Motoring editor Mark G. Whitchurch swapped the familiar July pull of Le Mans and Silverstone for a road trip to the Nürburgring, where the Michelin 12 Hours, public laps and Europe’s car culture make a powerful – and at times terrifying – case for taking the road less travelled

For more than two decades, the first weekend of July has usually meant one of two journeys: way south to Le Mans for the Classic or slightly north to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. This year, I broke with habit and pointed the Porsche east…towards the Nürburgring.

For the unfamiliar, the Nürburgring is both a legendary racing circuit and one of the strangest public driving experiences in Europe. Opened in 1927 in Germany’s Eifel Mountains, its old Nordschleife loop cuts through forest, crests, compressions and blind corners that have tested racing drivers and road cars for generations.

The unusual thing is that the place is not sealed off from ordinary motorists. On Touristfahrten days, members of the public can buy a lap, or drive through the barrier and take their own car onto the same stretch of tarmac that helped give the circuit its reputation. Many drive for thousands of miles from across Europe and beyond; it is not at all uncommon to see its car parks filled with everything from Dutch hot hatches and British classics to German tuners, Italian supercars and outrageous, nitrous-fed family estates with helmets on the back seat.

Over the first weekend of July, it is also home to the Michelin 12 Hours of Nürburgring, a fearsome race that blends endurance and modern GT machinery with the mythic geography of the Eifel Mountains, and a fan culture unlike anywhere else in Europe. It is part of the Michelin 24H Series, but its split format makes it unique. Rather than a continuous 12-hour slog, the race is divided into two segments with six hours of racing on the Saturday and then another six on the Sunday.

The race brought together some of Europe’s most advanced GT cars, combining endurance strategy with the urgency of sprint racing. The grid included GT3, GT4, 992 Cup and touring cars that looked remarkably close to the supercars seen on European roads.

Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos, Audi R8 LMS Evos and a Lamborghini Huracán thundered through the Eifel Mountains, giving the weekend a spectacle that felt familiar, loud and immediate.

Across both days, the GetSpeed Team JR286 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO proved the benchmark. Smooth, disciplined and relentlessly consistent, the team completed 301 laps to become the first winner of the Michelin 12H Nürburgring. Their pace was controlled and clinical, the kind of performance that builds a winning margin lap by lap.

The real drama unfolded behind them. Up2Race, running the latest Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 EVO, pushed hard throughout Sunday’s session, clawing back time and finishing just one lap behind the leaders. Their charge set up the most dramatic moment of the weekend: a duel for second place that lasted almost the entire final hour.

That battle, between Up2Race and Viper Niza Racing in another Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, produced a finish worthy of the Nürburgring. After 12 hours of racing, Viper Niza crossed the line just 0.469 seconds behind the Porsche. Less than half a second separated the two cars after a full weekend of speed, traffic and pressure.

Behind the podium, Proton Competition and Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport rounded out the top five, both finishing on 299 laps.

The Nürburgring’s Nordschleife loop – nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ by British racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart – was once one of the most intimidating racetracks on the planet. Here you’ll find a 12.9 mile, one‑way toll road with proper racetrack rules. There are no run‑off areas, no forgiving gravel traps, and no margin for error. The ability required to stay alive at speed is significant, and the consequences of misjudgement around “The Ring” can be lethal.

All of which explain why it’s do damn popular.

It’s a chance for ordinary drivers to test themselves on the world’s most demanding circuit, surrounded by a community that understands the risks and respects the challenge.

To experience the full 12.9 miles of twists and undulations without risk to my Porsche, we booked passenger laps with RingTaxi.com, choosing the BMW M3 CS — partly for its ready performance, and partly because it can take up to four passengers.

The experience was as scary as it was exhilarating. It was also humbling, a reminder that no matter how much you think you know about driving, the Nordschleife always has more to teach.

The Michelin 12 Hours of Nürburgring isn’t as famous as Le Mans Classic and nor is it as globally broadcasted as the British Grand Prix. But it is, without question, a reminder that Europe’s motoring culture still rewards those willing to take the road less travelled.

Do you want to go to the Nürburgring?

For UK drivers, the easiest route starts with LeShuttle. The crossing takes about 35 minutes and lets you stay with your car, keep luggage packed as you want it and emerge in Calais ready for the drive across northern Europe.

A good route from Calais runs towards Namur, then along the Meuse Valley road towards Dinant, one of Belgium’s most striking river towns. From there, the road climbs into the Ardennes Forest, passing through Achene and Durbuy on the way towards Malmedy, a town with strong motorsport links thanks to nearby Spa-Francorchamps.

The final stretch into Germany can take in Monschau, a beautifully preserved medieval town in the Eifel Mountains, with timber-framed houses, narrow cobbled streets and a river running through its centre. From there, Nürburg is close enough for the anticipation to build as the circuit’s grandstands come into view.

For a full motorsport weekend, the Dorint Hotel am Nürburgring is the obvious place to stay. Some rooms overlook the Grand Prix start-finish straight, giving guests a view of paddock activity, support races and cars rolling out of the garages. The hotel is filled with motorsport memorabilia and has the atmosphere of a place built for drivers, teams and fans.

Anyone taking an older car abroad should also think carefully about breakdown cover. For UK readers, AA 5 Star European Cover gives access to roadside assistance, onward travel support and European-wide backup, which can make a long continental trip in a modern classic feel far less stressful.

There is also a worthwhile detour on the way home. Motorworld Köln is home to the Michael Schumacher Private Collection, with five Ferrari F1 cars from his championship years, helmets, trophies and personal artefacts connected to one of Formula One’s defining careers. Motorworld itself is worth visiting for its supercars, classics, workshops, bars and restaurants.

Drivers planning their own Nürburgring trip should check public driving dates, passenger lap availability and hotel prices before setting off. The car parks alone are part of the attraction, often filled with hot hatches, British classics, German tuners, Italian supercars and the kind of oddball modified machinery that makes the Nürburgring feel like a gathering point for Europe’s car culture.

Mark G. Whitchurch is a seasoned motoring journalist whose work—covering road tests, launch reports, scenic drives, major races, and event reviews—has appeared in The Observer, Daily Telegraph, Bristol Evening Post, Classic & Sports Car Magazine, Mini Magazine, Classic Car Weekly, AutoCar Magazine, and the Western Daily Press, among others. He won the Tourism Malaysia Regional Travel Writer of the Year in 2003 and is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers.

READ MORE: Bon anniversaire, Rétromobile: Paris’ great motor show turns 50. At Rétromobile’s 50th anniversary, motoring editor Mark G. Whitchurch reports from Paris, where the show halls and four major auctions together revealed why Ferrari’s analogue supercars are now commanding record prices and attracting a new class of global buyer. 

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