Nordschleife
The Green Hell Legend
Since its construction (1925 - 1927), the Nordschleife has enjoyed a reputation as a terrifying and merciless route through the Eifel forests. An English journalist who visited the Nordschleife during the opening race on 18 June 1927 even concluded “that it seemed as if a reeling, drunken giant had been sent out to determine the route”. The Formula 1 pilot Sir John Young Jackie Stewart – after all a three-time world champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973 – was so impressed by the circuit that he gave it the name which it will probably never lose: Green Hell (Grüne Hölle).
Racing and winning on the Nordschleife has always been very special for racing drivers, because the track is one of the most demanding in the world. Tricky corners, treacherous crests, steep inclines and gradients and constantly changing road surfaces demand great skill from the driver and put vehicles to a hard test.
The best-known event today is the ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race, which is held on both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit and which for four days transforms the entire circuit into a huge spectacle. Up to 800 amateurs and professionals in up to 200 cars take part in this race.
Facts & figures Nordschleife
Official start of construction: | 27 September 1925 |
Official opening: | 18 /19 June 1927 |
Costs: | about 15 million Reichsmark, Employment of up to 3,000 workers for two years |
Length: | 20.832 km |
Turns: | 73 (33 left, 40 right) |
Gradients: | max. 17 percent |
Slopes: | max. 11 percent |
Highest point: | Hohenrain / Hatzenbach 627.70 m above sea level |
Lowest point: | Breidscheid, 320 m above sea level |
Total difference in altitude: | approx. 300 m |
First event: | 18 June 1927 – Eifelrace for motorcycles |
Original track length: | 22.8 km Nordschleife + 7.7 km Südschleife = 28 km, (89 left turns - 84 right turns) |
Length Endurance Championship: | 24.433 km (Sprintstrecke, with Mercedes-Arena, Motorrad-Schikane and Nordschleife) |
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Tourist drives & Driving experiences
Opening its gates to visitors so that everyone has the chance to clock a lap on the legendary as- phalt of the Nordschleife has long been a firmly es tablished practice at the Nürburgring. The circuit is open for tourist drives almost every day, and th e car brands on the track are as varied as the nationalities of the drivers. It doesn’t matter whe ther you drive an Opel, Ford or Maserati, or whether you come from Germany, England or Russia – once you have experienced the myth of the Nordschleife you keep coming back to the Nürburgring.
Visitors can also take a seat next to a professional racing driver and experience the Nürburgring from a different, action-packed perspective during co-pilot rides
in the Mercedes-AMG GT R.
