Your HDX Guide to the Nordschleife: length, curves, lap record

For almost 100 years, the legendary Nordschleife at the Nürburgring has been putting man and machine to the test. Designed and built as the "First Mountain, Racing and Test Track", renowned motorsport series and famous racing drivers have been celebrating their victories here since it opened in 1927. The extremely demanding course quickly established the Nordschleife's legendary status, which still makes it an unforgettable experience for drivers and fans alike.

In this Hyundai Driving Experience guide, we take you on a fast lap of the Nordschleife, its famous sections, and notorious bends. You will also find out how you can experience the thrill of the Nordschleife up close.

What is Nordschleife?

Along with cars becoming increasingly powerful, interest in motorsport grew in Germany as well. The sparsely populated Eifel region, with its wooded hills, was considered ideal for motor racing. From 1922, the fledgling German Automobile Club (ADAC) organised the infamous Eifel Race, which pushed drivers and vehicles with 86 bends and an altitude difference of 265 metres to their limits.

However, the Eifel race, held on public roads, was extremely dangerous. The idea was quickly born to build a dedicated facility for motorsport and automobile development with the "First Mountain, Race and Test Track" in the Eifel: A total of 22,810 kilometres put racing drivers, technology and test drivers to the test.

What does Nordschleife mean?

The term "Nordschleife" translates to "North Loop" in English. This name distinguishes it from the shorter GP-Strecke (Grand Prix track) that was built later at the Nürburgring complex.

What is Nürburgring?

The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex located in the Eifel mountains of western Germany. It consists of two main tracks:

1. The Nordschleife ("North Loop"): This is the historic 20.8 km (12.9 mile) track, often referred to as "The Green Hell". It's renowned for its challenging layout, which includes numerous elevation changes, blind corners, and varying road surfaces.

2. The Grand Prix Circuit: A modern Formula One track, built in 1984, which is 5.148 km (3.199 miles) long.

So, what is the Nürburgring Nordschleife? When people refer to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, they're specifically talking about the longer, older track that made the Nürburgring famous. It's this track that is used for tourist drives, races, and automotive testing.

Where is the Nürburgring and Nordschleife?

The Nürburgring complex, including the Nordschleife, is located near the town of Nürburg, in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It's approximately 70 km (43 miles) south of Cologne and 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Frankfurt.

Driver at the wheel of a Hyundai IONIQ 5 N

The "Green Hell" at the Nürburgring

The challenges of the Nordschleife and the dramas that took place there quickly contributed to its legend. The Nordschleife bears the nickname “Green Hell” given to it by British Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart, and with good reason.

For racing drivers and all motorsport enthusiasts, the track remains a fascinating challenge, as the layout of the Nordschleife, leading through wooded and hilly terrain, requires maximum concentration, quick reactions, and absolute control of the vehicle. You, too, can experience the legend of the Nordschleife with all your senses, in one of the fast Hyundai N models and under the guidance of experienced HDX instructors.

The layout of the Nordschleife

The Nordschleife is nestled amidst the hilly landscape of the Eifel. Drivers, therefore, must master extreme differences in altitude totaling 300 metres, hairpin bends, and confusing crests on the track. Here we summarise the most important facts of the Nordschleife for you.

How long is the Nordschleife?

The course of the Nordschleife has been adjusted slightly over the years. Since the reconstruction work in the early 1980s, the Nordschleife length has been reduced to 20.832 kilometres. Nevertheless, the Nordschleife is still the longest permanent race track in the world – and is considered one of the most difficult.

The longest straight on the Nordschleife, known as Döttinger Höhe, is approximately 2.135 km (1.33 miles) long. This straight length allows drivers to reach top speeds before entering the next challenging section.

How many turns and corners does the Nordschleife have?

Officially, the Nordschleife has 73 corners, of which 33 are left-hand bends and 40 are right-hand bends. Many are named after famous racing drivers, such as the "Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve", the "Caracciola-Karussell" or the "Michael Schumacher-S" after the "Dunlop-Kehre". Insiders know that the “Bergwerk” is a long left-hand bend that is inextricably linked with racing legend Niki Lauda, and that the 471-meter-high hill “Kallenhard” is also unofficially known as the “Spiegelkurve” (literally: “mirror bend”): various drivers scraped their rear-view mirrors there when the section of the track was still lined with hedges.

Many of the track and corner names on the Nordschleife are self-explanatory. At the "Kesselchen", the track leads through a valley basin and over the foothills of the "Hohe Acht" mountain. The disused "Steilstrecke" is now only used by pedestrians. Originally, the gradient of an impressive 27% was used to push cars to the limit.

The official track map of the Nordschleife tells you more about iconic bends and track names: The famous "Fuchsröhre" (Fox Hole) is a reminder of the place where a fox made its den during construction work in the 1920s. A hangman carried out his work at the "Galgenkopf" (Gallows Head) and the "Schwedenkreuz" (Swedish Cross) is a reminder of fierce battles during the Thirty Years' War.

Nordschleife lap record

In 1983, Stefan Bellof secured the long-standing lap record on the Nordschleife with a time of 6:11.13 minutes. The young German was regarded as the fastest racing driver of his time and was the first German to win a world championship title on the circuit in 1984. It was not until 2018 that Timo Bernhard managed to beat Bellof's Nordschleife lap record. He completed the circuit in just 5:19.55 minutes.

For the Hyundai Motorsport team, the Nordschleife and GP circuit at the Nürburgring are also associated with success. The Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Mason Filippi, Harry Gottsacker, Bryson Morris, and Mark Wilkins won the TCR class at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in 2024. This was Hyundai's fourth consecutive victory, but that was not all: in 2024, Hyundai Motorsport entered three cars in the TCR class for the first time, which promptly clinched a 1-2-3 victory.

Experience the fascination of the Nordschleife for yourself

Immerse yourself in the legend of the Nordschleife: you can use your own vehicle on tourist drives and experience powerful high-performance vehicles on the Track Experience with experienced instructors.

Tourist drives on the Nordschleife

At certain times, you can drive your own car on the legendary racetrack. However, road traffic regulations then apply, so you certainly won't be setting a speed record. Instead, you can share the adventure with the whole family.

It's important to note that there are Nordschleife speed limits during tourist drives. The general speed limit is 130 km/h (81 mph), but there are sections where lower limits apply. Always follow the posted signs and drive within your abilities to ensure a safe experience.

Track Experience on the Nordschleife

Would you like to improve your driving skills on the Nordschleife? Then, the Track Experience of Hyundai Driving Experience is the right thing for you. Guided by experienced HDX instructors, your skills will refine at racing speed to safely drive the sporty Hyundai N models through the fast chicanes, tricky bends, and steeply sloping crests. You have two high-performance vehicles to choose from for the Track Experience – the agile Hyundai i20 N and the powerful Hyundai i30 N. Both are the perfect companions to experience the legend of the Nordschleife up close.

N Taxi Nordschleife: The most thrilling taxi ride of your life

In the N Taxi Nordschleife you will experience how driver and vehicle are pushed to the limit. As a copilot of a Nordschleife expert, you will speed through the “Green Hell” at up to 200 km/h. Prepare to be impressed by the performance and innovative technologies of the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 N.

Fill up on adrenaline on the racetrack

Experience authentic motorsport atmosphere on world-famous racetracks and improve your driving skills at racing speed with HDX Track Driving. After the adrenaline rush on the race track, culinary highlights await you – as well as the opportunity to chat with the Hyundai Driving Experience instructors and other participants.

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