Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie
TheNürburgring Langstrecken-Serie[1](NLS) is an organisation of motorsport clubs of which each hosts one event of a nine(8 in 2024)-race series held on theNürburgring Nordschleife.
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1977 |
| Official website | www |
 Current season | |
Participants of NLS races range from amateurs in small road legal cars with rollcages and harnesses to professional factory teams racingGroup GT3cars. The NLS series is closely associated with theNürburgring 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. However, the 24h is no longer a part of the championship.
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 withNürburgringowners over race dates for 2024,[3]and plans for a rival Nürburgring-based series currently under way.[4][5]
Name
editThe series was formerly known asVLN(German:Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring,Association ofNürburgringEnduranceCup Organisers) until 2020. The series was named "BFGoodrichLangstreckenmeisterschaft (BFGLM) "from 2001 to 2009.
History
editThe VLN was founded in 1977 by severalmotorsportclubs, which are members ofADACorDeutscher Motorsport Verband(DMV), in order to join forces. Previously, each club had run its owntouring car racingevent 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 (GermanPokal), sponsored byValvolineand 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 byDeutscher Motor Sport Bund(DMSB) as the German endurance championship (GermanMeisterschaft) in 2001, the formerVeedol Langstreckenpokal Nürburgringwas theBFGoodrich 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, theRundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN/CHC)andGLPare related smaller events dedicated to non-professionals.
Races
editEach 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. Afterparc ferméis 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, mainlyclassic carsand youngtimers.
The "Nürburgring 6 Hours" is considered the season highlight – in 1998, even SirJack Brabhamtook 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 whichMichael Schumacher's success withScuderia FerrariinFormula Oneis honoured with all podium placegetters receiving red wigs; and the NLS-9 "Münsterlandpokal" or "Schinkenrennen" (ham race), where large pieces ofhamfrom theMünsterlandarea 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 kilometre 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
edit
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]
- TheVLN production carsgroup 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 forfront-wheel drivecars), plus one class for hybrids (VT Hybrid) and one class for electric cars (VT Elektro).
- The24h-Specialgroup 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 C harged 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.
- TheH(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 ofTCRandCupclasses (BMW M240i,BMW M2 CS,Porsche 911 GT3Cup,Porsche Cayman GT4Clubsport) that do not fit in specific groups.
Safety
edit
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 carsare not used, doubleyellow flagsindicate 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 andvehicle recoverytrucks 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 ofheart attacksat 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
edit
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 levelhatchbackssuch as theRenault Clio,Opel CorsaorSuzuki Swifthave 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
editThis section needs to beupdated.(October 2023) |
Champions
edit
| Year | Driver(s) | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Ernst Thierfelder
|
Simca Rallye | ETH Tuning (1)
|
| 1978 | Hans Weisgerber
|
BMW 2002(1) | MSTC Erbach
|
| 1979 | Wolfgang KudrassNorbert Schiffbauer
|
Audi 50 | Veytal Tuning
|
| 1980 | Johannes Scheid
|
Autobianchi A112 | Scheid-Motorsport (1)
|
| 1981 | Johannes Scheid (2)Reinhold Köster
|
Fiat 127 Sport | Scheid-Motorsport (2)
|
| 1982 | Arno WesterWalter Jirak
|
Volkswagen Golf GTi(1) | Tannenkamp Motorsport
