Nurburgring 24 Hours

BSchneiderFan · 9 Feb 2003, 12:37 (Ref:501357)

Now that Opel and BMW are pretty much committed to factory assaults on this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours, is there any chance it can return to being a highlight of the touring car calendar instead of a parochial German club race?

So sue me - I love enduros.

Cato · 10 Feb 2003, 13:13 (Ref:502302)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
So sue me - I love enduros.

Nothing wrong with enduros..!

MGF · 10 Feb 2003, 13:49 (Ref:502354)

Got to say, from what I've seen of the 24hr 'Ring' (no pun intended you smutty minded individual's) it does deserve a little more attention...

BSchneiderFan · 10 Feb 2003, 13:56 (Ref:502365)

I think the problem with the Nurburgring 24 was the withdrawal of factory touring car teams in the late 1990s. Didn't BMW win it back in '98 (with a diesel, possibly)? But then it seemed to become a sort of mix'n'match club event with only a few high-profile drivers. Hopefully it'll pick up again now, as it should be one of the classic enduros, run on THE classic track. (Oh, for it to be on the FIA GT calendar...)

redshoes · 10 Feb 2003, 17:06 (Ref:502475)

Can't say I've seen that much of the event but isn't part of the fun that it IS a "mix'n'match club event" without any big budget factory teams. Running it as a proper FIA championship event would mean tightening up the class structure, possibly to the extent that it wouldn't attact as many entries.

**Asp** · 10 Feb 2003, 18:05 (Ref:502525)

Aye, even though it's not a 'big' (as in popular, international) event - it's big in number: last year weren't there three starts (as in starting groups) so that all the cars didn't pile into Turn 1 at once!

**Craig** · 10 Feb 2003, 18:10 (Ref:502529)

Will you be driving the Alfa at the 24hr, Pete, or making a return to an Elise?

JMeissner · 10 Feb 2003, 18:11 (Ref:502531)

Quote:

Originally posted by redshoes
Can't say I've seen that much of the event but isn't part of the fun that it IS a "mix'n'match club event" without any big budget factory teams. Running it as a proper FIA championship event would mean tightening up the class structure, possibly to the extent that it wouldn't attact as many entries.

Though the teams of the top such as the Viper Zaaksped team and the Nissan Skyline GTR with Roland Asch & Co, etc. has got quite some budgets...

Cato · 11 Feb 2003, 10:27 (Ref:503159)

Quote:

Originally posted by Craig Antill
Will you be driving the Alfa at the 24hr, Pete, or making a return to an Elise?

Alfa 156 - there's not enough headroom in the Lotus for the bumps! You should all come down - 150,000 people camped out in the forest on a track with 73 corners...can't be missed!

Hopefully we'll be out in the Lotus for Spa 24hrs and Magny Cours 6+6hrs, plus some EERC rounds in the Alfa before Nurburgring.

Synchro · 11 Feb 2003, 14:32 (Ref:503419)

Pete, see you there !!!

**Craig** · 11 Feb 2003, 16:45 (Ref:503481)

It is *very* tempting Pete... what are the dates? Are you doing Spa too?

**Craig** · 11 Feb 2003, 16:46 (Ref:503482)

PS, Syncro, welcome to the forum. Is your name Dave by any chance...?

Cato · 11 Feb 2003, 16:54 (Ref:503494)

Quote:

Originally posted by Craig Antill
It is *very* tempting Pete... what are the dates? Are you doing Spa too?

Sorry - my site's being updated to include this info.

Nurburgring (ADAC 24hrs) is 31st May - 1st June

Spa (Proximus 24hrs) is 26th - 27th July

Nurb is fixed - Spa (and others) are still in discussion but we should be able to confirm our entry in the Lotus pretty soon

**Craig** · 11 Feb 2003, 17:05 (Ref:503507)

hmmm... but that'd mean foregoing my trip to Lydden... hmmm...

It does indeed sound interesting fella! I'll have a chat with a few people and see if anyone is interested in sharing travelling costs, etc. It is a perhaps a little too close to Le Mans to keep the bank manager happy though.

Synchro · 12 Feb 2003, 07:12 (Ref:504094)

High Craig your right

Dave A

**Craig** · 12 Feb 2003, 18:12 (Ref:504662)

Welcome aboard mate! Maybe be seeing you at the Nurburgring too then if all goes well

Synchro · 12 Feb 2003, 19:22 (Ref:504750)

Cheers Craig I have a busy year, I have the Nurburgring VLN endurance series, the Nurburgring 24 hr, Spa 24hr and Bathhurst 24hr, Oh and a few rounds of the EERC !!!!!!!

**Craig** · 12 Feb 2003, 19:40 (Ref:504760)

Bathurst? You lucky....!!

No BTCC lined up though? Does that mean the rumoured Honda deal is coming together for James? Keep us informed on how things are going

flor · 17 Feb 2003, 02:00 (Ref:509065)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
Now that Opel and BMW are pretty much committed to factory assaults on this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours, is there any chance it can return to being a highlight of the touring car calendar instead of a parochial German club race?

there will also be 1 or 2 modified abt dtm audis and some v8star cars in the 24hr race

BSchneiderFan · 23 Feb 2003, 23:51 (Ref:515517)

DSC reports that Marcel Tiemann has signed to contest the Nurburgring 24 Hours for the factory Opel team.

Just think, not so long ago Tiemann was being touted as a driver for a works Mercedes CART effort. Now he's reduced to a one-off enduro which isn't what it used to be. A waste of a great talent, in my view.

cybersdorf · 2 Mar 2003, 19:16 (Ref:522594)

Quote:

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
...is there any chance it can return to being a highlight of the touring car calendar instead of a parochial German club race?

Is't it the other way around - that a return to a touring car only formula would be the return to club racing.

Certainly, the "enduro that isn't what it used to be" is doing better than ever before.

A Nordschleife FIA GT round is out of the question - the unrestricted GT2 cars are too fast for the track (yes there is a GT2 Viper running but that's restricted). And yet, club race - hardly. (I wonder if maybe some of the contributors here didn't quite pay so much attention to this event in recent years?

)

The field is always split up into three groups at the start - max. grid size for the 24 is 210 cars, 208 (or 206?) took the start last year I believe. The grid for a "regular" German Endurance Championship round is 180 cars.

BSchneiderFan · 4 Mar 2003, 14:11 (Ref:524505)

BMW has announced its drivers for the Nurburgring 24 Hours. They are:

Hans-Joachim Stuck/Boris Said/John Nielsen
Jorg Muller/Dirk Muller/Claudia Hurtgen

Good combinations, in my view, though I'd probably tip the Muller/Muller/Hurtgen car slightly ahead. Great to see Stuckie back at the wheel of a competitive Bimmer, and a good opportunity for Hurtgen. Now we wait for the full Opel line-up. Roll on the 24!

AussieV8 · 5 Mar 2003, 07:30 (Ref:525307)

Well we have been used to enduro's for years and I hope that Foxtel will pick this race up (highlites) as I havn't seen it before only read about it.

cybersdorf · 5 Mar 2003, 23:48 (Ref:526150)

As a little teaser, here's an in car video from last season - the colours are a little "off" (from what I remember, brake lights shouldn't be blue) but it doesn't take much away from the experience. Note that they use a "short cut" and the end of the lap, and bypass the GP track, as there was construction work going at the time.

http://foto.renn.tv/web/video/Artur_Deutgen.wmv

RoyRobbins · 8 Mar 2003, 16:08 (Ref:528949)

Audi will take part, too.
2 2002 Abt TT.

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