/extern/ResultDB/live.asp] was run in warm, sunny and dry conditions on [[Corpus Christi (feast)]] weekend of June 17-18. Pure factory teams that challenged for the overall win were absent, yet [[Aston Martin]] and [[Maserati]] had entered factory-backed cars to promote their products, reminding of three overall wins each in the [[1000 km Nürburgring]] decades ago. The Aston Martin [[Aston Martin V8 Vantage#N24|car]] in particular was notable that one of its drivers was Aston CEO [[Ulrich Bez]], and 4th in class and 24th overall.
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Unlike the two previous races, held on [[Ascension Day]] weekend in May in rainy and very cold weather, the 2006 event was run in warm, sunny and dry conditions on [[Corpus Christi (feast)]] weekend of June 17–18. Pure factory teams that challenged for the overall win were absent, yet [[Aston Martin]] and [[Maserati]] had entered factory-backed cars to promote their products, reminding of three overall wins each in the [[1000 km Nürburgring]] decades ago. The Aston Martin [[Aston Martin V8 Vantage#N24|car]] with Aston CEO [[Ulrich Bez]] finished 4th in class and 24th overall.
  
Due to good conditions and stiff competition by similar cars, a new overall distance record (3832km in 151 laps) was scored by the Porsche 911 of ''Manthey Racing'' that already had been the best privateer team in the previous three years. This team is partially supported by Porsche, though, with factory drivers, a 3.8L 500PS engine and a sequential gear box. Second place finishers [[Jürgen Alzen]]/[[Uwe Alzen]]/[[Klaus Ludwig]]/[[Christian Abt]] of the ''Jürgen Alzen Motorsport'' was only one lap down and have beaten the old record, too. They used a conventional gear box and a privately built 3.8L 500PS engine. The third of three fastest Porsche, the ''Wolfgang Land Motorsport'' 911, had suffered a fiery failure of a standard 3.6L [[Porsche 911 GT3-RSR]] race engine after 21 hours, yet was classified as 14th with 133 laps.
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Due to good conditions and stiff competition by similar cars, a new overall distance record (3832 km in 151 laps) was scored by the Porsche 996 GT3 of [[Manthey Racing]] that already had been the best privateer team in the previous three years. This team is partially supported by Porsche, though, with factory drivers, a 3.8L 500 PS engine and a sequential gear box. Second place finishers [[Jürgen Alzen]]/[[Uwe Alzen]]/[[Klaus Ludwig]]/[[Christian Abt]] of team''Jürgen Alzen Motorsport'' was only one lap down and have beaten the old record, too. They used a conventional gear box and a privately built 3.8L 500PS engine. The third of three fastest Porsche, the ''Wolfgang Land Motorsport'' 911, had suffered a fiery failure of its standard 3.6L [[Porsche 911 GT3-RSR]] race engine after 21 hours, yet was classified as 14th with 133 laps.
  
 
A remarkable 5th place overall was scored by a [[BMW 1|BMW 120d]], which has roughly half the power of some cars it has beaten. It was driven by [[Claudia Hürtgen]] (2005 VLN champion), [[Marc Hennerici]] (2005 privateer [[World Touring Car Championship|WTCC]] champion), [[Johannes Stuck]] (son of [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]) and team owner [[Torsten Schubert]].
 
A remarkable 5th place overall was scored by a [[BMW 1|BMW 120d]], which has roughly half the power of some cars it has beaten. It was driven by [[Claudia Hürtgen]] (2005 VLN champion), [[Marc Hennerici]] (2005 privateer [[World Touring Car Championship|WTCC]] champion), [[Johannes Stuck]] (son of [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]) and team owner [[Torsten Schubert]].
  
 
== 2007 race ==
 
== 2007 race ==
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, thus it was an 18h race only.  
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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, thus it was an 18h race only.
  
 
When the race resumed, the Land Porsche 996 GT3-RSR was slightly damaged when hitting the back of the Manthey car, and the Aston Martin engine failed. Thus the Manthey team could easily defend its 2006 victory. The reliable, yet no more fast enough Zakspeed Dodge Viper GTS-R came in second, with the Alzen brothers [[Porsche Cayman]] in 4th and the BMW Z4 M-Coupe 5th.
 
When the race resumed, the Land Porsche 996 GT3-RSR was slightly damaged when hitting the back of the Manthey car, and the Aston Martin engine failed. Thus the Manthey team could easily defend its 2006 victory. The reliable, yet no more fast enough Zakspeed Dodge Viper GTS-R came in second, with the Alzen brothers [[Porsche Cayman]] in 4th and the BMW Z4 M-Coupe 5th.
  
Remarkable performances were the top ten finishes of a [[VW Golf]] 5, an [[Opel Astra]] GTC and a [[BMW 1|BMW 130i]], and the 13th place of a [[Hyundai Coupe]] V6.
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Remarkable performances were the top ten finishes of a [[VW Golf]] 5, an [[Opel Astra]] GTC and a [[BMW 1|BMW 130i]], and the 13th place of a [[Hyundai Coupe]] V6 piloted by ex British Touring Car racer Peter Cate.
  
 
== 2008 race ==
 
== 2008 race ==
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]] 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.  
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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]] 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.
  
 
Manthey could catch up and win the race for a third time in a row, with the winning car of 2006 (a 996 model) finishing 2nd. The triumph made the team mechanics cut off Olaf Manthey's famous moustache tips. [[Sabine Schmitz]] came in third, also on a Porsche 997. A strong showing among the high powered cars gave the three new [[Volkswagen Scirocco]], finishing 9th and 12th, with veteran [[Hans Joachim Stuck]] driving both cars.
 
