Everything seemed to be heading in the right direction. Having weathered the storm against the ill-fated NES, the Nordschleife endurance scene was regaining momentum.
Grid numbers were creeping upward despite an exceptionally challenging economic climate, teams and drivers were content, and the product itself was steadily evolving.
Yet, back in March 2024, NLS had linked up with ADAC Nordrhein to secure victory in its feud against the NES that was organised by ADAC-rival AvD. That alliance might now prove to be its undoing.
Back in 2024, three regional ADAC branches – Nordrhein, Mittelrhein, and Westfalen – joined forces as the series’ title sponsors, renaming the championship the ADAC NLS.
What followed depends entirely on whom you ask in the paddock. As outlined in part one, ADAC Nordrhein was determined to push through a comprehensive professionalisation of the VLN. Intense negotiations have been confirmed to Motorsport.com Germany.
This is where the complex corporate structure of VLN Sport came in once more: the shareholder clubs, led primarily by ADAC Westfalen, reportedly refused ADAC Nordrhein’s ambitious restructuring plans.
Paddock sentiment remains wildly split. Off-the-record comments range from “ADAC Nordrhein put a genuinely fair offer on the table” to “ADAC Nordrhein simply wanted complete control over the NLS.” The exact details discussed behind closed doors after the early 2024 rescue deal remain closely guarded trade secrets.
ADAC Nordrhein may well have misjudged the VLN’s underlying financial resilience. During talks across the paddock, VLN stakeholders repeatedly emphasise the same point: the series is currently standing on solid financial ground – arguably more secure than it has been in years.
Indeed, despite staggering legal costs stemming from multiple courtroom battles, VLN managed to keep its finances afloat without ADAC Nordrhein’s backing. Tellingly, the series was rebranded in 2025 as ADAC Ravenol NLS, ironically sharing its title sponsor with the 24-Hour race itself.
Since 2025, a company owned by Rudi Speich, president of ADAC Mittelrhein, has also stepped up as an NLS sponsor and his engineering firm also handles technical scrutineering for the series. During the live broadcast of the 6-Hour Ruhr-Pokal race, Speich was blunt in his praise: “NLS is the absolute best series out there.”
Either way, ADAC Nordrhein failed to secure the level of control it had anticipated when signing on as title sponsor. VLN insisted on preserving its traditional independence and successfully sourced alternative funding.
Consequently, ADAC Nordrhein pulled out of the three-way regional alliance, leaving ADAC Westfalen and ADAC Mittelrhein to carry the title sponsorship alone.
Fallout from the lawsuit
Beyond conflicting visions for the future of Eifel endurance racing, the second flashpoint in this power struggle revolves around an ongoing court battle.
A recap: in 2023 and early 2024, the legal dispute between the VLN and track owners NR Holding produced two key rulings in a speedy trial.
First came a decisive victory for the VLN, followed by an appellate ruling mandating Nurburgring to grant non-discriminatory venue access to all competing organisers.
As a result, both NLS and NES were allocated five calendar slots each. NES subsequently collapsed in 2024 without successfully hosting a single race.
The ramifications of this legal precedent extend far beyond the NLS and the circuit itself. Crucially, the ruling currently prevents long-term venue contracts from being signed.
ADAC Nordrhein has reportedly been holding out for a 10-year contract extension for the 24-Hour race starting in 2029 after its current agreement expires at the end of 2028.
It would have been a massive bargaining chip when negotiating with commercial partners. A new TV contract with German-Luxemburgish broadcaster RTL was signed last Monday, but only for four years until 2030.
Structure and interconnections in endurance racing at the Nürburgring
Photo by: Motorsport Network
However, track management at the Nurburgring reportedly expects the Higher Regional Court currently hearing the appeal to uphold the January 2024 ruling. If confirmed, the circuit would be legally bound to offer equal date availability to any interested promoter. Such a verdict would effectively render an exclusive 10-year deal null and void.
And that is only the beginning of ADAC Nordrhein’s headaches. Its overarching fear is that if the January 2024 legal precedent stands, the Nurburgring could eventually be forced to put the date for the 24-Hour race out to public tender, rather than handing it directly to ADAC Nordrhein. For long-term event planning, that scenario represents an absolute worst-case outcome.
Determined to preempt this, Nordrhein is moving to create facts on the ground by establishing its own standalone 24-hour series to anchor its presence at the circuit.
What remains unclear, however, is how securing additional race dates will shield ADAC Nordrhein if the rights to the 24-Hour race itself are thrown open to tender.
If the worst were to happen and a rival promoter won the rights to the 24-Hour date, ADAC Nordrhein could not simply convert one of its newly acquired sprint dates into a 24-hour marathon, not least due to strict local noise restrictions.
Why VLN cannot simply walk away from the courtroom
Both ADAC Nordrhein and circuit owner NR Holding have a shared interest in bringing the legal dispute to a swift end. ADAC Nordrhein wants long-term contractual security for its flagship race, while NR Holding is desperate to rid itself of the “Essential Facility” designation.
Consequently, informal requests were made to VLN to essentially drop its legal action. Unsurprisingly, VLN refused. Surrendering the ruling would effectively rewind the clock to the summer of 2023, handing NR Holding the legal leverage to lock the VLN out of the Green Hell once and for all.
VLN maintains that it will only settle if provided with an ironclad, legally binding guarantee. However, legal experts warn that drafting such an agreement without violating anti-trust laws is an immense hurdle.
VLN’s position remains firm: it will not voluntarily surrender its legal leverage without guaranteed, long-term access to the Nurburgring Nordschleife to run its races.
