The new 24h Nürburgring Series won’t run in 2027 after all. ADAC Nordrhein has pushed its planned Nordschleife endurance series back to 2028, following talks with the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) and the teams’ body ILN. It’s a retreat from a plan that met stiff opposition the moment it surfaced in July.
Too little time
Nürburgring 24 Hours race director Walter Hornung put the delay down to timing, saying the preparation window for a new series format was too short for many teams, partners and sponsors. He maintained the concept still makes sense and had drawn plenty of positive feedback, pointing to the professional structures and fan attractions the 24 Hours has built up. Prompted by the DMSB and ADAC e.V., the two series met repeatedly in recent days to explore a shared Nordschleife platform. No joint series came out of those talks, but ADAC Nordrhein wants to keep the conversation going towards 2028.
“Even if a joint series at these meetings has not come about for the time being, we want to continue the talks for 2028 in order to create the best possible platform for teams, drivers and, last but not least, the Nordschleifen fans in the future,” Hornung concluded.
2027 stays as it was
For next season, nothing changes on the calendar:
- 24h Prologue: 2–4 April (test and setup running)
- 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers: 30 April – 2 May (two 4-hour races)
- ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring: 27–30 May
ILN: ‘Late, but just in time’
The Interessengemeinschaft Langstrecke Nürburgring (ILN), a large group of teams racing in the NLS, had campaigned hard against a second series, warning that two calendars fighting over the same Nordschleife dates would thin out grids and hurt grassroots racing. Chairman Martin Rosorius welcomed the U-turn: “The insight of the ADAC North Rhine that no successful endurance series can be organized on the Nordschleife with 30 race cars comes late, but just in time to avert major damage from the teams, drivers, sponsors and the entire long-distance sport.”
A reprieve, not a truce
The Nürburgring’s centenary season in 2027 now heads towards a single, unified endurance programme instead of a split one. But the bigger picture is unresolved: ADAC still wants the series for 2028, and Rosorius is already pressing for one clear point of contact across the 24 Hours and the NLS: “We want to develop long-distance sports together at the Nordschleife. To do this, we must join forces and create the conditions for both the NLS and the 24-hour race to be successful and professional in the long term.”
