“Small is big” was the motto of the Mini Playback Show in the 1990s. This motto also applies to the premiere of NLS Light. For the first time, a race in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie will be held without the large, powerful vehicles. Others are now coming to the fore. New faces and old acquaintances are making history in their own right. On Friday evening, a big barbecue party with all the teams will take place in the paddock to celebrate grassroots motorsport on the most beautiful race track in the world. Tickets for the race are available from 25 euros at VLN.de/tickets. Young people up to and including the age of 14 have free admission. Those who cannot be there live can follow the entire race day via livestream at VLN.de.
This Saturday, NLS-Light will celebrate its premiere on the Nordschleife. Although it is not an official championship race, almost 60 cars have registered for the 4-hour race. This means that the starting field is smaller than that of a regular NLS race, but it shows the teams’ great interest in the new format. “NLS Light is a welcome event to give interested teams with a low entry barrier the opportunity to get a taste of the NLS,” says VLN Managing Director Mike Jäger. “It was clear to us from the outset that a date two weeks after the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and with seven federal states already on school vacation would not work for a normal race. For this reason, we made a virtue of necessity. Our standards—customer friendliness, professionalism, and strong media coverage—remain the same, of course. I am convinced that it will be a successful event for everyone.”
Others are battling it out for overall victory in NLS Light. In the absence of vehicles from the SP9, SP X, SP-Pro, and Cup 2 classes, the GT4, TCR, and other racing cars are taking center stage. Among them are the race cars from Max Kruse Racing. The team from Duisburg is competing in the AT class with three cars, including two brand-new VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h models. Benjamin Leuchter and Heiko Hammel (#19), Christoph Lenz and Jasmin Preisig (#333, Audi RS3), and Nico Otto and Timo Hochwind (#76) will take turns in the cockpits. “The anticipation is huge,” says Leuchter, who will also be behind the wheel himself in addition to his role as team boss. “Our declared goal is to fight for overall victory. We will be up against significantly more powerful cars. With our front-wheel drive cars, we have a good chance, especially in the corners – from Hohe Acht to Galgenkopf, we will try to make the most of our performance. We’re going on the offensive.” It would not only be the first victory for Max Kruse Racing, but also the first for a vehicle powered by alternative fuels.
Opponents in the AT class are Carrie Schreiner and Janina Schall in the BMW M4 GT4 from ‘Girls Only – Ready to rock the Green Hell’. In the GT4 class SP10, Black Falcon is fielding a BMW M4 GT4 for the three Americans Judson Holt, David Ogburn, and Denny Stripling. In the SP8T class, the Plusline and Schmickler Performance teams will also be competing with BMW M4 GT4s. Schmickler has another hot contender in the SP7 class with a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS. Extreme Racing will also be competing here with an almost identical Cayman. The vehicles from the Cup 3 class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring should not be underestimated. The Porsche 911 Cup (997) from Aimpoint Racing by Gabionen24.de in H4 is more than just an insider tip for overall victory. Axel and Max Friedhoff, who last competed in the NLS in 2023, will take turns at the wheel.
The Fuchs Turbo Team’s pink and gray Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 is a real splash of color among the field of participants. The fast station wagon has already racked up victories in the Nürburgring Circuit Challenge. Owner Mario Fuchs and Eugen Weber take turns in the cockpit. “I think the idea of ‘NLS Light’ is really cool, and we already considered participating at the beginning of the year. Of course, we looked at where we stand in terms of lap times. And if nothing breaks, I think we’ll do quite well in this race,” says Fuchs. The local hero from Grafschaft has prepared conscientiously. Fuchs explains how he came up with the idea of entering a station wagon as follows: “The station wagon was so much cheaper than the sedan at the time and has aerodynamic advantages when we built it. Everyone encouraged me in my plan: ‘Go for it, it’ll be a hit,’ they said. They were right – and the color does the rest. In the end, we’re pretty happy with the Lancer. We’re always a little short on speed in the corners compared to the TCR cars. But thanks to the aerodynamics without wings, we make up ground on the straights.”
David Pittard, who normally competes in the NLS in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, is going back to his roots. Together with Graham Wilson and Andreas Ecker, he will be racing in the Toyota Supra from Jacos Paddock in Barweiler. “I’m looking forward to NLS Light! I’ll be driving with my long-time teammate Graham Wilson. It will be his first race this year, so the variant without the fast classes is a good way to get him back into it. We are driving with Jacos Paddock in the new Toyota Supra. I did my DPN with the team in 2018 and we have become good friends. I rent cars from Jaco when I need them and I also coach his customers. We have a good relationship.”
Bringing new talent into endurance racing is something that rent2Drive-racing from Döttingen, right next to the Nordschleife, has made its mission. Local color plays a major role in the NLS Light premiere. Marcel Weber and Richard Schäfer from Adenau want to use this stage to make a name for themselves with fast times. And even before the event, there was already a lot of interest in promoting the two young drivers: the effort was supported by a fundraising campaign initiated by the team, among other things.
A number of Renault Clio cars are making a comeback, one of which is being driven by none other than Reinhard Sesterheim, who won five class victories during his active career. In NLS Light, he is driving the ‘Schrauben-Clio’ owned by Holger Goedicke and Lukas Krämer. “The two drivers really wanted to drive in NLS Light,” he says. “Of course, I can’t say no. The Nürburgring is my home, I live only 15 kilometers away from the track.” Sesterheim still remembers the golden Clio years when up to 30 cars were at the start: “In 2011, we won the Cup classification with Dominik Brinkmann and Stephan Epp and were runners-up in the VLN.” Epp is also competing in NLS-Light: Together with Michael Uelwer and Timo Kaatz, he is driving the Renault Clio III Cup from aufkleben.de – Motorsport.
With NLS Light, drivers have the opportunity to race with a national level A driver’s license for the first time. One person taking advantage of this opportunity is Paul Winter, who shares the BMW 325i from EiFelkind Racing with Markus Fischer and Henning Hausmeier. “I’ve had the results required for the international C license for a long time and have already filled out the license application at home,” says Winter, who has been racing in the RCN since 2022. “The social media post that the national A license is sufficient for NLS Light came just in time last week and was the impetus for me to finally take this step and start in the NLS. The performance tests in the RCN are very good, but driving real races on the Nordschleife and fighting for positions was a big dream for me that is now coming true. I’m really excited.”
The NLS Light premiere follows the usual schedule of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Qualifying takes place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. During the pit walk at 10:20 a.m. and the visit to the starting grid at 11:10 a.m., fans will be able to experience motorsport up close and with all their senses. Racebot and the Nürburgring mascot ‘Legend’ will also be there on Saturday. The race starts at 12 noon. The new VLN fan collection will also be available on site in the paddock. The livestream begins at 8:15 a.m. and continues throughout the entire race day.
