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24h Nürburgring

Ready to Rumble: 50 years of the GTI

Volkswagen is celebrating 50 years of the GTI at the 54th ADAC Ravenol 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. With a lap record on the Nordschleife, set by Benny Leuchter just last week – and the world premiere of the all-electric ID. Polo GTI today, which is only slightly quieter in terms of sound. Well, and ideally, one of the three Golf GTI Clubsport 24h cars will also secure a class victory on Sunday.

When the first Golf GTI saw the light of day in 1976, the Eagles were just checking into the "Hotel California" while Sylvester Stallone was boxing his way across the screens as "Rocky" and George Lucas was filming in "Star Wars". Since then, the GTI has been the pop-cultural epitome of the affordable performance vehicle – an automotive rock star. Its 50th birthday party: celebrated in style at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

The GTI family surprises with a brash new addition: on Friday, 15 May, Volkswagen celebrates the <b>world premiere of the ID. Polo GTI</b> (photo left: Volkswagen). This will be the first purely electrically powered model to bear the GTI label. And it can then seamlessly join the ranks of its petrol-powered ancestors when around 40 Volkswagen GTIs of all eight generations roll around the Nordschleife in a parade before the start of the race.

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Afterwards, history and the future can rest when the present fights for victory. Volkswagen is sending three Golf GTI Clubsport 24h in the endurance classic. These vehicles form the bridge in the field bridge between the powerful GT3 cars and the popular popular sports classes. It's all about class victory and proving the stability of the GTI label. In the car with starting number 50 from Max Kruse Racing will be, among others VW test and development driver Benjamin Leuchter. Just last week, he set the record for the fastest front-wheel drive production model on the Nordschleife with the Golf GTI EDITION 50 in 7:44.523 minutes. We had previously met him during test drives in Barcelona (see photo gallery below).

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But back to the 2026 24h Nürburgring: At the front of the 161-car field, meanwhile, there is a density of power reminiscent of the closest duels in Formula 1 history. Nine brands are fighting for the crown in the top class SP9. Leading the way is the Manthey EMA team: The "Grello" squad is aiming for the 14th overall victory for Porsche. The optimised 911 GT3 R is regarded as the car to beat. The BMW M4 GT3 Evo from Rowe Racing - the 2024 winner - is likely to be stuck in the back just as much as the Audi R8 LMS from Scherer Sport PHX, the winners of the 24h Nürburgring Qualifier in April.

But most people will probably be looking for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number 3 from Team Verstappen Racing on the lookout. This is because four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is celebrating his 24-hour premiere on the toughest race track in the world. The race starts on Saturday, 16 May, at 3 pm.

All information about the race can be found here.

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