Nürburgring Pre-Race Notebook

***The race at the Nürburgring marks the 1,000th run in a major racing event for the Audi R8 LMS in five years time, in addition, there are numerous other competitions on regional and local levels in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America in which the car competed. This 1,000th run explains why the car of the Audi Race Experience team is designated as car No. 1000.

***Bentley will return to the Nürburgring later this year. The British manufacturer will enter the final two VLN rounds of the season in October in preparation for an assault on the Nürburgring 24 in 2015.

***Bentley is also working on an entry in the 24 Hours of Dubai, with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer stating there is a 60 percent chance of a Bentley taking part in the twice-around-the-clock Middle Eastern enduro, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.

***Praga Cars announced the R1 Endurance Cup in the Nürburgring paddock this weekend. The three best amateur drivers in the series will be awarded with a free LMP2 test and a conditional entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Lotus T128.

***iRacing.com is title sponsor of today’s Nürburgring 1000. Fans attending the iRacing.com Nurburgring 1000 have the opportunity to test iRacing and several other racing sims at the SimRacingExpo 2014, which will be held in the exposition center adjacent to the circuit.

***While JRM did not compete in the Blancpain Endurance Series this season, the team is still showcasing one of its Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the paddock. In an effort to secure new teams to represent Nissan in Germany (VLN) and beyond, Nissan has organized a test at the Nordschleife on Tuesday, which is part of an official Nissan Europe event taking place on 22 and 23 September. The event is taking place immediately after the Blancpain Endurance race at Nurburgring where Nissan will celebrate 30 years of NISMO.

***Watch lights-to-flag coverage of the 6 hours Blancpain Endurance Series race at the Nürburgring at http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/live. For North American viewers, catch the race on CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m. ET. Be sure to download the official SRO Spotter Guide, which features all 40 starters in today’s race. Click here to download.