1. The fastest ever lap of the (13 mile) Nürburgring was 6min 11sec by Stefan Bellof in a Group C Porsche during practise for the 1983 1,000km endurance race.
2. Race driver Rosemeyer did an entire lap of the Nürburgring in a single gear to demonstrate how flexible his 6ltr V12 550bhp engine was.
3. Niki Lauda is the only person ever to lap the original length (14.2 mile) Nordschleife in under 7min. He did 6:58 in 1975.
4. Many rental companies will ban you from using them for life if they discover you’ve taken the car around the ’Ring. You have been warned.
5. The ’ Ring was intended to be used as a single 17.6 mile circuit that could be split into two sections. The 4.8 mile Südschleife was for tests and club racing. The 14.2 mile Nordschleife was intended to show off German supremacy.
6. (Southern loop) was built at the same time as the Nordschleife. It was 4.8 miles long but after 55 years was eventually abandoned. Parts of the old track still survive.
7. The RenaultSport Megane Trophy 265 holds the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring, managing 8 mins 7.97 secs.
8. The Germans were so confident they’d win the 1935 GP at the ‘Ring they only had a copy of their own national anthem. Luckily, when Italian Nuvolari won the race he’d brought a copy of his own national anthem with him.
9. The ‘burg’ bit of the track’s name refers to the 12th century fortress that overlooks the circuit. As a ‘burg’ is a German castle, or fortress.
10. The Ring Racer at the Ring Werk theme park was suppose to be one of the world’s fastest accelerating roller coasters, capable of hitting 135mph in just 2.5 secs. The ride was due to open in Aug 2009, but as of yet it’s still not open. Boooo.
