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Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie

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"VLN" redirects here. For other uses, seeVLN (disambiguation).

Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie
CountryGermany
Inaugural season1977
Official websitewww.nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de
Current season
Touring cars passing in front of theNürburg castlein 2009

TheNürburgring Langstrecken-Serie[1](NLS) is an organisation of motorsport clubs of which each hosts one event of a nine-race series held on theNürburgring Nordschleife.

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]

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMGGT3 on the 'Ring

Name

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The 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

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The 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

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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. 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

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ThreePorsche Cayman GT4Clubsport overtaking a VT2BMW 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]

  • 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

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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 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

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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 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

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Champions

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Current drivers champions, Philipp Leisen, Oskar Sandberg and Daniel Zils(#1 Adrenalin Motorsport Team Motec)
Year Driver(s) Car Team
1977 GermanyErnst Thierfelder Simca Rallye GermanyETH Tuning (1)
1978 GermanyHans Weisgerber BMW 2002(1) GermanyMSTC Erbach
1979 GermanyWolfgang Kudrass
GermanyNorbert Schiffbauer 		Audi 50 GermanyVeytal Tuning
1980 GermanyJohannes Scheid Autobianchi A112 GermanyScheid-Motorsport (1)
1981 GermanyJohannes Scheid (2)
GermanyReinhold Köster 		Fiat 127 Sport GermanyScheid-Motorsport (2)
1982 GermanyArno Wester
GermanyWalter Jirak 		Volkswagen Golf GTi(1) GermanyTannenkamp Motorsport
1983 GermanyKarl-Heinz Schäfer Opel Kadett GT/E(1) GermanyMich Tuning (1)
1984 GermanyHeinrich Sprungmann
GermanyDierk Meyer 		Volkswagen Golf GTi(2) GermanyVAG Sprungmann Essen
1985 GermanyKarl-Heinz Kuhlendahl Volkswagen Scirocco(3) GermanyNothelle Motorsport
1986 GermanyHerbert Kummle Ford Escort RS2000 GermanyPontus Racing
1987 GermanyLudwig Nett
GermanyJürgen Nett 		Peugeot 205 GTi GermanyNett Tuning (2)
1988 GermanyWolfgang Schrey
GermanyGünter Schrey 		Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 GermanyTeam Matter Sicherheit
1989 GermanyLutz-Wilhelm Höhl Volkswagen Polo Coupé(4) GermanyVeytal Tuning
1990 GermanyHeinz-Otto Fritzsche(1)
GermanyJürgen Fritzsche (1) 		Opel Kadett GSi 16V(2) GermanyMantzel Tuning (1)
1991 GermanyHeinz-Otto Fritzsche(2)
GermanyJürgen Fritzsche (2) 		Opel Kadett GSi 16V(3) GermanyMantzel Tuning (2)
1992 GermanyDirk Adorf
GermanyGuido Thierfelder 		Citroën AX Sport GermanyETH Tuning (2)
1993 GermanyHeinz-Otto Fritzsche(3)
GermanyRoland Senge 		Opel Astra GSi 16V(4) GermanyKissling Motorsport(1)
1994 GermanyJohannes Scheid (3)
GermanyHans Widmann 		BMW M3(2) GermanyScheid-Motorsport (1)
1995 GermanyJohannes Scheid (5)
GermanyHans Widmann (2) 		BMW M3(3) GermanyScheid-Motorsport (2)
1996 GermanyDirk Adorf
GermanyThomas Winkelhock 		Opel Astra GSi 16V(5) GermanyGünther Müller Sports
1997 GermanyDirk Adorf(2)
GermanyHeinz-Josef "Juppi" Bermes 		Opel Astra GSi 16V(6) BelgiumMühlner Motorsport
1998 GermanyJohannes Scheid (6)
GermanySabine Reck 		BMW M3(4) GermanyScheid-Motorsport (3)
1999 GermanyPeter Zakowski
GermanyHans-Jürgen Tiemann 		Chrysler Viper GermanyZakspeed Racing
2000 GermanyJens Lührsen
GermanyUwe Unteroberdörster 		Suzuki Swift GermanyFleper-Motorsport
2001 GermanyKlaus-Peter Thaler
GermanyHeinz Remmen 		Opel Astra GSi 16V(7) GermanyKissling Motorsport(2)
2002 GermanyMario Merten BMW 318iS(5) GermanyBonk Motorsport
2003 GermanyHeinz-Otto Fritzsche (4)
GermanyJürgen Fritzsche (3) 		Opel Corsa C(8) GermanyKissling Motorsport(3)
2004 GermanyArnd Meier
GermanyRené Wolff 		BMW 318iS(6) GermanySAX Racing
2005 GermanyClaudia Hürtgen BMW 320(7) GermanySchubert Motorsport
2006 GermanyMario Merten
Germany"Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess) 		BMW 318iS(8) GermanyBonk Motorsport (1)
2007 GermanyHeinz-Otto Fritzsche (5)
GermanyJürgen Fritzsche (4)
GermanyMarco Wolf 		Opel Astra(9) GermanyKissling Motorsport(4)
2008 GermanyAlexander Böhm (1)
GermanyMatthias Unger 		BMW 325i(9) GermanyBlack Falcon(1)
2009 GermanyAlexander Böhm (2)
Republic of IrelandSeán Paul Breslin
GermanyChrister Jöns 		BMW 325i(10) GermanyBlack Falcon (2)
2010 GermanyMario Merten
Germany"Wolf Silvester" (Wolfgang Dess) 		BMW Z4(11) GermanyBonk Motorsport (2)
2011 GermanyCarsten Knechtges
SwitzerlandManuel Metzger
GermanyTim Scheerbarth 		BMW Z4(12) GermanyBlack Falcon (3)
2012 GermanyUlrich Andree
GermanyDominik Brinkmann
NorwayChristian Krognes 		Volkswagen Scirocco GT24(5) GermanyLMS Engineering
2013 GermanyDirk Groneck (1)
GermanyTim Groneck (1) 		Renault Clio(1) GermanyGroneck Motorsport (1)
2014 GermanyRolf Derscheid
GermanyMichael Flehmer 		BMW 325i(13) GermanyDerscheid Motorsport
2015 GermanyDirk Groneck(2)
GermanyTim Groneck(2) 		Renault Clio(2) GermanyGroneck Motorsport (2)
2016 GermanyAlexander Mies
GermanyMichael Schrey (1) 		BMW M325i Racing Cup(14) GermanyBonk Motorsport (3)
2017 GermanyMichael Schrey (2) BMW M325i Racing Cup(15) GermanyBonk Motorsport (4)
2018 GermanyPhilipp Leisen (1)
GermanyChristopher Rink (1)
GermanyDanny Brink (1) 		BMW 325i(16) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport
2019 GermanyYannick Fübrich
AustriaDavid Griessner 		BMW M240i Racing Cup(16) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport (2)
2020 GermanyPhilipp Leisen (2)
GermanyChristopher Rink (2)
GermanyDanny Brink (2) 		BMW 325i(17) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport (3)
2021 GermanyPhilipp Leisen (3)
GermanyDanny Brink (3) 		BMW 325i(18) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport (4)
2022 GermanyDaniel Zils
NorwayOskar Sandberg
NorwaySindre Setsaas 		BMW 330i(19) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport (5)
2023 GermanyDaniel Zils (2)
NorwayOskar Sandberg (2)
GermanyPhilipp Leisen (4) 		BMW 330i(20) GermanyAdrenalin Motorsport (6)
Sources:[17][18][19]