|
| 1983 | Karl-Heinz Schäfer
|
Opel Kadett GT/E(1) | Mich Tuning (1)
|
| 1984 | Heinrich SprungmannDierk Meyer
|
Volkswagen Golf GTi(2) | VAG Sprungmann Essen
|
| 1985 | Karl-Heinz Kuhlendahl
|
Volkswagen Scirocco(3) | Nothelle Motorsport
|
| 1986 | Herbert Kummle
|
Ford Escort RS2000 | Pontus Racing
|
| 1987 | Ludwig NettJürgen Nett
|
Peugeot 205 GTi | Nett Tuning (2)
|
| 1988 | Wolfgang SchreyGünter Schrey
|
Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 | Team Matter Sicherheit
|
| 1989 | Lutz-Wilhelm Höhl
|
Volkswagen Polo Coupé(4) | Veytal Tuning
|
| 1990 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(1)Jürgen Fritzsche (1)
|
Opel Kadett GSi 16V(2) | Mantzel Tuning (1)
|
| 1991 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(2)Jürgen Fritzsche (2)
|
Opel Kadett GSi 16V(3) | Mantzel Tuning (2)
|
| 1992 | Dirk AdorfGuido Thierfelder
|
Citroën AX Sport | ETH Tuning (2)
|
| 1993 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche(3)Roland Senge
|
Opel Astra GSi 16V(4) | Kissling Motorsport(1)
|
| 1994 | Johannes Scheid (3)Hans Widmann
|
BMW M3(2) | Scheid-Motorsport (1)
|
| 1995 | Johannes Scheid (5)Hans Widmann (2)
|
BMW M3(3) | Scheid-Motorsport (2)
|
| 1996 | Dirk AdorfThomas Winkelhock
|
Opel Astra GSi 16V(5) | Günther Müller Sports
|
| 1997 | Dirk Adorf(2)Heinz-Josef "Juppi" Bermes
|
Opel Astra GSi 16V(6) |  Mühlner Motorsport
|
| 1998 | Johannes Scheid (6)Sabine Reck
|
BMW M3(4) | Scheid-Motorsport (3)
|
| 1999 | Peter ZakowskiHans-Jürgen Tiemann
|
Chrysler Viper | Zakspeed Racing
|
| 2000 | Jens LührsenUwe Unteroberdörster
|
Suzuki Swift | Fleper-Motorsport
|
| 2001 | Klaus-Peter ThalerHeinz Remmen
|
Opel Astra GSi 16V(7) | Kissling Motorsport(2)
|
| 2002 | Mario Merten
|
BMW 318iS(5) | Bonk Motorsport
|
| 2003 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche (4)Jürgen Fritzsche (3)
|
Opel Corsa C(8) | Kissling Motorsport(3)
|
| 2004 | Arnd MeierRené Wolff
|
BMW 318iS(6) | SAX Racing
|
| 2005 | Claudia Hürtgen
|
BMW 320(7) | Schubert Motorsport
|
| 2006 | Mario Merten"Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess)
|
BMW 318iS(8) | Bonk Motorsport (1)
|
| 2007 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche (5)Jürgen Fritzsche (4)Marco Wolf
|
Opel Astra(9) | Kissling Motorsport(4)
|
| 2008 | Alexander Böhm (1)Matthias Unger
|
BMW 325i(9) | Black Falcon(1)
|
| 2009 | Alexander Böhm (2) Seán Paul BreslinChrister Jöns
|
BMW 325i(10) | Black Falcon (2)
|
| 2010 | Mario Merten"Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess)
|
BMW Z4(11) | Bonk Motorsport (2)
|
| 2011 | Carsten Knechtges Manuel MetzgerTim Scheerbarth
|
BMW Z4(12) | Black Falcon (3)
|
| 2012 | Ulrich AndreeDominik Brinkmann Christian Krognes
|
Volkswagen Scirocco GT24(5) | LMS Engineering
|
| 2013 | Dirk Groneck (1)Tim Groneck (1)
|
Renault Clio(1) | Groneck Motorsport (1)
|
| 2014 | Rolf DerscheidMichael Flehmer
|
BMW 325i(13) | Derscheid Motorsport
|
| 2015 | Dirk Groneck(2)Tim Groneck(2)
|
Renault Clio(2) | Groneck Motorsport (2)
|
| 2016 | Alexander MiesMichael Schrey (1)
|
BMW M325i Racing Cup(14) | Bonk Motorsport (3)
|
| 2017 | Michael Schrey (2)
|
BMW M325i Racing Cup(15) | Bonk Motorsport (4)
|
| 2018 | Philipp Leisen (1)Christopher Rink (1)Danny Brink (1)
|
BMW 325i(16) | Adrenalin Motorsport
|
| 2019 | Yannick Fübrich David Griessner
|
BMW M240i Racing Cup(16) | Adrenalin Motorsport (2)
|
| 2020 | Philipp Leisen (2)Christopher Rink (2)Danny Brink (2)
|
BMW 325i(17) | Adrenalin Motorsport (3)
|
| 2021 | Philipp Leisen (3)Danny Brink (3)
|
BMW 325i(18) | Adrenalin Motorsport (4)
|
| 2022 | Daniel ZilsOskar SandbergSindre Setsaas
|
BMW 330i(19) | Adrenalin Motorsport (5)
|
| 2023 | Daniel Zils (2)Oskar Sandberg (2)Philipp Leisen (4)
|
BMW 330i(20) | Adrenalin Motorsport (6)
|
| Sources:[17][18][19] | |||
Most overall race victories
edit
Last updated 8 October 2023, listing drivers with 10+ victories only.[20]
| Driver | Overall wins | Manufacturer | Overall wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olaf Manthey | 30 | 1 | Porsche | 226 | |
| 2 | Jürgen Alzen | 29 | 2 | Mercedes-Benz | 62 | |
