End of tourist rides on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife for motorcyclists

With immediate effect, motorcycles are banned from tourist rides on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife. This is a hard blow for many motorcyclists who have been riding the legendary racetrack for years. Nürburgring Managing Director Ingo Böder justified the measure with the safety situation when cars and motorcycles are on the Nordschleife at the same time: “We took a very close look at the situation surrounding the simultaneous participation of cars and motorcycles in the tourist runs. The different driving dynamics can lead to misunderstandings between two and four-wheelers. In this case, motorcyclists are particularly at risk as they have no crumple zone.”

The Grand Prix circuit remains as an alternative

In the future, there will therefore be a restructuring of the services on the Nordschleife. While nothing will change for cars, motorcycles will only be permitted as part of training sessions and courses. So far, only four full-day events are planned for 2025, which are not exactly cheap; for example, one-day participation with a major German provider at the end of July costs 740 euros.

Motorcyclists can still take part in tourist rides on the much shorter Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, where, in contrast to the Nordschleife, there are sufficiently large run-off areas. There will be exclusive stints for motorcycles only during opening hours. According to current planning, the Grand Prix circuit will open 38 times this year. There will also be motorcycle training sessions and track days for bikers on the 5.1 km circuit.

Motorcyclists who have already purchased a season ticket or top-up credit can either use it for the Grand Prix circuit or return it and get their money back. The return is handled by the Nürburgring Infocenter.

Safer is better

In principle, it is to be welcomed that the Nordschleife will be safer in the future. Dangerous situations between the two-wheeled and four-wheeled factions have occurred time and again during the tourist rides, and these have not always ended without serious consequences. The justified objection as to why there should be no tourist rides for motorcycles only on the Nordschleife is probably due to the economic situation. In fact, there are far more cars and hardly any motorcycles on the track. In the event of accidents, the Nordschleife has to be closed for a long time to recover the accident victims and the vehicles. Without motorcycles, this should happen less frequently, which in turn would lead to higher revenues. In addition, fewer accidents with injuries or even fatalities should improve the image of the infamous “Green Hell”.

(fpi)