Nurburgring introduces 130km/h minimum top speed requirement
Road-legal cars with a top speed of less than 130km/h will no longer be allowed on Germany’s iconic Nurburgring race circuit, in an attempt to reduce closing speeds between the slowest and fastest vehicles on track.
The owners of the Nurburgring race circuit in Germany have banned road-legal cars incapable of reaching 130km/h from being driven on the track during its most popular sessions open to the public, according to overseas reports.
US publication Road and Track reports vehicles which are driving on the Nurburgring’s 20 kilometre-plus ‘Nordschleife’ layout must now be able to reach a top speed of at least 130km/h – or 20km/h more than Australia’s national speed limit.
The new rule has only been applied to the circuit’s ‘touristenfahrten’ (tourist ride) sessions, which allow members of the public to drive their road car on the iconic race track – without speed limits – for the equivalent of approximately $60 per lap.
Timed laps and racing other track users are forbidden during touristenfahrten sessions, though this hasn’t stopped drivers from uploading footage of themselves pushing their cars to the limit on YouTube – sometimes resulting in close calls and crashes.
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Road and Track reports the new rule is based on a vehicle’s top speed when it was produced – creating a grey area for cars which have been modified since rolling off the production line.
Almost all modern cars can reach the minimum top speed with ease, though certain classic vehicles are more likely to be impacted.
The new rule could also affect tourists being taken around the track in buses during the open sessions, given coaches are electronically speed limited to 100km/h in Germany.
The Nurburgring’s touristenfahrten sessions do not require prior experience on the circuit, resulting in wide range of drivers with different levels of driving ability sharing the track at the same time.
According to Road and Track, the most recent fatality at the Nurburgring occurred during a touristenfahrten session in 2021, when a Mazda MX-5 crashed into a recovery truck – at least 10 other cars were also involved in the crash.
Earlier this year, the Nurburging’s owners announced the circuit will undergo a safety overhaul across the next two years – including an investment of almost €11 million towards the installation of high-definition cameras and AI-controlled LED light panels.
The new system – developed by Japanese company Fujitsu – can “detect hazards, accidents, and other unscheduled events on the track”, triggering the LED light panels to display the appropriate colours to warn drivers about dangers ahead.
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