As is tradition, the Adenauer Racing Day on Wednesday afternoon marked the start of the major five-day motorsport spectacle, which is unique in its form. Adenau, the over 1,000-year-old town of the Knights Hospitaller at the foot of the Nürburgring, was once again the perfect host for the many motor racing enthusiasts from all over the world, who, despite the initial rain, flocked to the town on the Ring in large numbers.
There is a reason why even more fans than usual have descended on the Nürburgring Nordschleife for the 54th edition of the endurance classic – and that reason is Max Verstappen! For wherever the four-time F1 world champion appears, he captivates the crowds. And for Dutch fans already in the area, Adenau – and thus Racing Day – is just a stone’s throw away. The superstar himself was unable to attend in person, but many of the Verstappen fans visiting Adenau for the first time were understanding and delighted by the unique festival atmosphere in the town. “To make enough room for the extra visitors from the Netherlands, we’ve extended the event area all the way up to the Edeka supermarket,” explains co-organiser Marko Dressel.
At 4 pm sharp, the parade of exactly 40 racing cars from various classes and eras made its way along the main street to the large show stage on the market square, where the two presenters, Olli Martini and Jan Schmitz, were already waiting for the participants to introduce the drivers and teams individually. The procession was led by the ROWE BMW, now painted red rather than yellow, which, as last year’s winner, is entering the race with the #1. “It’s crazy how many people have come here to Adenau despite the rainy weather,” remarked Kelvin von der Linde in amazement. “This shows once again the passion of the Nordschleife fans, who don’t care whether it’s raining or the sun is shining. People just want to see racing cars and feel the passion here.”
Even before the Adenauer Racing Day, it was clear which two cars would be among the absolute crowd favourites at this year’s Eifel Marathon. Both cars come from the SP-X class for prototypes and are called the BMW M3 Touring 24h #81 and the HWA EVO.R #62. The BMW estate car originated from an April Fool’s joke that was picked up by the factory and turned into reality. “It’s great fun to be here and present our BMW Touring to the fans,” says Jens Klingmann. “I’m amazed – in a positive sense, mind you – at how many people are lining the streets here – and that despite the fact that it was pouring with rain just half an hour ago.”
The HWA EVO.R was also surrounded by a crowd; it is the racing version of the HWA EVO that was driven through Adenau as a prototype at last year’s Racing Day with Klaus Ludwig at the wheel. Today, the retro racing car in the legendary 190-E-Evo II livery from the 1990s is being driven by his son Luca, who is clearly enjoying the attention from the crowd and explains with a twinkle in his eye: “I’ve just driven our EVO.R through this dense crowd here and was thrilled. The whole story behind this car is very emotional for me anyway, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team.”
As every year, the motorcade set off punctually at 3.30 pm along the Nordschleife, before rolling slowly under police escort from the Breitscheid exit to the show stage. To ensure visitors could reach the town centre on time and without any hassle, a free shuttle bus was once again available, running every half hour from 2.30 pm to 7.00 pm from the info°center at the start/finish line to Adenau and back.