24H Nürburgring Series confirms race lengths and new Polo Cup class

A VW Golf taking part in NLS 3 earlier this year | Credit: Luna Maas

ADAC Nordrhein have announced further details for the new 24H Nürburgring Series set to get underway next year.

In the initial announcement two weeks ago, the announcement only detailed a five-race calendar for the NLS competitor series, and news of reduced N24 entry fees for full-season entrants.

However, the controversial series has now provided more information on the series' inaugural season. The opening round of the season (N24 Prologue) and round 4 in late July/early August will be contested over four hours, with the Qualifiers and the N24 itself retaining their usual format. The final round in September will be a 6-hour event.

Each round, barring the season opener, will also feature the Deutsche Historische Langstecken Meisterschaft (DHLM) as a support race, running three hour races at rounds 2, 3, and 4, with a final 1000km (six hour) race before round 5.

A VW Polo GTI Cup class is also set to be introduced for the series, alongside all of the usual classes seen at the N24 and in the NLS. The Polo adds a further entry-level option for teams on the Nordschlife, with the car also racing in it's own Polo Cup Germany and Polo Cup Benelux (est 2026 and 2027 respectively). The car is also very popular in South Africa, where each model is built.

“Of course, the top teams with their GT3s are often the focus of media coverage and TV broadcasts, that’s no secret,” said Walter Hornung, sports director of ADAC Nordrhein.

“But endurance racing, especially on the Nordschleife, thrives on the battles within the classes. That’s why GT4 cars, Cup cars, and production cars have been an integral part of our series for decades, and that will, of course, remain the case in the new 24h Nürburgring Series as well.”

ADAC Nordrhein have also confirmed the entries fees for the season, with the deadline for full-season entries closing on the 19th of March 2027. The fees for said entries will be at their lowest in the earliest stage of applications, and will ramp up as we near the closing date.

Those full-season entrants will then benefit from the reduced race-by-race entry fees, however, guest entries may be accepted.

After the initial announcement of the series, both the NLS and Interessengemeinschaft Langstrecken Nürburgring (ILN) - a collaborative group representing the teams that race on the Nordschlife - responded negatively to the new series, however it is yet to be seen if any action will be taken.