The city race at the Norisring is and remains the big highlight of the season in the DTM racing calendar. Around 100,000 spectators are once again expected at the 81st Int. ADAC Speed Weekend in Nuremberg (July 5-7, 2024) – a number that has to be achieved for a major event in Germany.
The Norisring has been a permanent fixture on the racing calendar since the first DTM season in 1984, and it will remain so in the future. “For me, the Norisring is part of the DTM,” said ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss last year to Motorsport-Magazin.comThis time, the city race has a special significance: The ADAC, as DTM promoter, is throwing a big party at the Dutzendteich to mark the 40th anniversary of the DTM.
DTM at the Norisring: 10,000 working hours for a race weekend
The 2.162-kilometer-long traditional circuit captivates the crowds of spectators every year – and in 2023 also a few confused ‘climate activists’. However, a lot of work is needed to organize such a race weekend. The 600 volunteers (including around 200 members of the Motorsport Club Nürnberg e. V.) under the leadership of Wolfgang Schlosser (Chairman of the Board), Jürgen Schielein (2nd Chairman), Florian Weickmann (3rd Chairman) and CFO Peter Brandmann put in a total of around 10,000 hours of work.
The MCN calculates: 5 kilometers of triple crash barriers, 5 kilometers of safety fence, around 1 kilometer of mobile concrete crash barriers and more than 110 so-called six-packs (6×6 tires bundled in a stack) must be set up and then dismantled again after the race weekend. In addition, there are around 3 kilometers of water and sewage pipes and more than 5 kilometers of power cables. In addition, seating stands for 25,000 places and around 12 kilometers of construction fence mesh around the event site will be set up.
Effort at the Norisring three to four times greater than on other DTM tracks
The success of the only city race on the DTM racing calendar is beyond doubt, but it is not cheap. The event is expected to cost up to 1.4 million euros. The organization is three to four times more complex than an event on a permanent race track. Several hundred thousand euros are estimated to be spent on setting up the temporary grandstands alone.
The personnel costs are considerable, although there are numerous volunteers to help. To ensure that all races run as smoothly as possible on the weekend, the MCN also regularly trains members who then work as track marshals with an official DMSB license.
Numerous measures have been implemented to focus more on sustainability and climate protection. These include public transport tickets included in the entrance fee, the use of electric forklifts during the construction phase, an environmental officer to monitor compliance with the guidelines, waste separation and noise protection included in the approval notice from the city of Nuremberg. In addition, tradesmen from the region will be given preference for the construction if costs allow.
Marco Wittmann travels to the DTM home game with tailwind
Marco Wittmann is particularly looking forward to the Norisring. The Fürth native is competing in his home race and is sure of the support of the fans in the stone grandstand. Wittmann is travelling to Nuremberg with his chest puffed out: At the last DTM race weekend in Zandvoort, the Schubert-BMW driver sensationally won from 14th place on the grid and celebrated his first victory since the Hockenheim finale in 2022.
The goal for the Norisring is clear: to confirm the upward trend in his green BMW M4 GT3 and attack at the front. Wittmann knows exactly what a victory in his DTM living room feels like: “My success at the Norisring in 2018 was by far the most emotional victory I have ever experienced in my career. Celebrating with all the fans in the stands and with the family was something very special. It would of course be a dream if that, or at least the jump onto the podium, worked out this year.”