How to experience the best of what the Nürburgring has to offer

Lapping the Nürburgring is nothing short of retracing the steps of motorsport history, to say nothing of the fact that you get to drive as fast as you’re comfortable on the faciility’s terrifically challenging and complex racing circuit. 

Whether you’re living out your dream of retracing the tire tracks of Moss and Senna or just testing yourself on the impossibly twisty 13-mile Nordschleife that winds through Germany’s Eifel Forest, a lap (or a few) of the asphalt loop once labeled as The Green Hell by Jackie Stewart is a required activity during your visit.

These Nürburgring fantasies can come to life during any of the many open sessions. Yep, that’s right, it’s public. As in drive up, buy a ticket for the Nordschleife, and hit the track. It’s just that easy.

First, though, note that those public days on the Nordschleife (North loop) are going to be busy. That means lots of different cars, from track-prepped supercars to motor homes–each driven by people of various skill levels. The runoff area is frightfully small, and things can go sideways in a hurry. Drive cautiously. The one thing not present at the Nürburgring during public days is race team talent scouts.

Second, that 911 you rented from the airport? Yeah, that’s not going to fly. Standard rental agencies absolutely monitor usage on the Nordschleife, and best case scenario, taking a lap in your rental will get you blacklisted from that company. You’ll get slapped with a hefty service fee, too.

Luckily, there are plenty of local agencies that specialize in renting out track-capable machines for extraordinarily reasonable prices. Dale Lomas, a former motoring journalist and longtime Nürburgring test driver, is a partner in Rent4Ring, an agency that specializes in rentals at the facility. 

The Nürburgring: It serves as the world’s most famous automotive prov-ing grounds, while the rest of us can experience it during the open Touristenfahrten. Firms like Rent4Ring specialize in rentals.

“All our cars are prepared like track cars,” Lomas says of the company’s rental fleet of BMWs, Minis and Toyota Supras, all equipped with roll cages, driver harnesses and proper racing buckets. “After all, you’re on a track, right? So we put safety at the forefront, even if it means the cars might not be quite as fancy as some other companies’ rentals.” 

[How to turn your Nürburgring fantasies into Nürburgring realities]

Rent4Ring also fully prepares its drivers for the fast pace of the Nordschleife tourist days–a bit of a rarity in the field. “We’re not exactly trying to scare anyone off,” he says, “but folks absolutely need to know that what they’re about to do is deadly serious and things can go wrong very badly and very quickly. And Touristenfahrten at the Nordschleife isn’t exactly your local club track day where everyone is grouped by skill and there’s point-bys. Things can get a little chaotic here.” 

A lap of the Nordschleife will cost you about $35 at current exchange rates. Rental cars from Rent4Ring start at less than $100 per 20-kilometer lap, and a highly qualified instructor from the agency will even ride along with you for about $50. 

There are also American companies that will facilitate all-inclusive visits, including rentals, lap tickets and ground transportation. Jzilla, for example, takes a group to the Nordschleife once a year, and its drivers get treated to a few days of lapping and relaxing.

If driving on the track is not for you, there’s plenty of opportunity to watch some of the world’s best sports car racers do it right. Both the Nordschleife and the connected GP circuit host a full schedule of events, from local club racing to Fanatec GT World Challenge and DTM GT3 competition. 

Our favorite event of the year is the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring, which is usually held right around the time we’re celebrating Memorial Day here in the States. The 24 sees world-class, factory-backed teams competing against club-level privateers, with 180 entrants typically taking the green flag for the twice-around-the-clock contest. 

[What's it like to attend the Nürburgring 24 Hours]

The weekend also features fantastic support events, including touring cars plus one of the best historic racing fields you’re likely to see this side of the HSR Classic 24 Hour at Daytona. Budget about a hundred dollars for admission and be prepared for some hiking. The facility is large, covering dozens of square miles of countryside, so accessing a trackside viewing location can mean a long walk from a parking area. And with nearly a quarter-million people vying for space, roads in and out of the rural area can be crowded and slow. Leave extra time in your schedule.

