On the weekend of June 17-19, 2016, the Nürburgring once again offered entertaining and varied racing. Despite very changeable weather conditions, spectators came to the Eifel to marvel at what was probably the most diverse range of vehicles in the history of this event. The paddock was always very well attended, but the conspicuously empty sections in the grandstands suggested that unfortunately many visitors braved the downpours and preferred to stay at home. What a pity!
A century of motorsport history
In the event's 30-year history, the organizing Düsseldorfer Automobil- und Motorsport-Club 05 e.V. (DAMC 05) has always been committed to bringing over a century of automotive and motorsport history to life. This year's event was no exception, with racing series ranging from pre-war vehicles, the so-called dinosaurs, to the battle of the dwarves and almost modern GT3 cars taking to the track. The Scuderia Alfa Classico races were particularly attractive, as these vehicles are rarely seen live.
Nordschleife - the green racing paradise
Of course, a weekend at the Nürburgring is not complete without racing action on the Nordschleife. Races took place on all three days on the longest and most difficult race track in the world.
Three hours of racing action on the Nordschleife
However, the main attraction for many visitors was the endurance race on Saturday afternoon, which lasted three hours. The FHR Endurance Cup together with the Youngtimer Trophy once again offered exciting duels and a varied starting field this year.
As always, we were on the lookout for vehicles that have never or only rarely been seen before. At the start of the Youngtimer Trophy, the fast Group 5 cars were joined by two IMSA versions of the Porsche 911 RSR, which were built for American racing.
However, the newcomers were no match for defending champion Schrey in a yellow Porsche 935 K1, finishing 52nd (IMSA #502) and retiring after two laps (IMSA #510).
However, this was not clear at the start of the race, as the "Girls & Motors" Porsche (#502) got off to an extremely dominant start and pulled out a 30-second lead at the ice curve!
Victory in the FHR Endurance Cup went to Stursberg/Lance-David in a Ford Escort RS 1600 with a lead of over a minute. In the Youngtimer Trophy, victory again went to Schrey/Wallenhorst in the familiar yellow Porsche 935 K1.
Premiere Touring Car Classics
The race premiere of the newly created Touring Car Classics proved that the Historic Trophy Nürburgring not only bridges the gap to the modern era in terms of participating vehicles, but also in technical terms. In addition, onboard camera images from three racing cars were broadcast live on the Internet. The number of visitors to the corresponding websites proves that modern technology is also appreciated in historic motorsport. This is why this will be expanded at next year's edition of the Historic Trophy Nürburgring.
In terms of vehicles, well-known classics were at the start, such as the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II DTM in the attractive Diebels Alt livery.
Battle of the dwarves
In the midget races (vehicles up to 1.3 liters displacement), there were not only many vehicles on the track at once, but also really exciting duels and decisions right up to the last lap. On Saturday, Phil Harvey on Austin Mini #213, who drove home a double victory in the last race in Oschersleben, once again enjoyed a dominant lead. Behind him, #139 (Christoph Wilde in a Simca Rally II) and #263 (Junior and Senior Herbert in an Austin Mini Cooper S) fought a duel with many position changes over several laps. While the latter had to retire from the race due to a defect, Christoph Wilde was even able to take victory in the Simca Rally, as Harvey slowed down due to a defect and dropped back to fourth place.
The race on Sunday was exciting right to the end. There was another lead change on the last lap and Christoph Wilde also won the second race.
Cancellation of the Boss GP race
Shortly before the event, the Boss GP Group was canceled. The German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB) justified the decision by stating that "foreign" racing series (such as the Boss GP) are only allowed to race once per season in Germany, or the vehicles would all have to be fitted with catalytic converters. Why this decision had to be made so late remains unanswered to this day. However, the Boss GP fans who traveled to Germany especially for the event were still able to experience the cars on a few demo laps.
Between the individual races, there was plenty to see in the paddock for a change, and most of the participants still had enough time to have a little chat with a visitor.
Furthermore, there were show programs on and off the track as well as a duel between a race truck driven by Egon Allgäuer and a Mercedes SLS AMG GT driven by Kenneth Heyer.
