Top 10 modern-day masters of the Nürburgring

July 31st 2023

Our rundown of the Nürburgring’s past masters is dominated, as it must be, by the great figures from the circuit’s golden years. Formula 1 and the sports car 1000Kms are long gone. Yet new heroes have been created on the Nordschleife in the modern era, thanks largely to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, which was first held in 1970. Here’s our selection of the new kings (and queen) who have kept the flame burning bright.

Author

Motor Sport

Uwe Alzen

Fiery German who won the N24 twice, 10 years apart: in 2000 in a Phoenix Racing Porsche 996, then in 2010 in a Schnitzer BMW. Was still setting lap records as late as 2013. Check out the onboard YouTube videos. Along with brother Jürgen, a true Nürburgring folk-hero.

Romain Dumas

Took four N24 wins in five years in Manthey Porsches between 2007 and ’11, but it’s the stunning lap record he achieved in the electric-powered Volkswagen ID R that made Dumas a modern king of the ’Ring. 6min 05.336sec? Woosh!

Marc Duez

The great Belgian all-rounder is probably more associated with his local circuit (Spa-Francorchamps), but perhaps it was the rally experience that helped Duez also shine at the ’Ring. He won the N24 four times in eight years with BMW in the 1990s.

Duez drove a diesel BMW to victory in 1998. ’Ring legend Hans-Joachim Stuck shared the car

Peter Dumbreck

Showed a Brit could become a Nordschleife specialist. The Scot was a long-time Falken Tyres driver and made 16 N24 starts with a best finish of third in 2015. Also logged countless miles in VLN (now NLS) rounds and set an electric-powered road car record in a NIO EP9.

Sabine Schmitz

Born in Adenau, she was destined to become ‘Queen of the Nürburgring’. Scored back-to-back N24 victories in 1996 and ’97 in BMW M3s, but won fame as the Nordschleife ‘taxi driver’. TV career followed only for cancer to claim her in 2021. A corner has been renamed in her honour.

Volker Strycek

Made his 45th N24 start this year, in beloved ‘Flying Fox’ Opel Manta. The former Opel competitions boss took an overall win in 2003 in an Astra V8 DTM racer and has relieved fellow ’Ring hero Johannes Scheid of the number of class wins record in the NLS.

Peter Zakowski

Mr Zakspeed. Scored first N24 victory with Schmitz and Scheid in 1997, then claimed a hat-trick (in four years) with his team’s Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs. The final one, in 2002, was the last ‘foreign’ car maker win until Frikadelli’s Ferrari 296 GT3 conquered the great race this May.

Pedro Lamy

Portuguese F1 refugee who reinvented himself as one of the best GT endurance drivers of his era. Down officially as a five-time N24 winner, equal with Timo Bernhard and Marcel Tiemann, although in one of those he didn’t actually drive the winning BMW.

Bernd Schneider

Experienced the Nordschleife in the DTM, then returned later in life to win the N24 twice in Black Falcon Mercedes. In 2013, at 49, he won the N24, the Blancpain Nürburgring 1000Kms, the Spa and Dubai 24 Hours, and the Bathurst and Abu Dhabi 12 Hours. Indian summer? Indian season!

Marc Lieb

One of the most highly decorated sports car drivers of the 21st Century has four N24 victories on his long roster of achievements, all shared with Dumas in Manthey Porsches. Set a time of 6min 57sec in a road-going Porsche 918 Spyder in 2013.