Manthey could catch up and win the race for a third time in a row, with the winning car of 2006 (a 996 model) finishing 2nd. The triumph made the team mechanics cut off Olaf Manthey's famous moustache tips. [[Sabine Schmitz]] came in third, also on a Porsche 997. A strong showing among the high powered cars gave the three new [[Volkswagen Scirocco]], finishing 9th and 12th, with veteran [[Hans Joachim Stuck]] driving both cars.
  
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== 2009 race ==
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{{main|2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring}}
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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.
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Probably also due to the economic crisis, the number of entries is much lower than in previous years, with only 170 cars starting the race. Surprisingly, the pole was set by a [[Ford GT]], followed closely by the four factory-entered Audi R8 LMS and two Porsche GT3 of the Manthey team. They have decided to enter their well-known RSR, which is basically a GT2 car, but now has about 70 hp less due to new air restrictors, and also a ''997 GT3 Cup S'', the version Porsche homologated for FIA GT3. For the first 19 hours, two of the Audis and the two Manthey Porsche battled for the lead within a lap, the pace likely to result in a new distance record. The Manthey #1 had been punished for approaching an accident site too quickly and had to wait 3 minutes in the box, but the decision was reverted later based on data logging evidence, with the lost time deducted from the results. Around 11:30, the #99 Audi which had a narrow lead was stopped by suspension problems. Following repairs this car finished in 5th position. This left the #97 Audi in second, and with the win in its class, 5 minutes behind the overall winner.
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== 2010 race ==
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The 2010 event on Ascension Day weekend of May 13–16 saw a return of most prominent entries, except the Ford GT, as team Raeder had discontinued this project. To give teams time to rest or for repairs before the race, the night practice was scheduled on Thursday evening. In cold and wet conditions, the Farnbacher-entered [[Ferrari F430]] GTC set the best lap time before the session was red-flagged due to fog. In Friday afternoon qualifying, held in fair weather, it crashed out and was barely repaired in time for the race. Four of the five factory-backed Audi R8 LMS (officially entered by “customers”, which happen to be the Audi-DTM-teams [[Phoenix Racing (Germany)|Phoenix Racing]] and [[Abt Sportsline]]) occupied the first four places on the grid, with Marco Werner setting pole at 8:24.753 with a new record average speed of 181 km/h. With lap times around 8:29, three of Porsche's new SP9/GT3-class cars occupied places 5 to 7, two of them entered by four-time winner Team Manthey, which had chosen to let the #1 car do only a single lap. BMW had entered two of their ALMS [[BMW M3 GT2]], run by [[Schnitzer Motorsport]]. Due to the modifications that include a [[transaxle]] gear box, they do not comply to the standard rules set of SP classes and their “Balance of Performance”. Along with a factory-entered Porsche GT3 Hybrid, the GT2-BMWs have thus been grouped into the E1-XP class for experimental factory entries. The better BMW and the Hybrid posted times of 8:32 and 8:34 in qualifying. Save for the 16th placed GT3-class Dodge Viper, only several other Porsche, Audi R8 and V8-powered [[BMW Z4 GT3]] have qualified in the top 20, with times up to 8:47, which earns them a blue flash light that is supposed to facilitate passing of the approx. 180 slower cars.
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 +
Porsche test driver [[Walter Röhrl]] had intended to enter on a standard road legal Porsche 911 GT3 RS, but had to withdraw due to health reasons from the team that comprises racers [[Roland Asch]] and [[Patrick Simon]], plus journalists [[Horst von Saurma]] and [[Chris Harris]]. The car, entered in cooperation with [[sport auto (Germany)]], is registered as S-GO 2400, and was driven from Weissach to Nürburg. It has qualified with 9:15, 42nd overall, and 9th among the 17 SP7 class entrants, only beaten by its race-prepped Porsche 997 siblings.
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The race was started on Saturday 3 p.m. in sunny but cold weather. Already on the Grand Prix track, the #1 Manthey Porsche driven by five-time winner [[Marcel Tiemann]] passed all Audis, taking the lead and pulling away about 100 m before catching up in lap 2 with the slowest cars of the third group, which were still in their first lap. After lap 3, three Porsche lead ahead of three Audi, a BMW M3 and the Hybrid-Porsche, which due to his larger range could take the lead after the others pitted. The #1 Manthey Porsche led by a couple of minutes until got involved in a collision after seven hours. At halftime, the race is on pace to another distance record, with the Audi #99 leading by a small margin ahead of the Hybrid Porsche, the only remaining representative of his brand in the top 8, which used to be dominated by Porsche in recent years. Places three to eight were occupied by three Audi R8, two BMW, and, rather surprisingly, on p 5 the Ferrari which had started in row 21. The Porsches that occupy most places up to 15th were followed by the [[CNG]]-powered [[Volkswagen_Scirocco#Scirocco_GT24_.282008-.29|Volkswagen Scirocco GT24]], the road-legal Porsche GT3 RS and a [[Nissan Z33]]. On Sunday morning, the #99 Audi needed a rear axle change, and with less than 5 hours to go, also the second place #2 Audi failed, leaving the Hybrid in a one lap lead ahead of the #25 BMW GT2 with gearbox woes and the Ferrari, until also the Porsche stopped with less than two hours to go. The BMW made it to the finish, giving [[Pedro Lamy]] a record-tying fifth win ahead of Ferrari and Audi. The best Porsche, entered by Alzen, finished only sixth, six laps ahead of the Falken Nissan and the road legal GT3.
  