Most overall race victories

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

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

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Last 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

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Last 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

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References

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  1. ^Lloyd, Daniel (3 December 2019)."VLN Announces Series Name Change".sportscar365.John Dagys Media.Retrieved24 June2020.
  2. ^"2023 season stats".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved9 October2023.
  3. ^"NLS 2024: VLN kündigt nach Gerichtsurteil acht Termine an".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved9 October2023.
  4. ^"Interview mit Lutz Leif Linden: Wie es mit der NES klappen soll".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved9 October2023.
  5. ^"Teamvereinigung ILN gibt Neutralität auf und stellt sich hinter die NLS".Motorsport-Total(in German).Retrieved19 December2023.
  6. ^"Redirecting to /analysis/result-analysis/"(PDF).nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de.Retrieved8 October2023.
  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,doi:10.5771/9783415066748-113,ISBN978-3-415-06674-8,retrieved8 October2023
  8. ^admin (1 February 2016)."Nordschleife: Detailed regulations published".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved9 October2023.
  9. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  10. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  11. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  12. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  13. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  14. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  15. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  16. ^"Motorsport Memorial –".motorsportmemorial.org.Retrieved9 October2023.
  17. ^"Alle VLN-Meister auf einen Blick".nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de(in German).Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2021.Retrieved7 January2022.
  18. ^"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.
  19. ^admin (7 October 2023)."Adrenalin Motorsport holt sechsten Titel in Folge".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie(in German).Retrieved8 October2023.
  20. ^"Statistik: Gesamtsiege. The best drivers from 40 years VLN".vln.de.Retrieved28 March2022.
  21. ^"Statistics: group victories".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved8 October2023.
  22. ^"Statistics: class victories".Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.Retrieved8 October2023.
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