The Nürburgring Steilstrecke

The steilstrecke, German for steep track, is a part of the Nürburgring Nordschleife specially constructed for test drives like the Test Hill at Brooklands. It is a straight stretch of 450 meters long with a gradient of up to 27%!

On this satellite photo you see the famous Karussell and Hohe Acht. The thin line from the right hand turn before the Karussell to Hohe Acht is the Steilstrecke (Use the zoom function for more details).

According to some sources it was possible until the sixties, when the circuit was open for ordinary vehicles, to choose if you would go right through the famous Carussell or to go straight over the Steilstrecke. To come back together at Hohe Acht... After a number of fatalities they should have decided to close the Steilstrecke. But probably this is just an urban legend story.

The entry seen from the Steilstrecke.

Still today the Steilstrecke is a big landmark which you can't miss during a "tourist lap" at the Nordschleife! When you enter this site after Kesselchen you see behind the fence the typical grooved concrete slabs between the trees before you turn right to the famous Karussell.

The Steilstrecke closed by a fence!

Text and pictures: Herman Liesemeijer