Table of contents

• Around the Nurburgring Life from the Green Hell
• The ring
• Info (archive version)

Jahn

to travel

Around the Nurburgring

Around the Nurburgring
Life from the Green Hell

The Nurburgring not only attracts people, it shapes them. People who couldn’t live without him because they live on him tell of their experiences. A very special kind of Nordschleife.

Susi Boxberg

09/25/2008

Motorcyclists love the Eifel. Definitive. Even if the region is considered cool and rainy. If they don’t live there, they come as visitors. Connoisseurs suspect three reasons behind the phenomenon: on the one hand, the edgy rugged landscape, secondly, a wealth of curves in a class of its own, and thirdly – the Nurburgring, one of the most distinctive permanent race tracks in the world. A trio that is considered a guarantee for life in the otherwise rather quiet Eifel. Quiet Sunday afternoons can only be found here on dreary weekends in November. In the summer, on the other hand, the asphalt vibrates.

Reason number three celebrated its 80th birthday last year. Since June 18, 1927, the “Green Hell”, as the three-time Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart once legendarily associated with the racing fire. Whether professional or amateur – high-octane air is highly addictive. The 20.8 kilometer long Nordschleife attracts people like a magnet, week after week, year after year. Two million visitors at around 100 races plus 200 other events on the Nordschleife and the GP track that was newly laid out in 1984. Regardless of whether the engines are booming or the loudspeakers at festivals like “Rock on the ring” – the racing course has brought life to the Eifel for decades. And is therefore also the basis of many existences. Focus on engines, chassis or après-drive – many people live from and with racing.

Like Daniela Daniels, gasoline-infected restaurateur. The way to your former OnRoad Cafe is also the first section of a very personal one “North loop” through the Eifel. After a few kilometers on the federal road 257, which leads from the Meckenheimer Kreuz to the ring without much detours, you first go to the Kalenborner Hohe. Then only a few mandatory minutes on the B 257, which even winds itself exemplary for a few bends until the freestyle begins in Kreuzberg. I cross the small bridge on the right and head for Berg and Kralingen directly behind it. Just right for the Triumph Speed ​​Triple, which is already thirsting for corners. Like on a mountain-and-valley train, it’s a flying ride through woods and meadows. The green star threatens the eye, so much nature literally roars around the helmet. Then down to Winnen and Burgsahr am Sahrbach. A short rest at the babbling brook and eventual appreciation of the bridge saint, before the connoisseur turns right to land via Effelsberg, Mahlberg, Willerscheid and Schuld in Dumpelfeld – which in turn is due to the repeatedly crossing B 257. On this I keep on south course to Leimbach.

There Daniela met Daniels in her former place of work, the OnRoad Cafe. She shines with a fine smile and quickly turns out to be an extremely likeable woman. Memories of a glorious past hang and stand in the taproom of the cafe: photos, pennants and trophies. She raced until 1995. On the Gilera Saturno in the single-cylinder class “Sound of singles”.

When Daniela came to Bonn at the age of 13, she moved to Rome three years later because of love, where she also learned to ride a motorcycle. At the age of 20 she returned to Bonn and initially worked under Petra Kelly in the first parliamentary group of the Greens. After work, the now passionate biker did not go to night-time discussions, but from the Fundis to the Green Hell to quickly do a few more laps on the Nordschleife.

Actually, nothing was missing there, except a decent cafe, thought Daniela at the time. And in 1990 he quit his job in Bonn to open the Cafe Fahrtwind in Ahrbruck. “Up to a thousand motorcycles were parked in front of the bar on summer Sundays”, she remembers proudly. Everything went fine. While the bar was buzzing, the landlady hurried from victory to victory. “Back then, nobody overtook me so quickly on the Nordschleife!” Then the accident in 1995 in Most in the Czech Republic. Daniela was in a coma. Then a complete new beginning. Thinking, speaking, writing, reading, everything had to be learned again. “It was like someone had turned off my light.” Her son Mirko took over the cafe and it took her a while to make a second attempt. Eight years after the accident, she got back in and opened the OnRoad Cafe in Leimbach in 2003. In July of last year, however, she decided to turn everything inside out, move into her parents’ old house in Ticino, Switzerland, and write a book. About the time in racing, the accident and her life afterwards. And the ring. Without which everything would probably have been very different.

