We drove a Mk5 Golf GTI at the N24 | PH Footnote

Once upon a time, organisers of the Nurburgring 24 Hours would seemingly let anyone and everyone line up on the grid provided they held a racing licence and coughed up an entry fee of roughly €6,500 (or £5,500). It meant that the race ranked among the most diverse in the world, with amateur racers in BMW 318Ti Compacts sharing the same stretch of tarmac as cutting-edge GT3 machinery driven by Le Mans winners, ex-Formula 1 drivers and DTM champions.

In some way, it’s still the case today. The N24 grid features the usual mix of home-built saloons, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars and so on, and although the fan-favourite Opel Manta sat this year’s race out, the plucky Dacia Logan made a heroic return after burning to a crisp at the 2023 race. The big difference, however, is that the bar for entry is now much, much higher. For the last decade or so, drivers have not only needed to obtain a special Nurburgring racing licence, but they must also compete in three races at the ‘Ring over a two-year period just to be in with a shot of getting a place on the grid.

As it should be, frankly. Not only are the closing speeds between the GT3 cars and the Dacia Logan horrifyingly high, but the N24 must be one of the only races in the world where the track remains live while recovery vehicles are out. It’s wince-inducing stuff and part of what makes the N24 utterly captivating. Well, that and the wild, festival-like atmosphere that descends upon the circuit weeks in advance and remains long after the race has finished. It’s here where you get the full N24 experience, from makeshift bars to stages blaring high-intensity happy hardcore music. But the only way to see the sheer size and scope of the fan takeover is out on track. 

Fortunately, that opportunity came during Volkswagen’s celebrations for the Golf’s 50th anniversary, which were spearheaded by the arrival of the new GTI Clubsport and an entry in the experimental fuels class with an updated version of its Mk8 TCR prototype. VW also decreed that its GTI heritage cars would form a pre-race parade and offered PH a space in the conga line. After collecting my jaw from the floor, I was handed the keys to the firm’s immaculate Mk5 GTI Edition 30 and given a lengthy safety briefing. This wouldn’t be a hot lap, obviously, but a pootle around the 12.9-mile circuit offering the perfect opportunity to soak up the atmosphere in a way only the racing drivers can.

Moreover, it’d be a chance to get reacquainted with one of VW’s all-time great hot hatches. I’d become rather fond of the Mk5 GTI during the filming of our PH Project Car series and was desperately sad to see it go (albeit to a well-deserved winner!) at the end of last year. However, I was told several times during the series that we should have bought an Edition 30 instead of the standard GTI, given that it benefitted from uprated dampers and a new turbo that raised power by 30hp over the base car’s 200hp. Edition 30s were way out of our budget for the PH Project Car build, of course – but they’re considered the best version of the Mk5 GTI and, therefore, a great hot hatch to take on the ‘Ring.

Leading the pack was a Cupra Formentor pace car, which surprisingly took off the moment it set foot on the Dottinger Hohe straight and meant I could begin my lap with a bit of pace. The Edition 30’s extra shove is immediately apparent, as is the throaty exhaust note, which honestly sounded far better than the system we had on our GTI. Having said that, the overriding feeling at the time was: ‘I’m on the Nordschleife, right before the start of the Nurburgring 24 Hours.’ The run through Tiergarten and Hohnrein were spent pinching myself and trying not to stack it into the back of the immaculate Mk4 camera car in front of a 240,000-strong crowd. 

Onto the Sabine Schmitz curve and the start of the North Loop. I’ve done numerous laps of the Nurburgring, but the sheer drop through Hatzenbach is always alarming. It’s a proper roller coaster taken incredibly quickly, especially in a GT3 car, with zero margin for error. The GTI proved nicely poised through the fast sweepers and the steering, while requiring armfuls of input, gets an extra level of communication thanks to the Edition 30’s firmer setup. The pace was kept low through Flugpltaz and Aremberg, though the Formentor safety car gunned it down Fuchsrohre, which is easily the most hair-raising part of the circuit. Incredibly fast, steep and twisty, with a big compression at the bottom that requires full commitment to navigate successfully.

As we worked our way around the circuit, you are reminded just how different the N24 fan experience is to any other race. Marshals and spectators tend to wave, and do so again when the full field of racers come round for their parade lap. The sense of anticipation for what was to come was almost palpable, especially as the conditions were all over the place – but everyone is very obviously there to have a good time, encouraged by the copious amounts of alcohol being consumed and the thought of watching 130 race cars blast through the Eifel mountains. It really is the car equivalent of Glastonbury.

There are composites all over the circuit, but it’s almost as if you’re entering a beer-fuelled city on the run-up to Karussell. It’s a seriously steep climb, with the catch fencing practically bursting at the seams with tents, caravans and other home-made, er, structures pressed right up against it. You also get a whiff of the many barbecues going on around the circuit, which some drivers reckon is quite distracting when you’re deep into a double stint.

Down through Hohe Acht, and the safety car stretches its legs again. This part of the circuit has always been a joy to drive on Gran Turismo, but it’s even better in reality. Corners seem to come at you much faster and the kerbs are far more aggressive: perfectly fine for the ultra-strong dampers on a purpose-built race car but obviously I need to treat VW’s 10,000-mile Edition 30 more delicately. Not least because there are huge campsites at Brunchen and Pflazgarten, as they’re two of the best places to witness cars hustle over the kerbs and, at the latter, gain some air. It’s crash central, too. A shunt here will find its way onto YouTube, TikTok and Instagram before you’ve come to a halt. 

The pace is lowered once again to bunch us all up for the run back onto the Dottinger Hohe, before peeling off into the tourist exit. Far from a flying run – but by far the most special lap of a track I’ve ever driven. Obviously immersing yourself in one of the campsites is still the best and most pleasurable way to experience the N24 – especially if you buddy up with some locals with a barbecue and a cooler full of Bitburgers – yet it’s easy to see why people enter the race in cars that stand no chance of winning outright, let alone their own class. Just being a part of this great race, and finishing it, is a victory in itself.

Unless you’re the Manthey Porsche team, of course. After a scintillating start to the race, fog descended on the circuit around midnight, resulting in a red flag that wouldn’t be lifted. The Grello 911 was well in the fight for victory, even after a tyre blunder saw them drop 30 seconds of lap time, but incredibly strong stints later in the race by one of the (now non-factory) Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8s saw it take the win. A worthy victor, of course, even if the race finished in an unsatisfactory manner. The fog really was awful, though, and you could barely see the grandstands looking out from the pit buildings. However, don’t let this year’s race – which is now the shortest N24 in history with just seven hours and 22 minutes of green running – put you off from buying a ticket for the 2025 event. It’s one of two must-see races in the world, the other being Le Mans in a fortnight. Here’s hoping that one runs a bit longer…