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Twice Round the Clock at Nürburgring

image-51814397-1024x768-1024x580 The biggest race in the world? That accolade can only realistically be awarded to one event -  the Nürburgring 24 Hours. This endurance classic dwarfs all other candidates in any analysis of the numbers. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 dl 0016 638wm During this year there was a reported 265,000 spectators, and judging by the traffic jams, I think they all tried to drive round the access roads on Saturday evening at the same time. Records show that 169 cars started the race with over 600 drivers, and 111 entries were classified after pounding round the iconic Nordschleife track. It was not just about the numbers though; the quality of the entries were impressive too, like this pair of Audi R8 LMS Ultras entered by the Audi Race Experience. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 dl 1676 638wm As a test of man and machine, 24 hours at Nurburgring stretches even the best to their limits. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 dl 1856 638wm Thousands upon thousands of track marshals and other workers were needed to keep the show on the road; the sheer scale of the event is intimidating. It is reported that attempts to measure the crowd's beer consumption had to be abandoned after running out of numbers... nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 dl 2320 638wm All major endurance sportscar races have their own unique flavour, and the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring is no exception. The ingredients are similar, but the final dish served tastes different in each case. One common factor in each of these events is the part the fans play; they are an important part of the scene and actively participate to add to the sense of occasion. Sebring and Le Mans are famous for the antics of the spectators, and the hordes who camp out around the Nordschleife during the Nürburgring 24 certainly have their own share of particular eccentricities. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 dl 3288 638wm One obvious manifestation is their habit of painting the track celebrating their heroes and favourites. When the race is held in the conditions that prevailed during the early part of the week, really cold and damp, this enthusiastic support of the competitors is not always appreciated. Nurburgring 24 Hours On Wednesday, I arrived to see snow flurries in the pit lane, with apocalyptic weather forecasts of a new Ice Age arriving over the weekend. While these predictions proved to be wide off the mark, the track temperature on Thursday was really too low for the tyres to work properly, and the paint on the track added to the lack of grip provided, sending several cars off the track. Drivers complained bitterly, but a blind eye was turned to the spectators’ artistic endeavours, and the paint remained in place. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 jb 1229 638wm Common ground with fans of other types of racing can be found in the prodigious consumption of beer. (It is Germany after all - a place where they know a thing or two about that beverage.) For the most part, the fans camp out around the track, with some spots more popular, and consequently more crowded, than others. At virtually all points, the action is close up and personal, so the fans really feel part of the show, like these Audis chasing down a McLaren. Nurburgring 24 Hours Audi R8 On Saturday evening while the race thundered by, I drove my loan car (an A6 Allroad - Grazie to the kind folks at Audi) on the steep climb from the village of Herscbroich up past the Caracciola-Karussell to Höhe Acht. Without wheels, it is a long slog and without a pass there is no access by car. This being said, I certainly did not expect to find campers, happy or otherwise, at this spot - the pinnacle of the Nordschleife. Nurburgring 24 Hours However to prove me wrong, and demonstrating the hardy nature of the N24 fan, there was an encampment of Dutch guys who had been there for a while. They had dragged their tent and several days worth of beer rations up the few miles from the car park. Their efforts were rewarded by relative solitude and a fantastic viewing point - really up close and personal. Similar stories could be found around the 16 miles of the track. