Racetrack Turns 80
June 18, 2007
From day one the Nürburgring has had the reputation among racing fans for being exhilarating and brutal. On June 18, 1927, German legend Rudolf Caracciola won the inaugural race, driving 100.1 kmph (62.2 mph). After 12 laps, he emerged from his Mercedes S triumphantly, hands bloody and feet burned from the hilly, technical track.
Racer Jackie Stewart once famously called it "the green hell."
The Ring, as it's known by fans, is a curvy stretch of asphalt approximately 90 km southwest of the German city of Cologne. The hilly, wooded Eifel region were a natural place to build a track, since the back roads had long been a favorite of racing enthusiasts. The 28.27 km (17.6 mile) "mountain, racing and test circuit" took as many as 3,000 workers two years to build.
It's been a wild ride ever since. More than 200,000 fans showed up for races in 1938. The track endured bombings during World War II. After the war, the track hosted German Grand Prix races as part of the Formula One World Championship.
Testing ground
The Combined Loop is notorious in the racing world for its technical challenges. Because of the demands it makes on drivers, the track has become a favorite testing ground for German car makers wanting to take their prototypes for a spin.
The track was also famous for nearly killing Austrian Formula One champion Niki Lauda in 1976. Lauda's car swerved off the track at Nürburgring, rolled, hit another car and burst into flames. Lauda, trapped inside the car, suffered severe burns on his face, later fell into a coma and nearly died. The next year, the license for Formula One racing wasn't renewed. It returned in 1984 only to move to Hockenheim a year later. Formula One returned in 1995.
Schumacher brings in fans
Nürburgring found its current popularity thanks, in part, to German racer Michael Schumacher. In 1995 Michael Schumacher was the first German to win a Formula One world championship race at Nürburgring.
As the sport increases in popularity around the world, there's fierce competition to host Formula One races.
Schumacher's success helped the track. He won seven world titles, five with Ferrari. His talents sparked an unprecedented Formula One madness in Germany in the early 1990s. Schumacher retired last year.
Since 1994, 100 million euros ($133 million) have been invested in Nürburgring. By 2009 another 150 million euros will go into improvements, according to media reports. The hope is to attract an additional 500,000 visitors to the area each year. The area is trying to sell itself as a destination for car enthusiasts with a year-round recreation park offers "cars, actions and attractions."
Among many non-Formula One enthusiasts, the track is best known for hosting the music festival Rock am Ring. The event attracted more than 80,000 music fans last year.