The Eifel Marathon in the “Green Hell”
DEKRA at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h-Race Nürburgring
It is known as the hardest long-distance race in the world and with DEKRA, the 24-hour race on the legendary Nürburgring North Loop is supported by a strong partner.
The three-time Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart once named the unique race track “Green Hell.” And to this day the Nürburgring North Loop has lost none of its fascination. Quite the opposite: The ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race as the season highlight at the Nürburgring is considered one of the biggest racing events in Germany and thrills more than 220,000 spectators on site every year in some cases.
It is a superlative event with a big history. Drivers and teams have been participating in the Eifel marathon since 1970. What began as a mass sports event has long since also developed into an exhibition of the manufacturers. The prestige of an overall victory in the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race has remained, which is why up to 700 drivers sign up for the endurance classic every year, taking turns in the cockpits of up to 170 sports cars in all categories.
They are confronted with the world’s longest permanent racing track, the 25.378 kilometer-long combination of the Grand Prix course and the North Loop, which takes a good eight minutes to circumnavigate in the GT3 premier class. However, the North Loop, opened in 1927, is treacherous: With its 87 turns – some of which are not visible – its ramps, and its long straights, it challenges man and material alike and brings them to their limit, all the more so over a period of 24 hours, both by day and by night. Not to mention the typically changeable weather in the Eifel, with fog, rain, and even hail.
All this makes the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h-race a particular challenge – and for DEKRA, the ideal platform to demonstrate reliability and expertise in a true high-performance environment. “The 24h race is well-suited to us,” says Guido Kutschera, CEO of DEKRA Automobil GmbH. “The focus here is on using high tech under the hardest of conditions with the greatest possible safety for all involved. Such demanding situations are exactly what our more than 46,000 employees in approximately 60 countries experience every day in their work.”
The safety of all participants during the race sessions is ensured by the approximately 1000 marshals on the course. It is only they who make it possible for a race to start and also to be brought to a safe conclusion. To honor their commitment and to thank the many volunteers, DEKRA is offering a special annual edition of the DEKRA Marshal Caps exclusively for the marshals of the 24h race at the Nürburgring.
In addition to the marshals, the drivers and teams at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife also have to master a complete day. For them, it is the longest day of the year. And all participants are united by the great goal of conquering the "green hell". At least for 24 hours. But a triumph in the world's most difficult endurance race remains forever.