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 jb 2226 638wm The Nürburgring 24 Hours is also unique in its diversity of entries. The lead cars were drawn from the wildly successful GT3 rule book, pitching werks entries from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in competition for the overall win. The rules are widely drawn so that also allows into competition other factory backed efforts that are nearer to road cars than pure racers. Lexus LFA Gazoo Racing Nurburgring 24 Hours This attracts a strong Japanese contingent, ranging from the Lexus LF-A and the race debut of the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S) to a pair of Nissan GT-Rs and a Subaru Gv8. Aston Martin Zagato Nurburgring 24 Hours Other manufacturer based efforts were seen from Peugeot, Hyundai and Aston Martin, whose CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez campaigned the latest Zagato. BMW Nurburgring 24 Hours Numerically, BMW was the strongest brand with 49 entries (plus 5 Minis) in 169 starters, though this number is down compared to prior races when over 200 cars would race around the Eifel circuit. This is a factor of preventing older cars starting the race, so no more heroes from the 1970s and 80s. Nurburgring 24 Hours Well, there are one or two exceptions - the venerable Kissling Motorsport Opel Manta, pure 80s excitement and well worth its place finishing 53rd, completing 128 laps. Audi S8 Nurburgring 24 Hours A few years younger but hardly anyone’s idea of a car to race on the Nordschleife is the first generation Audi A8. Like the Manta, it was driven by a bunch of locals and it also finished, a bit further back. nurburgring nordschleife n24 24H 2012 2012N24 jb 3506 638wm 2012 saw the race celebrate its 40th birthday, and the action on the track did justice to the memory of those who have raced at this majestic event in the past. An innovation for this year was to have a pole postion shoot out late on the afternoon before the race for the top 40 runners, thus avoiding really demon laps being spoiled in the heavy traffic. BMW Z4 Nurburgring 24 Hours The drivers rose to the occasion and none more than fastest gun of them all, Uwe Alzen. He managed to get his BMW Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 round the 25.378 kilometres in 8:18.382, an absolutely amazing performance that stunned everyone in the paddock. Nurburgring 24 Hours The Z4 GT3 is a proper racing machine, but it is still based on a street car and weighs in at around 1,200 kilograms. Power comes from a 4.4 litre BMW V8 that produces around 500bhp. Giving Alzen’s drive, some sort of context required me to reach for the history books. Audi R8 Nurburgring 24 Hours The fastest lap ever recorded on the Nordschleife was in practice for the 1983 1000 Kilometre race. Stefan Bellof pushed his Porsche 956 to the limits and stopped the clocks at 6:11.13. To make a rightful comparison, you would have to add another 1.30.00 to that time to take into account the modern Grand Prix circuit that is part of the 24 Hours course. A Porsche 956 weighed in at around 800 kilos, had well over 650 bhp from the turbocharged 6 cylinder (particularly in qualifying trim) and had massive amounts of downforce, being a true ground effects racecar. Bellof was a rising star, tipped by many to be a future Formula One World Champion. He was prone to moments of wildness though - in the 1983 race, he ignored orders to maintain a brisk but orderly pace, smashed the lap record (6:25.91) and then destroyed his car, getting airborne at Planfzgarten. Two years later, on the verge of signing a contract to lead Ferrari in F1, Stefan was killed at Spa in a 956, trying an overtaking manoeuvre that was not really on. So some 30 years later, you have a street car derivative posting a lap time that would have been competitive with the fastest racers ever on the Nordschleife. No wonder everyone tipped their hat to Uwe. And if anyone is wondering how good Bellof was, it is enough to know that one of his biggest fans, Michael Schumacher, was just starting out in karting at that time. Audi R8 Nurburgring 24 Hours The race was the usual series of misfortunes and mishaps that unfold over 24 hours. The BMW challenge suffered from mechanical problems; Porsche was strangely off the pace also, so it was down to an Audi versus Mercedes battle with the R8 LMS ultra of Marc Basseng, Christopher Hasse, Frank Stippler and Marcus Winkelhoch taking honours to score Audi’s first win in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Audi seems to be on a roll when it comes to the long distance events in 2012. Nurburgring 24 Hours crash Even as the final flag was waved, the race had something left to surprise us all. The leading Porsche was short on fuel just prior to the end of the race, and while waiting for the clock to tick away was hit from behind by another car, whose driver was not paying close attention. Fortunately, the only casualty was pride. Nurburgring 24 Hours While there are a number of must-do motoring events around the world, the Nurburgring 24 Hours should definitely be high up on that list. - John Brooks
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