Norisring

Norisring
Location	Nuremberg, Germany
Opened	18 May 1947
Major events	DTM, F3 Euro Series, W Series (championship)
Website	http://www.norisring.de
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.3 km (1.4 miles)
Turns	8
Race lap record	0:47.79 (Jean-Louis Schlesser, Sauber C9, 1988, Supercup; Group C)

The Norisring is a street circuit in Nuremberg, on the former Nazi party rally grounds where Nazi Party conventions were held. As the city's German name Nürnberg would lead to confusion with the Nürburgring, the old name Noris was chosen for the simple track which is now approximately 2,300 metres (1.4 mi) long.

History

Since 18 May 1947, motor racing events around the remaining 360 metres (0.22 mi) long grand stand (Zeppelinhaupttribüne or simply Steintribüne) are held on streets that are otherwise used for public traffic. Different configurations were used in the early years, including figure-8 layouts. Nowadays, the start-finish straight in front of the central grand stand leads to a right hand sweeper and the lefthand U-turn at Grundig tower, and back in a (now lefthand) sweeper to the Steintribüne, where the "Schöller-S" right-left chicane lead to the backstraight at its backside. Cars touch the outside wall often there. After a righthand kink, the lefthand U-turn of "Dutzendteichkehre" leads back to the main straight after a flat-out lefthand kink.

Due to its proximity of the lake "Dutzendteich" and its location inside a large city, the track and event is compared to the Monaco Grand Prix (Fränkisches Monaco).

The annual mid-July Norisringrennen is considered a highlight of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series, as fans get closer to the action and the drivers than on modern venues.

Fatalities

Mexican racing driver Pedro Rodríguez died at Norisring in 1971 when the Ferrari 512 he was hired to drive (in championship events, he used to race a Gulf Racing-Porsche 917) hit the bridge wall before Schöller-S and burst in flames. Afterwards, the track was shortened by moving the Grundigkehre U-turn closer in order to reduce corner speeds. In 2006, a memorial plaque was inaugurated at the site of the crash. Hungarian Formula 3 driver Csaba Kesjár also died at Norisring in June 1988.