- If you've already heard
of the Nürburgring, then by all means, enjoy this video. We've got an interview behind the scenes, some footage of the place, but also we have me trying
to explain the basics of it while being driven round the
Nordschleife, the North Loop by a professional driver.
Thank you, Andy. But if you haven't heard
of the Nürburgring, then it may surprise you
that one of the greatest, most demanding racetracks in the world is also just a public toll road. And if you want, you can
just turn up and drive it. All right, I'm going to
regret this. Let's do it. - All right. Let's do it. - There were always these
three big components. So one, that the Nordschleife
is open for the public. Then there's car testing. The big manufacturers
are still testing many, many weeks every year
here on the Nordschleife, the new components, the new cars. And of course, there's also racing. - Normal traffic rules apply here. You have to drive on the right,
you have to overtake on the left. But on most of the track,
there is no speed limit. And that's because Germany
has no national speed limit. There are thousands of
kilometres of autobahn out there where you can drive as
fast as you safely can. As long as you're in
control of your vehicle, speed doesn't matter. So legally, this is just
a one way toll road. You go to the barrier, you pay your €25, you go through this bit
with the cones and the speed limit, and then you are on the Ring. Oh, yes! [Tom laughs] - 20.8 kilometres.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is the longest permanent racetrack in the world. It's in the most popular and most
famous racetracks in the world, comparable to Indianapolis,
to Monaco, to Daytona. - But there are lots of safety rules,
and the team here-- --oh my God-- --the team here asked me to make it clear that racing on the Ring on days like this is not allowed. And you'll see the cars ahead,
when we're on the straights, they indicate right,
they get out of the way, because legally on the autobahn,
that's what you have to do. Lap timers and dashcams
are forbidden. I mean, we've got special
permission for these cameras... ...my... [strained noise] We've got special permission, but none of these cars should
have dashcams or timers because it is just too dangerous... ...it is too dangerous to
have a clock ticking either on your dashboard
or in your head. The track is unforgiving. If you come off here, you're
not rolling onto grass. You're not rolling onto gravel. You are hitting a barrier, or worse, you're hitting- Oh, that was a drop! You're hitting someone else. The track-- oh!--
It has jumps. It has sections where you will--
oh my God-- get what roller coaster
fans would call air time. Not quite ejector time, but air time. - Everyone is able to drive. Of course, everyone who is sticking
to the rules of our driving standards. And of course, which
cars finally fit to us, that's 2.8 tonnes, is the max. People driving here round
with their Porsche, but you've also got a family driving
in their van here round. - There is a story that if you crash, then the Nürburgring team will present you
with a bill for damage. For every half-hour the
safety car had to be out here, for every half-hour that
they had to repair the track, for every metre of crash barrier
that you have damaged. That story is absolutely, 100%... true. If you are conscious, you
will be delivered a bill, but it turns out that's also
true in most of the world. If you crash on a British road, then the local highways
authority will send out a bill. It's just that it'll go to your
insurance company, not to you. Oh, g-forces! But insurance, other than very,
very good German insurance, it won't cover you for the Ring. Nearly every insurance company,
particularly those outside Germany has a clause in there that
specifically excludes driving here, even if you are just a tourist. - In case of a heavier accident,
then the track gets closed. In case of a normal incident
like a technical breakdown, then it might be that it's
just getting under yellow. First of all, we've got marshals around and permanent contact to our operators
here in the entrance. We've got an emergency number and what we are now having
also from 2021 on is that we are starting to provide the
Nordschleife with camera operators. - So that is a speed limit. We have just hit a speed
limit for this corner and I can see why. And then as soon as you pass this line? Yep! Off we go. - Two years ago, we had statistics that
every 15,000 kilometres, an incident is happening
on the Nürburgring. But an incident might also
be a car losing fluid, some technical issues, but
also of course, an accident. I think the biggest difference is when you've got an
accident on a normal road, it takes quite a time until
you've got some emergency, here, we've got around
60 people of track safety and track operators making
this track as safe as possible. - There's a banked turn? [Tom laughs] - There isn't another racetrack
like the Nordschleife. It just built into the landscape. Normally, landscapes are
constructed for racetracks. - Out of the way! - It is so challenging because it's
so narrow and it's so long. The barriers are so close to the racetrack and yeah, I guess that's
what makes it challenging, but what also the drivers love. - Little jump. 3, 2, 1, here. - Oh, boy! [Tom laughs] And across the line! Wow! - I hope you enjoyed it. Oh, yes! That was incredible! I have never done
anything like that before. I like racing now! I like racetracks. Wow. Every time, every time I've
done something like this, I've gone in thinking
I'm going to hate it. I've gone in thinking
it's going to be terrible, I'm going to be terrified. And every time I've loved it. Yes! I loved every second of that. I want to do that again. Thank you so much to Andy, my driver. Thank you so much to all the
team here at the Nürburgring. Oh, that's wonderful!
Lap record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsLi7HgSuhI
Gotta love the Nordschleife...
And Michas Video of the same day: https://youtu.be/Uu0VnfvKgKw
I remember driving on Spa-Francorchamps when it was still a pubic road, that was just magical.
He said something about not allowing dashcam, but I'm sure I have seem many of them
And then there was Sabine...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KiC03_wVjc
RIP queen of the Nürnburgring.
I love Tom so much but how does he manage to be so nerdy. What is it about him and other nerdy people that makes them nerdy. Like that celebration at the end. totally genuine and perfectly normal behaviour and gestures and yet somehow totally nerdy in the way he did it.
We need to get together a kickstarter or gofundme and send this guy to space. He would do the heck out of it. And really...what are billionaires doing up there anyway. We would get some excellent video and commentary ...for the rest of us.
welp, that's on the bucket list now