NEWS
Nurburgring through the years
Article written by Jordan Peckler
The FIA GT1 World Championship ventures to the infamous Nürburgring circuit in Germany for the sixth instalment of a thrilling 2010 season. The GT1 drivers will battle it out for victory on the 5.148km Grand Prix Streke circuit, which sits alongside the historic 22.8km Nordschleife circuit. The Nordschleife is one of the most daunting circuits in the history of motorsport as well as the world’s longest race and test road. The sheer power of the circuit’s history stirs the emotions. "It's official; God loves motor racing - why else would he have created the Nürburgring?,” motorsport journalist and historian Robert Blinkhorn once wrote.
“For more than 50 years a win at the 'Ring was the universal measure of a driver. Those who mastered the endless parade of corners that made up the circuit were the best of their age and a victory at the 'Ring was the mark of a true champion.” Although most international races now take place on the GP-Streke which is the newest instalment at the ‘Ring, the history of racing was built on the Nordschleife. The idea to build Nürburgring formulated in the early 1920’s after the public winding roads along the Eifel were deemed too unsuitable for racing. At the time, Germany had no permanent racing circuit despite the fact its manufacturers were at the forefront of automobile development.
The circuit was built just outside the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel Mountains. It was completed in 1927 under the guidance of architect Gustav Eichl.
Originally, the track featured four configurations. The 28.265km long Gesamtstrecke contained 174 bends and was made up of the 22.810km Nordschleife and the 7.747km Südschleife circuits. There was also a 2.281km warm-up loop called Betonschleife around pits area. Today, the four circuits hold 170 curves and a 700m vertical drop pitch to 17m.
The Südschleife was a short circuit designed for testing and for club racing while the Nordschleife was built to highlight German talent and engineering supremacy. Both sections shared the same start-finish line. Upon completion, the track boasted a grandstand with a 2,500-person capacity, a hotel, and a paddock with 70 garages.
The ADAC Eifelrennen races were the first held at the circuit in 1927 followed by the World Cycling Championship. One month later, the track hosted its first German Grand Prix won by Otto Merz.
The fastest lap time around the full Gesamtstrecke was set by Louis Chiron at an average speed of 112.31 km/h (72 mph) in his Bugatti. However, in 1929 the full ring was used for the last time in major racing events due to its excessive length. Racing life at the Nürburgring came to a halt during the great depression and then again in 1939 with the onset of WWII. In 1947 the first post-war race, the Eifel Cup for motorcycles, was run on the Südschleife in front of 80,000 spectators and the Nordschleife hosted the first automobile race since the war.
The German Grand Prix did not return to the Ring until 1950. The iconic ADAC 1000km Nürburgring race was first held at the Ring in 1953, which would become part of the World Sportscar Championship for decades. The Nordschleife circuit earned the nickname The Green Hell from Jackie Stewart following his first Grand Prix win in 1968. Considered to be the toughest and most dangerous circuit in the world, Nordschleife was known for its sharp crests and the frequency with which cars jumped clear off the track surface.
“I was always relieved when it was time to leave,” said three-time Formula One world champion Stewart. “The only time you felt good thinking about the 'Ring was when you were a long way away, curled up at home in front of a warm fire on a winter night.
"I never did one more balls-out lap there than I absolutely had to. Any driver who says he loved the 'Ring was either lying, or not driving quickly enough.” The Nordschleife saw its first serious modification in 1970 as the German Grand Prix moved to Hockenheim. Several corners were re-profiled, bumps were evened out and Armco barriers were added along the track. Phil Hill, who had raced the 'old' 'Ring claimed that the place had been emasculated.
In 1976 Niki Lauda proposed to the drivers that the circuit be boycotted. The other drivers voted against Lauda and the race went ahead. Ironically, Lauda crashed and was badly burned after the second lap of the race and was saved by the combined actions of fellow drivers Arturo Merzario, Guy Edwards, and Brett Lunger. At the end of 1976 the governing body withdrew the Nürburgring's F1 license. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the newly-modified Nürburgring survived without grand prix racing. The track hosted a variety of events, from international level down to club races. Occasionally the local racers used the old circuit for races, the highpoint of the year being the Nürburgring 24 Hours when hundreds of drivers turned up to race day and night.
In 1982, the start-finish area was demolished to create the GP-Strecke, the circuit currently used for all major and international racing events. Completed in 1984, the circuit addition modernized Nürburgring, offering fewer overtaking opportunities and conforming to the demand for higher safety standards. In 2002 the “Castrol-chicane” at the end of the finishing straight was replaced by a quick right turn now known as “Haug-Hook” allowing drivers increased overtaking opportunities. The track was also extended to its current length with the addition of an Omega-shaped section.
From 2007 to 2010, the German Grand Prix was shared between the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring. The former last hosted an F1 race in 2009. The legendary circuit will host its first FIA GT1 World Championship race on 27-29 August - the first time an FIA GT race has been staged there since 2001.
