The 24h Nürburgring race is looking for new winners and honors the old heroes. The starting field is growing again slightly after two years in the corona crisis. These are the racing cars that want to get through day and night as quickly as possible.
This time it should be a real 24-hour race again. The last two years have not been kind to the famous long-distance race. In 2020, heavy rain slowed down the cars during the night and shortened the driving program by more than nine hours. The victorious Rowe-BMW completed a total of 85 laps or 2,157 kilometers. For context: The record distance from 2014 is 4,035.10 kilometers.
Last year, dense fog turned the marathon into the shortest race in history. The net travel time at that time was just nine and a half hours. Winner Manthey-Porsche 59 laps (1,497 kilometers) was enough for the seventh overall victory on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
More busy than the last two years
In 2022 the participants are hoping for better weather. And it looks like the hopes are being fulfilled. The racers and teams deserve it - after two years in the corona crisis, which has shrunk the starting field. In 2020, 97 cars dared the "automobile ride into hell" in the Green Hell. Last year there were 121 racers at the start, 99 made it into the classification at the end.
The pit lane is slowly getting tighter again. The teams entered 138 cars in advance for the 50th edition of the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The popular Opel Manta had to pass because of a fire. In any case, the brand with the lightning bolt, which has celebrated an overall victory, a pole position and 61 class victories at the Ring, only has three vehicles on the grid this time. "It's a shame, but it's all the more important that we keep the flag high and work for a better future," says ring legend Volker Strycek.
Three qualifying sessions and the top qualification thinned out the field by a few more racing cars. At the end of qualifying, 134 were in the rankings. The fastest was a Ferrari, the slowest a Dacia Logan. This gives you a good idea of how wide the range of cars is in the 24-hour race.
In 2022 things won't be quite as cuddly as at the peak of the 24-hour race or before the corona crisis. Here are a few numbers from the past. In 2019 there were 149 cars on the starting grid. In 2018 there were 150 and in 2017 even 160.
The Nordschleife is looking for new winners for the anniversary edition and honors its old legends. Who will get the big trophy? Certainly one of the GT3 cars. The German brands BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche compete with the Italian sports car dreams of Ferrari and Lamborghini as well as the British luxury brand Aston Martin.
