After a two-year corona break for campers and spectators, 230,000 fans came to the anniversary festival at the weekend. The 24-hour race around the Nürburg started for the fiftieth time. The fans are back: “It’s like coming home,” says the organizer ADAC Total Energies 24h Nürburgring. The grandstands and campsites were open and full, fans celebrated the return to the Nordschleife and guests from all over Germany and Europe arrived the 25.378 kilometer route.
136 vehicles started at 4 p.m. on Saturday. 36 of them alone compete in the GT3/SP9 and SP-X classes at this 50th edition of the endurance classic, including a prominent number of top teams with works drivers from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
Oldies on the handlebars
The BMW M Race of Legends was a treat for the fans. On the occasion of BMW’s 50th birthday, twelve world-famous ex-racing drivers – all of whom had to be over 50 years old – were at the start shortly before the 24-hour race. They battled it out for 30 minutes on the 4,636 meter long Grand Prix track in their BMW M2 CS Racing. However, after the free practice, Prince Leopold of Bavaria no longer took part in the race. Bill Auberin from the USA won in the BMW M2 CS Racing. Seven Legends finished and four crashed. Too bad about the super M2 CS Racing Cars.
The biggest race in the world has absolute cult character. The capricious weather in the Eifel, the Nordschleife with countless curves, blind corners and spectacular crests make the 24 hours on the Nürburgring a special experience. The premiere was in 1970: The only 19-year-old Hans Joachim Struck, “Striezel”, won with Clemens Schicketanz in a Koepchen-BMW. 99 vehicles were at the start at the time. The race has only been canceled three times to date. In 1974 and 1975 because of the international oil crisis and 1983 saw the conversion of the Grand Prix track.
In 2022, this 50th anniversary was celebrated accordingly – after two years of drought in 2020 and 2021. Even the weather cooperated. Except for a few showers, the fans experienced a sunny weekend with party mood. Things got tough in the first third of the race. Many accidents with total breakdowns of the GT3 vehicles caused a stir. There were also breakdowns during the night, for which the drivers were mostly responsible.
Exciting finale
At the end of the race on Sunday at 4 p.m. things got exciting: will the number 15 Audi from Phoenix really win, or will it be disqualified because of an irregular pit stop? The driver drove off from the pits without properly pulling back the fuel nozzle. But the time and fine did not change the result.
1st place Audi Team Phoenix: Frédéric Vervisch, Kelvin van der Linde, Robin Frijns, Dries Vanthoor with the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evoII.
2nd place and 3rd place Getspeed Mercedes-AMG.