 
== Winners ==
 
== Winners ==
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:1100px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
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{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:800px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
 
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
 
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
 
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
 
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
 
! Year
 
! Year
! Pilots
+
! Drivers
 
! Car
 
! Car
 
! Team
 
! Team
 
! Remarks
 
! Remarks
 +
|-
 +
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| [[2010 24 Hours of Nürburgring|2010]]
 +
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Jörg Müller]]<br>{{flagiconBRA}} [[Augusto Farfus]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Uwe Alzen]]<br>{{flagiconPOR}} [[Pedro Lamy]]
 +
| [[BMW M3#E92 M3 GT2|BMW M3 GT2]]
 +
| [[BMW Motorsport]]<br/>([[Schnitzer Motorsport]])
 +
| 154 laps. Record-tying 5th victory for Lamy
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|-
 +
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| [[2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring|2009]]
 +
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Marc Lieb]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Timo Bernhard]]<br>{{flagiconFRA}} [[Romain Dumas]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Marcel Tiemann]]
 +
| [[Porsche 997 GT3]]-RSR
 +
| Manthey Racing
 +
| New distance record 155 laps, record 5th victory for Tiemann, 4th in a row for Manthey
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2008
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2008
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| [[Porsche 997 GT3]]-RSR
 
| [[Porsche 997 GT3]]-RSR
 
| Manthey Racing
 
| Manthey Racing
| race stopped for about 6h due to fog
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| Race stopped for about 6h due to fog
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2006
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2006
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Lucas Luhr]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Timo Bernhard]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Mike Rockenfeller]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Marcel Tiemann]]
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Lucas Luhr]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Timo Bernhard]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Mike Rockenfeller]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Marcel Tiemann]]
 
| [[Porsche 996 GT3]]-MR
 
| [[Porsche 996 GT3]]-MR
| Manthey Racing
+
| [[Manthey Racing]]
| No more factory BMW. Manthey had considerable Porsche factory support.
+
| Officially a private entry, supported by Porsche with drivers.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2005
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2005
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| [[BMW M3]] GTR  
 
| [[BMW M3]] GTR  
 
| [[BMW Motorsport]]<br/>([[Schnitzer Motorsport]])
 
| [[BMW Motorsport]]<br/>([[Schnitzer Motorsport]])
| Final race for the famous factory M3 GTR V8
+
| Final race for the M3 GTR V8.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2004
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2004
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| [[BMW M3]] GTR   
 
| [[BMW M3]] GTR   
 
| [[BMW Motorsport]]<br/>(Schnitzer Motorsport)
 
| [[BMW Motorsport]]<br/>(Schnitzer Motorsport)
|  
+
| BMW prevails against ABT-Audi in changing weather conditions.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2003
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2003
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Manuel Reuter]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Timo Scheider]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Marcel Tiemann]]  
+
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Manuel Reuter]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Timo Scheider]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} [[Marcel Tiemann]]
 
| [[Opel Astra]] V8 Coupé
 
| [[Opel Astra]] V8 Coupé
| [[Phoenix Racing]]<br/>OPC Team Phoenix
+
| [[Phoenix Racing (Germany)|Phoenix Racing]]<br/>OPC Team Phoenix
| Three factories enter V8 powered race cars
+
| Three factories enter V8 powered race cars: Audi, BMW, Opel. Turbocharged Porsches by Manthey and Alzen.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2002
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 2002
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| [[Porsche 911 GT3-R]]
 
| [[Porsche 911 GT3-R]]
 
| Porsche Zentrum Koblenz
 
| Porsche Zentrum Koblenz
| Factory backed Porsche effort  
+
| Factory backed Porsche effort beats a very heavy Viper, and with 145 laps, the old distance record of 1990.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1999
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1999
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| [[Chrysler Viper GTS-R]]
 
| [[Chrysler Viper GTS-R]]
 
| Zakspeed
 
| Zakspeed
| Return of powerful cars, but none of the new watercooled Porsche 996 is entered yet.
+
| Return of powerful cars, with Viper dominating the season. None of the new water-cooled Porsche 996 GT3 is entered yet.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1998
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1998
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| [[BMW E36|BMW 320d]]
 
| [[BMW E36|BMW 320d]]
 
| Schnitzer Motorsport
 
| Schnitzer Motorsport
|
+
| First Diesel victory in a major 24h race. After 28 years, a second win for Stuck, the first winner.
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1997
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1997
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| BMW M3 Evo. 2
 
| BMW M3 Evo. 2
 
| Team Bigazzi
 
| Team Bigazzi
| race stopped for hours due to fog
+
| Race stopped for hours due to fog.
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1991
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1991
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| BMW M3 Evo. 2
 
| BMW M3 Evo. 2
 
| Linder Motorsport
 
| Linder Motorsport
|
+
| 144 laps, new distance record.
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1989  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1989  
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| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1988  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1988  
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Edgar Dören]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Gerhard Holup<br>{{flagiconGER}} Peter Faubel
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Edgar Dören]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Gerhard Holup<br>{{flagiconGER}} Peter Faubel
| Porsche 911 Carrera
+
| Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
|
+
| Dören
|
+
| The privateer '74 Porsche beats modern factory-backed turbocharged Fords
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1987
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1987
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| [[Ford Sierra]] Cosworth
 
| [[Ford Sierra]] Cosworth
 
| Eggenberger
 
| Eggenberger
|
+
| First win by a turbocharged car.
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1986  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1986  
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Markus Oestreich]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Otto Rensing<br>{{flagiconGER}} Winfried Vogt
 
