A fatal crash on the Flugplatz section last March involving a spectator caused the Nürburgring track management to impose speed limits on the 14-mile Nordschleife, or North Loop. Per the track's official website, when the track opens again for the 2016 season for a VLN race on April 2nd, these limits will be lifted.
On March 28th, 2015, the Nissan GT-R driven by Jann Mardenborough at the VLN Endurance race caught air, flipped and ended up in the spectator area behind the fencing with grave results. At first, amid the security concerns, the track section in question was capped at 200 kmh or 124 mph, with a speed limit of 250 kmh (155 mph) later near the Schwedenkreuz section and a similar restriction at the 1.5-mile Döttinger Höhe straight.
Setting speed limits on the track has not been without consequences, as a number of manufacturers use the track for testing, and comparable lap times do their share in selling supercars. With this in mind, the track has been worked over during the winter and the crash site reshaped. The track surface before the crash corner has been smoothed out to lessen the possibility of that a race car will catch air, and the spectator area is now no longer accessible. Fencing has been improved elsewhere on the track as well.
The 2015 speed limits are not the first the track has seen, as the famous Breidscheid bridge has a gradual speed restriction from 90 to 50 kmh, as does the tourist drive exit lane. According to BridgeToGantry.com, speed restrictions on the track are not strictly enforced, and there is no word of anyone actually having received a speeding ticket on the track in recent decades.
Related Video:
On March 28th, 2015, the Nissan GT-R driven by Jann Mardenborough at the VLN Endurance race caught air, flipped and ended up in the spectator area behind the fencing with grave results. At first, amid the security concerns, the track section in question was capped at 200 kmh or 124 mph, with a speed limit of 250 kmh (155 mph) later near the Schwedenkreuz section and a similar restriction at the 1.5-mile Döttinger Höhe straight.
Setting speed limits on the track has not been without consequences, as a number of manufacturers use the track for testing, and comparable lap times do their share in selling supercars. With this in mind, the track has been worked over during the winter and the crash site reshaped. The track surface before the crash corner has been smoothed out to lessen the possibility of that a race car will catch air, and the spectator area is now no longer accessible. Fencing has been improved elsewhere on the track as well.
The 2015 speed limits are not the first the track has seen, as the famous Breidscheid bridge has a gradual speed restriction from 90 to 50 kmh, as does the tourist drive exit lane. According to BridgeToGantry.com, speed restrictions on the track are not strictly enforced, and there is no word of anyone actually having received a speeding ticket on the track in recent decades.
Related Video:
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue