Next year, the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie will enter its 49th season. The year is all about grassroots sport, the motto is ‘Back to the Roots’. An important pillar: in 2025, the VLN will announce the new BMW 325i Challenge class for the first time. Further measures are in preparation.
‘NLS is a popular sport, even though some of my predecessors avoided using this term,’ says VLN managing director Mike Jäger. ’Diverse multi-class racing among amateur racing drivers is in our DNA. Of course, a handful of professional racing teams from other racing series are now also involved, especially in the run-up to the 24-hour race. However, the fact is that 86 per cent of our drivers only compete at the Nürburgring and almost none of them make a living from racing.’
In recent years, amateur motor racing has changed, not only on the Nordschleife but also in many other racing series. Most of the participants are no longer classic garage teams that build and prepare the car with the help of their friends and then drive it on the race track themselves. Most drivers hire themselves out to teams that offer this service at a very high and professional level. ‘Even if this has perhaps taken away some of the romance of the track, the protagonists are still passionate about what they do and pursue the sport with great passion – teams and drivers alike,’ continues Jäger. ’Nevertheless, we want to turn our attention back to the aforementioned garage teams in the future.’
The newly announced BMW 325i Challenge is aimed squarely at this group. Mario Hermani, a member of the VLN technical team, explains: ‘The 325i built between 12/2004 and 12/2011 is an extremely popular racing car in club racing. It is estimated that around 100 of these cars are still in existence and could be used for racing.’ The VLN is currently in intensive discussions with potential partners. The aim is to keep the entry fee as low as possible and thus send a clear signal. In addition, the regulations, which are largely based on the V4 regulations, are specifically designed to keep costs within manageable limits and to prevent an arms race. ‘The first draft of the regulations is already in place,’ says Hermani. ’We will be publishing further details in the near future, independently of our invitation to tender. The most important point is: anyone who still has a 325i in their garage is welcome to join us next year.’
In addition to the BMW 325i Challenge, which, incidentally, will also earn participants points in the BMW M Sports Trophy, further measures are planned that will emphasise the modern mass-sports character of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie in the future. ‘We are currently working on simplifying certain aspects of the Group H regulations for the participants,’ says VLN Director Sport Christian Vormann. ’I can’t reveal any details yet, but we are convinced that the implementation of our plans will be well received by many participants.’
