The VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring is booming. The teams of the most popular endurance racing series in Europe have used the summer break and will present a number of innovations now at the beginning of the last third of the season. In the focus of the 42nd ADAC Barbarossapreis organised by the MSC Sinzig will be the presentation of a genuine world premiere. The spectacular gull-wing door race car SLS AMG GT3 will have its first race participation. The new Mercedes-Benz sports car will be driven by the fivefold DTM champion Bernd Schneider and by Thomas Jäger. In addition, the event will feature more than 190 race cars providing exciting motor sport action at the most beautiful race track of the world, the Nürburgring short connection and Nordschleife – this is what the many and faithful fans of the series are used to. For the second time now, this eighth championship round will also again host the touring car revival. About 30 former DTM race cars of BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Volvo may be admired and will proceed to demonstration laps at the short connection. Admission will be free all around the Nordschleife and tickets for the paddocks and for the open grandstands around the Grand-Prix Circuit may be purchased on-site at the family-friendly price of 12 Euro. The timed practice will take place from 08:30 to 10:00hrs and the race over four hours will start at 12 o’clock exactly. A 30 minutes summary of the race will be broadcasted in Sport 1 on 2nd of October at 09:45hrs.
Since June, Schneider and Jäger have carried out comprehensive tests with the SLS AMG GT3. The new GT3 race car will now be able to demonstrate its performance at the race circuit. As the car does however not yet have a ‘Balance of Performance’ classification by the FIA, it was provisionally classified in class E1-XP. The fans should nonetheless not have too high expectations for this first race participation as for the team AMG Mercedes HWA Ltd. this is purely another test on the way to the start of the production of the customer vehicle. A new team composition will in contrast be focused on a clear goal when they take the start at the Nordschleife. The double winner in the current season, Lance David Arnold (Duisburg/ Germany), and the brand new GT3 European Champion Christian Hohenadel (Quierschied/ Germany) will compete in a Corvette for the first time in class GT3 at the Barbarossapreis race. MAOAM has entered the car at the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring in cooperation with Callaway Competition and GMAXX Cars.
The triple champion of the American Le Mans Series, Lucas Luhr, will celebrate his comeback this weekend. The race driver who lives in Switzerland will drive the Porsche 911 GT3 R of the Haribo Team Manthey together with Richard Westbrook (Great Britain). The crew in the sister car will be made up of Arno Klasen (Karlshausen/ Germany) and Romain Dumas (Switzerland). The two Manthey Porsche have scored five victories in total in the current season. The regular and well-known teams will of course also be at the start in class GT3: Frank Stippler (Bad Münstereifel/ Germany) and Marc Basseng (Neusalza-Spremberg/ Germany) will start for Phoenix-Racing in the Audi R8 LMS. The steering wheel of the BMW Z4 GT3 entered by Dörr-Motorsport will be shared by Rudi Adams (Ahütte/ Germany), Stefan Aust (Castrop-Rauxel/ Germany) and Christopher Haase (Kulmbach/ Germany).
Another premiere at the endurance racing championship will be presented by Mola Adebisi (Düsseldorf/ Germany) and Michael Podlogar (Monheim/ Germany). The duo will for the first time bring a Mazda MX5 at the Nordschleife. Adebisi currently presents the magazine ‘Motor-Motion’ in the news channel N24. The long-time motor journalist Podlogar, too, is involved with N24 as test driver. The last premiere finally is the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto driven by Heinz-Jürgen Winz (Hünxe/ Germany), Mike Dohmen (Schweiler/ Germany) and Sandra Winz (Hünxe/ Germany). The small Italian race car is entered by the Motorsport-Club Düren and starts for the first time in class SP2T (VLN Specials up to 1.600 cc cylinder capacity with turbo).
