The Nürburgring has given a first look at its new rallycross track that will host the German round of the World Rallycross championship this August.
Built between turns six and nine of the facility’s 2.8-mile ‘GP-Strecke’, the Nürburgring rallycross track will feature three gravel sections and run in an anti-clockwise direction – the only course at the Nürburgring to do so.
Drivers will begin their lap at the exit of turn six, heading into a 90 degree right-hander after a short run. From there it’s a long gravel left-hand hairpin, punctuated by the GP track, before a long run down a hill to what is usually turn seven. This run will feature the second gravel section of the course via a chicane.
After looping around the long hairpin in the opposite direction to normal, there’s a climb back up the hill with another dirt section, before the lap finishes with a 90-degree left hander on tarmac. The timing line will be on the back stretch as opposed to being after the corner to allow for a flying finish.
Credit: Nürburgring (Facebook)
The track will be a high-speed one, with the second and third gravel sections coming in the form of right-left chicanes to break up the lap. A long sweeping joker lap around the outside of the Grand Prix circuit’s turn seven will also be gravel. You can watch an onboard of the lap below.
The Nürburgring is the third German track to host a round of World RX since the series’ inception in 2014. Estering in Buxtehude hosted five rounds between 2014-2018, while another German Grand Prix circuit, Hockenheim, hosted three early season events from 2015-2017 (pictured top).
It will also be the third grand prix venue added to the calendar in the last two years. Abu Dhabi and Spa-Francorchamps joined the schedule last year – the latter to much acclaim from fans and drivers alike – and both will return this year, along with Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which has been on the schedule since 2015.
