Nordschleife

The Nordschleife, the long German race track built around the village of Nürburg (with its notable castle), remains the ultimate motor sport race circuit in the mind of enthusiasts. Despite numerous revisions, having lost Formula One in 1976, and its anachronistic core, The Ring has always kept its salient features: an interminable lap (at least 12.9 miles or 20.8 kilometers depending on the configuration), hundreds of corners (to these days there is so many no one is exactly sure how to count them), and rollercoaster-like changes in elevation. For good measure, many of the corners are completely blind and in several spots cars actually become airborne; the Nordschleife was and is not for the faint of heart. Famous landmarks at The Ring are the jump just before Flugplatz, the long run up to Adenauer Forst, Bergwerk (where Lauda had his near fatal accident), and of course—the Karussell, its signature turn. For a few Euros, on non-racing days, tourists can drive the track where not a few rental cars still meet their end to this day.