Nürburgring Classic 2025: Historic Racing at the Ring

On the 12th of June I had the pleasure of attending the Nürburgring Classic at the – you guessed it – infamous Nürburgring race circuit.

This is one of the most well known classic racing events in central Europe, bringing together participants and fans from all across the continent. The event takes place at the smaller Grand Prix racetrack and spans over the course of three days, with multiple categories and racing formats.

On Friday the 12th, most of the teams and privateers turned up at the track and set up their pit areas. Some teams had paddock tents, some had buses and some showed up in enormous motorhomes. A couple of the privateers even drove their own race cars to the event with nothing but a tent in the boot. Luckily, the Nürburgring provides plenty of camping area on its surrounding green hills. 

Saturday was by far the busiest day. The skies were overcast yet the temperatures were high, with very low winds. This stagnant heat created long queues at the beer stands and while the lively spectators were settling in the old seating areas of the racetrack, the pit crews were hustling to get the cars ready.

A walk around the open paddock area revealed cars from the 1960s all the way to the early 2000s, in a very wide range of styles. There were open-wheeled racers, CanAm, both historic and modern single seaters and finally, touring cars.

By far the most impressively represented class were the touring cars. It was reassuring to see that although these legendary cars are no longer in their heyday, the current owners invest just as much effort into keeping them in top shape. The mantra has shifted from “raced to the limit” to “raced for as long as possible,” with many of the teams helping each other both on and off the track to make sure the cars are leaving this event in one piece while still being put through their paces.

All said, the racing itself was entertaining, with deep dives in the braking zones, foot-to-the-floor straights and the occasional bit of contact through the chicanes. There’s enough action to keep your eyes glued to the track from 8AM to the late afternoon, when the dimming light would make the glowing brake discs stand out against the setting sun.

The early hours of Sunday brought along a thick layer of fog, which did not let the track fully dry out before the races started. Eventually this led to some of the stints getting completely called off to protect both the drivers and the cars. After all, wet tarmac and lag-inducing turbo setups do not pair all that well.

Overall, the weekend was seamlessly organised and everyone got home safe. Only better weather conditions and more food options could have made the experience better.

They only serve currywurst at the beer stands…