It’s no surprise that the world wide web is littered with videos of the Nurburgring. With a potentially internet-breaking surplus of crash compilations, lap records, and spy footage on offer, aerial views of the track and surrounding area are actually quite hard to come by. Thankfully, Pete Ruppert TOY UNIVERSE’s latest video features a flyover of the entire facility.
We start at the Grand Prix Circuit which Formula 1 recently came back to in 2020 to ensure an acceptable number of races for the abbreviated calendar. After a quick look at the wide-open spaces – and run-off areas – we take a departure into the Adenauer Forest, gaining a deep understanding of why the Nordschleife is referred to as the Green Hell.
Onboard footage here is always impressive, but this perspective gives us an unparalleled idea of the elevation changes throughout the lap. While a lot of the track simply meanders through the forest, it’s fascinating to see the dramatic uphill pitch of the Kesselchen section and how low breidscheid corner lies on the circuit.
Apart from Touristenfahrten sessions where the track is open to the public during the day, the footage gives an even better look at the lack of lighting posts on the track itself. As if the track wasn’t already infamous enough during the day, competitors in events like the 24 Hours of Nurburgring must navigate the majority of the track illuminated only by the headlights of their car and the surrounding competitors.
Keen readers may also notice that the GP circuit is closed off; while it is sometimes used in endurance racing events to grant a better chance to overtake, it isn’t used all the time. Semantics aside, this point of view affirms the mystique surrounding the Nurburgring race track and cements its place in motor-racing history.