The Annual Nurburgring Touristenfahrten Pass Is Surprisingly Good Value

As most people with even the vaguest interest in cars will know, you can pay to go on the Nurburgring Nordschleife by the lap. Perhaps the most famous aspect of the Green Hell is that it’s effectively open as a toll road during ‘Touristenfahrten’ sessions. But if you’re planning on going, this is the priciest way to hit the track, even though the fee per lap of €25 during the week and €30 at the weekend hasn’t changed in five years.

Over on Bridge To Gantry, the recommended approach is to register an account with the ‘Ring, which means you get bonus credits if you add enough money to it. Better yet, you could get the ‘Jahreskarte’ season ticket, which allows holders to lap as many times as they damn well please over the course of Touristenfahrten season, which generally runs from early March to late November.

It makes particular sense if you’re a local, which is why Misha Charoudin has just picked one up in his latest video. Even if you’re not, though, the Jahreskarte is (when there isn’t a pandemic making travel nigh-on impossible) still tempting. The €2200 (£1900) charged for the card is remarkable value since it ‘only’ takes 105 weekday laps or 88 at the weekend for the pass to pay for itself.

Granted, the Nordschleife is no ordinary track with a length of 12.9 miles, so we are talking about clocking at least 1135 miles on an unforgiving circuit. Then again, as Charoudin points out, particularly committed visiting drivers might well burn through 90 laps in a single weekend trip.

Do that a couple of times a year (or more) on a Jahreskarte, and you’re laughing. Apart from when it comes to paying for replacement tyres and fresh brake components, of course. But hey, at least all that money you saved on single lap fees can offset the financial pain.