The afternoon sun is already glowing when I set off to see Wolfgang Zeyen, also an old racing hand from Antweiler. The trip there means first-rate enjoyment. It takes a minute from Leimbach to Adenau. Keep right there in the direction of Blankenheim and then experience one of the – in my eyes – most beautiful motorcycle routes in Germany: curves, expanses, valleys, hills, sun, meadows, cows and again curves. Even in Honerath, the addicted eye turns down into the wide valley, enjoying alpine trains. A little further to the right follows Reifferscheid, where the motorcycle seems to find its way almost alone. The double headlights, decorated by mosquitoes, aim in the direction of Schuld, to take the left-hand path via Fuchshofen to Antweiler. Brilliant.

Wolfgang Zeyen knows all about the treasure of nature. Originally from Duisburg, his center of life has been in the Eifel for 21 years. He started his racing career in April 1985 with a Guzzi in the popular two-cylinder series “Battle of Twins”. Since then, he has unwound countless racing kilometers on various machines. After years as editor-in-chief of a motorcycle magazine, then press spokesman and race director at Ducati in Cologne, where he accompanied Edwin Weibel and Christer Lindholm to the German Superbike Championship, the 51-year-old now coordinates the logistics of the races for the tire manufacturer Continental. At the same time, he has converted the old Adenau train station into a relevant address for racing enthusiasts: in addition to a Conti Performance Center, he resides there with an Ohlins base and branch “Ducati-am-Ring”. What a life: committed to motorsport and at the same time the Nurburgring on the doorstep. He himself got a little suspicious about the ever faster motorcycles. “Full jug down the Fuchsrohre and no control option in the compression phase – that’s not really my thing anymore!” He still likes to ride Ducati, but now the Funbike Multistrada. And for special flights of fancy he uses a glider pilot.

The sun is slowly disappearing behind the green hills and Zeyen’s children are jostling for dinner. I set off before the cool fog picks up and drive over Rodder so that the machine can let off steam again: it’s steep and winding uphill. Via Kirmutscheid, Barweiler and Wimbach, I stay in the direction of Adenau, enjoying the mixture of speed and relaxed strolling. The place is quiet in the Ahr valley, and you can enjoy the mild summer evening in the bars around the pretty historic market square. It’s hard to imagine how the bear rages here at major events on the Ring: When the main road sinks into total traffic jams, restaurants are bursting at the seams, free hotel beds are in short supply and the perfume of the Eifel wafts in the air – octane in all its qualities.

The next morning I meet Uli Ponten in Adenau. For many years he ran a well-attended two-wheeler workshop here. His white, slightly thinning hair tied in a pigtail, he grins mischievously through his nickel glasses and pulls the tarpaulin from no less than seven Honda RC 30s. “All ready to go!” And a spare parts warehouse that would easily be enough for two or three complete machines. He got the one on the outside from an Englishman, the next one from Tunn. “What a dude?” “DEM Tunn, of course”, Uli teaches me. As if it were crystal clear that Tunn’s real name is Toni and the surname is Mang. Just in case someone doesn’t know: With an RC 30, Honda’s ingenious racing offshoot of the VFR 750, Helmut Dahne burned the unbroken motorcycle lap record of 7,49.710 minutes on the Nordschleife asphalt on May 22, 1993.

For Ponten, the saying applies: gasoline flows in his veins. When he was twelve he learned to ride his father’s DKW 250 VS motorcycle, when he was 17 he bought a 250cc eagle, which he clocked 120,000 kilometers. “She was my base.” Then the first followed “right one” Motorcycle, a now legendary two-stroke Suzuki GT 750 “Water buffalo”. Picobello cared for, it stands next to a six-cylinder Honda CBX in the garage. Motor vehicle apprenticeship at DKW in Adenau, two-wheel mechanic training in Mayen, master craftsman’s examination and then off to self-employment. On the side, Ponten drove one race after the other, the cup shelf bent under the weight of the awards.

Karl-Hugo comes into the room wagging his tail. German Wirehaired Pointer with that faithful look that no one can resist. The workshop was over for a few months, and now there is finally time. For Karl-Hugo, for Suzi. If the heart attack hadn’t got in the way. Two of them attacked Uli Ponten one morning last October. He has not yet recovered from it. That means: no motorcycling either. “But later, Suzi, later again for sure.”

