Court Ruling Sets Up Split Nordschleife Calendar

The Nürburgring is set to host two different endurance racing championships in 2024 as the result of a court ruling that has seen both the existing NLS and new Nürburgring Endurance Series (NES) receive access to the German venue to host races.

The split is the result of a long-running dispute over sports car racing on the iconic Eifel circuit, which has been fought between NLS organizer VLN v.v. and the NR Holding firm, which holds ownership over the Nürburgring.

The dispute between the two parties formed when NR Holding sought to implement reforms in the structure that manages endurance racing at the circuit, proposals for which were rejected by VLN.

When NR Holding responded by terminating its agreement with VLN and stripping the organization of all race dates for 2024, VLN sought legal action and came out on top in a landslide ruling by the Mainz regional court in September of last year.

VLN gained full access to the track for eight fixtures, while crucially the courts also declared the Nürburgring Nordschleife an “essential facility”, placing it on the same level as rail infrastructure or an area’s power grid.

NR Holding, which by this point had already turned to the Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD) to create the alternative series that would become known as the NES, appealed the ruling and new arguments were heard by the Koblenz higher regional court in late 2023.

Ahead of the revised ruling, VLN gained the support of the Interessengemeinschaft Langstrecke Nürburgring (ILN), an independent organization ‘representing the interests of teams and drivers’ who participate in endurance racing at the Nordschleife.

ILN, which has figures from notable Nürburgring teams like Manthey Racing, Black Falcon and WTM Racing serving as part of its board of management, released a statement declaring it “unanimously sided” with VLN and the NLS when it became clear that NR Holding’s appeal could result in the splitting of Nürburgring race dates between the existing series and the new NES.

This was confirmed when, on Thursday, the court in Koblenz ruled that NR Holding must grant VLN access to the venue (the combined Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife) on at least five dates, while NES received three dates.

The Nürburgring subsequently announced the announcement of two additional dates for endurance races and distributed these to NES, giving each championship an equal number of fixtures.

This means that both NLS and NES will have the opportunity to host four Saturday races and also stage a double-header event with one race each on Saturday and Sunday, similarly to the Nürburgring 12H held by the NLS last year.

The Nürburgring has yet to announce how the dates will be distributed between each series.

“Finally, we have the green light for NES,” AvD managing director Lutz Leif Linden said in response.

“We had to wait a long time for this. Although time is short now as the Nürburgring season already gets underway at the end of March, we as the AvD have single-mindedly laid the foundations for an attractive endurance racing series in the ‘Green Hell’.

NES managing director Ralph-Gerard Schlueter, a former Nordschleife racer who notably guided the NLS through the COVID-19 pandemic during his time as VLN chairman, pointed out that NES (and by extension the AvD) was not part of the courtroom battle between VLN and NR Holding and will now look towards building a grid for the new series.

“During the legal dispute, in which we as NES were not involved, we focussed on our tasks,” Schlueter said.

“We will shortly be inviting the teams to a meeting to present the key elements of the NES and enter into a direct dialogue.

“We can already assure you that all racing cars that have been on the Nordschleife to date will also be eligible to compete in the NES.

“As of today, we can finally start the active communication of the NES. Our website will also be launched shortly with initial information.”

According to a statement, personnel from NES will be presenting its “largely finalized” regulations to DMSB, the German sporting authority, for review and approval in the coming days.

“Our aim is to gradually make the endurance races more attractive for the future,” Linden added.

“To this end, we have developed sporting, technical and organisational regulations with some new, innovative approaches for the NES.

“We also want to make it more attractive through comprehensive marketing and intense communication, to the benefit of all drivers and teams and to the delight of the fans.”

In a separate statement, ILN urged the Nürburgring to set the dates for the race weekends “quickly and constructively”, with chairman Martin Rosorius stressing that they “must be geared towards the needs of the customers – i.e. the teams and drivers.”

He added: “The most important task still lies ahead: together with all those involved, we must now set the course for a sustainable and long-term future for endurance racing on the Nordschleife beyond the 2024 season.”