Internal combustion engine with variable gas exchange valve drive

Proposed is an internal combustion engine (2) with variable gas exchange valve drive (1) having a support shaft (3), a rotationally fixed thereto and longitudinally displaceably arranged cam piece (4) with helical sliding grooves (8, 9) and serving to move the cam piece locking device (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) defining a group of adjusting elements (13, 14, 15, 28) with controllable actuating pins (16, 17, 18, 29) which are arranged along a distance from the support shaft to each other, respectively (between a control section run 19, 20, 21, 27) of the associated actuating element and the cam element and in at least one of the sliding grooves can be coupled, wherein the diameter of the actuating pins is much smaller than the dimensioning of the control sections in the longitudinal direction of the carrier wave. It is provided either in that the control portions extend mutually offset over the circumference of the carrier wave, or that the control portions offset transversely to the carrier wave are arranged stacked.