VLN/24H Series: Unbridled passion

ONLY SURVEILLORS STAY OUT On Saturday, the Nürburgring endurance series begins with a strong field of participants. The Swiss participation is good on the same day at the 12H Mugello, even if Autorama Motorsport has to lament a total loss. The Nürburgring Endurance Series, organized by the VLN, starts the 2021 season with a great field of participants. 146 cars have entered for the 66th ADAC Westfalenfahrt [...]

Editorial - 26 March 2021

Neither the weather nor the Corona pandemic can prevent the start of the Nürburgring-Lsngstreckenserie this year. The drivers and the fans at home are pleased (Photo: Jan Brucke).

The Nürburgring Endurance Series, organized by the VLN, starts the 2021 season with a great field of participants. 146 vehicles have submitted their entries for the 66th ADAC Westfalenfahrt on Saturday, March 27.

Everything of distinction will be there. No fewer than 28 GT3 sports cars of the type Audi R8 LMS, BMW M6, Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracán Evo, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche 911 will start at the inaugural race.

Two "Swiss" Mercedes and one Audi
Ambitious Swiss drivers are also sitting in some of these cars. Raffaele Marciello from Ticino, who has a Swiss license but competes under the Italian flag, is one of the contenders for victory, as is Manuel Metzger from Frauenfeld, who is Swiss by choice and drives two different Mercedes.

As an Audi factory driver, Patric Niederhauser is to help the R8 customer team Car Collection Motorsport, which is unlikely to be considered for the podium, to a top-10 result.

It is only a matter of time before the Ferrari of Octane 126 from Wallisellen celebrates its second victory at the Nürburgring - and gets to keep it.

Open invoice
The Ferrari from Octane 126 has proven its speed several times in the past. Let's remember the first row on the grid at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in September and, before that, the disallowed VLN victory in a VLN race due to incorrect marking of a tire.

So if everything goes right, Simon Trummer, Jonathan Hirschi and the Germans Bjärn Grossmann and Luca Ludwig are always good for the win.

Three Hofor BMW, return of Yerly
Among the teams focused on class wins, the German-Swiss team Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport, competing under a Swiss entry license, stands out with its three BMWs. The three cars - M2 CS Racing, M240i Racing and 325i - are entered in different classes, but without a Swiss driver.

As reported, Frédéric Yerly from Freiburg returns to the Nordschleife after a one-year (Corona) break. The 2019 VLN TCR champion will alternate with WRC veteran Tom Coronel (NL) at the wheel of a VW Golf GTI TCR from Max Kruse Racing and is aiming for nothing less than victory in the SP3T class.

With the VW Golf TCR of Max Kruse Racing, Frédéric Yerly will be one of the fastest touring car drivers in the VLN.

The only downer
If the first VLN races from the spring and the last ones fell victim to the pandemic, all planned events should now be able to be held thanks to the special hygiene concept. Anyone entering the paddock must provide proof of a negative Corona test. Masks are compulsory throughout the entire event area. This is a concept that is also used in Formula 1.

Unfortunately, spectators in the paddock and along the Nordschleife are still excluded. Fans of the series will be compensated by the elaborately produced livestream on VLN.de, YouTube and Facebook, which will bring the racing action from the Green Hell to their home screens from 8:30 a.m. - with spectacular live images from the helicopter at all races in 2021, by the way.

24H Series at Mugello
On Friday (4 hours as the first part of the race) and Saturday (8 hours), the second round of the 24H Series 2021 will take place in Mugello. Swiss participation is also high in Tuscany.

Kessel Racing, for example, is fielding a Ferrari 488 GT3. The Hägeli by T2 Racing team is a newcomer with a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Stadler Motorsport, winner of the 2014 Dubai 24 Hours, is aiming for victory in the 991 class with the all-Swiss driver quartet in a Porsche 991 II GT3 Cup.

Total loss at Autorama Motorsport
In the TCR class, which again has a strong field, TOPCAR sport, the winning team of the Dubai 24 Hours in January, is missing. After finishing 2nd and 3rd in Dubai, Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing therefore has the opportunity to take over the top spot in the touring car standings.

However, the team has only one VW Golf GTI TCR left in the race after a serious accident involving its Italian driver Roberto Ferri in Thursday's free practice session. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured, but the car itself suffered a total loss Since the team's debut in January 2019, the #112 team, which included Jasmin Preisig from Appenzell in Mugello, has finished on the podium in every endurance race!

This race, too, can only be followed by spectators via livestream on the website or on Youtube (direct link via homepage).