THE LEGENDARY GREEN HELL
20.8 kilometres, 73 corners, 300 metres difference in elevation – these are figures that immediately make the hearts of racing drivers and motorsport fans beat faster. Unique thanks to its location at the heart of the Eifel region and its spectacular layout, the Nordschleife is not only the longest permanent race track in the world but also the most beautiful and notorious one.
Gradients of up to 18 percent going up to “Hohe Acht” and slopes of up to 11 percent at the “Fuchsröhre” section further shape the character of the “first mountain, race and test track” opened in 1927.
Victories like that of Rudolf Caracciola in the first Eifel Race and the birth of the Silver Arrows, as well as dramas indelibly etched into the history of motorsport laid the foundation for the legend of the Nordschleife, which Formula 1 legend Jackie Steward respectfully described as “Green Hell.”
6:11,13 minutes – another impressive figure that is inextricably linked with the Nürburgring. The Record Drives on the Nordschleife, set by Stefan Bellof in 1983. It was Timo Bernhardt in his Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo who undercuts the record within a new fabulous time of 5:19,55 just 35 years later in 2018.
The legendary Eifel track has long become a magnet for Tourist Drives from all over the world. Every year, the “Green Hell” in combination with the Grand Prix track provides the setting for the spectacular 24-Hour Race and the Nürburgring Endurance Series.