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Markus Oestreich]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Otto Rensing<br>{{flagiconGER}} Winfried Vogt
 
| [[BMW E30|BMW 325i]]
 
| [[BMW E30|BMW 325i]]
| Linder Rennsport
+
| Auto Budde Team
|
 
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1985  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1985  
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| [[BMW E9|BMW 3.0 CSL]]
 
| [[BMW E9|BMW 3.0 CSL]]
 
| Alpina
 
| Alpina
| race held in two heats of 8h each[http://homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jong/Races/1973%20Nurburgring%2024hrs.html]
+
| Race held in two heats of 8h each, with 8h break at midnight.  
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1972
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1972
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|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1971
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1971
| {{flagiconGER}} [[:de:Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern|Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern]]<br>{{flagiconAUT}} Gerold Pankl [http://www.pankl.net/index.php?id=109]
+
| {{flagiconGER}} Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern
 
| [[BMW New Class|BMW 2002]]
 
| [[BMW New Class|BMW 2002]]
 
| [[Alpina]]
 
| [[Alpina]]
Line 257: Line 286:
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1970
 
| align="left" bgcolor=ececec| 1970
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Clemens Schickentanz[http://www.dunlop.de/de/daten/motorsport/pdf/2000/schickentanz_clemens.pdf]
+
| {{flagiconGER}} [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]<br>{{flagiconGER}} Clemens Schickentanz  
 
| [[BMW New Class|BMW 2002 TI]]
 
| [[BMW New Class|BMW 2002 TI]]
| [[:de:Hans-Peter_Koepchen|Koepchen]] BMW Tuning
+
| Koepchen BMW Tuning |
|
+
|-
|-  
+
|}
 +
 
 +
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:400px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
 +
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=2|5 wins
 +
|Pedro Lamy||2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010
 +
|-
 +
|Marcel Tiemann||2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=4|4 wins
 +
|Fritz Müller||1976, 1977, 1978, 1981
 +
|-
 +
|Marc Duez||1992, 1995, 1998, 1999
 +
|-
 +
|Peter Zakowski||1997, 1999, 2001, 2002
 +
|-
 +
|Timo Bernhard||2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=5|3 wins
 +
|Hans-Joachim Stuck||1970, 1998, 2004
 +
|-
 +
|Herbert Hechler||1976, 1977, 1978
 +
|-
 +
|Klaus Ludwig||1982, 1987, 1999
 +
|-
 +
|Marc Lieb||2007, 2008, 2009
 +
|-
 +
|Romain Dumas||2007, 2008, 2009
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=15|2 wins
 +
|Altfrid Heger||1990, 2000
 +
|-
 +
|Axel Felder||1984, 1985
 +
|-
 +
|Dieter Gartmann||1981, 1982
 +
|-
 +
|Frank Katthöfer||1993, 1994
 +
|-
 +
|Gerold Pankl||1971, 1972
 +
|-
 +
|Hans-Jürgen Tiemann||1997, 1999
 +
|-
 +
|Joachim Winkelhock||1990, 1991
 +
|-
 +
|Johannes Scheid||1996, 1997
 +
|-
 +
|Jörg Müller||2004, 2010
 +
|-
 +
|Klaus Niedzwiedz||1982, 1987
 +
|-
 +
|Michael Bartels||2000, 2010
 +
|-
 +
|Roberto Ravaglia||1989, 1995
 +
|-
 +
|Sabine Reck||1996, 1997
 +
|-
 +
|Uwe Alzen||2000, 2010
 +
|-
 +
|Winfried Vogt||1979, 1986
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=52|1 win
 +
|-
 +
|Alexander Burgstaller||1995
 +
|-
 +
|Andreas Bovensiepen||1998
 +
|-
 +
|Andy Priaulx||2005
 +
|-
 +
|Armin Hahne||1991
 +
|-
 +
|Augusto Farfus||2010
 +
|-
 +
|Bernd Mayländer||2000
 +
|-
 +
|Boris Said||2005
 +
|-
 +
|Christian Danner||1992
 +
|-
 +
|Christian Menzel||1998
 +
|-
 +
|Clemens Schickentanz||1970
 +
|-
 +
|Dieter Selzer||1980
 +
|-
 +
|Dirk Müller||2004
 +
|-
 +
|Duncan Huisman||2005
 +
|-
 +
|Edgar Dören||1988
 +
|-
 +
|Emanuele Pirro||1989
 +
|-
 +
|Fabien Giroix||1989
 +
|-
 +
|Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern||1971
 +
|-
 +
|Frank Schmickler||1990
 +
|-
 +
|Franz Geschwendtner||1978
 +
|-
 +
|Franz Konrad||1993
 +
|-
 +
|Franz-Josef Bröhling||1984
 +
|-
 +
|Fred Rosterg||1994
 +
|-
 +
|Gerhard Holup||1988
 +
|-
 +
|Hans Widmann||1996
 +
|-
 +
|Hans-Peter Joisten||1973
 +
|-
 +
|Helmut Döring||1981
 +
|-
 +
|Helmut Kelleners||1972
 +
|-
 +
|Herbert Kummle||1979
 +
|-
 +
|Jean-Michel Martin||1992
 +
|-
 +
|Johnny Cecotto||1992
 +
|-
 +
|Jürgen Hammelmann||1985
 +
|-
 +
|Karl Mauer||1979
 +
|-
 +
|Karl-Heinz Quirin||1976
 +
|-
 +
|Karl-Heinz Wlazik||1994
 +
|-
 +
|Kris Nissen||1991
 +
|-
 +
|Lucas Luhr||2006
 +
|-
 +
|Manuel Reuter||2003
 +
|-
 +
|Markus Oestreich||1986
 +
|-
 +
|Matthias Schneider||1980
 +
|-
 +
|Mike Rockenfeller||2006
 +
|-
 +
|Niki Lauda||1973
 +
|-
 +
|Örnulf Wirdheim||1993
 +
|-
 +
|Otto Rensing||1986
 +
|-
 +
|Peter Faubel||1988
 +
|-
 +
|Peter Oberndorfer||1984
 +
|-
 +
|Robert Lechner||2002
 +
|-
 +
|Robert Walterscheid-Müller||1985
 +
|-
 +
|Steve Soper||1987
 +
|-
 +
|Timo Scheider||2003
 +
|-
 +
|Tonico de Azevedo||1993
 +
|-
 +
|Wolfgang Wolf||1980
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
== See also ==
 +
*[[List of Nordschleife lap times (racing)]]
  
