Day and night

As international race tracks go, few inspire the same awe as the Nürburgring Nordschleife. A snaking ribbon of blacktop 20.38 kilometres long, it includes everything from off-camber corners and elevation changes, to impossibly long straightaways, fast flowing bends to twisting technical sections. So long is the track that the weather can be dry and clear at the start, but pouring rain and foggy on the other side. 

Set in a picturesque countryside, surrounded by hills and lush forrests, it was dubbed ‘The Green Hell’ in 1968 by Sir Jackie Stewart – a name that remains to this day. So dangerous was the track that in 1970, Formula One drivers boycotted driving there – the same year that the 24 hours of Nürburgring was introduced.

The German Grand Prix at the time was subsequently moved to Hockenheimring, and the 24 hours of Nürburgring remains one of the greatest endurance races in the world, and this year, with the 50th running of the event, Audi is keen to add a sixth victory to its current tally.

“The 24-hour race has been making history since 1970, and we have celebrated numerous successes with the R8 LMS,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.

“For us, it’s about the sixth victory within just a decade. Fans will get a lot on offer at this event and can look forward to exciting motorsport.” 

Audi Sport has notched up an impressive five victories since 2012, making it the dominant manufacture over the past decade. In addition to victories in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019, the brand also broke the 4000 kilometre mark for the first time in 2014 and set a distance record that remains intact to this day. 

Last year, the fog and wet weather was so bad that just nine and a half hours of the race were run before the it had to be abandoned, with Audi finishing in second.

This uyear, seven R8 LMS GT3 cars from Audi are will line up amongst the field of 138 GT and touring cars to take on the classic enduro. In addition to competing for the outright win, Audi teams will also be competing in the Pro-Am category as well as in the RS 3 LMS in the TCR class in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup.

In addition to an impressive line-up of race machinery, the brand will also be bringing some its most outstanding driving talent, including 10 former winners of the race. Christopher Haase (2012 and 2014), Pierre Kaffer (2019), Kelvin van der Linde (2017), Christopher Mies (2015 and 2017), Nico Müller (2015), René Rast (2014), Frank Stippler (2012 and 2019), Dries Vanthoor (2019), Frédéric Vervisch (2019) and Markus Winkelhock (2012, 2014 and 2017) will all look to add another coveted title to their personal tally. They will be joined by their Audi Sport driver colleagues Mattia Drudi, Ricardo Feller, Robin Frijns, Dennis Marschall and Patric Niederhauser, as well as a total of 11 privateer drivers.

As well as a celebrating the 50th anniversary of the race, 2022 will also see the return of race fans to the famed venue, with up to 300,000 race fans adding their own colour to the iconic race meeting.

“The anniversary of the world’s biggest car race will be a celebration for the many fans who, after two years of pandemic, may finally come again in large numbers,” says Reinke.