Before the modern racing car field started the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on June 1 at 4 p.m., the older model years were allowed to take on the 25.4-kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit in the morning of the "24h Classic". The two races did not get in each other's way in terms of time. As part of the supporting program, the classic race is called "24h", but actually only takes an eighth of the time.
The resulting significantly lower strain on man and machine is not to be sneezed at. Hans-Olaf Beckmann, who until last year always took part in the "real" 24-hour race in his Opel Manta, was now taking part in the classics for the first time. At the age of 77, the main event was slowly becoming too strenuous for him.
Beckmann's Manta was one of 201 cars at the start. Most of them were close to the upper limit of the 1988 model year; the majority were also from a well-known Zuffenhausen brand. In addition, there were the Alfa Romeo GTA, BMW 2002 and Ford Escort RS, which have been popular for decades. Among the more unusual sights were the Renault 12, Hillman Imp and Lancia Flavia Sport, each of which was the only representative of its type.
Despite the numerical superiority, however, it was not a Porsche that won the race. After 17 laps, or 3:08:42.6 hours, Ralf Schall in a Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II was waved off as the winner - with a lead of over a lap on the runner-up. A good ten minutes earlier, things had looked much tighter. Robert Huff in the Porsche Carrera RSR was just eight seconds behind Schall at the start of the final lap before he suffered engine failure in the "Hohe Acht" section of the track.
Schall was followed by ten Porsches, with only one BMW 325i among them. For the Mercedes-Benz driver, it was his second victory in the "24h Classic". He had already won the classic race at the Nürburgring in 2022. And just like then, the 30-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane could not stop him this year either.
