Heaven in hell
ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF ITS 90th YEAR, WE HEAD TO GERMANY TO DRIVE THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS RACETRACK
The slight Spaniard in the passenger seat seems trustworthy enough, but we’ve just met and I am not sure I want to risk his and my safety. But what the hell! Flattening the loud pedal, I can feel the forces build in my internal G-meter and on the tyres’ sidewalls … my grip on the steering wheel instinctively tightens. “Fifth gear and full throttle.” Are you serious, Mr Spaniard?
His words from the earlier safety briefing before we set out on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife section ring in my ears: “Have fun, but don’t crash.” Why is he intent on making me do just that? We are now travelling at a rapid rate of knots through a series of long sweepers on the world’s most dangerous track. With zero run-off. And, although my pursed lips and furrowed brow indicate otherwise, there’s a big grin on the inside. These are my first indelible memories of driving the Nordschleife.
The history of the Nürburgring dates back to 1925, when the Germans wanted to host their own version of road races such as the Targo Florio and Mille Miglia. Thanks to these origins, this track in the Eifel region bears more similarity to a mountain pass than a typical race circuit. Racing on public roads was becoming increasingly dangerous and a purpose-built facility was needed. Two years later, the Nürburgring was opened. It had multiple loops and, when used in its entirety, 28 km of challenging track. Over time, sections were abandoned and, after Niki Lauda’s fiery accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix, international racing was all but banned there.
A much safer, new-format Grand Prix circuit was built and all of the old sections,
“TRUST ME, YOU CAN GO FLAT THROUGH HERE.”
bar the Northern Loop, or Nordschleife, fell into disrepair. The latter, which is the part most people refer to when they mention the Nürburgring, remains in use today and most notably hosts the 24 Hours Of Nürburgring endurance event for GT and Touring cars.
In recent years, the proliferation of online video content and countless lap “records” have given it massive exposure. It isn’t just highperformance models that are put through their paces, either. The 73 curves of varying radii, camber and constant surface changes as well as 300 metres of elevation are a test for any car. Crests, compressions, direction changes at high and low speed give any suspension system a thorough workout. Manufacturers claim if a car works well within the confines of the ’Ring, it will work well anywhere in the world. It also provides a form of accelerated testing; a lap of the Nordschleife is said to be worth 300 km of road testing.
The facility has become a major tourist attraction, too. Petrolheads and track addicts from all over the world arrive during the summer months to create their own Nürburgring memories, something I am sure many CAR readers wish they could do. The easiest way to enjoy the track is to buy a lap in one of the many taxis available. To know the track requires a driver to complete hundreds of laps before you work out which way the next corner goes and, as a newcomer, you are unlikely to go faster than one of the skilled drivers on hand to play taxi driver.
That said, this big daddy of all racetracks had long been on my bucket list and, even if I were dog slow, I was keen to experience the track from the hot seat. Thanks to the expertise of RSR Nurburg (see opposite), I was able to do just that. Strapped into one of its right-hand-drive Renault Mégane RSS, and with a few sighting laps as a passenger under my belt, I steered the Renault onto the circuit during one of the open sessions. It is usually action captured in these sessions that is the subject of countless Nürburgring crash videos.
Consistent track-driving experience over the last few years, a decent sense of selfpreservation and small bank balance meant I was exceedingly keen to keep the car on the black stuff and pointing the right way. RSR’S instructors are extremely experienced, too, having witnessed all levels of driving ability over the years, so they are quick to gauge your
skill level and instructions ow accordingly. Luis Ramirez, to give Mr Spaniard his proper name, must have felt comfortable riding shotgun and his calls allowed me to tackle the track at full ow. Hatzenbach, Flugplatz, P anzgarten, Karrussell, Breidscheid and countless other names enter and leave my ears while I concentrate on the task at hand.
Luis pulls that opening line on me more than once in the lap and, learning to trust his experience, we go at out through sections of the track I would never considering attacking at these speeds as a complete rookie. A few minutes later, stepping from the car, I’m smiling from ear to ear … and shaking at the same time. I don’t think I have ever been both so euphoric and petri ed. I’ve been very fortunate to drive many racetracks during my career as a motoring journalist, but these 20,8 kilometres will live with me forever. Incidentally, completing one lap of the ’Ring exceeds the cumulative one-lap distance of Kyalami, Zwartkops, Phakisa, Aldo Scribante, East London GP circuit and Killarney...
Forget every video you’ve seen online, every record-setting run, every game you’ve ever played. Nothing, but nothing, can prepare you for the visceral reality that is the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Former F1 champ Jackie Stewart may have called it the Green Hell, but I think it’s Petrolhead Heaven.
A LAP HERE IS SAID TO BE WORTH 300 KM OF ROAD TESTING