Nuburgring has announced that it has agreed a contract for 2025 with VLN for the NLS series.
The exact dates for its 2025 season will be communicated at a later date, but according to information from Motorsport.com's sister website Motorsport-Total.com, there will be no more races in November next year.
“With the early agreement, the VLN as the organizer of the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the participating teams can now prepare for the challenges of the coming season in the best possible way,” explains Ingo Boder, Managing Director of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG.
VLN had to provide a financial gaurantee of between 1.1 and 1.2 million euros as a down payment for the 2025 season, which has now been secured.
Some say the gaurantee serves as security for Nurburgring owner NR Holding as VLN's finances were in doubt in the past. Others see it as a further attempt by NR Holding to take back the reins in the wake of the power struggle that has been going on for almost two years.
With the agreement in place, it is now certain that there will once again be a “classic” NLS season in 2025. This year saw an emergency solution because the dates were split between the NLS and the rival Nurburgring Endurance Series (NES).
However, the NES has now terminated all plans for 2025, having already culled its 2024 season. The nascent series has never staged a race successfully.
“In the interests of endurance motorsport and the teams, the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NES) has decided not to make use of the option to hold races in 2025,” a press release from the Nurburgring read.
The events of 2024 have shown that NES can hardly co-exist next to NLS. With eight weekends blocked, there would also have been a shortage of room in the Nurburgring's packed calendar.
For the time being, endurance racing has thus ended a chapter of a complex power struggle that took its toll with several court trails, open hostilities and schemes in the background. VLN was without a race track during the summer of 2023, but won the right to access the Nurburgring in court. In addition, three ADAC regional clubs joined as sponsors.
As a result, two endurance series - NLS and NES - competed for the favor of participants, spectators and sports officials in 2024, with a clear vote for NLS. The NES had to cancel two planned races and subsequently called off the remaining dates for the 2024 season.
Only time will tell though whether this is the last word in the power struggle.
