May has to be one of the best months of the year for racing fans: Not only are the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 traditionally held, the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race has made the month even more special since its inaugural event in 1970. It has since become the biggest racing event of the year in the Green Hell, drawing over 200.000 spectators every year – but it was not always like that.
Image Credit: Nürburgring on Twitter
Over 50 years ago, two different events took the spotlight on the Ring's annual schedule: It was still the host of the German Grand Prix (with the exception of 1970 to have work on safety measures carried out) in Formula 1, the other major event being the 1000km race as part of the World Sportscar Championship. Both were professional in nature and, of course, relatively expensive affairs to compete in. To give amateurs and smaller teams a more affordable alternative, the 24 Hour Race was created.
The initial running of the race was a spectacle already, with a fair-like atmosphere surrounding the old Start-Ziel-Schleife. One of the first winners would go on to become a racing legend, but was only 19 years old at the time – Hans-Joachim Stuck took the win alongside Clemens Schickentanz in a BMW 2002 TI. The tall Bavarian took to the top step of the podium two more times, winning the 1998 edition with Marc Duez, Andreas Bovensiepen and Christian Menzel, as well as the 2004 race alongside Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller, and Pedro Lamy.
Lauda's teammate Joisten leading Stuck's BMW in 1973. Image Credit: Lothar Spurzem on Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC BY-SA 2.0 DE license
Another name that would turn legendary not long after was on the 1973 race-winning BMW Coupé 3.3 – Niki Lauda and his teammate Hans-Peter Joisten took the checkered flag first. It was the only race that saw a scheduled 8-hour "night rest" being implemented to improve driver safety and also keep the noise down around the Breidscheid village during the night. At the time, usually only two drivers shared a car during 24-hour events, and frequent stamina difficulties towards the end the race were a testament to its amateur nature.
Ford Capri of Klaus Fritzinger and Hans Heyer in the Carraciola-Karussel in 1973. Image Credit: Lothar Spurzem on Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC BY-SA 2.0 DE license
By the 1980s, professional drivers and teams had made their way onto the grid as well, trying to tackle the unique challenge a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring provided. Klaus Ludwig (1982, 1987, and again in 1999) and Klaus Niedzwiedz (1982, 1987 as Ludwig's teammate) won the race twice that decade, and in the 1990s, drivers like Joachim Winkelhock (1990, 1991), Franz Konrad (1993) or Sabine Reck, better known as Sabine Schmitz later on (1996, 1997) made their way to the top of the results sheets.
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Image Credit: Nürburgring on Twitter
Over 50 years ago, two different events took the spotlight on the Ring's annual schedule: It was still the host of the German Grand Prix (with the exception of 1970 to have work on safety measures carried out) in Formula 1, the other major event being the 1000km race as part of the World Sportscar Championship. Both were professional in nature and, of course, relatively expensive affairs to compete in. To give amateurs and smaller teams a more affordable alternative, the 24 Hour Race was created.
The initial running of the race was a spectacle already, with a fair-like atmosphere surrounding the old Start-Ziel-Schleife. One of the first winners would go on to become a racing legend, but was only 19 years old at the time – Hans-Joachim Stuck took the win alongside Clemens Schickentanz in a BMW 2002 TI. The tall Bavarian took to the top step of the podium two more times, winning the 1998 edition with Marc Duez, Andreas Bovensiepen and Christian Menzel, as well as the 2004 race alongside Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller, and Pedro Lamy.
Lauda's teammate Joisten leading Stuck's BMW in 1973. Image Credit: Lothar Spurzem on Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC BY-SA 2.0 DE license
Another name that would turn legendary not long after was on the 1973 race-winning BMW Coupé 3.3 – Niki Lauda and his teammate Hans-Peter Joisten took the checkered flag first. It was the only race that saw a scheduled 8-hour "night rest" being implemented to improve driver safety and also keep the noise down around the Breidscheid village during the night. At the time, usually only two drivers shared a car during 24-hour events, and frequent stamina difficulties towards the end the race were a testament to its amateur nature.
Forced Break in the 70s
The 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring had quickly established itself as a popular event at the Eifel rollercoaster by that point, but it would not be until 1976 before the race's fifth running was held. The oil crisis of the early 1970s put a temporary stop to the event, but it was back for 1976 and has had to be on hold only once after that: In 1983, the Nürburgring was reworked considerably, with the GP course being added in place of the original Start-Ziel-Schleife, and the 24 Hour Race had to be canceled. It has run every year since 1984, though – even the COVID-19 pandemic could not prevent the race from being held, although it had to be postponed from its orignal May date to late September.Ford Capri of Klaus Fritzinger and Hans Heyer in the Carraciola-Karussel in 1973. Image Credit: Lothar Spurzem on Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC BY-SA 2.0 DE license
By the 1980s, professional drivers and teams had made their way onto the grid as well, trying to tackle the unique challenge a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring provided. Klaus Ludwig (1982, 1987, and again in 1999) and Klaus Niedzwiedz (1982, 1987 as Ludwig's teammate) won the race twice that decade, and in the 1990s, drivers like Joachim Winkelhock (1990, 1991), Franz Konrad (1993) or Sabine Reck, better known as Sabine Schmitz later on (1996, 1997) made their way to the top of the results sheets.
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