ADAC Nordrhein will place the Nürburgring 24 at the centre of a new four-event Nordschleife series in 2027, with each competitive weekend following the same technical and sporting regulations.
The programme will include the traditional Nürburgring 24 Qualifiers, the main 24-hour race, the ADAC Eifel Race and the ADAC 1000 km Race. Additionally, organisers will introduce a separate two-day Prologue in April to provide teams with further preparation before the German endurance classic.
The expanded schedule follows renewed interest in the Nürburgring 24, which attracted 161 entries and four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen for its 2026 edition.
ADAC Nordrhein responds to team demand
Many teams already use early-season Nordschleife events to prepare for the Nürburgring 24. However, ADAC Nordrhein now wants to create a more focused pathway towards the main race while extending its regulations across further events.
Walter Hornung, Head of Sports at ADAC Nordrhein, said the revised structure responds directly to requests from competitors.
“We are responding to the wishes of many teams who wanted a compact and focused preparation for the ‘race of the year’ on the Nürburgring Nordschleife,” said Walter Hornung, Head of Sports at ADAC Nordrhein.
“At the same time, this allows us to extend the extremely positive development of the Nürburgring 24 over the past few years to other events that are organized entirely according to the 24h model.”
Consequently, teams can prepare under consistent rules before continuing to compete within the same framework after the 24-hour race.
Moreover, ADAC Nordrhein can use the Nürburgring 24’s growing profile to support additional Nordschleife events during the second half of the season.
Four race weekends will share Nürburgring 24 regulations
The Nürburgring 24 Qualifiers will open the competitive series from 30 April to 2 May.
Teams will then return four weeks later for the Nürburgring 24 from 27–30 May. The calendar subsequently continues with the ADAC Eifel Race from 30 July to 1 August before the ADAC 1000 km Race concludes the programme from 10–12 September.
Crucially, ADAC Nordrhein will apply the same regulations across all four race weekends. Therefore, teams can use identical machinery and operational structures throughout the series without adapting to a different technical framework between events.
That consistency should particularly benefit GT3 teams, which traditionally use early Nordschleife races to prepare for the Nürburgring 24 before reducing their participation later in the year.
Instead, the new series gives those teams a direct incentive to continue racing after May.
New Prologue increases pre-race preparation
Before the Qualifiers begin, ADAC Nordrhein will stage a new Nürburgring 24 Prologue on 2–3 April.
The two-day event will give teams another opportunity to test cars, drivers and set-ups on the Nordschleife. Furthermore, crews can gather circuit-specific data before entering the more competitive Qualifiers weekend.
The Prologue will not form part of the four-race series. Nevertheless, it creates a five-event calendar around the Nürburgring 24 programme.
Its early-April date also gives teams several weeks to analyse their data and make changes before the Qualifiers.
As a result, competitors can approach the main race through a structured preparation programme rather than relying solely on unrelated championship rounds or private testing.
Full-season teams receive incentives
ADAC Nordrhein also plans to offer prize money during the additional events.
Furthermore, teams that commit to the complete ADAC 24h Nürburgring Series will receive reduced entry fees and a guaranteed place on the Nürburgring 24 grid.
The guaranteed entry could carry particular value as interest in the event continues to grow. The 2026 edition attracted an expanded 161-car field, increasing competition for places across the various classes.
Therefore, teams can secure their participation in the main race while also reducing costs by committing to the wider programme.
The prize-money structure should provide another incentive for professional and customer teams to contest the Eifel and 1000 km events after completing the Nürburgring 24.
Verstappen appearance increases Nürburgring interest
The Nürburgring 24 has experienced significant momentum in recent years.
Verstappen’s participation in the 2026 event brought further international attention to the German endurance race. Meanwhile, the expanded entry list demonstrated strong demand among teams and drivers.
ADAC Nordrhein now intends to channel that interest into a broader Nordschleife programme.
Rather than limit the championship structure to the main event and its Qualifiers, organisers will carry the Nürburgring 24 regulations into two established races later in the year.
Consequently, supporters will receive additional opportunities to watch many of the same cars and teams compete on the full Nordschleife.
New championship creates direct competition with NLS
The Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie has traditionally provided the principal preparation route for Nürburgring 24 competitors.
Many GT3 teams contested its opening rounds before the 24-hour race. However, top-class participation often declined significantly during the second half of the NLS season.
The new ADAC Nordrhein-run series directly targets those competitors by offering identical Nürburgring 24 regulations, prize money, reduced entry fees and guaranteed access to the main event.
Therefore, the programme will compete with the NLS for teams, drivers and leading GT3 entries.
The NLS has not yet announced its 2027 schedule. Consequently, the eventual relationship between the two calendars remains unclear.
2027 ADAC 24h Nürburgring Series calendar
2–3 April — Nürburgring 24 Prologue
The new two-day preparation event will give teams their first official running before the competitive programme begins.
30 April–2 May — Nürburgring 24 Qualifiers
The traditional Qualifiers will open the four-event race series four weeks before the Nürburgring 24.
27–30 May — Nürburgring 24
The main 24-hour race will form the centrepiece of the championship.
30 July–1 August — ADAC Eifel Race
The series will resume after a two-month break with the first post-Nürburgring 24 event.
10–12 September — ADAC 1000 km Race
The 1000 km contest will conclude the inaugural four-round competitive schedule.
Nürburgring 24 becomes foundation for wider series
ADAC Nordrhein has used the Nürburgring 24’s renewed popularity to create a more extensive Nordschleife racing structure.
The new Prologue and traditional Qualifiers will give teams two preparation opportunities before the main race. Subsequently, the Eifel and 1000 km events will encourage leading competitors to remain active later in the season.
Meanwhile, common regulations should simplify participation across the four race weekends.
The reduced fees, prize money and guaranteed Nürburgring 24 entries will further strengthen the programme’s appeal. However, the new structure could also reshape the balance of Nordschleife competition as it challenges the NLS for teams and entries in 2027.
