Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring
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The Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) (circuit racing challenge
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
) previously known as ''Castrol-HAUGG-Cup (CHC)'', is a
motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...
event series. Being run since the early 1960s mainly on the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
, it is regarded as Germany's oldest
touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move a ...
series. Unlike in regular races for position, the event that is similar to
rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...
on a closed race circuit, with time challenge laps and co-drivers on board. For many years, the series was sponsored by
Castrol Castrol Limited is a British oil company that markets industrial and automotive lubricants, offering a wide range of oil, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications. The company was originally named CC Wakefield; the nam ...
and ''HAUGG'' (a company owned by a race driver, providing car parts like radiators). For 2007, the sponsorship arrangements were changed, putting less emphasis on these two companies. The event is officially styled by the FIA/
DMSB The German Motor Sport Federation ( or ''DMSB'', formerly known as or ''ONS'') is Germany's motor racing governing body. It represents Germany at FIA and FIM. The , founded in 1972 by Herbert Linge as , is considered the first mobile track ma ...
as a ''Leistungsprüfung 200km'' (''LP200'', performance test over 200 km). This means that the RCN is not a race for positions among cars that are started at once from a grid (like VLN endurance races), but a time trial, with cars being started one by one, about 5 seconds apart. This reduces the risks of collisions, as there is no benefit for a racer to defend their position. Most RCN events are held on the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
, mainly on the 20.832 km long ''Nordschleife'' version, on Saturday afternoon following a Gleichmäßigkeitsprüfung (GLP) run by the same organizing club. One or two additional events are held on the Grand Prix track, or on the combined tracks as used in VLN or at the 24h. In the 2000s, some events were held on the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a Race track, motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa, Belgium, Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One ...
. As season highlight in front of thousands of spectators, the RCN usually runs on the Thursday before a
24 Hours Nürburgring 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...
race, which is a
holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
, either
Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...
or
Corpus Christi (feast) The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the feast is observed by the Latin Church, in addition to ...
. The track versions used during that event include various sections of the Grand Prix track. On the Nordschleife, 15 laps of 20.832 km have to be run, for 312 km overall (longer than an F1 race). Due to being an amateur event without practise, the first (warm up) lap, the last (cool down) and two laps in between for a pit stop are not timed, unless a generous maximum time is exceeded. Of the remaining 11 laps, 9 are run at full speed (like a special stage in rallying), with each second counting as one ''penalty point''. Two laps have to be done at a given time similar to a liaison stage in rallying. If the tolerance of +/- 2 seconds is exceeded, each second counts tenfold, so some discipline and precision is required. In wet conditions, these laps can decide the winners, as they can add a significant amount of ''penalty points'' to the tally. Since 2012, the final round is the Schwedenkreuz 3h, which unlike the other rounds, is a 3 hour race with a rolling start, and cars racing each other for positions, rather than a time trial. The entry fee is about 400 Euro. As in rallying, a co-driver can be on board, a quite unique possibility to take a passenger within a circuit racing contest. Also, those two drivers can share a drive, which reduces costs for amateurs. Championship points are awarded according to amateur rules, depending on the number of entrants in the same class. There are also an entry-level "Light" classes with fewer laps, focusing on regularity, and a separate championship.


2024 schedule


RCN champions(since 1990)


Notes


External links


RCN (German only)

GLP Nürburgring Regularity test (German only)

Nürburgring Official website (also in English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rundstrecken Challenge Nurburgring Touring car racing series Auto racing series in Germany Auto racing series in West Germany