Nürburgring 24 Hours

The race was introduced in 1970 by the ADAC as an official event, distinct from earlier endurance contests at the venue that covered 12, 24, 36, 84, and even 96 hours, such as the Marathon de la Route. It was conceived as a substitute for the Liège-Rome-Liège and Liège-Sofia-Liège rallies, which had been held on the Nürburgring from 1965 to 1971. The ADAC had held its first 1000 km Nürburgring sports car race in 1953. The event is similar in concept to the Spa 24 Hours, introduced in 1924, and follows the tradition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The race is primarily aimed at amateur drivers, designed to fill a starting field of around 200 cars. As of 2024, the number of cars starting is limited to 150, driven by 600 or more drivers, with two, three, or four drivers able to share a car. One driver may drive 150 minutes non-stop and may enter on two cars, subject to a rest period of at least two hours between turns. Entry fees in 2010 were €7,508 per car, of which €3,000 was an advance payment for fuel.

The overall lap length has varied over time. The original configuration measured 22.835 km (14.189 mi); following the extension of the GP track by the Mercedes Arena, the maximum length configuration in use in 2002 and 2003 reached nearly 26 km (16.2 mi). Since 2005 the Mercedes Arena section has been bypassed by a Z-shape chicane, producing the current 25.3 km (15.7 mi) length.

The race is typically held in May or June, on the Ascension Day or Corpus Christi holiday. The 2013 edition was held on Pentecost.

The Nürburgring 24 Hours is known for its wide variety of cars. In 2023, 135 cars across 20 classes were entered. Classes include:

The 24h-Special classes (SP1–SP8, differentiated by engine displacement, with optional suffix T for turbocharged engines; SP9 for FIA GT3 cars; SP10 for SRO GT4 cars).

The VLN production car classes, intended for lower-cost racing with near-series cars, comprising normally-aspirated classes (V3–V6) and turbocharged classes (VT1–VT3), with separate classes for front-wheel drive.

Cup classes: BMW M240i, BMW M2 CS, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

TCR touring car.

AT class for cars using alternative fuels.

Unusual entries have included Fiat Cinquecentos in the 1990s, a Volkswagen Caravelle in 2000, the P4/5 Competizione in the 2010s, and a 1988 Opel Manta that has raced from 1994 to 2023. Spectator numbers had dropped in the 1990s when only relatively standard FIA Group N cars competed; more spectacular vehicles were admitted from 1999, including the Zakspeed Chrysler Viper GTS-R, turbocharged Porsches, 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 the track's length, safety procedures differ from most professional endurance races. Safety cars are used only during red flag situations and restarts. Double yellow flags indicate a local speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph); code 60 flags limit speed to 60 km/h (37 mph). Course cars and recovery trucks regularly travel the circuit under local double yellow flags. Since 2015, competitors must hold a valid "DMSB Permit Nordschleife" and must have participated in three races on the track within the last two calendar years.

Closing speeds between the fastest and slowest classes are a persistent concern on a circuit with many blind crests and corners. In 2023, a serious accident occurred when a Porsche 911 GT3 R struck a Dacia Logan SP3 at the high-speed Stefan-Bellof-S, sending the Logan into the barriers. The unpredictable Eifel weather adds further risk: heavy rain and fog stopped the race for several hours in 2018, 2020, and 2021, while the 2016 race was red-flagged due to a hailstorm that caused a series of crashes. In 2001, driver Christian Peruzzi was killed following a practice accident in an Alfa Romeo 147. In 2026, Juha Miettinen was killed in the first qualifier's race.

The event includes several support races on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, held on the GP track, the Nordschleife, or the combined circuit. As of 2023, the support programme includes the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring and historic touring car and GT races. The final support event is the ADAC 24h-Classic, a 3-hour race on the combined track on Saturday morning, several hours before the 24-hour race begins.

The 2006 race was held in warm, sunny, dry conditions on Corpus Christi weekend of June 17–18, unlike the rain and cold of the two previous years. A new overall distance record of 3,832 km (2,381 mi) in 151 laps was scored by the Porsche 996 GT3 of Manthey Racing. Second place went to Jürgen Alzen/Uwe Alzen/Klaus Ludwig/Christian Abt, only one lap down, also beating the old record. A notable fifth-place overall was taken by a BMW 120d from Schubert Motors — with roughly half the power of some of the cars it beat — driven by Claudia Hürtgen, Marc Hennerici, Johannes Stuck (son of Hans-Joachim Stuck), and team owner Torsten Schubert.