  
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*[http://bridgetogantry.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=1 Night-time photos from the 2008 race]
 
*[http://bridgetogantry.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=1 Night-time photos from the 2008 race]
  
 
+
[[Category:Sports car races]]
{{24-hour races}}
+
[[Category:Touring car races]]
 
+
[[Category:Auto races in Germany]]
[[Category:Touring car racing]]
+
[[Category:Endurance motor racing]]
[[Category:Auto races]]
 
[[Category:Motorsport in Germany]]
 

Latest revision as of 21:29, 16 September 2010


The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (north loop). With a lap length of over 25 km, it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.

Overview

Officially called ADAC 24h Rennen Nürburgring in German, it was introduced in 1970 by the ADAC as a real race, unlike the earlier endurance contests that covered 12h, 24h (in 1961 and 1967), 36h, 84h and even 96h, like the Marathon de la Route. This substitute for the Liége-Rome-Liége and Liége-Sofia-Liège rallies was held on the Nürburgring from 1965 to 1971.

It is similar to the Spa 24 Hours, which had been introduced in 1924, following the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The ADAC had held its first 1000 km Nürburgring sports car racing event in 1953. As the 1000 km Spa had been introduced in 1966, the 24h at the Ring gave both circuits a pair of endurance racing events at very long tracks, at least until Spa was shortened in the late 1970s.

Just like the VLN series with its 4 hour races, the 24h race is mainly aimed at amateurs, in order to fill a starting field of around 200 cars. Unlike the VLN races, the 24h is officially an international event, with bilingual (German and English) organization, paper work etc. For each car, an entry fee of 4508 EUR (as per 2010) has to be paid, plus 3000 EUR in advance for fuel. Typical entries range from second hand standard road cars to European Touring Car Championship vehicles and GT3 sports cars like the Porsche 911 GT3. The participation of manufactures and professional teams and drivers has varied over the decades. As spectator numbers had dropped in the 1990s when only rather standard FIA Group N cars competed, more spectatular vehicles were admitted since 1999, like the Zakspeed Chrysler Viper GTS-R which originally was built by Oreca to FIA GT2-spec, turbo-charged Porsche, modified Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters cars from Opel and Abt Sportsline-Audi, and the Schnitzer Motorsport-entered BMW M3 GTR V8 that had been run in the 2001 American Le Mans Series.

Due to various changes and versions of the Grand Prix Strecke, the overall length of the track varied from the original 22.835 km to nearly 26 km of the maximum length configuration which was in use in 2002 and 2003, after the GP track had been extended by the Mercedes Arena. As this section and its large paved run-off areas was useful as extra paddock zone for the competitors of the support races, it is bypassed with a sharp Z-shape chicane since 2005 for a 25.3 km track length.

For practice, 230 cars are allowed, 210 qualify for the race, driven by 800 or more drivers, as 2, 3 or 4 can share a car. One driver is allowed to drive 150 minutes nonstop, and can enter on two cars, yet a rest time of at least 2 hours has to be observed between two turns.

2006 race

Unlike the two previous races, held on Ascension Day weekend in May in rainy and very cold weather, the 2006 event was run in warm, sunny and dry conditions on Corpus Christi (feast) weekend of June 17–18. Pure factory teams that challenged for the overall win were absent, yet Aston Martin and Maserati had entered factory-backed cars to promote their products, reminding of three overall wins each in the 1000 km Nürburgring decades ago. The Aston Martin car with Aston CEO Ulrich Bez finished 4th in class and 24th overall.

Due to good conditions and stiff competition by similar cars, a new overall distance record (3832 km in 151 laps) was scored by the Porsche 996 GT3 of Manthey Racing that already had been the best privateer team in the previous three years. This team is partially supported by Porsche, though, with factory drivers, a 3.8L 500 PS engine and a sequential gear box. Second place finishers Jürgen Alzen/Uwe Alzen/Klaus Ludwig/Christian Abt of teamJürgen Alzen Motorsport was only one lap down and have beaten the old record, too. They used a conventional gear box and a privately built 3.8L 500PS engine. The third of three fastest Porsche, the Wolfgang Land Motorsport 911, had suffered a fiery failure of its standard 3.6L Porsche 911 GT3-RSR race engine after 21 hours, yet was classified as 14th with 133 laps.

A remarkable 5th place overall was scored by a BMW 120d, which has roughly half the power of some cars it has beaten. It was driven by Claudia Hürtgen (2005 VLN champion), Marc Hennerici (2005 privateer WTCC champion), Johannes Stuck (son of Hans-Joachim Stuck) and team owner Torsten Schubert.

2007 race

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, thus it was an 18h race only.

When the race resumed, the Land Porsche 996 GT3-RSR was slightly damaged when hitting the back of the Manthey car, and the Aston Martin engine failed. Thus the Manthey team could easily defend its 2006 victory. The reliable, yet no more fast enough Zakspeed Dodge Viper GTS-R came in second, with the Alzen brothers Porsche Cayman in 4th and the BMW Z4 M-Coupe 5th.

