Adventure in The Green Hell

The 24-hour race on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is regarded as one of the greatest motorsport events in the world and is famed for its suspense and thrills – and an unparalleled atmosphere: 200,000 fans around the circuit enjoy a non-stop motorsport party.

For the Porsche 911, the “Green Hell”, as the Nordschleife is notoriously called, is something of a second home. At the 45^th running of Germany’s most popular automobile race on the legendary circuit in the Eifel hills, the experienced Porsche partner, Manthey Racing, campaigns the 911 GT3 R for Porsche, each manned by works drivers. The customer sports racer proved itself fit for the Nordschleife in its debut season of 2016 with a victory at the VLN Long Distance Championship. In 2017, it kicked off the season with successes at the 24-hour classics at Dubai and Daytona as well as the twelve-hour race in Bathurst, Australia.

Over the years, the 24-hour event on this difficult and fascinating circuit has turned into a success story for the Porsche 911. From 2006 to 2009, the crew under the direction of Nordschleife maestro Olaf Manthey secured four overall victories one after the other and clinched the fifth success in 2011 with the Porsche 911, defeating the strong contenders from Mercedes and Audi. Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard contributed to all five victories: Another record.

The time-honoured race, which enjoys a cult status amongst fans from all over the globe, celebrates its 45th running this year. Traditionally, the 24-hour event on the Nordschleife attracts a large contingent of experienced Porsche drivers and teams who are very familiar with the quirks of the Eifel circuit. The first 24-hour victory on the Nordschleife went to Hans Joachim Stuck in 1970. Niki Laudi joined the winners’ list in 1973. And in 1976, Fritz Müller, Herbert Hechler and Karl-Heinz Quirin brought home Porsche’s first overall victory with a Porsche 911 Carrera.

Over the years, an increasing number of automobile manufacturers have taken up the challenge of this race. This event draws its particular flair from the 25.378 kilometre circuit (Grand Prix plus the Nordschleife “northern loop”), as well as the fascinating mix of professional and amateur racers. Amazingly, the grid line-up regularly hosts almost 200 vehicles, in which around 800 pilots share driving duties over the 24 hours.

Porsche victories at the Nürburgring

1976	Müller/Hechler/Quirin	Porsche 911 Carrera
1977	Müller/Hechler	Porsche 911 Carrera
1978	Müller/Hechler/Gschwendtner	Porsche 911 Carrera
1988	Dören/Holup/Faubel	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
1993	de Azevedo/Konrad/Wirdheim/Katthöfer	Porsche 911 Carrera
2000	Mayländer/Bartels/Alzen/Heger	Porsche 911 GT3 R
2006	Luhr/Bernhard/Rockenfeller/Tiemann	Porsche 911 GT3 MR
2007	Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Tiemann	Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2008	Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Tiemann	Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2009	Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Tiemann	Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2011	Lieb/Bernhard/Dumas/Luhr	Porsche 911 GT3 RSR