Motoring
Everything you need to know about the Nürburgring 24 Hours
The 24-hour race at Nürburgring is one of the biggest motorsport events in the world. Find out all you need to know about the endurance racing classic and the legendary "Green Hell".
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Over 200,000 visitors, a race track more than 25km long and an event that is second to none. The Nürburgring 24 Hours is one of the most famous and challenging motorsport events in the world, with huge crowds gathering each year at Eifel to experience the spectacular duel between professional teams and amateur drivers. Here's everything you need to know about the history, the track, the records and the 2026 dates.
Watch the 24-hour race live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.
Nürburgring 24 Hours at a glance
- Premiered in 1970
- Track length of 25.378km
- Up to 190 participating vehicles
- Around 280,000 spectators live on site (2025)
- Unique, open regulations
- Date for 2026: 14-17 May
01
What is the Nürburgring 24 Hours?
The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is an endurance race for touring cars and Gran Turismo vehicles (GT class) that has been held since 1970. Today, it combines the famous Nordschleife with the Grand Prix circuit of the Nürburgring to form a 25.378km circuit, making it the longest permanent race track in the world.
ABT Sportsline at the 53rd Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2025
© ABT Sportsline
In addition to high-calibre professional teams, ambitious amateur drivers also compete at the race – a unique mix that cannot be found anywhere else in this form. It's no wonder that the number of spectators increases every year and the event attracts new riders year after year. In 2026, this includes four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, who will embark on the Nürburgring adventure for the 54th edition of the endurance classic.
The Nordschleife has a unique atmosphere, especially at night
© Sebastian Kraft/Red Bull Content Pool
The Nürburgring 24 hours is not just a motorsport event, but a festival lasting several days. Year after year, more and more spectators make the pilgrimage to the track, with around 280,000 people watching the event live on site in 2025. The campsites around the circuit open on the Monday beforehand, as fans construct scaffolding and marquees in order to have a better view of the Nordschleife. At night, the track – with its illuminated racing cars – and the hustle and bustle of the camping areas creates a unique atmosphere that is unrivalled anywhere in the world.
02
The track: "The Green Hell"
The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is considered the most challenging race track in the world. With over 170 bends, differences in altitude of up to 290m and changeable weather conditions, the circuit in the Eifel (around 60km west of Koblenz) demands absolutely everything from the drivers. Combined with the Grand Prix circuit, the current 25.378km circuit has been clockwise since 2005.
The Caracciola Carousel of the Nürburgring Nordschleife
© ABT Sportsline
Facts about the Nordschleife
The Nordschleife celebrated its opening in 1927 and quickly became one of the most popular race tracks in the world, thanks to its unique character. The track for the 24-hour race is made up of two components: Nordschleife (20.832 km) and a shortened version of the Grand Prix circuit, without the Mercedes Arena.
Formula One on the Nordschleife: Watch former F1 drivers Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard pilot the RB7 and RB8 around the legendary circuit in this video.
A notable challenge at the Nürburgring 24 Hours is the unpredictable Eifel weather. On a 25km track, there can be sunshine in one corner, fog in another section and heavy rain on the Nordschleife at the same time. Especially at night, the temperatures in the Eifel drop sharply in some places, and clouds of fog on the Nordschleife are an integral part of the race and demand maximum adaptability from drivers and teams.
The name "Nürburgring" is derived from the nearby Nürburg castle ruins, which are located inside the Nordschleife. The villages of Quiddelbach, Herschbroich and Breidscheid are also located entirely within the area enclosed by the Nordschleife.
Max Verstappen's car for the Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026
© Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool
The starting field of the Nürburgring 24 Hours comprises up to 190 vehicles, all of which are on the track at the same time. To make this possible, the field starts in up to three groups, each behind a safety car that leads the cars on an introductory lap. Two to four drivers are allowed per vehicle, each of whom may drive for a maximum of three hours at a time. Around 700 drivers are in action.
"The Green Hell"
The race officially starts on Saturday at 15:00 and ends exactly 24 hours later on Sunday. Due to its length, the course offers space for the enormous starting field – something that would simply be impossible on shorter circuits.
When it's not being used for events or vehicle tests, anyone can drive on the Nordschleife in an authorised road vehicle – so-called tourist drives. A ticket for cars costs around 30 euros per lap. Countless car manufacturers also use the track as the toughest test circuit in the world.
03
Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026: Date, schedule and more
The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring traditionally takes place in spring. The 54th edition of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring will take place from 14-17 May, 2026.
Fans can watch the race live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.