More than 260 teams applied for 220 race entries in 2007. An approaching thunderstorm delayed the scheduled 15:00 start; lightning struck a fans' camp, injuring several, and heavy rain made the track muddy. The race began at 16:51 after two laps behind a safety car. Veterans Klaus Ludwig in the Aston Martin DBRS9 — numbered 007 — led early in wet conditions, but Manthey Racing's new Porsche 997 GT3-RSR eventually took the lead. Fog halted the race for six hours during the night, reducing it to 18 hours. When racing resumed, Manthey defended their 2006 victory.

Over 270 cars entered, of which only 230 were accepted. Manthey Racing won for a third consecutive time. Following the triumph, mechanics cut off Olaf Manthey's famous moustache tips. Sabine Schmitz finished third, also on a Porsche 997.

The 2009 edition saw reduced entries — only 170 cars started — partly attributed to rule changes and economic conditions. New FIA GT3 (SP9) and FIA GT4 (SP10) classes were adopted. The Manthey team, running both an RSR and a 997 GT3 Cup S, battled two factory Audi R8 LMS entries for the lead for the first 19 hours. The #97 Audi finished second to the overall Manthey winner.

In 2010, four factory-backed Audi R8 LMS cars qualified first through fourth, with Marco Werner setting pole at 8:24.753 and a new average speed record of 181 km/h (112 mph). BMW entered two ALMS-spec BMW M3 GT2 cars run by Schnitzer Motorsport, classed as E1-XP experimental entries alongside a factory Porsche GT3 Hybrid. The #1 Manthey Porsche led early but was involved in a collision after seven hours. Pedro Lamy achieved a record-tying fifth win driving a BMW, finishing ahead of Ferrari and Audi.

The SP4 class was won by four Argentinian drivers in a BMW 325i E92 Coupe entered by Motorsport Team Sorg Rennsport — the first victory for an Argentinian team at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the first Argentinian team to compete at the race since Juan Manuel Fangio.

The 2011 event was held June 23–26, two weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In qualifying, the Hankook-sponsored Farnbacher Ferrari lapped at an average speed of over 181 km/h — the fastest since 1983 when the race still used prototype cars — and took pole, but also received an extra 25 kg weight penalty under the Balance of Performance. Manthey Racing entered both an SP9/GT3-spec Porsche 997 and an SP7/GT2-class RSR. After a few hours in changing conditions, they retired the GT3 variant and focused on the RSR, which won for a fourth time with a new distance record of 156 laps. Second place went to the #1 factory BMW M3 GT, which had won in 2010.

After 2010, Sorg Rennsport again took the SP4 class victory.

The 40th ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race ran on Saturday, May 19 to Sunday, May 20, 2012. The 2012 event was the first to feature a "Top 40" qualifying shootout for the 40 fastest cars. The #3 Phoenix Racing Team won the race in an Audi R8 LMS.

The 2013 race saw Aston Martin's hydrogen-powered car complete the first ever zero-emissions lap of the circuit. It also marked the first ever win for Mercedes. The #9 Team Black Falcon won in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The 2014 race set a new record for total distance driven: 4,035 km (159 laps) by the top two cars. The #4 Phoenix Racing Team won in an Audi R8 LMS.

2015: #28 Audi Sport Team WRT, Audi R8 LMS.

2016: #4 AMG-Team Black Falcon, Mercedes-AMG GT3. Mercedes took a 1-2-3-4 finish.

2017: #29 Audi Sport Team Land / Montaplast Land-Motorsport Team, Audi R8 LMS.

2018: #912 Manthey Racing Team, Porsche 911 GT3 R.

2019: #4 Phoenix Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS Evo.

Traditionally held in May, the 2020 race was postponed to September 24–27 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held with limited spectators restricted to the Grand Prix course area. Rowe Racing won in a BMW M6 GT3 — BMW's first Nürburgring 24 Hours victory in 10 years — though the race was interrupted for most of the night due to inclement weather.

Manthey Racing won in 2021, forced to sit out 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. The race set a record low of 58 laps completed, as it was once again interrupted for most of the night due to inclement weather.

The 50th anniversary race took place May 28–29, 2022. A total of 159 laps were completed by the winning car, #15 from Scherer Sport Team Phoenix.

The #30 Frikadelli Racing Team won the 2023 race in a Ferrari 296 GT3, completing 162 laps — a new distance record, and Ferrari's first ever Nürburgring 24 Hours victory.

The 2024 race set a new shortest distance record of just 50 laps with less than 10 hours of racing, due to rain and overnight fog. The season was also included in the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar.

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