The coronavirus lockdown has been frustrating for everyone, including gearheads who used to blow off steam by lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife in their cars.
That’s because the “Green Hell” has been closed for six weeks since March 19. Fortunately, the track owners have reopened it on April 30 for tourist drives or “Touristenfahrten” as the Germans call them.
However the coronavirus pandemic has changed things a lot so amateur drivers need to get informed before going to the track as they must adhere to many new rules. For starters, the tourist drives are now called ‘contactless tourist drives’ as there is no longer any physical contact between drivers and track employees. Since tourist drives will be the first activity that can take place at the Nürburgring in an adapted form, let’s see what has actually changed.
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Credits for the tourist drives are only available online and can be bought from home using a computer or on the go via a smartphone. Access to the track is made on-site using a QR code or a ticket at an automated station and it is forbidden to get out of the car at the open entrance to the Nordschleife.
In addition only the regularly disinfected toilet, where the entrance is controlled, is accessible. Amateur drivers also must know that the barrier in Breidscheid remains closed. Another significant change is that all parking spaces around the Nordschleife are closed to prevent the forming of crowds around the track. Hotels are also closed in the area so there are no overnight accommodations available in the region.
Furthermore, a maximum of two people per vehicle is allowed to drive the track as part of the tourist drives and they must arrive at the Nürburgring together. “The driver must also write down the passenger who is accompanying him at the time of the trip so that a possible chain of infection can be traced,” reads the official press release. Needless to say, track employees are equipped with masks and disposable gloves and are specially trained to deal with the new regulations.
Now, the rules are pretty clear and, knowing the Germans, they should have no problem respecting them. Well, that was not the case at the reopening, as the strict rules created long traffic jams around the track. Many people were seen forming groups in the closed parking lots, breaking physical distancing rules. There were also folks who deemed it necessary to hoon their fast cars on public roads surrounding the track (see video above).
You can see in the following shots from the Instagram page nurburgringnow that things did not go smoothly at all at the Nordschleife’s reopening. Here’s hoping people start obeying the rules before they ruin it for everyone.
