Back in the 'Green Hell'

By Martin Spain for CNN

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On Saturday 28th April 2007, the forests surrounding the Nurburgring Nordschliefe circuit resonated to the sound of a Formula 1 engine for the first time in 31 years. BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld drove three laps as part of a BMW Motorsport event paying tribute to the world's most fearsome racing circuit.

F1 and the 'Ring have a turbulent history. The legendary circuit, nicknamed the "Green Hell" by racing driver Jackie Stewart, has been the venue for some of the sport's most celebrated victories and some of its worst accidents. Constructed in a time where barely a passing thought was given to safety, the 20.8 km (12.9 mile) circuit bears little resemblance to modern Formula 1 circuits.

It has 176 corners -- most F1 circuits have less than a tenth of that number. It's so large that an entire village, complete with castle, sits nestled in the trees at the centre. The track is narrow and uneven. There are very few run-off areas, no gravel traps, and no high safety fencing.

During the 1957 German Grand Prix at the 'Ring, the legendary F1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio broke the lap record an astonishing 10 times pursuing the Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins to take his 24th Grand Prix victory and 5th World Championship. Afterward, Fangio revealed how frightened he had been as he pushed himself and his car to the limit to make up a 40-second deficit to the leaders after a botched pitstop.

In 1976, Niki Lauda crashed on the second lap of the race after his suspension failed, and his fuel-laden Ferrari caught fire. He teetered on the brink of death for days before recovering, with permanent disfigurations to his face from the blaze. Formula 1 never returned to the 'Ring.

I read the announcement that Nick Heidfeld was to drive an F1 car around the 'Ringwith disbelief. I drove the circuit the previous summer, and it was the most frightening and exhilarating experience I'd ever had in a car. To witness an 800bhp F1 car drive around there would be an incredible experience. I had to go. Flights and hotel were booked immediately, and I even organised a hire car. A BMW, of course.

The day dawned dry and hot. I wandered around the BMW Motorsport paddock area, filled with cars from BMW's illustrious past. I thought about getting an autograph from Heidfeld, but the queue was long and I didn't want to just get a postcard signed and be on my way. I wanted to ask him why he was doing this, why BMW were allowing him to risk life and limb on the world's longest and most dangerous race circuit. Most of all, I wanted to shake his hand, and wish him luck.

I made my way into the forest at Hohe Acht, the topmost point of the Nordschliefe circuit. People lined the fencing, waiting. And waiting. The sun began to sink behind the trees, painting long shadows across the track. We began to look at one another; was there a problem? Maybe BMW had come to their senses and called the whole thing off. Maybe he'd crashed as soon as he left the Grand Prix circuit and joined the Nordschliefe. Maybe a modern F1 car just isn't capable of completing a circuit of the Green Hell in one piece.

The sound of the safety helicopter broke the silence, and all eyes turned to the track. The high-pitched scream of a BMW V8 F1 engine reverberated through the trees in the distance, rising and falling, punctuated by staccato gearshifts. The hairs rose on the back of my neck; I can think of no mechanical sound more complex, more impressive, more alive than a Formula 1 engine at full throttle.

Heidfeld's BMW-Sauber F1.06 rounded the corner at Hohe Acht, and bore down on us far quicker than I'd expected, clearly not on a slow 'demonstration' run for the entire lap. The blue and white car flashed past, jinking from kerb to kerb with surgical precision, through Wipperman and out of sight towards the crowded spectator area at Brunnchen.

I'd expected applause, maybe even a few cheers from the assembled crowd. After all, Heidfeld was on home turf, a German driving a BMW on a German circuit. Instead, no-one said a word as the sound of the BMW Doppler-effected through the forest. I wondered if everyone was silent with awe like me, marvelling at the sight of a modern F1 car following in the tracks of racing heroes past.

I read an interview with Nick Heidfeld in 2005, where he was asked what it would be like to drive modern-day F1 machinery on the 'Ring. He replied that "it would be madness". Two years and three laps later, and the 'Ring had changed his mind. "This drive was simply incredible. I'll never forget today as long as I live," he said.

Neither will I.

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