5 Reasons Why Every Petrolhead Should Visit The Nurburgring

Like it or not, pretty much every performance car sets its benchmark lap time at the Nurburgring. That means the place gets a lot of coverage, and while you should definitely not try to match the times set by professional drivers until you’ve driven the track multiple times, there’s no denying it feels awesome driving the same circuit as these heroes.

2. Everything in the area is car-related

The Nordschleife is massive. It’s a 20.8km circuit that carves through the forest-lined hills of Germany’s Eifel region. As you’d expect in the middle of a forest, apart from the track, there isn’t a whole lot else going on. That means a micro climate of car culture has popped up, and it dominates everything in the villages that line the track. Restaurant walls are filled with ‘Ring memorabilia, enthusiast cars litter the streets, and everyone’s there for one reason: cars.

3. The people are awesome

Everywhere you turn you’ll meet someone new with a cool story, and they’ll introduce you to someone else with more cool stories. Whenever I’ve been to the Nurburgring, I’ve always ended up hanging out with new people, and the great thing is they’ll almost certainly be massively into cars. It’s a great icebreaker, and everyone seems happy to chat, whether it’s over drinks trackside in the forest, or in the car park before heading out on to the Nordschleife.

For example, in the photo above I’d been driving near the track when I spotted the Ring Banana coming the other way. I flashed my lights and pulled over, and the MX5 crew turned around for a chat. It’s an awesome community.

4. The atmosphere is incredible

Atmosphere is hard to create, but the Nurburgring has it in spades. When you’re walking around the circuit, the trees turn the distant sound of cars into a haunting echo that reverberates around you at all times. There are always people milling about, even on simple tourist lap days, and there’s a permanent buzz around the track car parks.

If you’re a motorsport fan, it’s also exciting knowing that Formula 1 legends once screamed along the track, dicing with death and sometimes losing. You can lose hours simply sitting around, letting your imagination run wild.

5. It plays host to the next CT Meet

We’re hosting our biggest and most badass meet yet at the Nurburgring Drift Park, and it’s all going down on Friday 29 April. It takes all of the things we love about the Nurburgring and amplifies it. You’ll be able to check out tonnes of cool cars, chat to fellow petrolheads, and all within minutes of VLN race cars pounding the famous Nordschleife. And best of all, it’s completely free! Check out the CT Meet schedule here to see everything that’s going on over the weekend.