CIRCUIT DRIVING THE OLD NURBURGRING

If you enjoy driving, you'll enjoy great roads. And if you enjoy great roads, you'll enjoy a great racetrack.

The problem with great racetracks is that there aren't many left. All the great circuits of the past are now either overgrown with weeds or sanitised out of all recognition for the modern safety era. All but one.

Nestling in the Eifel Mountains in the heart of Germany, the 20.8km Nordschliefe circuit at the Nürburgring alone remains as a testament to the dangers and challenges faced by racing drivers in motor racing's earliest days.



The History:



Construction began in the First World War as a means of occupying Italian prisoners of war and it wasn't until 1925 that the circuit was finally opened by the German Reich. It quickly established a fearsome reputation amongst even hardened drivers. Jackie Stewart used to say that before racing at the old Nürburgring, he used to pause outside the gate of his house before leaving and look back: "I never knew if I'd see it again."

With changeable weather, blind brows and a complete absence of run-off areas, the track exacted a heavy penalty from those unfortunate enough to make a mistake, or have something break. With the death toll mounting, the owners were forced to spend 17 million deutschmarks in improvements, followed by several million more in 1974 after a driver's boycott. It made little difference. In 1976, World Champion Niki Lauda almost died in a Ferrari fireball and the safety campaigner...