| 3 | Ullrich Richter | 28 | 3 | BMW | 54 | |
| 4 | Marc Basseng | 26 | 4 | Audi | 29 | |
| Arno Klasen | 5 | Ford | 27 | |||
| 6 | Edgar Dören | 24 | 6 | Opel | 21 | |
| 7 | Peter Zakowski | 22 | 7 | Chrysler | 17 | |
| 8 | Hans-Jürgen Tiemann | 21 | 8 | Alfa Romeo | 4 | |
| 9 | Marcel Tiemann | 19 | 9 | V8Star-Jaguar | 3 | |
| 10 | Frank Stippler | 15 | 10 | Ferrari | 2 | |
| 11 | Uwe Alzen | 13 | 11 | Aston Martin | 1 | |
| Marc Lieb | 12 | Lexus | 1 | |||
| 13 | Otto Altenbach | 12 | 13 | Toyota | 1 | |
| Jürgen Lässig | ||||||
| Jürgen Oppermann | ||||||
| 16 | Timo Bernhard | 10 | ||||
| Lucas Luhr | ||||||
Most group victories
editLast updated 8 October 2023, listing top 10 drivers and maunfacturers only.[21]
| Driver | Group wins | Manufacturer | Group wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralf Schall | 67 | 1 | Porsche | 733 | |
| 2 | Edgar Dören | 53 | 2 | BMW | 506 | |
| 3 | Jürgen Alzen | 48 | 3 | Ford | 139 | |
| Olaf Manthey | 4 | Opel | 120 | |||
| 5 | Andreas Schall | 45 | 5 | Mercedes-Benz | 108 | |
| 6 | Ulrich Richter | 41 | 6 | Audi | 46 | |
| Johannes Scheid | 7 | Honda | 43 | |||
| 8 | Volker Strycek | 40 | 8 | Alfa Romeo | 24 | |
| 9 | Arno Klasen | 39 | 9 | Renault | 19 | |
| 10 | Paul Hulverscheid | 35 | 10 | Volkswagen | 16 | |
| Sabine Schimtz | ||||||
Most class victories
editLast updated 8 October 2023, listing top 10 drivers and maunfacturers only.[22]
| Driver | Class wins | Manufacturer | Class wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volker Strycek | 135 | 1 | BMW | 2179 | |
| 2 | Johannes Scheid | 134 | 2 | Porsche | 1532 | |
| 3 | Ralf Schall | 105 | 3 | Opel | 884 | |
| 4 | Daniel Zils | 99 | 4 | Volkswagen | 779 | |
| 5 | Andreas Schall | 98 | 5 | Ford | 512 | |
| 6 | Peter Hass | 97 | 6 | Audi | 452 | |
| 7 | Jürgen Nett | 93 | 7 | Honda | 450 | |
| 8 | Heinz-Otto Fritzsche | 89 | 8 | Renault | 282 | |
| 9 | Wolfgang Weber | 77 | 9 | Mercedes-Benz | 268 | |
| 10 | Paul Hulverscheid | 76 | 10 | Peugeot | 256 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Lloyd, Daniel (3 December 2019)."VLN Announces Series Name Change".sportscar365.John Dagys Media.Retrieved24 June2020.
- ^"2023 season stats".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"NLS 2024: VLN kündigt nach Gerichtsurteil acht Termine an".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Interview mit Lutz Leif Linden: Wie es mit der NES klappen soll".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Teamvereinigung ILN gibt Neutralität auf und stellt sich hinter die NLS".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved19 December2023.
- ^"Redirecting to /analysis/result-analysis/"(PDF).nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de.Retrieved8 October2023.
- ^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,doi:10.5771/9783415066748-113,ISBN978-3-415-06674-8,retrieved8 October2023
- ^admin (1 February 2016)."Nordschleife: Detailed regulations published".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Alle VLN-Meister auf einen Blick".nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de(in German).Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2021.Retrieved7 January2022.
- ^"Brink und Leisen sind die lachenden Dritten in einem Finale voller Tragödien".nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de(in German). 9 October 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2021.Retrieved7 January2022.
- ^admin (7 October 2023)."Adrenalin Motorsport holt sechsten Titel in Folge".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie(in German).Retrieved8 October2023.
- ^"Statistik: Gesamtsiege. The best drivers from 40 years VLN".vln.de.Retrieved28 March2022.
- ^"Statistics: group victories".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved8 October2023.
- ^"Statistics: class victories".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved8 October2023.
External links
edit- Official website(in German)
- Official website(in English)
- VLN champions
- 24 Hours of Nürburgring Race(2006;fromarchive.org)
- VLN Divisions and Classes(in German)
- To take part in one of the VLN races