For the last time this season, the protagonists of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring give their rendezvous on the world's most beautiful and longest racetrack. On the 24,358 kilometers long combination of short connection of the Grand Prix course and Nordschleife will be on Saturday the final, the 41. DMV Münsterland Cup, discharged. The tenth round of the year is not just about prestigious victories in races and classes, but also about the ham. Because the organizer traditionally gives it to the winners on top of it.
Once again, the teams and pilots have to face the treacherous demands of Adenauer Forst, Schwedenkreuz, Karussell, Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten for more than four hours and spur their cars on the Döttinger Höhe. An opportunity that the established VLN teams naturally do not want to miss. Almost all winners of the previous races are at the start. In addition there are the designated title holders in the individual ratings, beloved exotics and rarer guests as well as a handful of newcomers with sonorous names who want to put their skills to the test for the first time in the "Green Hell".
Show the title holder
In the coming season, starting number one will adorn its BMW M235i Racing Cup, but it will be the 691 for the final time. A starting number that brought Michael Schrey and Alexander Mies the best of luck, because the 2016 VLN title can no longer be taken from them. Both want to forget the little beauty spot from the previous race - for the first time they did not reach the finish line - and round off their almost flawless Cup5 record with a good result. The same applies to the already established title holders in the 2016 Cayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing, Marc Hennerici and Moritz Oberheim (raceunion Teichmann Racing), and the new champions of the Opel Astra OPC Cup, David Griessner, Marcel Hartl and Glib Kutepov ( Lubner Motorsport).
Third overall victory in sight
Spectators can look forward to spectacular racing in the battle for the last overall victory of the year. The two Audi R8 LMS crews Christopher Mies and Connor De Phillippi (Land-Motorsport) as well as Anders Fjordbach and Frank Stippler (Phoenix Racing) know how to do it. Stippler and Fjordbach won the first two races of the season, Mies and De Phillippi won races four and five.
In the competition for the third overall victory of the year, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Haribo-Racing, who won the season races six and eight, and will be driven again by Uwe Alzen and Lance David Arnold in the finale.
Possible repeat offenders
The race number 911 of Manthey-Racing could equal the three doubles. Patrick Pilet and Jörg Bergmeister drove the Porsche 911 GT3 R to victory in the 6h race, but this time around, Nick Tandy and Michael Christensen will accelerate in the GT3. The fans can look forward to the appearance of the two Farnbacher brothers, Mario and Dominik, they provided for the first race of the Lexus RC-F GT Prototype for the first victory of an Asian manufacturer in the VLN. In the last race, however, the Farnbachers return to their predecessor, the RC-F GT3.
More than just a splash of color
That the SCG003C of the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, the self-construction from the USA, is more than just a splash of color, the team proved with the fourth place in the eighth round of the year. Now Thomas Mutsch and Felipe Fernández Laser want to secure the first podium place of the year.
This missed the Bentley Team Abt at the season opener, Christer Jöns, Chris Brück and Steven Kane in the Bentley Continental GT3 in sixth place. At the final, Jöns shares the cockpit with Maxime Soulet and Andy Soucek. Both completed their mandatory rounds in a Honda Civic Type-R last year to receive the DMSB Permit A and now come to the Nordschleife for their GT3 debut.
Debutants from the DTM
One step ahead of DTM driver Lucas Auer, Daniel Juncadella, António Félix da Costa, Felix Rosenqvist and Bruno Spengler. Juncadella, Félix da Costa and Spengler have already participated in a VLN race this season and aim to meet their requirements for receiving the Permit A - 18 laps in at least two races.
Rosenqvist and Auer make their premiere on Saturday at the Nordschleife. "I dreamed of a mission on the Nordschleife for a long time - now it's finally time," says Auer. "I did a test drive in my private car last week and am more than impressed with the Nordschleife. There are passages, because I have great respect - and there is already a lot to me. Now I have to get to know and save the track better. "
While the DTM colleagues are taking “Nordschleife driving lessons” in smaller cars, Tom Blomqvist will be at the start in the BMW M6 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport. The Briton already got his “Nordschleife driving license” at the beginning of the season, celebrated third place in his second GT3 race in round three and would like to repeat this success with Christian Krognes and Victor Bouveng.
All photos: SB-Medien, Stefan Baldauf, Guido ten Brink