Will the long-awaited Formula One return to the Nurburgring take place sometime soon? You'd better not get your hopes up. Nevertheless, the infamous German circuit will host a series that's more exciting than F1 starting this year, namely the World Rallycross Championship.
Save The Date: you'll get to see a host of compact racecars putting their AWD to work for the tarmac-gravel surface play on August 1st and 2nd. However, the track is undergoing construction work as you are reading this, with most of the efforts going towards completing the gravel part of the track.
Note that the WRX shenanigan will take place on a course that is part of the Nurburgring GP track rather than the Nordschleife. And certain parts of this circuit are currently getting resurfaced. Keep in mind that the GP Course is also the one that hosts the Nurburgring Drift Cup.
In fact, you can check out the current stage of the work in the first piece of footage below. Coming from YouTuber Misha Charoudin, who now splits his days between reporting from the Ring as a vlogger and working for EV hypercar builder Rimac Automobili, the clip doesn't just cover the rallycross-related bits.
As such, we also get to enjoy a full lap of the Nordschleife, so you'll notice the rather subtle changes taking place for 2020 - this is a slow lap, which is the right kind when you're scanning the scenery. The fresh bits? We're talking about extended rumble strips, front-row trees that have been cut down and extra marshal post fences.
Keep in mind that multiple sections of the track received fresh tarmac as part of the 2019 updates, so it's only normal for the 2020 updates to be more limited. And while the new bits won't offer one too much of a lap time advantage (there's nothing purists can shout about), they will bring improvements on the safety front.
The Ring won't open its gates until the first weekend of March. Meanwhile, if you're looking for the WRX details, you'll find these in the first part of the vid below. As for the Nordschleife updates, these kicks off at the 6:38 point of the clip.
As for the second video below, this is a teaser for the said Rallycross action. Oh, and if you still have some time left to kill, you could always play the new Nurburgring Monopoly Edition (this is actually the second incarnation of the board game).
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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