The Nürburgring 24 Hours will take place in 2020. On Tuesday, race officials confirmed the event will be moved from its original 21–24 May date to 24–27 September, a change spurred by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sporting world.
Although the Nürburgring Endurance Series was originally set to race in late September, the NES’ overseer VLN and ADAC Nordrhein were able to secure that date for the 24 Hours. With the move, the NES will instead race on 7 November.
“Good partnerships are confirmed in challenging times,” track managing director Mirco Markfort stated. “The ADAC Nordrhein and the VLN are a good example of this. This would not have been possible without the solution-oriented thinking of everyone involved. Now it’s a win for the motorsport world, the Nürburgring and the entire region.”
Although the race will go on, the 24H’s Qualification Race has been cancelled, as has the Anlassen motorcycle event. The qualifying race, which was scheduled to take place on 25–26 April, is too close to the planned end date for a Rhineland-Palatinate statewide order that prohibits public gatherings of 75 or more people. Passed in an effort to contain the virus’ spread, the order is expected to end in mid-April near Easter.
“As the organizer of one of the largest events at the Nürburgring, we also feel a longstanding loyalty to the region around the ring,” ADAC Nordrhein chairman Peter Meyer said. “That is why we want to do everything possible to complete the 24-hour race in September – despite the considerable additional financial expenditure for the ADAC Nordrhein. Because the many economic consequences resulting from the current crisis also naturally affect the Eifel. We hope to be able to make at least a small contribution to mitigating the consequences together with the partners of the ADAC TOTAL 24h race.”
The pandemic has already taken its toll on many motorsport series worldwide. In the sports car world, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps scheduled for late April was postponed, while Motorsport UK has also announced the suspension of its racing until further notice.
