Much has been written about the famed Nordschleife circuit over the years but until witnessed first hand it is impossible to understand the majesty of a track that few have conquered throughout its long history.

Built amidst the Eifel Mountains, the original Nürburgring was designed to test and promote advances in German automotive engineering. At that time there existed two loops, the longer Nordschleife and the now extinct Sudschleife. Completed in 1927 the combined ring staged the German Grand Prix for the first time in the same year. By 1940 the Sudschleife had been dropped and the major events were staged on the Nordschleife only where, in the 50s and 60s, the real legends of the Ring were made. Many will remember, or remember hearing about Fangio’s famous victory on the Ring in a Maserati in 1957. It was a race in which he broke the lap record on seven consecutive laps to recover a 40 second deficit and snatch the lead from the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins on the final lap.

Unfortunately the inability of the Nordschleife to meet the rising safety issues throughout the 1970s meant that the 1976 German Grand Prix was the last ever on the Nordschleife. It was a race in which Niki Lauda came within an inch of loosing his life after getting trapped in his burning Ferrari.

In 1984 a new Grand Prix circuit and modern pit lane facility were built to the west of the village of Nurburg and once again the roar of Formula 1 engines could be heard in the Eifel Mountains. Today, the Grand Prix circuit holds many international Motorsports events including the European Grand Prix and the DTM championship.

However, it is the Nordschleife that continues to capture the imagination and it somewhat remarkably remains open to the general public for most of the year on a pay per lap basis.