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Coordinates: 50°20′08″N 6°56′51″E / 50.33556°N 6.9475°E / 50.33556; 6.9475

Nürburgring
Formula One Layout – GP-Strecke

Location	Nürburg, Germany
Time zone	GMT +1 (DST: +2)
FIA Grade	1
Major events	FIA Formula One German Grand Prix European Grand Prix Luxembourg Grand Prix Superbike World Championship, DTM, 24 Hours Nürburgring, 1000km Nürburgring, VLN
GP-Strecke (1984–2001)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	4.556 km (2.831 mi)
Turns	12
Lap record	1:18.354 (minutes) ( Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW, 2001, Formula One)
GP-Strecke (2002–present)
Length	5.148 km (3.199 mi)
Turns	16
Lap record	1:29.468 (minutes) ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004, Formula One)
Nordschleife (1983–present)
Surface	Asphalt/concrete
Length	20.81 km (12.93 mi)
Turns	154
Lap record	6:11.13 (minutes) ( Stefan Bellof, Porsche (956), 1983, WSC)
Combined circuit (1984–present)
Surface	Asphalt/concrete
Length	25.947 km (16.123 mi)
Turns	170
Lap record	8:26.730 (minutes) ( Timo Bernhard, Porsche (997 GT3 RSR), 2008 24 Hours Nürburgring, FIA GT2)
Nordschleife (1927–1982)
Surface	Asphalt/Concrete
Length	22.8 km (14.2 mi)
Turns	160
Lap record	6:58.6 (minutes) ( Niki Lauda, Ferrari, 1975, Formula One)
Südschleife (1927–1982)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	7.747 km (4.814 mi)
Turns	27
Lap record	2:44.0 (minutes) ( Jacky Ickx, Ferrari, 1968, Formula Two)

The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a 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. It is located about 70 km (43 mi) south of Cologne, and 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Frankfurt. The old track was nicknamed "The Green Hell" by Jackie Stewart and is widely considered one of the most demanding purpose-built racing circuits in the world.^[1]

Originally, the track featured four configurations: the 28.265 km (17.563 mi)-long Gesamtstrecke ("Whole Course"), which in turn consisted of the 22.810 km (14.173 mi) Nordschleife ("Northern Loop"), and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife ("Southern Loop"). There also was a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife ("Finish Loop") or better known as Betonschleife, around the pit area.^[2]

Between 1982 and 1983 the start-finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke, and this is used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife is still in use, for racing, testing and public access.

History[link]

1927–1939: The beginning of the "Nürburg-Ring"[link]

In the early 1920s ADAC Eifelrennen races were held on public roads in the Eifel mountains. This soon was considered impractical and dangerous. The construction of a dedicated race track was proposed, following the examples of Italy's Monza and Berlin's AVUS, yet with a different character. The layout of the circuit in the mountains was similar to the Targa Florio, one of the most important motor races at that time. The original Nürburgring was to be a showcase for German automotive engineering and racing talent. Construction of the track, designed by the Eichler Architekturbüro from Ravensburg (led by Architect Gustav Eichler), began in September 1925.

The track was completed in spring of 1927, and the ADAC Eifelrennen races were continued there. The first World Cycling Championship race took place on 19 June 1927, and the first German Grand Prix 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 (prior to 1971 changes), and was 8 to 9 metres (26 to 30 ft) in width on average. The fastest ever time around the full Gesamtstrecke was by Louis Chiron, at an average speed of 112.31 km/h (72 mph) in his Bugatti.

In 1939 the full Ring was used for the last time in major racing events, as future Grands Prix would be held only on the Nordschleife. Motorcycles and minor races mainly used the shorter and safer Südschleife. Memorable pre-war races at the circuit featured the talents of early Ringmeisters (Ringmasters) such as Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari and Bernd Rosemeyer.

1947–1970: The Green Hell[link]

Nürburgring circuit map, taken at German Grand Prix 1964; the legend advises "No driving in the Eifel (mountains) without a lap on the Nürburgring"

After World War II, racing recommenced in the 1950s and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring again became the main venue for the German Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship (with the exception of 1959 when it was held on the AVUS in Berlin). A new group of Ringmeisters arose to dominate the race – Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx.

