Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring

The Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) (circuit racing challenge Nürburgring) or BMW Driving Experience Challenge, previously known as Castrol-HAUGG-Cup (CHC), is a motorsport event series. Being run since the early 1960s mainly on the Nürburgring, it is regarded as Germany's oldest touring car racing series. Unlike in regular races for position, the event that is similar to rallying on a closed race circuit, with time challenge laps and co-drivers on board.

For many years, the series was sponsored by Castrol 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 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 his or her position.

Most RCN events are held on the Nürburgring, 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. Since 2003, some events were held on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. As season highlight in front of thousands of spectators, the RCN usually runs on the Thursday before a 24 Hours Nürburgring race, which is a holiday, either Ascension Day or Corpus Christi (feast). The track versions used during that event include various sections of the Grand Prix track. In 2005, the CHC was run on 4 different track versions, three of them at the Nürburgring.

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.

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.

2006 Calendar

For this season, no event on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps could be arranged due to construction work there. On the other hand, the Nordschleife is used 7 times, and the GP track only once. During the 24h race weekend, parts of the GP track are connected to the 20.8 km Nordschleife for a 25.3 km track.

Date	Organizers	Track	in connection with GLP?
01.04.2006	VG Castrol-Haugg-Cup	Nordschleife	no
29.04.2006	Scuderia Augustusburg Brühl	Nordschleife	yes
15.06.2006 (24h weekend)	MC Roetgen Scuderia Augustusburg	Nordschleife & GP 25.3 km version	no
15.07.2006	MIG 7	Nordschleife	yes
05.08.2006	SFG Schönau	Nordschleife	yes
02.09.2006	MC Roetgen	Nordschleife	yes
07.10.2006	BMC Wuppertal	Nordschleife	yes
22.10.2006	Automobil-Club Altkreis Schwelm	Grand Prix track	(no, GLP on 21st)

Champions

Jahr	Team/Car	Team/Car
2008	RCN: Hans-Rolf Salzer (Alpenrod) BMW M3	MLT: Holger Träger/Karl-Heinz Zammert (Bochum/Düsseldorf) VW Golf GTi
2007	RCN: Ludger Henrich/Jürgen Schulten (Schmitten/Hamminkeln) Honda Civic Type-R	MLT: Gerhard Diel (Wermelskirchen) Opel Astra GSi
2006	RCN: Hans-Rolf Salzer (Alpenrod) BMW M3	MLT: Holger Träger/Karl-Heinz Zammert (Bochum/Düsseldorf) VW Golf GTi
2005	RCN: Ludger Henrich/Jürgen Schulten (Schmitten/Hamminkeln) Opel Corsa Sport	MLT: Christof Degener/Dirk Kehrberg (Hattingen/Bochum) VW Golf GTi
2004	RCN: Jörg Weber (Kehrig) Ford Escort RS2000	MLT: Holger Träger (Bochum) VW Golf GTi
2003	RCN: Ulrich Ehret (Buchen) BMW 318iS	MLT: Christof Degener (Hattingen) VW Golf GTi
2002	RCN: Thomas Imig/Petra Dams (Mönchengladbach/Düsseldorf) VW Golf GTi	Light: Jörg Kosmalla/Kerstin Kosmalla (Köln) Opel Corsa
2001	Maic Winter (Dingden) Opel Astra GSi
2000	Jürgen Schulten (Hamminkeln) Opel Astra/Opel Calibra
1999	Frank-Dieter Lohmann (Freudenberg) Ford Escort Cosworth
1998	RCN: Mark-Oliver Burghardt/Jens Kolodzey (Duisburg) Opel Manta 16V	MLT: Jochen Kaiser/Oliver Koppitz (Hürth) Opel Calibra 16V
1997	RCN: Mark-Oliver Burghardt/Jens Kolodzey (Duisburg) Opel Manta 16V	MLT: Thorsten Birawsky/Marco Birawsky (Plochingen) Ford Capri
1996	RCN: Mark-Oliver Burghardt/Jens Kolodzey (Duisburg) Opel Manta 16V	Nat.: Carsten Burmeister/Oliver Heise (Krummesee) Opel Astra GSi
1995	Int.: Walter Schneider (Herschbroich) VW Golf GTi	Nat.: Günter Kalsdorf/Günter Deus (Wülfrath/Wuppertal) Toyota Celica
1994	Int.: Robert Güntzel (Herscheid) VW Golf GTi	Nat.: Wilfried Thal/Horst Wippersteg (Wülfrath) Porsche 911 Carrera
1993	Int.: Franz Claer (Eschweiler) Suzuki Swift	Nat.: Mathias Bungard (Eitorf) VW Golf GTi
1992	Int.: Walter Schneider (Herschbroich) VW Golf GTi	Nat.: Günter Kalsdorf/Silvia Bechem (Wülfrath) Toyota Celica
1991	Int.: Walter Schneider (Herschbroich) VW Golf GTi	Nat. Herbert Schilling/Erich Löhrer (Bornheim) Audi 80
1990	Int.: Walter Schneider (Herschbroich) VW Golf GTi	Nat. Herbert Schilling/Erich Löhrer (Bornheim) Audi 80

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