Nürburgring's Südschleife: more perilous than its Nordschleife counterpart - a neglected racing circuit
The Nürburgring Südschleife, a sister track to the legendary Nordschleife, was opened in 1927 alongside the start-finish loop. Initially, it was used for motorsport events, but the exact timeframe when the Südschleife was specifically used for racing before being repurposed for public road use is not explicitly detailed.
In the pioneer days of motorsport, races were held on a combination of Nordschleife and Südschleife, totalling over 28 kilometres per lap. However, by the 1960s and 1970s, the use of the Nürburgring Südschleife for motorsport declined due to safety concerns.
The Südschleife was known for its challenging terrain, with an uneven surface and a height difference of over 150 meters. It offered few opportunities for overtaking due to the lack of long straights, making it even more dangerous to drive than the Nordschleife. Losing control on the Südschleife often resulted in cars ending up in the Eifel forest, with severe consequences.
The construction of the Grand Prix track began in 1983, and the responsible parties abandoned the Südschleife. The current Grand Prix track at Nürburgring was built in 1984 and uses the start and finish straight of the 7.747 km long Südschleife. The K72 road, which runs around the southern part of the Grand Prix track and through the village of Müllenbach, corresponds to large parts of the track section of the Nürburgring Südschleife.
Today, the K72 road provides a way for modern visitors to experience parts of the Nürburgring Südschleife. Motorsport fans can still follow the traces of the almost forgotten racetrack, with the road's name "Südschleife" serving as a reminder of the equally exciting and dangerous sister of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The Nordschleife, one of the most legendary racetracks in the world, continues to host motorsport events, while the Nürburgring Südschleife no longer does. Yet, the memory of the Südschleife lives on, a testament to the thrilling history of motorsport at the Nürburgring.
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