Remarkable performances were the top ten finishes of a VW Golf 5, an Opel Astra GTC and a BMW 130i, and the 13th place of a Hyundai Coupe V6 piloted by ex British Touring Car racer Peter Cate.

2008 race

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 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.

Manthey could catch up and win the race for a third time in a row, with the winning car of 2006 (a 996 model) finishing 2nd. The triumph made the team mechanics cut off Olaf Manthey's famous moustache tips. Sabine Schmitz came in third, also on a Porsche 997. A strong showing among the high powered cars gave the three new Volkswagen Scirocco, finishing 9th and 12th, with veteran Hans Joachim Stuck driving both cars.

2009 race

Template:Main 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.

Probably also due to the economic crisis, the number of entries is much lower than in previous years, with only 170 cars starting the race. Surprisingly, the pole was set by a Ford GT, followed closely by the four factory-entered Audi R8 LMS and two Porsche GT3 of the Manthey team. They have decided to enter their well-known RSR, which is basically a GT2 car, but now has about 70 hp less due to new air restrictors, and also a 997 GT3 Cup S, the version Porsche homologated for FIA GT3. For the first 19 hours, two of the Audis and the two Manthey Porsche battled for the lead within a lap, the pace likely to result in a new distance record. The Manthey #1 had been punished for approaching an accident site too quickly and had to wait 3 minutes in the box, but the decision was reverted later based on data logging evidence, with the lost time deducted from the results. Around 11:30, the #99 Audi which had a narrow lead was stopped by suspension problems. Following repairs this car finished in 5th position. This left the #97 Audi in second, and with the win in its class, 5 minutes behind the overall winner.

2010 race

The 2010 event on Ascension Day weekend of May 13–16 saw a return of most prominent entries, except the Ford GT, as team Raeder had discontinued this project. To give teams time to rest or for repairs before the race, the night practice was scheduled on Thursday evening. In cold and wet conditions, the Farnbacher-entered Ferrari F430 GTC set the best lap time before the session was red-flagged due to fog. In Friday afternoon qualifying, held in fair weather, it crashed out and was barely repaired in time for the race. Four of the five factory-backed Audi R8 LMS (officially entered by “customers”, which happen to be the Audi-DTM-teams Phoenix Racing and Abt Sportsline) occupied the first four places on the grid, with Marco Werner setting pole at 8:24.753 with a new record average speed of 181 km/h. With lap times around 8:29, three of Porsche's new SP9/GT3-class cars occupied places 5 to 7, two of them entered by four-time winner Team Manthey, which had chosen to let the #1 car do only a single lap. BMW had entered two of their ALMS BMW M3 GT2, run by Schnitzer Motorsport. Due to the modifications that include a transaxle gear box, they do not comply to the standard rules set of SP classes and their “Balance of Performance”. Along with a factory-entered Porsche GT3 Hybrid, the GT2-BMWs have thus been grouped into the E1-XP class for experimental factory entries. The better BMW and the Hybrid posted times of 8:32 and 8:34 in qualifying. Save for the 16th placed GT3-class Dodge Viper, only several other Porsche, Audi R8 and V8-powered BMW Z4 GT3 have qualified in the top 20, with times up to 8:47, which earns them a blue flash light that is supposed to facilitate passing of the approx. 180 slower cars.

Porsche test driver Walter Röhrl had intended to enter on a standard road legal Porsche 911 GT3 RS, but had to withdraw due to health reasons from the team that comprises racers Roland Asch and Patrick Simon, plus journalists Horst von Saurma and Chris Harris. The car, entered in cooperation with sport auto (Germany), is registered as S-GO 2400, and was driven from Weissach to Nürburg. It has qualified with 9:15, 42nd overall, and 9th among the 17 SP7 class entrants, only beaten by its race-prepped Porsche 997 siblings.

The race was started on Saturday 3 p.m. in sunny but cold weather. Already on the Grand Prix track, the #1 Manthey Porsche driven by five-time winner Marcel Tiemann passed all Audis, taking the lead and pulling away about 100 m before catching up in lap 2 with the slowest cars of the third group, which were still in their first lap. After lap 3, three Porsche lead ahead of three Audi, a BMW M3 and the Hybrid-Porsche, which due to his larger range could take the lead after the others pitted. The #1 Manthey Porsche led by a couple of minutes until got involved in a collision after seven hours. At halftime, the race is on pace to another distance record, with the Audi #99 leading by a small margin ahead of the Hybrid Porsche, the only remaining representative of his brand in the top 8, which used to be dominated by Porsche in recent years. Places three to eight were occupied by three Audi R8, two BMW, and, rather surprisingly, on p 5 the Ferrari which had started in row 21. The Porsches that occupy most places up to 15th were followed by the CNG-powered Volkswagen Scirocco GT24, the road-legal Porsche GT3 RS and a Nissan Z33. On Sunday morning, the #99 Audi needed a rear axle change, and with less than 5 hours to go, also the second place #2 Audi failed, leaving the Hybrid in a one lap lead ahead of the #25 BMW GT2 with gearbox woes and the Ferrari, until also the Porsche stopped with less than two hours to go. The BMW made it to the finish, giving Pedro Lamy a record-tying fifth win ahead of Ferrari and Audi. The best Porsche, entered by Alzen, finished only sixth, six laps ahead of the Falken Nissan and the road legal GT3.

