Nürburgring 24 Moved from May to September

The organizer of the Nürburgring 24 has moved the date of this year’s race from May to September in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the ADAC North Rhine motor club on Tuesday confirmed that the 48th edition of the Nordschleife enduro will not be held on its original date of May 21-24.

The race has been rescheduled for September 24-27, marking the first date change in its five-decade history. 

The new calendar slot, which was chosen to factor in enough time for organizing Balance of Performance data and driver permits, will occupy a Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS) race weekend.

The NLS Barbarossapreis race originally scheduled for Sep. 26 will now take place on Nov. 7, making it the new season closer after the Münsterlandpokal on Oct. 24.

“We did not take this decision lightly and ultimately saw the variant that had just been adopted as the best compromise,” said ADAC North Rhine chairman Peter Meyer.

“At the moment we are optimistic that we can run the race, but of course there are numerous factors that will have an impact.

“Last but not least, we now hope for the necessary cooperation of all partners of the event to cushion the consequences of the current situation and to secure the future of motorsport on the Nordschleife.”

ADAC North Rhine has confirmed that tickets already purchased for the Nürburgring 24 will be valid for the new September date.

N24 Qualifying Race Canceled

In addition to postponing the Nürburgring 24, the six-hour qualifying race which was set to be held at the end of April has been canceled.

Meyer explained that this measure was taken because of the qualifying race’s proximity to the end of current restrictions on public gatherings.

The state of Rhineland-Palatinate which includes the Nürburgring has imposed a ban on events of more than 75 people from March 16 through to Easter in mid-April.

“Unfortunately, nobody can currently foresee whether this phase will actually have ended and which measures and requirements will then apply,” said Meyer.

The NLS series is currently due to race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in April, while the first two rounds of the series which is used as preparation for the N24 have been postponed.