Nurburgring, the circuit where you can imitate Fernando Alonso, at 300 km/h.

Some years it coincides and others it does not. But the years in which the Dutch Grand Prixin the beautiful and bucolic layout of shaftsknown as the Cathedral of motorcyclingfollows immediately, that is, the following week, the German Grand Prixas it happens now, in the no less impressive Sachsenring circuitmany ‘sick’ of speed (and there are many) who live and work in the paddock of MotoGP They take advantage of the opportunity and drive to the German town.

There is a catch to this trip. Obviously, of the 1,200 inhabitants of the paddock, most of them are returning home and, this Thursday, they will return to Sachsenrig. But there are several dozen who usually travel with other colleagues and/or friends, with the intention of stopping off, on Mondays and Tuesdays, in the German town of Adenau, which is where the tremendous, impressive, mythical and unique Nurburgring circuit is located, in the forests of the Eifel region.

Pure vertigo

The reason is that Adenau, the Nurburgring, is the place in the world where there are the most crazy people, the most crazy people, the most addicted to speed, the most impressive sports cars. In every house in Adenau there is a racing car, whether classic or modern. They all work and, of course, like those who stop for two or three days in this small town in Rhineland-Palatinate, all, one day or another, go on the impressive circuit of almost 21 kilometers, with 40 left turns and 50 right turns, to enjoy their passion for speed.

The Nurburgring is open for certain hours each week so that anyone who wants to can come in with their car or the car they rent from one of the huge garages with luxury and not so luxury cars that are around the track. Each lap, depending on the car, costs between 25 and 30 euros. The price of the ‘racing cars’ varies a lot, not only from the garage you go to but also from the model you rent. A good garage will rent you a fast car. Ford Fiesta ST for 680 eurosto make four turns around the route that the Legendary Jackie Stewartwinner of three F-1 world titles (1969, 1971 and 1973), called the ‘Green Hell’.

An impressive and sporty Chevrolet ‘Corvette’, in the garage of a house in Adenau. / EMILIO PÉREZ DE ROZAS

Of course, if you want real speed, even a little vertigo and some risk, then you can rent, also for four laps, which is a lot of kilometers and minutes, a Porsche GT3 RS, priced at 4,900 eurosBut there is a ‘but’, you must deposit a deposit of 10,000 euros because a Porsche is too charming.

“There is no doubt that Nurburgring is the mecca for those of us who like to race, without being speed professionals,” he says. Jesus Robledoone of the best photographers in the MotoGP World Championship and, at one time, a tester of high-end cars. “If you want to race, you have to do it in safe conditions, without putting others at risk. You can’t go out on the road and go crazy, putting your life and that of other drivers at risk. That doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t serve to race. If you come here, you enjoy it, although you also have to be very careful because, while you’re going around the track, at your speed, at your pace, you come across many vehicles that don’t go as fast as you, because they are enjoying, in their own way, a legendary track.”

If you have an accident, the joke can cost you an arm and a leg. I won’t even tell you if you dared to rent a Porsche GT3 RS. If you destroy it, you will have to pay 150,000 euros. “The circuit,” says Robledo, “has track marshals inside, who check that everything is correct and, of course, fine you if you do something inappropriate. And, if you have an accident, you have to pay the tow truck, the marshals’ hours, the damage you have caused to the track, the damage to the car… and, of course, the hours you have immobilized the entire circuit, because this is, fundamentally, a business. In short, it is better not to go off track.”

If you walk around Adenau, everything, everything, is related to speed, to cars. Every place, any one, is a museum of motor sport. The Nurburgring is not only a paradise for speed lovers but is also one of the best test benches for manufacturers and, above all, for preparers, whose test drivers go on the track to thoroughly test new models or preparations.

The current Nurburgring is much faster and safer than the one from a few years ago, as it has been completely resurfaced, spending many millions of euros, since the track is very long, winding and is stuck in the middle of a forest. Needless to say, many fans usually go around with a spray can on their car and suddenly stop at some point on the circuit and leave a drawing, a memory, a phrase, a signature, a dedication, something related to the world of racing, as a testimony of their presence in the legendary German venue, where races are still held, such as the no less legendary 24 Hours of Nurburgring, an endurance race.

“The cars at the Nurburgring are racing machines, not ‘posture’ cars, like the Lamborghini ‘Aventador’ cars you see in Marbella or Monte Carlo. Whoever comes here, comes here to enjoy the 90 curves. The time doesn’t matter here, even though many people look for it.”

Alejandro Ceresuela

— MotoGP World Championship Photographer

“There are people in the area, workers of all kinds, who pay a permanent pass, I don’t know if it’s about 1,000 euros a year, and when their work day is over, they come in with their private car and relax by taking a ride around the legendary track,” he explains. Alejandro Ceresuelaphotographer of the brothers Marc y Alex Marquezwho also had the experience of racing this week at the Nurburgring, while heading to the Sachsenring. “The cars at the Nurburgring are racing machines, they are not ‘posture’ cars, like the Lamborghini ‘Aventador’ you see in Marbella or Monte Carlo. There are a lot of Porsches and a lot of GTIs here. Whoever comes here, comes here to enjoy the 90 curves. The time doesn’t matter here, although many people look for it. You come here to enjoy yourself, to do some tricks, to have a good time without fear of fines,” says this ‘precision driver’.

Jesús Robledo, driving a BMW M2 (G87), traces one of the most typical curves of the Nurburgring. / ALEJANDRO CERESUELA

You walk into any Adenau shop and everything revolves around sports cars, racing cars, accessories for racing driving, from gloves to suede shoes with an exquisite feel on their soles to feel the accelerator, brakes and clutch, as well as helmets and all kinds of clothing, for example, clothing from the major brands and sponsors of motorsport, from books on the history of motorsport to suitcases from Martini, Gulf, Lancia, Ferrari, McLaren.

The racing village

The premises, all of them, are beautifully decorated, with photos of races, of champion drivers, many of them posing with the people who were there that day, pieces of bodywork, all kinds of rims, tyres, numbers and, of course, thousands of autographs. Before sitting down to eat in any restaurant or cafe, you spend half an hour taking photos of the walls where thousands of memories are captured.

Adenau is, both inside and outside the Nurburgring circuit, a catwalk of beautiful, very expensive cars (almost all of them), dressed for racing, authentic and tuned, from professionals and amateurs, from speed-mad people and from, simply, fans who come with young families to enjoy that atmosphere, which is, certainly, unique. There is no doubt that if there is a mecca of ‘motorsport’, that is Adenau and the classic, old, traditional and mythical Nurburgring circuit.

2024-07-03 21:50:10
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