A search on YouTube will yield thousands of on-board lap videos of varying quality. Watching some of the better ones is good preparation for The Ring, but let’s be honest here- many are rather boring. Oh, don’t get me wrong, no lap of the Nordschleife is ever boring, but some of the videos people post aren’t exactly thrilling entertainment. Here’s the Green Hell Guide list of the 11 best Nordschleife videos out there. Some are on-board, some aren’t. All are worth your time. Enjoy!
If you want to watch them back to back, I made a playlist on YouTube.
11) Sabine Schmitz Porsche GT3 RS vs. Ron Simmons Ferrari 458 Italia
Let’s start with the Queen of The Ring being challenged by Ron Simmons. It’s an amusing video and both Sabine’s typical charm and speed are on display.
10) Formula Race Car “Snow Lap”
It takes a lot of skill and nerve to negotiate the Nordschleife at speed in the dry. The accidents in the rain are infamous. Driving it in the snow in a formula car is a special sort of crazy.
9) Kawasaki ZX-10R Gyrocam
This previous motorcycle record sub 8 second lap is notable for its pace as well as the gyro stabilized camera that removes the typical motorcycle POV lean in corners.
8) 1967 German Grand Prix On-Board
It’s cool to see the track before it was “modernized”. The vintage cars don’t make the action any less intense, though.
7) Hermann Lang 1937 Mercedes W125 Lap in 1962
Former Mercedes factory driver Lang in the car that in 1962 was still considered the most powerful racing car yet built at 646 bhp.
6) Rise After Falling- Nürburgring 24H 2014
I posted this one before shortly after it came out. It has some nice visuals and a good back story about coming back from a crash in practice to compete in the 2014 24 hour race.
5) RSR Nürburg How To Tackle The Nürburgring Nordschleife
A good primer for those taking their first laps on The Ring and with RSR’s typical high production values.
4) Nürburgring 24 Hours Intervals
This is another recent one from the 2014 24 hours race that gives a taste of that great event, the track itself and the community around both.
3) Sabine Schmitz Top Gear Transit Van Challenge
You just knew Sabine had to show up more than once, right? This is a now classic Top Gear segment that really pushed the Nordschleife into the public consciousness. It’s fun and impressive at the same time.
2) Nürburgring Nordschleife- ein Mythos, eine Liebe
This one’s pretty recent and an official Nurburgring video. It does a nice job of capturing the majesty and feel for the track.
1) Ruf CTR “Yellowbird” Nürburgring Faczination
For many, this was the first time they’d heard of the Nordschleife or at least seen a lap of it from the now typical in-car view. It still stands as a pretty darn quick lap, too.