90 years on, ‘Green Hell’ still beckons the brave

THE first thing anyone who wants to drive the Nordschleife (North Loop) of Germany’s famous Nürburgring usually does when arriving at the entrance to one of the world’s most famous racetracks is to sit in a seemingly-endless queue of cars. In spite of claiming at least 200 lives over the years – including at least 65 professional racers – the road Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart once called the “Green Hell” is still an irresistible draw to those whose blood runs a little faster than most people.

The queue of cars forms ahead of a toll barrier that marks the entrance to the 20.8-kilometer course that loops around the little towns of Nürburg, Quiddelbach, Breidscheid and Herschbroich in western Germany’s Eifel Mountains, about an hour by car south of the city of Cologne.