Leave time to eat, too. While there’s plenty of high-end dining in the region, no visit to the Nürburgring is complete without a trip to the Pistenklause restaurant right in the town of Nürburg. Pistenklause is a stop for all the teams and fans, and dining at a table that’s been signed by Mika Häkkinen or sitting beside a broken wheel from a Mercedes DTM machine is standard service. The steak served on a hot volcanic rock isn’t bad, either.

 

Whether you’re going to drive or spectate, you need to get there. You’ll likely want to fly into Frankfurt, as it’s the closest major city and Germany’s busiest international airport. That means good access from pretty much any place in the U.S. with minimal layover time. We’ve traveled there on four different major carriers, so whatever your preferred major airline, chances are it has a direct flight from a major hub.

Remember that the Nürburgring sits at roughly the same northern latitude as Vancouver, though, and while that portion of Europe is far more mild than similar latitudes in North America, they still experience a real winter. As such, track activity is usually shut down from November through mid-March. Plan accordingly. 

Germany has excellent public transportation, but the Nürburgring sits in an area without much train access. Besides, you’ll want your own wheels to explore the countryside at your leisure.

Being in Europe, it’s also a great chance to try out a European-only model–or at least a fine German performance car. Luckily there are a few airport-based rental companies that allow you to lock in a specific model to enjoy your time on the German roads with. Sixt, for example, will rent a Porsche 911, Porsche Panamera or a BMW M8 Competition Coupe for less than $200 a day.

Take in the local sights, too, and drive a cool car. Last time there, we borrowed a Volkswagen Arteon R Shooting Brake, a fine machine that, sadly, isn’t offered stateside.

Now you can enjoy the Autobahn and country roads in something appropriate, but there are some realities to consider. While many areas are still speed-unlimited, they are less numerous than before, with the entirety of the German freeway system seeming about as crowded as ours. While there still may be areas where you can stretch your legs for a few kilometers, don’t expect extended, flat-out runs. 

During a recent visit, I got to sample a European delicacy in the form of a new Volkswagen Arteon R Shooting Brake–a model that, sadly, isn’t sold stateside. This 315-horsepower uber-vagen places the all-wheel-drive drivetrain from the company’s Golf R in a handsome wagon body that can still hit 60 mph in less than 5 seconds.

Unlike the track-tuned Golf R, however, the Arteon R seems ideally suited for the primary and secondary roads of its native land. The DCT’s automatic mode is smooth and seamless, but a quick flip into the sport settings can make a paddle-shifted run down a back road just that much more engaging. The wagon form factor means exceptional utility while maintaining a sporty demeanor that needs to be mentioned in the same sentence as sports sedans from homeland colleagues Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Oh, and Sixt will also rent you a non-R Arteon Shooting Brake for less than $100 a day. 

If you’re hitting the area for some non-race-weekend fun, staying near the track is definitely a possibility. There’s excellent lodging right within the track boundaries. We’ve stayed mere feet from the track at the relaxing but simply named Nringrooms in the town of Breidscheid. 

But if you’re planning on going to any of the races at the ’Ring–particularly the 24–know that area rooms fill up the moment the dates are announced, which could be over a year in advance. For our excursions to the 24, we typically stay half an hour away in the village of Nickenich. It’s situated on the rim of the Laacher See, a millennia-old volcanic lake in one of the most geologically diverse and beautiful regions of Germany. Hotels or Airbnb rooms run under $200 per night, even during the busy race weekends.

It’s also an area steeped in history. About a thousand years ago, Count Ulrich built this castle. Today, it overlooks a motor-sports mecca.

As one of the most heavily volcanic areas of Europe, the Eifel mountains and the general Rhineland area offer lots of ecotourism. For fans of more human-based history, you can’t drive more than 10 minutes in any direction without stopping at a high Middle Age castle or historic site, including the Nürburg castle. It dates back to the 1100s and overlooks the track itself. 

We’re not sure if Count Ulrich, the castle’s builder, would enjoy the racing scene that now consumes that part of Germany, but for gearheads, it’s heaven.

More like this

Comments

View all comments on the CMS forums

You'll need to log in to post.