Chatting makes you hungry. So off to the nearest snack bar. Everyone says the best is in Breidscheid, just to the left behind the gas station, while the one on the right is unanimously advised against. The people of Adenau have to know, so I park in front of the house “Restaurant at the Hannes”. White plastic chairs outside, stylish wooden inside. Beate Schumacher has been sizzling here since 1984. And the “always a pleasure”! the “Hannes” is a traditional company. “Grandpa started working here in 1927 in a shack”, says the native of Adenau. The same year the Nurburgring opened. Perfect timing, one would say today. When the mother fell ill, she jumped to the father’s side. She was 19 then, today she is 43. Her shop is also buzzing, some days around the clock. On Sundays, bikers stand in line, says Beate Schumacher proudly, and some only because of their gourmet schnitzel. But the secret lies in the sauce, she says, and she keeps it tight.

with “French fries barrier” in the stomach it’s finally going to the ring. Over the serpentines behind Quiddelbach and always along the good old B 257 to Mullenbach. I’ll make a detour there “Start and finish” on. Nervous hustle and bustle everywhere. Tour buses are slowly dodging along the fence, a couple of Dutch people park their motorbikes in awe behind a bronze racing car. The workers scurry around like ants, everything has to be in tip-top condition on the weekend, whatever the major event.

Via Welcherath I accelerate to Drees to browse the model car exhibition at the legendary Dottinger Hohe gas station. 3000 specimens want to be viewed! Hours later, the path follows up to the Hohe Acht, the highest elevation in the Eifel at 747 meters. In the forest between Herresbach and Siebenbach, I once again enjoy the momentum that lush horsepower in combination with fast routing gives me.

The last stop on my personal Nordschleife is waiting in Jammelshofen: Frithjof Erpelding, another mechanic with a passion for collecting. He has assembled an incredible 190 motorcycles, mostly historic Grand Prix machines. After countless entertaining anecdotes, here comes the big end at the end. When I am just about to say a friendly goodbye, he suddenly adds a few hard-to-digest chunks: It would not be so bad, the 74-year-old, if Adolf could clean up another half a year in the country. Phew, hard fare. I’ll do that I win land.

On the way home I enjoy the wonderful country roads for the last time, past Kaltenborn, Herschbach and Kesseling, where the evening mist is already over the meadows. Unfortunately, I now have one less illusion when I look back over the people at the ring. But that is also the Eifel.

The ring

On June 18, 1927, one of the most difficult race tracks in the world opened its doors in the Eifel. Newspapers reported about 100,000 onlookers who made the pilgrimage to the first motorcycle race. But the ring was not primarily a motorsport, but rather an economic development project. The Adenau district was one of the poorest regions in Germany, and so in 1925 the construction of the Nurburgring was included in the Reich government’s “major emergency program”. For a year and a half, up to 3,000 men toiled on the “first mountain, racing and test track” around the ruins and the village of Nurburg. In the first year, the ring already had hundreds of thousands of visitors, including the World Cycling Championships. Three toboggan and bobsleigh runs along the route ensured year-round public traffic, and hotels and restaurants began to move into the area. In particular, the spectacular Nordschleife of the three-part route quickly gained fame and is still today the benchmark for driving and engineering skills. Over 20.8 kilometers it offers a labyrinth with 33 left and 40 right turns, 17 percent inclines and eleven percent inclines.

From the beginning there were fatal accidents. Nevertheless, from 1951 Formula 1 made a guest appearance in the Eifel and in 1954, with 400,000 spectators, was one of the highlights. The ring was booming until 1970, but in the same year the Formula 1 drivers went on strike, as the route, which is only lined with hedges, seemed too dangerous to them in view of their ever faster cars. The country invested 17 million marks in safety fences, wider run-off zones and double guard rails in order to bring the Grand Prix back. With success. In 1974 the motorcycle pilots boycotted the course for safety reasons. And the Formula 1 drivers once again demanded extensive conversion work. Since larger run-off zones could only be realized with enormous effort due to the hilly topography, the 1976 race with Nicki Lauda’s serious fire accident meant the end of Formula 1. The motorcycles continued to drive, and in 1978 more than 100,000 spectators saw Kenny Roberts wins the world title in the 500cc class. In 1980 the last GP race took place on the Nordschleife. In 1984 the newly built, only 4.5 (later 5.1) kilometer long GP track Nurburgring managed to break the guard. 1985 first Formula 1 race and first staging of the music festival “Rock am Ring”.

Info (archive version)

In the Eifel motorcycle paradise, there are often more two-wheelers than four-wheelers on the road on nice weekends. Therefore the tip: go on a voyage of discovery as far as possible away from the main routes.

getting there
The fastest access from the north is the A 565 (previously A 555 or A 59) or the A 61. From the south, the A 61 to the Meckenheimer Kreuz. From there, keep on the B 257 towards Nurburgring (signposted).

