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VLN - The rules
The VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring carries out ten races per year at the Nürburgring. The basics of the competition include the International Sporting Law of the Motorsport World Federation FIA, the German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB) Event and Circuit Regulations, the Environmental Guidelines of the DMSB, the Anti-Doping Regulations of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the tender of the VLN.
The teams have to submit their entries at the individual events, where drivers, vehicles and applicants are named. The entry is checked with all other necessary documents in advance and at the document inspection on the spot.
The time training takes place on Saturday mornings and usually takes over the distance of 90 minutes. Due to the almost 25 kilometers long route, the drivers have the opportunity to return to the start-finish straight after a lap on the short-circuit of the Grand Prix circuit, and then start the timed lap over the entire route.
The participating vehicles are divided into classes according to classes in three starting groups. The order of the starting grid, which starts around 80 minutes after the end of the qualifying session, results from the training times. After an introductory lap over the entire racetrack, the vehicles start the race with a 'flying start'. The gap between the three starting groups is three minutes each, this time is credited to the participants at the end.
During the race, the teams have the opportunity to use their vehicles to control the pits to refuel, change tires and drivers and make repairs to the vehicle. The number of pit stops is not limited.
After the race distance of four or six hours, the leading vehicle is waved off by the race director. The winner is the team that completed the most laps at the end of the race. In the case of a tie, the shorter journey time is decisive.
In certain incidents, the race director may be forced to interrupt the race with the red flag or to end prematurely. In the first case, the race can be restarted. The score then results from the addition of the individual partial results.
If participants ignore rules during the time training or the race, the race director has the opportunity to impose penalties. Conspicuous offenses are excessive speed in the pit lane or disregard of flag signals.
VLN - The scoring
Much enemy, a lot of honor - this is how the rating mode of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring can be briefly summarized. Or in other words, who leaves behind most participants in his class, receives the most points. So it is also to explain that at the end of the season usually a team from the wide midfield of the most popular national racing series is at the top.
In addition to the drivers' championship, from which the champions of the year emerge, further scores will be announced in the 2014 season. The VLN Junior Trophy is aimed at drivers who are after the 1. January 1989 are born, the VLN production trophy trophy to participants of the same name classes.
New in the season 2014 are at the end of the year cups for the best placed teams of the respective vehicle classes and the VLN Speed Trophy, which rewards the top teams. According to the current Formula 1 points scheme, the top teams of each race are scored and led in a separate table.
VLN - Classification
[tabgroup] [tab title=”VLN production car”]In the 2013 season, the VLN production cars replace the VLN production cars. However, the new naming does not change the original idea of using close-to-production vehicles on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The minimum requirements are the prescribed safety precautions in the vehicle and certain freedoms of modification, for example in the chassis. The engines always remain untouched compared to the standard models. In order to align vehicles of different years, classification lists are used in the production cars, which bring the vehicles to a level via the parameters tank volume and weight.
| VLN production car V1 | to 1.600 ccm |
| VLN production car V2 | to 1.800 ccm |
| VLN production car V3 | to 2.000 ccm |
| VLN production car V4 | to 2.500 ccm |
| VLN production car V5 | to 3.000 ccm |
| VLN production car V6 | to 3.500 ccm |
| VLN production truck VT1 | Turbo up to 1.600 ccm |
| VLN production truck VT2 | Turbo up to 2.000 ccm |
| VLN production truck VT3 | Turbo up to 3.000 ccm |
| VLN production truck VD | Diesel up to 3.500 ccm |
Racing cars, which are no longer licensed in the two main groups Specials and Production Cars due to their year of construction, find an area of activity in Group H. For the 'Old Iron' are the most spectacular racer, but by no means. Opel Manta, Ex-DTM-Mercedes and the legendary BMW M3 E30 - these are just some of the acclaimed names in Group H. Although the teams are no longer in the top position in the overall standings, for the loyal fans of the series is the commitment of the participants however a great enrichment.
| Group H 1 | to 1600 ccm |
| Group H 2 | to 2000 ccm |
| Group H 3 | to 3000 ccm |
| Group H 4 | to 6250 ccm |
2014 start five cup classes at the start. In addition to the vehicles from the Porsche Carrera and Supercup enriched provide Opel, Renault and Toyota three Cup classes. New this year is the BMW M235i Racing Cup. The peculiarity is that the driving skills come to the fore here with identical material.
| VLN Cup 1 | Opel Astra OPC Cup |
| VLN Cup 2 | Porsche Carrera Cup |
| VLN Cup 3 | Renault Clio Cup |
| VLN Cup 4 | TMG GT 86 Cup |
| VLN Cup 5 | BMW M325i Racing Cup |
The specials regulations were launched by ADAC Nordrhein - organizer of the ADAC Zurich 24h race. In the long distance championship, it is used largely unchanged. The regulations offer a great deal of openness regarding the modifications to the vehicle so that almost any vehicle model can be used. Also included in the group of VLN Specials are the globally popular GT3 and GT4 vehicles, which are classified according to the regulations of the FIA and the SRO.
