Tourist Sessions

Touristfahren driving

A tourist session can be a very different experience to driving on the normal public highway.

You arrive at the circuit and purchase a Nordschleife Pass. You use the pass to enter the circuit via a car park style barrier system.

Here is the office where you buy your Nordschleife pass.

Past these barriers is an experience to remember.

Your vehicle has to be road legal and be able to exceed 40 kmh / 25 mph. A valid driving licence is required because the German road laws apply on the Tourist sessions.

That's the bare essentials but once you pass through the barrier and onto the track you will experience a challenge few people can adapt to immediately.

A VW Golf speeds towards the sweeping Schwalbenschwanz section.

You can ask a friendly face in the car park for a gentle passenger lap before driving yourself.

Request the driver takes it steady and advises you as you lap the circuit together.

If the lap is too fast you may not fully understand whats going on.

If the driver is not sensible, you may be put off driving yourself completely.  This option is at your own choice and personal safety.

You only notice how extreme the Nurburgring is when you see it for real.

It is best to travel at a sensible speed for a few laps because the tracks surface has tricky cambers and undulates quite a lot.

Only when you feel more confident should you try to increase your pace.

The video above shows the bumps and cambers you find at the Nurburgring

At all times keep your eyes on your mirrors. You will see, there is more, much faster traffic approaching from behind.

Signal right and keep right, then let them pass on the left.

Do not try to keep up because the pace may be too high for your minimal experience.

A Kit Car powers around the Aremberg corner.  The extreme Fuchsrohre section awaits.

If you catch a vehicle up, wait until they are aware of your presence, then carefully overtake on the left.

Hopefully, they will signal right for you as you have for others.

Good examples of vehicles signalling and moving in the correct way

The Nurburgring is a public road. Uniquely it allows cars, bikes, coaches, vans and scooters on the track.

This biker almost has his knee down through the Flugplatz.

The cars tend to carry more speed through the bends than bikes. The bikes may be faster on the straight parts of the track.

Even though German road laws apply, you may find that the lines cars and bikes take are very different from each other.

Even closer to the ground, committed stuff indeed.

The quietest times to lap the circuit are early weekend mornings and weekday evenings.

It gets very busy throughout the day during weekends, so set an early alarm and arrive for a lap with the hardcore enthusiasts.

When the track is very busy, try to be patient as you negotiate the bends.

Do not race or try to set record lap times.  We all know Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson lapped in 10 minutes but that has nothing to do with your trip.  Enjoy it at a pace you are happy with.

Remember the weather can change quickly at the Nurburgring.  Some parts of the huge circuit may be wet whilst others are dry.

There are different ages of tarmac around the track.  Old surfaces change to new then back to old again.  This will have a profound effect on the grip level you experience.

The Flugplatz section never looks this bumpy on a computer game.

It takes a long time to understand the Nurburgring in the dry but in the rain it takes a special skill to understand the wet line over a 12.9 mile lap.

The extreme climb from the Quiddelbach bridge. 

Remember the safety rules and regulations. Click here for more information.

Ensure you and your vehicle have plenty of rest breaks.  It takes a lot of concentration to lap the Nurburgring, so use the on site restaurant for meals and drinks while you relax.

The Devils Diner restaurant stands proud in the empty car park.

The official number of bends in 73, some people say it is a lot more.  This means you won't remember them all on your first trip so enjoy yourself safely and have fun.

Please have a look at our great  Ring Video page