Verstappen is always seeking a new challenge
© Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool
The race starts on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at 15:00. There are some new features compared to previous years: The ADAC 24h Classic race will be replaced by the new German Historic Endurance Championship (DHLM), which will stage a three-hour race.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026 schedule:
Day
Date
Highlights
Thursday
14 May 2026
Qualifying 1 & 2
Friday
15 May 2026
Top-Qualifying (3 Sessions), DHLM-Race
Saturday
16 May 2026
Warm-up, Race start at 15:00
Sunday
17 May 2026
Finish at 15:00
04
The history of the Nürburgring 24 Hours
The first edition of the 24-hour race took place on 27-28 June, 1970 and saw Hans-Joachim Stuck and Clemens Schickentanz take victory in a BMW 2002 TI – with 123 completed laps and a total distance of around 2,808km. The event was originally intended as an affordable supplement to the more professional 1,000km race and was deliberately aimed at amateur athletes. Niki Lauda won in a BMW coupé back in 1973, during a time when drivers still took a mandatory eight-hour break during the night.
In 1983, the race had to be cancelled due to the reconstruction of the circuit, but the following year numerous racing cars once again lapped the circuit in the Eifel. From 1984, the new combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit was used, which extended the lap length to around 25.3km.
A historic moment followed in 1996: Sabine Reck became the first woman to win the overall race and successfully defended her title in 1997. A year later, another record was set when BMW clinched the first and, to date, only overall victory for a diesel vehicle with a 320d.
Manthey is the record winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours
© Manthey
With the arrival of GT3 cars in the mid-2000s, the race changed fundamentally. Since 2003, only factory teams or factory-sponsored teams have won the race. The dominant team is Manthey Racing with its Porsche factory team: between 2006 and 2025, the team won the race an incredible seven times (most recently in 2021). Well-known names such as Timo Bernhard, Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Michael Christensen have been behind the wheel of the Manthey 'Grello' Porsche.
Kelvin van der Linde celebrates victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
© Sebastian Kraft/Red Bull Content Pool
Overall victory in the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours went to Rowe Racing and BMW - driven by Kelvin van der Linde, among others, who won the endurance classic for the third time.
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Which classes and manufacturers compete?
The Nürburgring 24 Hours features cars from numerous nations and manufacturers. The 2025 starting field comprised 140 vehicles from 17 brands, which was the highest number in years – Porsche alone entered 54 racing cars. BMW was in second place with 32 cars, followed by Aston Martin with nine. Toyota, Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes-AMG were joined by more exotic brands such as Dacia, Subaru, Mini, Cupra and Lynk & Co.
The start of the 53rd ADAC RAVENOL 24h at the Nürburgring in 2025
© Sebastian Kraft/Red Bull Content Pool
One of the race's greatest specialities is its flexible regulations. Since 1999, almost any vehicle has been allowed to start, as long as it fulfils the safety requirements. In the past, for example, a Dodge Viper and an Opel Corsa shared the track – in different classes, of course. There are more than 20 vehicle classes in total, from the high-performance GT3 class (SP9) to near-series touring cars in the VLN class.
An international level C driver's licence is a prerequisite for participation. First-time entrants must also provide proof of three VLN results and take part in the compulsory "Nordschleife Permit" course. This ensures that even ambitious amateurs can drive safely on the Green Hell.
Discover more from the world of motorsport
06
Nürburgring 24 Hours: Records and statistics
Most successful manufacturer: BMW
BMW is the most successful manufacturer in the history of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, with a total of 21 overall victories from 1970-2025. Porsche follows in second place, with 13 victories, while Audi has seven overall victories.
Most successful drivers (overall victories)
A total of three drivers have won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring five times and share the record for the most overall victories:
- Timo Bernhard (2006-2009, 2011)
- Pedro Lamy (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010)
- Marcel Tiemann (2003, 2006-2009)
However, all three have now hung up their racing overalls. Kelvin van der Linde (2017, 2022 and 2025) has scored the most victories among the drivers still active
Most successful team: Manthey Racing
Manthey Racing is the most successful team in the history of the event, with 7 overall victories. They are followed by Team Phoenix (6 wins) and BMW Schnitzer (5 wins).
Race distance covered
The longest distance covered in 24 hours to date is 4,111.24km. It was achieved in 2023 by the Frikadelli Racing Team in a Ferrari 296 GT3, with 162 laps. In 2025, the winning team from Rowe Racing crossed the finish line after covering a distance of 3,578.30km and 141 completed laps.
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