WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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- If you've already heard
of the Nürburgring,

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then by all means, enjoy this video.

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We've got an interview behind the scenes,

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some footage of the place,

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but also we have me trying
to explain the basics of it

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while being driven round the
Nordschleife, the North Loop

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by a professional driver.
Thank you, Andy.

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But if you haven't heard
of the Nürburgring,

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then it may surprise you
that one of the greatest,

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most demanding racetracks in the world

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is also just a public toll road.

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And if you want, you can
just turn up and drive it.

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All right, I'm going to
regret this. Let's do it.

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- All right. Let's do it.

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- There were always these
three big components.

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So one, that the Nordschleife
is open for the public.

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Then there's car testing.

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The big manufacturers
are still testing many,

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many weeks every year
here on the Nordschleife,

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the new components, the new cars.

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And of course, there's also racing.

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- Normal traffic rules apply here.

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You have to drive on the right,
you have to overtake on the left.

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But on most of the track,
there is no speed limit.

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And that's because Germany
has no national speed limit.

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There are thousands of
kilometres of autobahn out there

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where you can drive as
fast as you safely can.

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As long as you're in
control of your vehicle,

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speed doesn't matter.

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So legally, this is just
a one way toll road.

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You go to the barrier, you pay your €25,

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you go through this bit
with the cones and the speed limit,

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and then you are on the Ring.

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Oh, yes!

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[Tom laughs]

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- 20.8 kilometres.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is the

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longest permanent racetrack in the world.

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It's in the most popular and most
famous racetracks in the world,

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comparable to Indianapolis,
to Monaco, to Daytona.

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- But there are lots of safety rules,
and the team here--

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--oh my God--

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--the team here asked me to make it clear

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that racing on the Ring on days like this

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is not allowed.

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And you'll see the cars ahead,
when we're on the straights,

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they indicate right,
they get out of the way,

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because legally on the autobahn,
that's what you have to do.

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Lap timers and dashcams
are forbidden.

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I mean, we've got special
permission for these cameras... 

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...my...

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[strained noise]

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We've got special permission,

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but none of these cars should
have dashcams or timers

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because it is just too dangerous...

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...it is too dangerous to
have a clock ticking

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either on your dashboard
or in your head.

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The track is unforgiving.

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If you come off here, you're
not rolling onto grass.

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You're not rolling onto gravel.

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You are hitting a barrier, or worse,

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you're hitting- Oh, that was a drop!

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You're hitting someone else.

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The track-- oh!--
It has jumps.

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It has sections where you will--
oh my God--

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get what roller coaster
fans would call air time.

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Not quite ejector time, but air time.

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- Everyone is able to drive.

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Of course, everyone who is sticking
to the rules of our driving standards.

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And of course, which
cars finally fit to us,

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that's 2.8 tonnes, is the max.

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People driving here round
with their Porsche,

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but you've also got a family driving
in their van here round.

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- There is a story that if you crash,

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then the Nürburgring team will present you
with a bill for damage.

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For every half-hour the
safety car had to be out here,

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for every half-hour that
they had to repair the track,

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for every metre of crash barrier
that you have damaged.

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That story is absolutely, 100%...

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true. If you are conscious, you
will be delivered a bill,

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but it turns out that's also
true in most of the world.

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If you crash on a British road,

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then the local highways
authority will send out a bill.

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It's just that it'll go to your
insurance company, not to you.

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Oh, g-forces!

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But insurance, other than very,
very good German insurance,

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it won't cover you for the Ring.

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Nearly every insurance company,
particularly those outside Germany

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has a clause in there that
specifically excludes driving here,

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even if you are just a tourist.

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- In case of a heavier accident,
then the track gets closed.

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In case of a normal incident
like a technical breakdown,

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then it might be that it's
just getting under yellow.

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First of all, we've got marshals around

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and permanent contact to our operators
here in the entrance.

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We've got an emergency number

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and what we are now having
also from 2021 on

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is that we are starting to provide the
Nordschleife with camera operators.

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- So that is a speed limit.

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We have just hit a speed
limit for this corner

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and I can see why.

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And then as soon as you pass this line?

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Yep! Off we go.

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- Two years ago,

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we had statistics that
every 15,000 kilometres,

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an incident is happening
on the Nürburgring.

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But an incident might also
be a car losing fluid,

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some technical issues, but
also of course, an accident.

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I think the biggest difference is

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when you've got an
accident on a normal road,

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it takes quite a time until
you've got some emergency,

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here, we've got around
60 people of track safety

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and track operators making
this track as safe as possible.

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- There's a banked turn?

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[Tom laughs]

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- There isn't another racetrack
like the Nordschleife.

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It just built into the landscape.

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Normally, landscapes are
constructed for racetracks.

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- Out of the way!

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- It is so challenging because it's
so narrow and it's so long.

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The barriers are so close to the racetrack

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and yeah, I guess that's
what makes it challenging,

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but what also the drivers love.

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- Little jump. 3, 2, 1, here.

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- Oh, boy!

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[Tom laughs]

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And across the line!

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Wow!

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- I hope you enjoyed it.

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Oh, yes!

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That was incredible!

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I have never done
anything like that before.

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I like racing now! I like racetracks.

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Wow.

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Every time, every time I've
done something like this,

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I've gone in thinking
it's going to be terrible,

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I've gone in thinking
I'm going to hate it.

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I'm going to be terrified.

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And every time I've loved it.

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Yes!

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I loved every second of that.

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I want to do that again.

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Thank you so much to Andy, my driver.

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Thank you so much to all the
team here at the Nürburgring.

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Oh, that's wonderful!