On 5 August 1961, during practice for the 1961 German Grand Prix, Phil Hill became the first person to complete a lap of the Nordschleife in under 9 minutes, with a lap of 8 minutes 55.2 seconds (153.4 km/h or 95.3 mph) in the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" Formula One car. Forty years later, the highest performing road cars have difficulty breaking 8 minutes without a professional racing driver or one very familiar with the track. Also, several rounds of the German motorcycle Grand Prix were held, mostly on the 7.7 km (4.8 mi) "Südschleife", but the Hockenheimring and Solituderennen were the main sites for Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

In 1953, the ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring race was introduced, an Endurance race and Sports car racing event that counted towards the World Sportscar Championship for decades. The 24 Hours Nürburgring for touring car racing was added in 1970.

By the late 1960s, the Nordschleife and many other tracks were becoming increasingly dangerous for the latest generation of F1 cars. In 1967, a chicane was added before the start/finish straight, called Hohenrain, in order to reduce speeds at the pit lane entry. This made the track 25 metres (about 80 feet) longer. In 1970, after the fatal crash of Piers Courage at Zandvoort, the F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the Ring unless major changes were made, as they did at Spa the year before. The changes were not possible on short notice, and the German GP was moved to the Hockenheimring which already had been modified.

1971–1983: Changes[link]

The Nordschleife from 1967-1982

In accordance with the demands of the F1 drivers the Nordschleife was reconstructed by taking out some bumps, smoothing out some sudden jumps (particularly at Brünnchen) and installing Armco safety barriers. The track was made straighter, following the race line, which reduced the number of corners. The German GP could be hosted at the Ring again, for another three years from 1971 to 1973.

In 1973 the entrance into the dangerous and bumpy Kallenhard corner was made slower by adding another left-hand corner after the fast Metzgesfeld sweeping corner. Safety was improved again later on, e.g. by removing the jumps on the long main straight and widening it and taking away the bushes right next to the track at the main straight, which made that section of the Ring dangerously narrow. A second series of three more F1 races were held until 1976, but even higher demands by the F1 drivers and the FIA's CSI commission were too expensive or impossible to meet. So the 1976 race was deemed the last ever, even before it was held.

Primarily due to its length of over 22 kilometres (14 mi), and the lack of space due to its situation on the sides of the mountains, the Ring was unable to meet the safety requirements, and was also unsuitable for the burgeoning television market. Niki Lauda, the reigning world champion and only person ever to lap the full 22,835-metre (14.189 mi) Nordschleife in under 7 minutes (6:58.6, 1975), 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 coming out of the left hand kink before Bergwerk, probably due to failure of the rear suspension. He was badly burned as his car was still loaded with fuel in lap 2. Lauda was saved by the combined actions of fellow drivers Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards, Brett Lunger, and Harald Ertl, rather than by the ill equipped track marshals.

The crash also showed that the distances were rather long for regular fire engines and ambulances, even though the "ONS-Staffel" was equipped with a Porsche 911 rescue car, marked (R). This crash marked the end of the old Nürburgring for Formula One. It never hosted another F1 race again as the German Grand Prix was moved to the Hockenheimring for 1977.

The German motorcycle Grand Prix was held for the last time on the old Ring in 1980, moving also permanently to Hockenheim. A year later, in 1981, work began on a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long new circuit which was built on and around the old pits area. At the same time a bypass shortened the Nordschleife to 20,832 m (12.947 mi) and, with an additional small pit lane, this version was used for races in 1983, e.g. the 1000km Nürburgring endurance race, while construction work was going on nearby. In training for that race, the late Stefan Bellof set the all-time lap record for the 20.8 km (12.9 mi) Nordschleife in his Porsche 956, which is still unbeaten at 6:11.13, or over 200 km/h (120 mph) in average – partially because no major racing has taken place there since 1984.

The Nordschleife was re-built yet again in 1982–1983, adding more run-off areas at corners like Aremberg and Brünnchen, where originally there were just embankments protected by Armco. The track surface was made safer in some spots where there were nasty bumps and jumps before. Racing line markers were added to the corners all around the track as well. Also, bushes and hedges at the edges of corners were taken out and replaced with Armco and grass.

The former Südschleife had not been modified in 1970/71 and was abandoned a few years later in favour of the improved Nordschleife. It is now mostly gone (in part due to the construction of the new circuit) or converted to a normal public road, but since 2005 a vintage car event has been hosted on the old track layout, including part of the parking area.^[3]

1984: The new Grand Prix track[link]

Detailed Nürburgring map showing the Nordschleife.