Nürburgring
The Nürburgring features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains.
The old track was nicknamed The Green Hell by Jackie Stewart and is widely considered the toughest, most dangerous and most demanding purpose-built racing circuit in the world and is still very much in use, for racing, testing and public access.
In the early 1920s ADAC Eifelrennen races were held on public roads in the Eifel mountains. This soon was considered impractical and dangerous. In order to provide work and lure tourists into the area, the construction of a dedicated race track was proposed, following the example of Italy’s Monza, yet with a completely different character.
The track was completed in spring of 1927, and the ADAC Eifelrennen races were continued there and the first German GP a month later. In addition, the track was opened to the public in the evenings and at weekends, as a one-way toll road. The whole track consisted of 174 bends.
Many famous pre-war races took place at the circuit, featuring the talents of early Ringmeister (Ringmasters) such as Nuvolari and Caracciola (who’s name stuck to the iconic 270 degree Karrusel corner he made his own; the banking was originally only there for drainage, with the bend going around the top. Caracciola was the first driver to use it as a means of carrying more speed through the bend, which is why it is now officially known as the Caracciola-Karussell).
After WW2, racing recommenced in the 1950s and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring again became the main venue for the German GP as part of the F1 World Championship. A new group of Ringmeisters arose to dominate the race – Ascari, Fangio, Moss, Clark, Surtees, Stewart and Ickx. By the late 1960s, the Nordschleife and many other tracks were becoming increasingly dangerous for the latest generation of F1 cars.
Primarily due to its extraordinary length of over 22 km and the lack of space due to its situation on the sides of the mountains, the 'Ring was unable to meet the ever-increasing safety requirements. Niki Lauda, the reigning world champion, proposed to the other drivers that they boycott the circuit in 1976 because of the safety arrangements. The other drivers voted against the idea and the race went ahead. Lauda, ironically, crashed in his Ferrari, probably due to failure of the rear suspension. He was badly burnt as his car was still loaded with fuel on lap 2. Lauda was saved by the combined actions of fellow drivers. This crash marked the end of the old Nürburgring for Formula One.
The Nürburgring’s Nordschleife has become the world’s driving mecca. Still used for racing and by leading car manufacturers as a benchmark to test their mettle, this 15-mile ribbon of tarmac is the most demanding on the planet.
RS Academy runs Club Days on selected high quality track days at the 'Ring from March to November. As with Spa Francorchamps, the winter weather conditions prevent all year round running on track. Spa is only about an hours drive from the Nürburgring, so often it makes for a good combination of tracks in one visit.
