No climate stickers at the full-throttle party – a Ferrari won for the first time

The private team Frikadelli Racing from Barweiler caused a big surprise at the 51st edition of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. In the Ferrari sports car, the driver quartet led by New Zealander Earl Bamber, who started fourth, prevailed over a dozen competitors with works support from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. The winning team, Frikadelli Racing, beat the Ferrari No. 30 more than 4000 kilometers in the 24 hours over the more than 24-kilometer route – the Ferrari reeled off 162 laps. For the first time, a Ferrari won at the Nürburgring. It is good for the nimbus of the Nürburg race that a private team was finally able to assert itself against the phalanx of financially strong factory teams.

The last races alternately had to deal with bad weather and Corona. This time there were no interruptions. Previously, protests from climate glue were feared.

Lots of partying after the race

At the start there were: 42 Porsches, 36 BMWs, 9 Mercedes, 8 Audis, 8 Toyotas, 6 Austin Martins, 5 Hyundais, 4 Opels (the legendary Opel Manta), 3 VWs, 3 Ferraris, 2 Lamborghini and a particular crowd favourite: the Dacia Logan has been used by Olis Garage am Ring for years.

Over 1000 marshals were responsible for safety in the pit lane and around the track. 450 drivers attended the driver briefings of the 24 hour race. More than 80,000 sausages were sold at the Ring over the long weekend. In the paddock, visitors were attracted by motorcycle acrobats, who performed somersaults with their machines. 60 cameras, 14 of which were installed as on-board cameras in various racing cars, and a special cable camera with a speed of 120 km/h, which recorded images for the TV over a length of 734 meters from the start and finish and the pits, showed the racing events over a 24-hour period. Live streaming worldwide.

In the Ring Boulevard, the automobile manufacturers presented themselves to the fans and racing teams gave autographs. A Lego Lamborghini was on display, glued together in 1350 hours and built from 274,305 Lego bricks. Those who wanted to drive around the ring themselves could sit down at a simulator and start at racing speed. A larger Bundeswehr stand with an ambulance, a Wiesel-type mini tank and a helicopter advertised the troops. The VIP audience could be found above the boxes on the start and finish straight opposite the long grandstand. From 31 lounges, the invited guests, the car manufacturer, racing tire manufacturers and racing teams could see the racing cars through the large windows in front of the pits and follow the race on the start and finish straight. The entire route could be seen on monitors.

Environmentally friendly fuels

Lounge 12 was closed to the public. Here a team from BMW M was busy 24 hours a day. The room was dark. The windows to the race track were made of frosted glass and the walls of the room were fitted with a large number of monitors. More than 15 specialists and engineers followed the large number of BMW racing cars and analyzed the data they received via radio. The campsites at Hatzenbach, Adenauer Forst, Metzgesfeld, Wehrseifen, Karussell, Hohe Acht, Wippermann, Brünnchen, Pflanzengarten and Schwalbenschwanz were occupied by thousands of motorsport fans. Ascension Day was celebrated here until Sunday, the racers on the slopes could smell the aroma of the grilled sausages in their cars and the campfires blazed in the night.

An e-car was not spotted among the competition vehicles. Not unusual for a 24-hour race. After a few driving hours, an e-car runs out of breath on the Ring. E-cars are not yet suitable for longer car races. The future of the Nordschleife should be secured by e-fuels. The Griesmann Group used this synthetic fuel in a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO from Teichmann Racing. A mixture of green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, Racing e-fuel 98. The car drove in the special class AT for alternative fuels.