The Nürburgring 24 Hours is one of the most unique endurance races in the world, combining the legendary Nordschleife with the modern Grand Prix circuit to create one of the longest and most demanding race tracks in motorsport.
For years I had a simple goal: one day I wanted to cover this race as accredited media. That idea started more than a decade ago!
The Beginning
My fascination with cars and endurance racing started early, and the Nürburgring 24 Hours quickly became one of the bucket-list events I wanted to experience. In 2013, I attended the race for the first time with my dad and brother.
We spent the entire weekend exploring the circuit, taking in everything from the on-track action to the incredible atmosphere around the Nordschleife. The Nürburgring isn’t just a race circuit during the 24-hour weekend – it becomes a motorsport festival.
At that time I was simply taking photos for my own memories and sharing them on a motorsport forum. But something unexpected happened. One of the photographers who had media accreditation that year saw my photos and gave me some incredibly positive feedback.
That moment changed everything. It pushed me to take photography more seriously, and from then on I knew I wanted to come back to the Nürburgring as often as possible.
Returning to the Green Hell
It wasn’t until 2018 that I made it back to the Nürburgring, this time for the opening round of the VLN championship (now known as the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie).
I was still shooting as a spectator through the fences, but the improvement compared to my earlier photos was encouraging. It confirmed that this was something I wanted to keep pursuing. A few years later, toward the end of 2022, I returned again for NLS7. This time I approached the trip differently.
Instead of simply turning up and shooting wherever I happened to be, I started scouting the circuit properly. The Nordschleife is enormous, and learning where to shoot can take years. On that visit I focused on exploring just a few sections of the track in detail, with the plan to return and gradually build up my knowledge of the circuit.
2023 – The Breakthrough
Everything started to come together in 2023. My first trip that year was for the opening round of the NLS season in March. I spent the race day exploring a number of new shooting locations. Some worked brilliantly, others didn’t — but it was all valuable experience.
Four weeks later I returned for NLS3, and this time things were different. For the first time I had media access!
I was working with a team to capture both photos and video throughout the weekend. Having previously scouted the circuit made a huge difference, as I already had a good idea of where I could go to capture strong images. The Nürburgring is notoriously difficult to cover. Some of the best locations require long hikes through the forest, and during a four-hour NLS race there’s limited time to move between them.
Another challenge is the lap time. On the combined Nürburgring layout, cars can take 9–10 minutes to complete a lap, meaning you only get a handful of chances to capture a particular car during the race. Miss the shot, and you might be waiting quite a while for the next opportunity.
But when it works, it’s incredibly rewarding.
The Main Event – Nürburgring 24 Hours
That journey eventually led to the main event: the 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours. I returned to the circuit working with the same team from the NLS race earlier in the season, this time with far more track time to capture their entire race weekend.
The timetable for the 24-hour event is packed, with multiple support races and sessions running throughout the week. While I didn’t manage to photograph those races, I did spend some time exploring the paddock and taking in the incredible variety of cars.
Practice sessions begin on Wednesday, but I arrived on Thursday, spending most of the day photographing the team around the paddock and pit lane as preparations ramped up.
hursday evening also features a practice session that runs into the darkness, the first real taste of what the race weekend will feel like. After qualifying on Friday, the drivers head to the pit lane for a fan signing session, giving spectators the chance to meet the drivers before the race begins.
Then it’s time for a bit of rest before the main event.
Race Day
Saturday starts early, even though the race itself doesn’t begin until mid-afternoon. By the time the race start approaches, I had already been awake for around nine hours and working for most of them.
I filmed the start from the grandstands along the main straight before quickly heading out to the Nordschleife, setting up between the Karussell and Brünnchen sections. This part of the track offers incredible photographic opportunities.
Cars fly past at astonishing speed, often launching over kerbs with all four wheels briefly leaving the ground. At times it feels slightly sketchy standing so close to the action, but that’s part of what makes photographing the Nordschleife so special.
Into the Night
Just a few hours after the start, darkness begins to fall across the circuit. Night photography at the Nürburgring is something else entirely, glowing brake discs, headlights cutting through the trees, and the constant roar of engines echoing through the forest.
I eventually made my way back toward the GP circuit, capturing a few night shots along with a night-time pit stop for the team.
Sunrise and Disappointment
As the sun began to rise the next morning, I was positioned on the downhill run toward Adenau, waiting to photograph the car again.
Unfortunately, that moment never came. Mechanical issues forced the team into retirement.
It was disappointing for everyone involved. Finishing the Nürburgring 24 Hours is an achievement in itself, and the team had worked incredibly hard to get to that point but that’s endurance racing.
The End of the Weekend
After being awake for more than 24 hours, I returned to my accommodation hoping to grab some sleep but the adrenaline from chasing the race around the circuit hadn’t worn off yet. Instead, I packed up the apartment, loaded the car, and started the journey home.
Despite the early retirement, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to cover the race. Photographing the Nürburgring 24 Hours as media was a milestone that started years earlier when I was just a spectator shooting through the fences. But after experiencing it once, I know one thing for certain.
Fourteen hours at the Nürburgring isn’t enough, I’ll definitely be back.
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