The announcement of ADAC Nordrhein’s new endurance series last month was a bombshell the fallout from which is still settling. But one thing is abundantly clear from the move: the stakes are enormous for everyone involved.
NLS once again finds itself in a fight for survival. That is hardly uncharted territory by now, so the NLS organiser VLN is taking things remarkably calmly.
Like NES two years ago, ADAC Nordrhein’s new series only needs to lure away a small fraction of the current grid to render NLS financially unsustainable.
Yet, that is precisely where ADAC Nordrhein is taking a massive gamble. Pushing VLN to the brink could open the exact same backdoor that Nordrhein itself used in 2024 — and it could ultimately cost it the 24-Hour race.
ADAC Nordrhein has managed to alienate numerous key stakeholders across the Nurburgring paddock; its regional sister clubs, Mittelrhein and Westfalen, are heavily invested in the NLS. Meanwhile, the main ADAC headquarters in Munich have long viewed ADAC Nordrhein’s plans with growing displeasure.
Structure and interconnections in endurance racing at the Nürburgring
Photo by: Motorsport Network
The stance of Nurburgring owner NR Holding remains somewhat unclear, though it has never been known as a particularly fond ally of ADAC Nordrhein, even though both share common goals in the current affairs.
Meanwhile, the ILN team association has taken a firm stance against the new series. These are hardly ideal conditions for establishing a new racing series at the Nurburgring.
The enemy of my enemy
A quick reminder: in early 2024, ADAC Nordrhein stepped in alongside regional clubs Mittelrhein and Westfalen as a sponsor to financially stabilise the struggling NLS against the short-lived NES. Insiders reveal that this partnership was a marriage of convenience from day one, as tensions between Westfalen/Mittelrhein and Nordrhein had already been simmering for quite some time.
However, that move opened a crucial gateway. “Whoever invests into VLN in economically turbulent times, can shape the future of endurance racing at the Nurburgring — including the 24-Hour race,” a well-connected voice in the paddock said.
In other words: if ADAC Nordrhein plunges NLS into another existential crisis — and by all accounts, it appears that it would stop at nothing — it could suddenly find itself facing an unexpected opposition alliance. That alliance could first invest in the VLN and then leverage it to promote its own 24-hour race, which would directly threaten its own race (see below).
Which players might form such an alliance remains to be seen, but plenty of candidates fit the profile — from the main ADAC in Munich to the regional clubs Westfalen and Mittelrhein, to NR Holding, and even international promoters like SRO and Creventic.
While these parties share little common ground under normal circumstances, if it is about reining in ADAC Nordrhein as a common adversary, such alliances are possible. As the old saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The vision of ADAC Nordrhein
Two primary friction points drive this renewed power struggle: fundamental disagreements over the future direction of endurance racing at the Nurburgring, and the ongoing court proceedings between the VLN and NR Holding — a lingering leftover from the 2023 feud that remains a heavy burden for all parties.
With the entry fee structure announced on 10 August, ADAC Nordrhein made a public commitment to grassroots racing. Even production cars, over which it holds no technical regulations authority, were explicitly listed in the document.
Yet, very few people in the paddock believe the 24-Hour race is intended to remain a grassroots affair over the long term.
Mirco Hansen, head of motorsport at ADAC Nordrhein, has long pursued a vision: the Nurburgring 24 Hours shall finally realise its full commercial potential. In his view, the event has been punching well below its weight on an international scale.
“He wants to become the Stephane Ratel of the Nurburgring,” an insider said years ago during the first turf war. And ADAC Nordrhein can certainly point to tangible successes in the 21st century. Even prior to Max Verstappen’s headline-grabbing debut, attendance figures rose significantly, culminating in a record-shattering 280,000 fans in 2025.
ADAC Nordrhein’s grand vision is said to be to phase out the smallest entry classes over the medium term, secure major commercial partners, and establish a prominent broadcast footprint on major international television networks. Perhaps, one day, even secure a prestigious Rolex title sponsorship like Le Mans or Daytona.
But to conduct such high-profile commercial negotiations, ADAC Nordrhein needs long-term operational certainty.
The circuit operator would also happily grant a 10-year contract. However, one major roadblock is rendering all of this currently impossible: the unresolved court case between the VLN and NR Holding, which effectively freezes all progress.
Every potential judicial outcome looks bad. If the court forces the Nurburgring to allocate circuit slots on a strictly non-discriminatory basis, the venue could no longer grant long-term exclusive contracts. In a worst-case scenario, it would have to launch an open tender for the 24-Hour race slot every single year.
Due to strict environmental noise regulations, the Nurburgring can only host a single 24-hour event per year. So, if multiple qualified promoters submit bids, non-discriminatory access would force the circuit operator to rotate the slot among applicants on a multi-year cycle.
Manifesting the worst nightmare
At present, no serious rival applicant for the 24-Hour race slot has formally emerged. Nevertheless, ADAC Nordrhein has drastically escalated the conflict by launching its own series — a move that could backfire spectacularly if it alienates too many key stakeholders in the process.
As the saying goes, “If you constantly focus on what you fear most, you will ultimately manifest that exact reality.” NR Holding experienced that exact lesson firsthand when its attempt to seize control of Nurburgring endurance racing backfired spectacularly when its own circuit was deemed an essential facility, the same legal status as power grids or rail infrastructure.
From a sporting standpoint, the best remaining hope is that ADAC Nordrhein intends to use its new series purely as massive bargaining leverage to persuade VLN to drop its ongoing legal proceedings.
However, VLN is demanding ironclad, long-term date guarantees to race at the Nurburgring before backing down. Regardless of the political outcome, running two competing series is once again a worst-case scenario for the sport itself.
The only viable path forward requires a genuine compromise among all parties. One prominent team principal offered a somewhat radical solution:
“Lock them all in a room and don’t let them out until they reach an agreement. And feed them with bread and water — otherwise, one side will just wait for the other to starve.”
And so the drama continues. It remains far more tense than anyone who simply wants to go racing at the Nurburgring would ever wish for, with a complicated situation that can hardly be communicated to the fans.
