Motor Sports

NURBURGRING REVISITED

by Tony Sakkis

December 6, 1996

By today's standard, the tape is primitive.

The view, from the cockpit of Derek Bell's Porsche 956, is of some of the great tracks of the world. The video, "In-Car 956" with Derek Bell, is a documentary of Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Le Mans, Kyalami, Spa and Nurburgring. And although it is not bad, the view is partially obscured by windshield wipers, glass reflection and plain old vibration. Narration is poor and, considering the state of the new in-car cameras which can give you everything from suspension travel shots to shots of the drivers feet during the race, the video is, well, kind of boring. Any race from any of the new racing video companies will give you a better view with better sound and camera angles.

So it is not the video that appeals to the modern day sophisticate; the modern race fan. What does that is the circuits. Specifically one circuit.

Nurburgring. The longest, most difficult race track to have ever been built makes it worth canceling dinner plans and staying home alone to watch this video.

In case you are unfamiliar, Nurburgring was rebuilt in the mid-eighties. It was just too dangerous. It was long, some fourteen miles, with some one hundred and some-odd corners. And at that length it was impossible to marshal. When drivers had accidents it sometimes took agonizing minutes for corner workers to get to the scene of the accident.

The old circuit was closed to pro racing at the time it was renovated, and the new circuit, a boring conglomeration of perfect radius corners and wide sand traps, was built in its place; or rather, over its place. But the outer circuit, the old circuit, was left as it was during its glory years.

You can still drive it, and if you are in Germany, take a few days, drive to central Germany, near Koblenz, pay your 13 Marks and take your rental car for a ride. If you have time, do it twice. Three times if need be.

Then, when you get back, watch the video.

Driving your street car, however fast it may be, will not compare to what you will witness as Derek Bell, multi-time Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hour winner, flings the Porsche 956 around the thin ribbon of asphalt. Watch Bell reach speeds of 195 mph on the same stretch where you managed 70.

Watch the blur of forests and wooded hillsides that seemed so fixed and thick, so much a part of the track, and watch as they fall away like a green veil of cloth. Watch as guardrails move past like staircase banisters and corners that were giant serpents that needed to be approached with apprehension and respect are given all the attention of a housefly at a barbecue.

Most racetracks you know from the in car video on ESPN or CBS or NBC or whatever. Either that or from the grandstands. Your view of the world is based on being in a pro race car, at the hands of a pro. If and when you finally make it to the race track in your own car, things seem very slow.

There is no more video of the Nurburgring. You will never see Michael Schumacher or Damon Hill or Mauro Baldi or any other driver on the track in a contemporary race car. The last time it hosted a real race car -- a Porsche 956 -- was for the final running in 1984, which was exactly when this clip was filmed.

Derek Bell still races. So does Porsche. Nurburgring too. But all have changed since 1984. But you can still go back.