Winners

Year Drivers Car Team Remarks
2010 22px-Flag of Germany.png Jörg Müller
22px-Flag of Brazil.png Augusto Farfus
22px-Flag of Germany.png Uwe Alzen
22px-Flag of Portugal.png Pedro Lamy
BMW M3 GT2 BMW Motorsport
(Schnitzer Motorsport)
154 laps. Record-tying 5th victory for Lamy
2009 22px-Flag of Germany.png Marc Lieb
22px-Flag of Germany.png Timo Bernhard
22px-Flag of France.png Romain Dumas
22px-Flag of Germany.png Marcel Tiemann
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Manthey Racing New distance record 155 laps, record 5th victory for Tiemann, 4th in a row for Manthey
2008 22px-Flag of Germany.png Marc Lieb
22px-Flag of Germany.png Timo Bernhard
22px-Flag of France.png Romain Dumas
22px-Flag of Germany.png Marcel Tiemann
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Manthey Racing Winner came from 1 lap down up to nearly two laps ahead for victory.
2007 22px-Flag of Germany.png Marc Lieb
22px-Flag of Germany.png Timo Bernhard
22px-Flag of France.png Romain Dumas
22px-Flag of Germany.png Marcel Tiemann
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Manthey Racing Race stopped for about 6h due to fog
2006 22px-Flag of Germany.png Lucas Luhr
22px-Flag of Germany.png Timo Bernhard
22px-Flag of Germany.png Mike Rockenfeller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Marcel Tiemann
Porsche 996 GT3-MR Manthey Racing Officially a private entry, supported by Porsche with drivers.
2005 22px-Flag of Portugal.png Pedro Lamy
22px-Flag of the United States.png Boris Said
22px-Flag of the Netherlands.png Duncan Huisman
22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Andy Priaulx
BMW M3 GTR BMW Motorsport
(Schnitzer Motorsport)
Final race for the M3 GTR V8.
2004 22px-Flag of Germany.png Dirk Müller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Jörg Müller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Joachim Stuck
22px-Flag of Portugal.png Pedro Lamy
BMW M3 GTR BMW Motorsport
(Schnitzer Motorsport)
BMW prevails against ABT-Audi in changing weather conditions.
2003 22px-Flag of Germany.png Manuel Reuter
22px-Flag of Germany.png Timo Scheider
22px-Flag of Germany.png Marcel Tiemann
Opel Astra V8 Coupé Phoenix Racing
OPC Team Phoenix
Three factories enter V8 powered race cars: Audi, BMW, Opel. Turbocharged Porsches by Manthey and Alzen.
2002 22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Zakowski
22px-Flag of Austria.png Robert Lechner
22px-Flag of Portugal.png Pedro Lamy
Chrysler Viper GTS-R Zakspeed
2001 22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Zakowski
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Bartels
22px-Flag of Portugal.png Pedro Lamy
Chrysler Viper GTS-R Zakspeed
2000 22px-Flag of Germany.png Bernd Mayländer
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Bartels
22px-Flag of Germany.png Uwe Alzen
22px-Flag of Germany.png Altfrid Heger
Porsche 911 GT3-R Porsche Zentrum Koblenz Factory backed Porsche effort beats a very heavy Viper, and with 145 laps, the old distance record of 1990.
1999 22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Zakowski
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Jürgen Tiemann
22px-Flag of Germany.png Klaus Ludwig
22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Marc Duez
Chrysler Viper GTS-R Zakspeed Return of powerful cars, with Viper dominating the season. None of the new water-cooled Porsche 996 GT3 is entered yet.
1998 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Marc Duez
22px-Flag of Germany.png Andreas Bovensiepen
22px-Flag of Germany.png Christian Menzel
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Joachim Stuck
BMW 320d Schnitzer Motorsport First Diesel victory in a major 24h race. After 28 years, a second win for Stuck, the first winner.
1997 22px-Flag of Germany.png Johannes Scheid
22px-Flag of Germany.png Sabine Reck
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Jürgen Tiemann
22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Zakowski
BMW M3 E36 Scheid Motorsport
1996 22px-Flag of Germany.png Johannes Scheid
22px-Flag of Germany.png Sabine Reck
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans Widmann
BMW M3 E36 Scheid Motorsport
1995 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Roberto Ravaglia
22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Marc Duez
22px-Flag of Germany.png Alexander Burgstaller
BMW 320i Team Bigazzi
1994 22px-Flag of Germany.png Karl-Heinz Wlazik
22px-Flag of Germany.png Frank Katthöfer
22px-Flag of Germany.png Fred Rosterg
BMW M3
1993 22px-Flag of Brazil.png "Tonico de Azevedo"
22px-Flag of Austria.png Franz Konrad
22px-Flag of Sweden.svg.png Örnulf Wirdheim
22px-Flag of Germany.png Frank Katthöfer
Porsche 911 Carrera Konrad Motorsport
1992 22px-Flag of Venezuela.svg.png Johnny Cecotto
22px-Flag of Germany.png Christian Danner
22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jean-Michel Martin
22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Marc Duez
BMW M3 Evo. 2 Team Bigazzi Race stopped for hours due to fog.
1991 22px-Flag of Germany.png Joachim Winkelhock
22px-Flag of Denmark.png Kris Nissen
22px-Flag of Germany.png Armin Hahne
BMW M3 Evo. 2 Schnitzer Motorsport
