Fascinating and thrilling as ever – VLN back on the Nordschleife on 23 March

Since more than 40 years, it is fascinating and thrilling, exciting like a thriller, yet remained amazingly young. The VLN endurance championship Nürburgring gets ready to start a new season. From 23rdof March, the VLN race cars will once again compete against each other at the legendary Nordschleife on nine weekends. The ADAC Westfalenfahrt, which heads for to its 65thedition this year, traditionally opens the season when the green lights will be switched on. This most popular grassroots series in Europe provides breathtaking action for the motorsport fans and stages some prominent drivers again. The high-performance and lower-performance classes are fit to start into a racy spring.

The biggest innovation that will be introduced from VLN race 1 with the spectacular chase around the legendary Eifel race track will be an upgrade of the VLN Speed Trophy which has been organised since 2013. VLN partner ROWE will this year provide cash prizes at the total amount of 25,000 euro for the teams in this top group. The system of points allocation has in this context also been adjusted. Points will be awarded in each race for the top 20 cars instead of 10 as previously. The top three in the timed practice will moreover get points (3-2-1).

The number of 170 participants are expected to be on the start at round one. A strong competition will once again be shown in classes SP9, V4, Cup5 and H2. The greatest variety of car makes is to be found in the class for cars up to 2,000 cc. From Renault Clio over Honda Civic, Opel Astra, Calibra and Manta, VW Corrado, Jetta and Golf up to the BMW 3 series, everything is represented. The TCR, too, is one of the aspiring classes.

 

In addition to the drivers, the teams are of course also once again the cherry on the cake. Familiar names which have been there for years will be found again on the grid in 2019. Adrenalin-Motorsport, Black Falcon, Bonk-Motorsport, Care for Climate, Falken-Motorsport, Frikadelli-Racing, GetSpeed-Performance, Manthey-Racing, Mühlner-Motorsport, Phoenix-Racing, ProSport-Performance, Ring-Racing, ROWE-Racing, Scheid-Motorsport, Sorg-Rennsport or Walkenhorst-Motorsport are some of the names which will make the hearts of all the speed enthusiasts and Nürburgring lovers beat faster.

In the middle of the action, rather than on the margins. Close views into the pit lane, the smell of petrol and the sound of the engines, all to be experienced at close range, that is what makes the difference between the VLN and many other motorsport series. In this context, the service for spectators at the track and in relation to the livestream has also undergone an improvement. From now on, so-called transponders for automatic transmission of the pilots to the timekeeping system will be used in all cars. The action during the race can thus be followed more closely.

Everyone who would like to see the whole thing live and in colour, is very welcome to do so. At each of the nine races of the season, entrance is free all around the more than 20 kilometres long Nordschleife with its huge number of trails. Tickets for seats on the open Grand-Prix circuit’s grandstands and for a visit to the paddocks will be available for a price starting at €18. During the pit walk, the work of the teams on the race cars can be witnessed at close range. Children under 14 years have free entrance everywhere. Tickets for the VLN races can be ordered through the free ticket hotline 0800 20 83 200, the Nürburgring Online-Shop as well as on-site in the info°center and at the access points to the open Grand-Prix circuit’s grandstands and to the paddocks.