Deep in the Eifel mountains, a sparsely populated wild region in north-western Germany, often cited as being one of Germany’s best-kept secrets, a range of now-extinct volcanoes had sculpted the landscape into a symphony of cratered lakes, wooded hillside and mountain pastures. It is here, far from the hustle and bustle of Germany’s large metropolises lie, where a ribbon of tarmac, which, through a seemingly never-ending series of corners, rises and falls through the undulating German landscape. A track of myth and legend, the Nordschleife strikes fear into the hearts of hardened racers, an unforgiving circuit that was labeled “The Green Hell’ by Sir Jackie Stewart.
The history of the Nordschleife
From its inception in the 1920s, the Nordschleife has hosted a variety of racing, including being the primary German venue for Grand Prix racing since 1951. The long, technical track stood out from its contemporaries and garnered a reputation for being one of the greatest challenges that a Formula One driver could face. In 1953, the first 1000km Nürburgring was contested, setting the precedent for endurance racing on the demanding circuit, with the first 24-hour race run on the Nordschleife in 1970. The 24h of Nürburgring is now the biggest event held on the circuit, drawing thousands of spectators who revel in the multi-class racing over the full 24-hour period.
In 1976, against the backdrop of increasing safety and reducing fatalities in Formula One, the Nordschleife was dropped from the Grand Prix calendar, removing one of the sternest tests in top-tier racing. It wasn;t possible to render the circuit safe, to the standards of the time, due to the length and complexity of the layout. Construction of a new GP circuit at Nürburgring was completed in 1984, hosting several events in subsequent years, but never cementing its place in the Formula One calendar over the more regular Hockenheim fixture for the German Grand Prix. The Nordschleife remained the preserve of GT and Touring Car racing, and the appearances of Formula One cars on the Nordschleife have been few and far between.
Formula Red Bull
German driver Nick Heidfeld was the first man in over 30 years to take a contemporary Formula One car around the Nordschleife, when in 2007, he piloted a BMW Sauber F1.06 as part of a celebration of BMWs contribution to motorsport. In 2013, Michael Schumacher completed a lap in the Mercedes W02 prior to the 24h Nürburgring. Since then, the sound of high-revving F1 engines had vanished from the Norschleife.
Step up Red Bull Germany, which as a special event to coincide with the 12h event of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, decided to bring a fleet of incredible cars to once more grace the Nordschleife. Multiple F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel would once again climb aboard his Red Bull RB7, nicknamed ‘Kinky Kylie’ in which he won the 2011 WDC in formidable fashion, claiming 12 wins in the 19 race season. Running on synthetic, CO2-neutral fuel, a passion of Vettels, this demonstration on the Nordschleife hinted at the possibility of this being a viable future of F1, with none of the iconic sound or drama being lost. In addition, David Coulthard lapped the Nordschleife in the Red Bull RB8, with the duo running in tandem around the Nordschleife as a finale.
Incredible presentation of iconic race cars
The Nordschleife is an incredible setting in which to see these cars, while 60,000 fans were packed around the circuit, with a huge number around the Mullenbachschleife, it was out on the historic Nordschleife where the Red Bulls really shone, the winding and narrow track amplifying the presence of the larger, modern F1 cars, with the unforgettable sound of the high-revving engines more pronounced than ever before in the dense German forests, far from the huge crowds.
By no means the only highlights of the Formula Red Bull event, several other notable appearances made for a visceral treat. Matthias Lauda lapped the Nordschleife in his father’s Ferrari 312 B3, current F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda took the Honda NSX GT3 Evo around the Nordschleife, and Jos Verstappen took to the wheel of the Ford Super-van 4.2. The BMW LMR V12 which won the 24h du Mans also completed a lap of the Nordschleife, in a sublime demonstration with a BMW Z3 GT3, BMW M1 Procar and a BMW E30 M3.
Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie
Ordinarily, the mere sight of a contemporary F1 car on the Nordschleife would constitute a job well done, but this was far from the case. Over the course of the next two days, two rounds of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie were to be held, in the form of two six-hour races. The NLS, as it is commonly known, is the premier endurance racing series in Germany, which races exclusively on the Nordschleife, making for one of the most compelling, challenging and enthralling series. Multi-class racing, driver changes, refueling and the demanding, unforgiving nature of the circuit make for a stern challenge, with the added twist of the first race running into the night
Highly prestigious, and contested by a good number of GT3 entries in the top tier from Ferrari, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Porsche, both NLS races made for enthralling viewing. On pure pace alone in the qualifying sessions, it was the sole Ferrari 296 GT3 which seemed to have the measure of the field, but the nature of the racing means that the NLS are often races of attrition, in classic endurance racing style. Both times, the single lap pace of the Ferrari didn’t translate into a race win. Valiant performances from both Porsche and Aston Martin too, could do nothing to disturb the trajectory of the Walkenhorst Racing BMW M4 GT3s, which won the overall honors in both races.
Unforgettable impressions
While there’s no chance that we will ever see F1 return to the Nordschleife, it’s incredible that we should still have the occasion to witness the appearance of these cars on the legendary circuit. If the promotion of synthetic and carbon-neutral fuels can allow these opportunities to arise, then it should be embraced, as tens of thousands of spectators would testify after the superb Formula Red Bull event.
The Nordschleife, however goes from strength to strength, a new generation of motorsport fans, raised on a diet of Gran Turismo and iRacing hold the track in extremely high esteem, and the wildly popular 24h Nürburgring and Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie offer excellent racing on this phenomenal circuit.
