The World Touring Car Championship will race on the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2015, it has been confirmed.
The series will compete on the 25.378-kilometre combination of the legendary Nordschleife and the modern Grand Prix circuit, as part of the German venue’s 24 Hours race weekend.
A three-year deal between WTCC promoter Eurosport Events and Nurburgring 24 Hours organiser ADAC Nordrhein was announced at a press conference prior to this weekend’s 2014 running of the endurance race.
The visit of the WTCC to the circuit will be the first FIA World Championship event to run on the Nordschleife since the World Sportscar Championship in 1983. It will also mark a return for the WTCC to Germany, where Oschersleben was present on calendar from 2005 to 2011.
“The race at the Nordschleife will definitely be a highlight of the season,” said Francois Ribeiro, Eurosport Events COO. “To tackle this monument of car racing history, we asked FIA to revise the sporting regulations for that event. The idea is to held one single 120km race, with one pit stop. The details of this particular format will be worked out between FIA, Eurosport Events and teams before the next FIA Touring Car Commission. Then a proposal will be submitted for approval to the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
“WTCC drivers are all excited about this idea: the new TC1 cars on the Nordschleife crowded with 250,000 spectators, combined with a first class TV production on which Eurosport Events will mix all its expertise from WTCC and ERC live filming. It will be the event all drivers want to win, and a good show on TV.
“With its 25 kilometres and 85 turns, the Nordschleife is probably – together with Le Mans – the most challenging racetrack in the world. This iconic place is also a daily unique test ground for automotive industry to test any new performance cars against the clock. Since WTCC is all about ‘real cars, real racing’, I think this event will become a hype for car manufacturers involved in the championship.”