The VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring will have a very spectacular start of the season on 26th March. Seven race cars, beginning with the close-to-production competition touring car up to the sophisticated GT3 race car, will arrive at the ring°boulevard with their roaring engines on Saturday afternoon for the press conference which is for the first time open for the public. The drivers are: Marc Lieb in the Manthey-Porsche, Frank Stippler in the Audi R8 LMS of Phoenix Racing, Kenneth Heyer in the Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3, Michael Bohrer in the Peugeot RCZ 2.0 HDi FAP, Mario Merten in the BMW-Z4 champion’s car, Jana Meiswinkel in the Renault Clio Cup and Dieter Weidenbrück in the close-to-production BMW Z4.
“That will be a great show”, is VLN Managing Director Robert Rust looking forward to the rollout of the season. “Our true fans will thus have the perfect opportunity to get in the mood for the new season.” The public event will take place on 26th March during the VLN test and set-up session when a great number of teams of this most popular endurance racing series in Europe will for the first time complete some laps in the ‘Green Hell’.
The public press conference shall start at 12 o’clock exactly in the ring°boulevard behind the new main grandstands at the Nürburgring. At the beginning, VLN Managing direction Robert Rust, Hans Jürgen Hilgeland, Head of the VLN Sports Department, as well as Stefanie Hohn, Nürburgring Automotive GmbH Spokesperson, will first of all inform on the updates in the organisation of the season 2011. The new sponsors and partners of the endurance racing series will then be in the focus in the second part of the conference. The French car manufacturer Peugeot will be represented by Bernhard Voss, Head of Peugeot Deutschland Product Press. Information on the engagement of ADAC, the company Zurich Versicherung and Audi will be given by Matthias Wurm, member of the Board of Wige Event GmbH. Peter Geishecker will report on the TV presence of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring and, as Director of the ADAC Zurich 24h Race Nürburgring (23 to 26 June 2011), he will of course also give a preview on this huge event.
This part will be followed by a presentation of a small group of VLN participants with their race cars. The slogan is ‘From the race track right to the ring°boulevard’, and the drivers with their cars will give first-hand reports on their impressions from the Nordschleife. The top competitors which will fight for victories ten times during the year will be represented just as the strong middle field of the series. The new spearhead of VLN partner Peugeot, the Peugeot RCZ 2.0 HDi FAP, will have its first public appearance. The champion car of Bonk Motorsport representing the strong group of Renault Clio Cup cars as well as an example of the competition touring cars in the class of VLN series production cars will of course also be presented.
After the public press conference, drivers and race cars will quickly and without any delays return to the race track to carry on their test session at the Nürburgring until 4 p.m. Admission all around the Nordschleife will as usual be free of charge and the access to the paddocks and of course to the ring°boulevard will for this event in addition be free all day.
One week after the test and set-up session, the 58th ADAC Westfalenfahrt will be the start of the 2011 season of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring when about 200 race cars will probably take the start of the race over the four hour distance.
Timetable public event VLN press conference
10:00hrs – Start of the test and set-up session at the Nürburgring short connection and Nordschleife
12:00hrs – Start of the public press conference in front of the ring°wall
12:40hrs – Race cars to arrive at the ring°boulevard
13:30hrs – End of the public event at the ring°boulevard
16:00hrs – End of the test and set-up session at the Nürburgring short connection and Nordschleife
