F1 German GP: GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2011
Time: Sunday, July 24 · 2 PM - 5 PM
Location: Nurburgring GmbH Otto Flimm Strasse
53520 Nürburg/Eifel, Germany
More Info: Nürburgring GP-Strecke
Established: 1927 (rebuilt 1984)
Circuit Length: 3.199 Miles (5.148km)
Circuit Turns: 16
Lap Record: 1:29.468 - M Schumacher (2004)
Capacity: 290,000
"The original Nurburgring, the Nordschleife, ran for an awe-inspiring 22.5 kilometres (14 miles). It was so long and so complicated that drivers simply could not remember a racing line. The Nurburgring was, in fact, two circuits: the Nordschleife and the Sudschleife. In total they had an amazing 172 corners.
It was safety which sealed the demise of the legendary track. Following Niki Lauda's terrifying accident there in 1976 in which he suffered horrendous burns, the Nurburgring's license to hold Formula One events was withdrawn.
The track underwent huge redevelopment to create a new circuit and in the spring of 1984 a race was held featuring 20 identical Mercedes 190Es and a grid composed of some of the best-ever Formula One drivers. Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Keke Rosberg, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, James Hunt, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, John Surtees and Denny Hulme were just a few of the names to take part. Senna, then a relative youngster, won from Lauda and Reutemann.
The European Grand Prix was held at the new track later that year, and again in 1985, but it disappeared again after commercial difficulties. With the ascendancy of Michael Schumacher, from nearby Kerpen, the track was once again back in Formula One in 1995. Posing as the Luxembourg Grand Prix for 1997 and 1998, it then once more became the home of the European Grand Prix until 2006. From 2007 it has played host to the German Grand Prix every other year in an agreement which sees the race alternate between there and Hockenheim.
The track may not be as challenging as the old circuit, but it is still possible to take a trip down memory lane - literally. For just a few euros one can take a car onto the old track and soak up what was one of the most feared and yet respected circuits in the history of motorsport." (Formula1.com)
(en.espnf1.com), "Between 1982 and 1983 the start-finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke, and the F1 circus returned to the Nurburgring in 1984 but the venue had little in common with the original other than the name. A new circuit, built inside the old, was only 2.8 miles long and had some overly-cautious huge run-off areas. Sadly, the changes had robbed it of almost all its character and charisma, so much so that some fans protested it had no right to be called the Nurburgring.
Originally, the track featured four track configurations: the 28.265 km (17.563 mi)-long Gesamtstrecke ("Whole Course"), which in turn consisted of the 22.810 km (14.173 mi) Nordschleife ("Northern Loop"), and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife ("Southern Loop"). There also was a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife ("Finish Loop") or better known as Betonschleife, around the pit area, and this is currently used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife is still in use, for racing, testing and public access."
