Fans and viewers no longer have to wait long. The starting shot will be given this week ADAC Zurich 24h race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. After its bad luck last year, BMW finally wants to take home the trophy - but the defending champions in AMG-Mercedes will do everything in their power to prevent that. After their victories at third VLN run and the qualification race seem to have the two works teams of Bayern at an advantage. But also the competition from Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren, Nissan and Porsche does not sleep - because all of these brands are represented in the top group with private, customer sports or factory teams.
The two teams that BMW is launching in this year's ADAC Zurich 24h race are clearly among the favorites. The team Marc VDS and the team Schubert compete with two BMW Z4 GT3 each. The driver squad also includes three DTM drivers: Martin Tomczyk (piston moor), Marco Wittmann (Fürth) and DTM newcomer Maxime Martin (Monaco). The Belgian had enchanted the fans with his spectacular journey over the Nordschleife last year and became the "man of the last hour". In wet track conditions, he flew almost over the Nordschleife and brought the team Marc VDS from fourth to second place forward.
2010 was the last time BMW received the trophy. That's been a couple of years ago and the whites and blues are correspondingly hot. But the competition is tough. Defending champion Black Falcon will once again compete with a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 and a strong team. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Monaco), Andreas Simonsen (Gothenburg), Christian Menzel (Kelberg) and Lance David Arnold (Duisburg) start the project title defense here.
Four brands are fighting for victory
And there are other brands that want to have a say in the fight for overall victory. Audi secured overall victory together with Phoenix Racing and the Audi R2012 LMS ultra in 8. Phoenix will attack with two vehicles again this year and with Marc Basseng (Neusalza), Frank Stippler (Bad Münstereifel) and Christopher Haase (Kulmbach) among others the winners of the ADAC Zurich 24h Race 2012 in the squad. The Prosperia C. Abt team takes part in the ADAC Zurich 24h race for the first time. But these two Audi R8s are also heavily manned: among others with the British Richard Westbrook and Christopher Mies (Heiligenhaus). Not to forget the Porsche camp, where three teams stand out: Firstly, Frikadelli Racing, who won the second VLN race. The team from Barweiler knows the Nordschleife like the back of their hand. The Haribo Racing Team also has chances for top places. Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister has docked here. Last but not least, the factory team from tire manufacturer Falken is always good for a surprise, because it relies on a strong driver squad and always has an ace up its sleeve when it comes to tires.
Full program for the fans
But the ADAC Zurich 24h race is not just packed with action on the track. Fans who want to take a break from the campsites and grill sausages will find numerous alternatives in the area of the Grand Prix circuit and of course the theme of football is not neglected either: the games of the German team will be played in the ring ° boulevard on the huge monitor wall broadcast live. The Adenauer Racing Day will kick off the 24h race on Wednesday evening with a parade of racing cars from the Nordschleife exit Adenau-Breidscheid via the main road towards Kirchplatz. In addition, numerous autograph sessions and numerous other highlights are on the program - the complete list including fan schedule is available on the 24h homepage (www.24h-rennen.de) in the area "Service".