This is only going to be a quick post, but I think it’s an important one. While irrelevant yet irritating speedlimits are damaging the well-deserved reputation of our beloved ‘northloop’, there are a whole bunch of people deciding the fate of our track. And, therefore, the fate of the thousands of people directly (and indirectly) employed by it.

One thing that’s surprised me most is the venom reserved for the idea of changing of the track.

Now before I write anything else, watch the video below. It’s a lap with Motorcycle World Champion (and later VHS/DVD mogul) Geoff Duke. And it’s superb.

So now, can you see why change isn’t always a bad thing? How ‘original’ do you think the 2015 Nordschleife really is? Exactly 60 years later, it’s a whole different game.

We don’t jump inbetween Brunnchenn 1 and 2. Dottinger Hohe straight is about a million times safer.

Would you prefer to lap your modern 200-500hp car on the old circuit, or the new? And what about racing it?

Fast forward a little to 1967 and you can see some more changes:

Now I’m not going to go full crazy here, and suggest that the idea of a chicane before Quiddelbacher Hohe is good, but I do want to say that change isn’t automatically bad.

And even though the speedlimits barely affect any traffic whatsover on a tourist session, they’re far more damaging to the ‘Ring and its ‘mythos’ than any flattened jump or speed-lowering chicane.

Enjoy your friday night, and see you on the ‘Ring!

P.S. That moment in the 1955 movie, where the motorbike blasts past on the right-hand-side? Epic. It made my evening!

Comments

comments