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Track attack

The hazards of racing are great. Strapped into a metal box, you hurl down tarmac at 200+ kph, with nothing softer than a concrete wall or a thick pine tree to stop you. Here are the four great arenas of motorsport which still have a claim on the romance of cheating death...

Pikes Peak

In the Rocky Mountains, off the plains of Colorado emerges the massive Pikes Peak. The circuit itself is the highway, built in 1916 and the 12.42 mile (20 km) race starts at 9,200 feet in lush forests, with cars making their way up on gravel and dirt roads. By the time they reach the finish line at 14,110 feet, they have encountered 2000+ feet drops-offs and 156 corners at speeds in excess of 160 kph. There have been only 3 deaths over the 76-odd years of competition; a fabulous record. New Zealander Rod Millen today owns the race's overall record of 10:04.06.

Nürburgring Nordschleife

Built around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel Mountains, this track was built in 1925 with a single 28.265 km circuit.with 174 bends. It was made of two sections - the Südschleife (Southern loop) of 7.747 km and the Nordschleife (Northern loop) of 22.81 km. In July 1927, the first German Grand Prix took place on the `Ring. In 1970, Nordschleife was reconstructed but still, in 1976, Niki Lauda crashed his Ferrari, only being saved by fellow drivers rather than by the ill-equipped fire marshals. Completed in 1984, the modern Nürburgring is 4.5 km long, and is called the GP-Strecke. The original Südschleife is now gone, but the Nordschleife remains. The Nürburgring has claimed over 51 driver's lives and Stefan Belof's incredible 1985 qualifying lap of 6min 11sec around the Nordschleife in a Porsche 956 is the fastest anyone's been here.

SIDDHRAJ SINGH

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