Nürburgring

The Nürburgring (German pronunciation: [ˈnyːɐ̯bʊʁkˌʁɪŋ] ^ⓘ) is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long Nordschleife configuration, built in the 1920s, around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The north loop is 20.830 km (12.943 mi) long and contains more than 300 metres (1,000 feet) of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. Scottish racing driver Jackie Stewart nicknamed the track "the Green Hell".

Originally, the track featured four configurations, namely the 28.265 km-long (17.563 mi) Gesamtstrecke, which in turn consisted of the then-22.835 km (14.189 mi) Nordschleife, and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife. There was also a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife, or Betonschleife, around the pit area. Between 1982 and 1983, the start–finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke, which is now used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife is still in use for racing, testing and public access.

Prior to World War II, the Nürburgring hosted 13 editions of the German Grand Prix from 1927 to 1939. In Formula One (F1), it has hosted 42 Grands Prix, including the German, European, Luxembourg, and – most recently – 2020 Eifel Grand Prix; Michael Schumacher achieved the most victories at the Nürburgring, winning on five occasions between 1995 and 2006. The 1976 German Grand Prix, held on the Nordschleife, was the last F1 race ever contested on a circuit of 10 or more kilometres (6.2 or more miles). As of 2025^[update], the venue hosts several national GT events, including the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.

In 1904, the Gordon Bennett Trophy was held on the twice-run Taunus circuit, a circuit made up of public roads starting between the towns of Wehrheim, Limburg and Saalburg, just north of Frankfurt that was 126 km (78 mi) long. In 1907, the Taunus circuit was re-routed and shortened to 117 km (73 mi), and it was used one more time for the first Eifelrennen race, which was won by Italian racer Felice Nazzaro. In the early 1920s, ADAC Eifelrennen races were held on the twisty 33.2 km (20.6 mi) Nideggen public road circuit near Cologne and Bonn. Around 1925, the construction of a dedicated race track was proposed just south of the Nideggen circuit around the ancient castle of the town of Nürburg, following the examples of Italy's Monza and Targa Florio courses, and Berlin's AVUS, yet with a different character. The layout of the circuit in the mountains was similar to the Targa Florio event, 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.^{[citation needed]}

The track was completed in the spring of 1927, and the ADAC Eifelrennen races were continued there. The first races to take place on 18 June 1927 showed motorcycles and sidecars, and were won by Toni Ulmen on an English 350cc Velocette. The cars followed a day later, and Rudolf Caracciola was the winner of the over–5000cc class in a supercharged Mercedes-Benz "K". In addition, the track was opened to the public in the evenings and on weekends, as a one-way toll road. The entire track consisted of 174 bends (prior to 1971 changes), and averaged 8 to 9 metres (8.7 to 9.8 yd) in width. The fastest time ever around the full Gesamtstrecke was by Louis Chiron, at an average speed of 112.31 km/h (69.79 mph) in his Bugatti.^{[citation needed]}

In 1929 the full Nürburgring 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 primarily used the shorter and safer Südschleife. Memorable pre-war races at the circuit featured the talents of early Ringmeister (Ringmasters) such as Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari, and Bernd Rosemeyer.^{[citation needed]}

After World War II, racing resumed in 1947, and in 1951, 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 Ringmeister 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. Over half a century later, even the highest performing road cars still have difficulty breaking 8 minutes without a professional race driver or one very familiar with the track. Also, several rounds of the German motorcycle Grand Prix were held, mostly on the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife, but the Hockenheimring and the Solitudering were the main sites for Grand Prix motorcycle racing.