| VLN Specials 1 | to 1.400 ccm |
| VLN Specials 2 | to 1.750 ccm |
| VLN Specials 2 T | Turbo up to 1.600 ccm |
| VLN Specials 3 | to 2.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials 3 T | Turbo up to 2.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials 4 | to 2.500 ccm |
| VLN Specials 4 T | Turbo up to 2.600 ccm |
| VLN Specials 5 | to 3.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials 6 * | to 3.500 ccm |
| VLN Specials 7 * | to 4.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials 8 * | to 6.250 ccm |
| VLN Specials 8 T | Turbo up to 4.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials PRO ** | about 3.000 ccm |
| VLN Specials 9 | FIA GT3 |
| VLN Specials 10 | SRO GT4 |
| VLN Specials X *** | Special vehicles |
| E1 XP | Special vehicles |
| VLN D1T | Diesel up to 2.000 ccm |
| VLN D2T | Diesel up to 2.500 ccm |
| VLN D3T | Diesel up to 3.000 ccm |
| VLN D4T | Diesel up to 6.000 ccm |
* Vehicles with standard engine ** Vehicles SP6, SP7, SP8 without series engine, 5 plant, 24h regulations 2014 *** Approval only on special request, 2 plant, 24h regulations 2014[/tab] [/tabgroup]
Changes for the season 2014
In the 'big' special classes SP6 to SP8, in the future only vehicles with standard engines will compete. In these classes will thus be the numerous private individuals who rely on solid yet competitive technology. For participants in these categories with improved engines at the start, the new class, SP Pro 'is launched. Together with the class SP9, in which the GT3 cars compete, it is likely to provide the majority of the overall victory candidates. The competition is also being promoted in the 'small' special classes: in the future, there will be two defined minimum weights from 2 to 3 kg for the turbo specials up to 2,6 liter displacement (SP 4T) and up to 1.170 liter displacement (SP 1.250T). Depending on the weight for which a team builds the vehicle, then, for example, different sized tires, tanks and Airrestrictoren must be used.
"With these measures, we are ensuring even more equal opportunities in these high-participation classes," explains Walter Hornung, race director of the ADAC Zurich 24h race.
Another new regulation in the vehicle classes also opens the way for further attractive vehicles: The special class E1-XP, in which vehicles with special approval could already compete in the past, will be redefined. Only vehicles with alternative drive systems (such as hydrogen and hybrid engine concepts), for which a complex technical approval has to be issued, which in particular also includes special safety regulations, start in it.
In addition, the class SP X is created, in which all other special permits are summarized. "In this class, we have the option of admitting vehicles that do not actually comply with the 24h regulations to 100 percent," explains Hornung. "For these vehicles, a special request may be initiated by a procedure in which the organizer, in cooperation with the joint technical committee of VLN and 24h, checks under what conditions the competitor can nevertheless be admitted." The purpose of the regulation is clear. Hornung: "We want to pave the way for our race with attractive vehicles, spectacular projects and technical pioneering achievements. That is the tradition of our event. However, we must keep an eye on safety, equal opportunity and fairness - and this is exactly what the new vehicle class makes possible. "Because the processes here are particularly complex, the call for tenders for corresponding projects provides for a particularly long application deadline. Three months before the first scheduled deployment, the documents must be received by the organizer.
GPS monitoring
Safety is paramount in the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring - not only for the drivers, but also for the marshals. Are on the sometimes very narrow and confusing Nordschleife in salvage and backup in use, they should hope for the reason of the pilots who need to adjust their driving style. But the drivers do not always drive much slower, as the motorsport rules do. Why: So far, on the 24 kilometer long course an accurate speed control was almost impossible. But this is different since this year: with the introduction of the GPSauge, the race director can now experience exactly the pilots and their speed.
On the Nordschleife and the GP circuit, marshals are deployed at 200 positions, which are plotted on a digitized and a satellite-based map. In order to create this map, the Nordschleife was measured several times in advance. "Every marshal is equipped with a radio - and if this does not work with a telephone -", explains VLN managing director Karl Mauer. "In case of an incident, the corresponding post is reported to the race management". Here the further measures are arranged. In the reported section, there may then be two situations: With a panned flag there is no overtaking. However, if two yellow flags have to be swiveled, the pilots should not drive faster than 60 km / h. This is to protect the marshals working on the route. In this case, the GPSauge is used. The system not only shows where and how fast a vehicle is traveling, it also records if a participant is traveling faster than the default 60km / h. In this case, a message goes immediately to the race management. "We get an automatic indication of who drives where too fast," says Mauer. "These incidents are also printed automatically."
The GPS eye is the size of an average smartphone and is built into every vehicle. Two antennas send to satellites which, like a navigation system, determine the position of the participant on the route. An integrated SIM card sends the collected position and speed data via a data network to a server, which sends the processed data to an app. The start number, position and speed of the individual participants can then be seen on a map. If there is no network in a section of the Nordschleife, the GPSauge stores the data for up to ten minutes and sends it as soon as there is a connection again. Not only the race management can access the data. The teams and viewers can also download the app - but with different rights. The app works on iOS and can be found under the keyword 'gpsauge' in the app store.
Sources: Regulate, Rating, Klasseneinteilung, Season 2014, GPS monitoring