Stay
There are plenty of hotels and pensions in the Eifel, and almost all of them are “biker-friendly”. Adenau is recommended as a starting point, as there is still something to do here in the evening. The Hotel Blaue Ecke, which names the rooms after the sections of the Nordschleife, is legendary. Double rooms are available from 85 euros, single rooms from 60 euros. Information by phone 02691/2005 and at www.blaueecke.de. In the Hotel Kalenborner Hohe mentioned in the running text, there is a double room from 70 euros. The Hotel Dreimaderlhaus in Winnerath, phone 02695/804 (prices on request) is particularly idyllic. You can also stay overnight in the OnRoad Cafe in Leimbach, phone 02691/2627, double rooms from 64 euros. Further accommodations can be found at www.eifel.de and in the Eifel guide from Reise know-How (see literature). Gastro tip: Pizzeria “Pinocchio” with sensationally large and delicious pizzas.

The Nordschleife
The 20.8-kilometer route offers practice terrain for anyone who dares to practice free practice. One round costs 21 euros, an annual ticket 995 euros. The travel times vary: on weekends without events it starts at 8 a.m., during the week, when test drives and training take place, it starts at 5.15 p.m. At 7.30 p.m. it’s over again. All information about racing and events at www.nuerburgring.de or phone 02691 / 302-144 (updated daily -630). The MOTORRAD action team traditionally offers perfection training at the Nurburgring. From the trial round for beginners to the multi-day intensive course for advanced and experts, there is training with an instructor at every level throughout the summer. There are also women-only appointments. The prices range from 100 to 760 euros. All details in the free catalog under phone 0711 / 182-1977 or www.actionteam.de.

literature
The Eifel-Band von Reise Know-How offers a good mix of travel and background information plus accommodation tips for 10.50 euros. The Eifel tour tip is presented on page 69 for motorcycle guides. For thriller fans there is “Eifel-Rallye” by Jacques Berndorf, which is about a murder on the Nordschleife and a dead motorsport journalist from Adenau. For 9.50 euros from Grafit-Verlag. On the occasion of the 80th birthday, Heel-Verlag published “80 years of the Nurburgring. Chronicle of a legendary race track ”(49.90 euros). The “Nurburgring Driver Handbook” by Ulrich Thomson (14.95 euros) is interesting for self-drivers, in which each section of the route including the ideal driving line is described in detail. The ADAC leisure map Eifel, Mosel, Hunsruck, (sheet 18), in 1: 100,000, offers good orientation, including information on all the sights.

Related articles

• Final report IDM Nurburgring 2017

  Eisele Sports & scene Motorsport Final report IDM Nurburgring 2017 Final report IDM Nurburgring 2017 Cheering mood in the Eifel More spectators than last…

• IDM 2019 Superbike 1000 at the Nurburgring

  Dino Eisele Sports & scene Motorsport IDM 2019 Superbike 1000 at the Nurburgring IDM spectacle on the Nurburgring Superbike 1000 starts at the Truck GP…

• IDM races at the Nurburgring canceled

  Dino Eisele Sports & scene Events IDM races at the Nurburgring canceled The consequences of severe weather do not allow a race IDM at the Nurburgring…

• IDM Superbike at the Nurburgring

  Dino Eisele Sports & scene Motorsport IDM Superbike at the Nurburgring IDM Superbike at the Nurburgring Julian Puffe recaptured the top Julian Puffe…

• Nail traps for motorcyclists Nurburgring

  Adenau police counselor traffic & business Nail traps for motorcyclists Nurburgring Nail traps at the Nurburgring Metal spikes in the forest Does an…

• IDM Nurburgring 2017

  Weinand Sports & scene Motorsport IDM Nurburgring 2017 IDM Nurburgring 2017 May 12-14, 2017 +++ UPDATE MAY 12th: LIVESTREAM +++ From May 12th to 14th,…

• IDM-Supersport 300 on the Nurburgring

  worldsbk.com Sports & scene Motorsport IDM-Supersport 300 on the Nurburgring IDM 2017 Nurburgring SSP300 Supersport 300 Many guest starters from the…

• IDM superbikes on the Nurburgring

  SUPERBIKE * IDM Sports & scene Motorsport IDM superbikes on the Nurburgring IDM 2017 Nurburgring SBK1000 Superbike 1000 The largest IDM class, the…

• IDM-Supersport 600 on the Nurburgring

  SUPERBIKE * IDM Sports & scene Motorsport IDM-Supersport 600 on the Nurburgring IDM 2017 Nurburgring SSP600 Supersport 600 For the IDM races at the…

• IDM 2021 Nurburgring with spectators and Truck Grand Prix

  Dino Eisele Sports & scene Motorsport IDM 2021 Nurburgring with spectators and Truck Grand Prix IDM 2021 at the Nurburgring with spectators IDM Superbike…