The German town of Nurburg, at 45 km from Bonn, near the Belgian border, is a traditional West German town in the middle of the Eifel mountains. A medieval castle guards the top of the 678 m (2,224 ft) hill where the city stands, surrounded by the longest racetrack in the world, the legendary Nurburgring, which translates as "The Circuit of Nurburg" or as is commonly known, The Ring. Remarkable altitude changes, blind corners, a severe lack of runoff areas, and 223 rainy days on average during the year are some of the factors that make this racetrack one of the most dangerous and exciting in the world.
This motorsport racing complex consists of two independent racetracks, The Nordschleife (the north loop) and the GP Strecke (Grand Prix Track). The first one is almost 100 years old and is also known as the Green Hell, a monicker given to it by the F1 champion Jackie Stewart back in the 70'. As Formula 1 cars developed higher speeds over time, racing in the northern loop became so dangerous that, after several fatal accidents, the purpose-built GP Strecke came into operation. The north track remains open to the public (for a fee) from March to November, and drivers from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Nurburgring for a test drive (Touristenfahrten)
The north loop of Nurburgring or Nordschleife is open for public use from May to November, except for those days where races take place. On these tourist drives, the ring starts from the bridge heading to the first turn, and finishes in a gantry where drivers a required to take gore to the parking lot. The Nurburgring Nordschleife BTG (Bridge to Gantry) is a 19.15 km (11.9 mi) road course with 73 corners (33 left-hand bends, 40 to the right). It has an impressive 539 m (1768 ft) vertical gain and a particular climate where it can be raining on one side of the track and sunny on the other. The average speed is 141 km/h (88 mph), and runoffs are almost non-existent, so both the driver's abilities and the car's capacities face quite a challenge on this track.