1990 22px-Flag of Germany.png Altfrid Heger
22px-Flag of Germany.png Joachim Winkelhock
22px-Flag of Germany.png Frank Schmickler
BMW M3 Evo. 2 Linder Motorsport 144 laps, new distance record.
1989 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Emanuele Pirro
3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Roberto Ravaglia
22px-Flag of France.png Fabien Giroix
BMW M3 Team Bigazzi
1988 22px-Flag of Germany.png Edgar Dören
22px-Flag of Germany.png Gerhard Holup
22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Faubel
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Dören The privateer '74 Porsche beats modern factory-backed turbocharged Fords
1987 22px-Flag of Germany.png Klaus Ludwig
22px-Flag of Germany.png Klaus Niedzwiedz
22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Steve Soper
Ford Sierra Cosworth Eggenberger First win by a turbocharged car.
1986 22px-Flag of Germany.png Markus Oestreich
22px-Flag of Germany.png Otto Rensing
22px-Flag of Germany.png Winfried Vogt
BMW 325i Auto Budde Team
1985 22px-Flag of Germany.png Axel Felder
22px-Flag of Germany.png Jürgen Hammelmann
22px-Flag of Germany.png Robert Walterscheid-Müller
BMW 635 CSi Auto Budde Team
1984 22px-Flag of Germany.png Axel Felder
22px-Flag of Germany.png Franz-Josef Bröhling
22px-Flag of Germany.png Peter Oberndorfer
BMW 635 CSi Auto Budde Team
1983 (no race due to construction work)
1982 22px-Flag of Germany.png Dieter Gartmann
22px-Flag of Germany.png Klaus Ludwig
22px-Flag of Germany.png Klaus Niedzwiedz
Ford Capri Eichberg Racing
1981 22px-Flag of Germany.png Helmut Döring
22px-Flag of Germany.png Dieter Gartmann
22px-Flag of Germany.png Fritz Müller
Ford Capri Gilden-Kölsch
1980 22px-Flag of Germany.png Dieter Selzer
22px-Flag of Germany.png Wolfgang Wolf
22px-Flag of Germany.png Matthias Schneider
Ford Escort RS 2000 Berkenkamp Racing
1979 22px-Flag of Germany.png Herbert Kummle
22px-Flag of Germany.png Karl Mauer
22px-Flag of Germany.png Winfried Vogt
Ford Escort Cavallo Matras
1978 22px-Flag of Germany.png Fritz Müller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Herbert Hechler
22px-Flag of Germany.png Franz Geschwendtner
Porsche 911 Carrera Valvoline Deutschland
1977 22px-Flag of Germany.png Fritz Müller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Herbert Hechler
Porsche 911 Carrera
1976 22px-Flag of Germany.png Fritz Müller
22px-Flag of Germany.png Herbert Hechler
22px-Flag of Germany.png Karl-Heinz Quirin
Porsche 911 Carrera
1975 (no race due to oil crisis)
1974 (no race due to oil crisis)
1973 22px-Flag of Austria.png Niki Lauda
22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Peter Joisten
BMW 3.0 CSL Alpina Race held in two heats of 8h each, with 8h break at midnight.
1972 22px-Flag of Germany.png Helmut Kelleners
22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerold Pankl
BMW 2800 CS Alpina
1971 22px-Flag of Germany.png Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern BMW 2002 Alpina
1970 22px-Flag of Germany.png Hans-Joachim Stuck
22px-Flag of Germany.png Clemens Schickentanz
BMW 2002 TI
5 wins Pedro Lamy 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010
Marcel Tiemann 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
4 wins Fritz Müller 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981
Marc Duez 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999
Peter Zakowski 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002
Timo Bernhard 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
3 wins Hans-Joachim Stuck 1970, 1998, 2004
Herbert Hechler 1976, 1977, 1978
Klaus Ludwig 1982, 1987, 1999
Marc Lieb 2007, 2008, 2009
Romain Dumas 2007, 2008, 2009
2 wins Altfrid Heger 1990, 2000
Axel Felder 1984, 1985
Dieter Gartmann 1981, 1982
Frank Katthöfer 1993, 1994
Gerold Pankl 1971, 1972
Hans-Jürgen Tiemann 1997, 1999
Joachim Winkelhock 1990, 1991
Johannes Scheid 1996, 1997
Jörg Müller 2004, 2010
Klaus Niedzwiedz 1982, 1987
Michael Bartels 2000, 2010
Roberto Ravaglia 1989, 1995
Sabine Reck 1996, 1997
Uwe Alzen 2000, 2010
Winfried Vogt 1979, 1986
1 win
Alexander Burgstaller 1995
Andreas Bovensiepen 1998
Andy Priaulx 2005
Armin Hahne 1991
Augusto Farfus 2010
Bernd Mayländer 2000
Boris Said 2005
Christian Danner 1992
Christian Menzel 1998
Clemens Schickentanz 1970
Dieter Selzer 1980
Dirk Müller 2004
Duncan Huisman 2005
Edgar Dören 1988
Emanuele Pirro 1989
Fabien Giroix 1989
Ferfried Prinz von Hohenzollern 1971
Frank Schmickler 1990
Franz Geschwendtner 1978
Franz Konrad 1993
Franz-Josef Bröhling 1984
Fred Rosterg 1994
Gerhard Holup 1988
Hans Widmann 1996
Hans-Peter Joisten 1973
Helmut Döring 1981
Helmut Kelleners 1972
Herbert Kummle 1979
Jean-Michel Martin 1992
Johnny Cecotto 1992
Jürgen Hammelmann 1985
Karl Mauer 1979
Karl-Heinz Quirin 1976
Karl-Heinz Wlazik 1994
Kris Nissen 1991
Lucas Luhr 2006
Manuel Reuter 2003
Markus Oestreich 1986
Matthias Schneider 1980
Mike Rockenfeller 2006
Niki Lauda 1973
Örnulf Wirdheim 1993
Otto Rensing 1986
Peter Faubel 1988
Peter Oberndorfer 1984
Robert Lechner 2002
Robert Walterscheid-Müller 1985
Steve Soper 1987
Timo Scheider 2003
Tonico de Azevedo 1993
Wolfgang Wolf 1980

See also


External links