Following the success of the first three years, the Cayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing now enters its fourth season in 2019. In the past, the appeal of the Cayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing has been exciting races, an evenly-matched field, and big prizes. This year, both the previous generation of Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport(type 981) and the successor to the clubsportracer, the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 (type 982), are eligible to race.

The regulations for 2019 incorporate three classifications: One for teams with cars from the previous generation (type 981), one for teams with cars from the new generation (type 982), and an overall classification for both generations of car.

In addition, drivers in possession of the DMSB Nordschleife Permit B also have the opportunity to acquire their A Permit with the Cayman GT4 Clubsport(type 981), as a performance-reduced Permit B car. The teams have access to technical support and a parts service during race events and away from the track. As such, the Cayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing is the perfect point of call for an exciting and successful season for both established teams and newcomers alike.

With the BMW M235i Racing Cup and a separate class to promote, BMW has been providing the possibility for cost-effective entry-level racing and an interesting stage for their customers since 2014. Ever since, this has become a true success story which will go into its next round in 2018 – again with the support of tyre partner Dunlop. “Customer sports is a central pillar in the BMW Motorsport programme – and the BMW M235i Racing has proved to be the perfect entry-level model for motor racing”, says BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “We are absolutely delighted to see the BMW M235i Racing Cup class this year again at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and to keep on following the always top-class and exciting fights for positions. The consistently high numbers of starters in the last four years demonstrate the perfect cost-effective ratio in the BMW M235i Racing Cup in an impressive way. We are now looking forward to another year that we will tackle together with the drivers, the teams and our long-term tyre partner Dunlop.”

After an intensive preparatory phase, the time had finally come at the fourth VLN race in 2017. The KTM X-BOW GT4 started at the VLN in a separate Cup classification. “It is a great honour and pleasure for KTM to be present at the Nürburgring Nordschleife”, says Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Board at KTM. “The KTM XBOW GT4, which we have developed together with our partners of Reiter Engineering, is a true customer racing car. Now, all the teams who acquire or have acquired this vehicle will have an additional and extremely attractive field of activity. The KTM X-BOW GT4 can thus be used in practically all prestigious racing series in Europe. The Regulations have moreover been prepared so that no extensive conversions are necessary between the various racing series and that there is no need to invest in additional performance packages.” Only highly-specialised companies had been involved in the development of the KTM X-BOW GT4. The car’s efficiency, the low petrol consumption and the safety of the car are uncontested.

It was in the season 2016 that the first TCR cars started in the VLN and in 2017, a separate class was then introduced for the two-litres touring cars. And after their first complete season, nobody can any longer imagine the VLN at the “Green Hell” without these enjoyable front-wheel driven cars… What the GT3 signifies in the area of the super sports cars, this is the same for the TCR in the mid-class segment: a sophisticated set of regulations which is applied worldwide. And this is exactly what makes this category so interesting for the car manufacturers. Currently, vehicles of the brands Alfa Romeo, Audi, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Opel, Peugeot, Seat, Subaru and Volkswagen are eligible in the TCR Series all over the world.

The international TCR Regulations reflect the most important benchmark figures so that the cars, similar to the GT3 class or to one of the Cup classes, are very similar in terms of performance. Moreover, there are cost limits which must be respected for the cars to prevent developments which may get out of hand. In particular for price-conscious VLN teams, the increasing market of used TCR vehicles may furthermore become very interesting. The manufacturers’ support guarantees a full supply with spare parts.

In its first VLN season, cars of Audi, Honda, Opel, Peugeot, Seat and Volkswagen had already been at the start in the endurance championship. And with the exception of Honda and Peugeot, all of the brands had been able to celebrate at least one class victory. The most successful team had been Andreas Gülden und Benjamin Leuchter with five successes in their VW Golf GTI TCR of Mathilda Racing. Apart from the Cologne racing team, many traditional teams from the VLN had as well been there: Bonk, Kissling, Møller Bil and Nett. This is a clear signal that the class has been accepted and that it will gain more and more importance within the VLN. The average of seven cars is definitely just the beginning. For, in relation to its characteristics, the TCR class is comparable to a single-brand cup, but just with different vehicle models.