Norisring
Norisring at a glance
- Location
- Nuremberg, Bavaria
- Type
- street circuit
- Length
- 2.3 km (1.429 mi)
- Turns
- 8
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1947
- Owner
- City of Nuremberg
- Capacity
- 140,000
- Website
- norisring.de
Track map and layout
The Norisring is a short, fast street circuit laid out on public roads around Nuremberg's Dutzendteich park, using the wide roads flanking the former Nazi Party rally grounds' Zeppelinfeld grandstand as its main straight. At just 2.3 km with only 8 corners, the lap is dominated by two long straights connected by tight, low-speed hairpins, producing close, slipstreaming racing typical of temporary street circuits. Its current layout has been essentially unchanged since 1972, and unlike most European street circuits it is used for racing every year rather than being erected specially, since the roads sit inside a permanent park rather than a working city centre.
Named corners and sections
- Schöller-Kurve. A tight hairpin at the end of the main straight, a key overtaking and braking zone.
- Grundig-Kehre. A slow hairpin in the circuit's second half, another prime passing point given the track's short lap and limited corner count.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Norisring (current layout, 1972-present) | 2.30 km | 8 turns; current DTM and club racing layout |
Events and race weekends
The Norisring's headline event is the DTM Norisring round each July, the only street circuit on the DTM calendar and one of the series' best-attended weekends, alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and ADAC GT4 Germany as regular support categories. Historically the circuit also hosted Formula 2 and Formula 3 races and was a fixture on the German motorcycle scene from its earliest post-war years.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DTM Norisring (Norisring Nürnberg 200 Speedweekend) | DTM | July | the only street circuit round on the DTM calendar |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Germany | Porsche Carrera Cup | July | support race for DTM weekend |
| ADAC GT4 Germany | ADAC GT4 Germany | July | support race for DTM weekend |
Getting there and parking
The Norisring sits inside Nuremberg's Dutzendteich park, close to the city centre and well served by public transport, which is included free with race tickets. Nuremberg Airport is about 10 km away with a quick U-Bahn connection into the city, from where S-Bahn trains reach the dedicated Frankenstadion station right next to the circuit in under 15 minutes.
- Nuremberg Airport (NUE) · about 20 min drive
- Munich Airport (MUC) · about 100 min drive
Parking
Limited car parking is available near the circuit; because public transport is included with race tickets and roads around the venue close for the event, most visitors are encouraged to travel by S-Bahn rather than drive.
Use the S2 to Frankenstadion station rather than driving — race tickets include free public transport and parking near the circuit is very limited on race weekend.
Hotels and camping near Norisring
Because the Norisring sits inside Nuremberg itself, visitors typically stay in the city rather than in a dedicated circuit town, choosing from the full range of Nuremberg hotels a short tram or train ride from the track. Rooms fill up and prices rise for the July DTM weekend, so early booking is worthwhile.
Where to look
Nuremberg's city centre and the areas around the main train station offer the broadest hotel choice, typically 10-20 minutes from the circuit by public transport.
Camping
A dedicated fan campsite operates near the circuit for the DTM weekend, with showers and food vendors, offering a walkable alternative to a city hotel.
RV
Limited motorhome parking is available around the campsite area for race weekend; spaces are more constrained than at purpose-built circuits given the urban setting.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
As a public-road street circuit, the Norisring is not open for everyday public track days or Touristenfahrten-style access; the roads function as normal city streets outside race weekends. Organised track days and club events do occasionally use the circuit when it is closed to traffic, but access is far more limited than at permanent circuits.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTM | 0:46.618 | Nico Müller | Audi RS5 Turbo DTM | 2019 |
Spectator guide
The Norisring's short lap and compact footprint mean many grandstands and general-admission areas offer views of multiple corners, and the historic Zeppelinfeld grandstand along the main straight gives a striking, if uneasy, backdrop of Nazi-era architecture to the modern racing. The circuit's city-park setting makes it one of the most accessible DTM weekends for fans without a car.
Seating
Grandstands line the main straight facing the Zeppelinfeld structure and the circuit's hairpin sections; general-admission areas around Dutzendteich park offer additional free or low-cost viewing.
Best places to watch
Seats facing the Zeppelinfeld grandstand give both dramatic historical context and good sightlines down the main straight and into the following hairpin.
Weather
- July (DTM): warm summer weather typical of Bavaria, highs around 24-27°C
History of Norisring
A post-war street circuit born from Nazi rally grounds
The Norisring opened in 1947, laid out on public roads around Nuremberg's Dutzendteich park in the shadow of the Zeppelinfeld, the vast grandstand built for Nazi Party rallies in the 1930s. Racing on the site was a deliberate act of reclamation, turning a symbol of the regime's propaganda machine into a venue for post-war motorsport, and the circuit's name was chosen through a 1950 competition offering a light motorcycle as the prize. Motorcycle racing dominated the circuit's early decades before cars became the main draw.
A fixture of German motorsport
The track's current 2.3 km, 8-corner layout has been in place since 1972, and the Norisring has hosted Formula 2 and Formula 3 races over the decades in addition to a long-running relationship with the German Touring Car Championship and its successor, DTM. Its short lap and heavy reliance on two long straights connected by tight hairpins have made it a consistent producer of close, high-contact racing, distinct from the flowing permanent circuits elsewhere on the German calendar.
The only street circuit on the DTM calendar
Today the Norisring is DTM's sole street circuit round, held every July and regularly drawing crowds of well over 100,000 across the weekend, making it one of the series' best-attended events. Because the roads sit inside a public park rather than a working city centre, the circuit can be raced on annually with comparatively modest setup and teardown compared with true city-centre street races. The Zeppelinfeld structure remains a preserved historical site and a deliberately uneasy, ever-present backdrop to the racing, and the city of Nuremberg continues to own and operate the venue.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Norisring?+
The Norisring is 2.300 km (1.429 miles) long with 8 turns, a layout in place since 1972.
Is the Norisring a permanent circuit or a street circuit?+
It is a street circuit, run on public roads inside Nuremberg's Dutzendteich park; the roads function as normal city streets outside race weekends.
What is the Zeppelinfeld at the Norisring?+
The Zeppelinfeld is a grandstand structure built in the 1930s for Nazi Party rally events; the Norisring's main straight runs alongside it, and the site is preserved as a historical location today.
What is the lap record at the Norisring?+
The fastest official lap is 0:46.618, set by Nico Müller in an Audi RS5 Turbo DTM car in 2019.
How do you get to the Norisring without a car?+
Race tickets include free public transport; S-Bahn trains run directly to the Frankenstadion station next to the circuit, about 15 minutes from Nuremberg's main station.
Can the public drive the Norisring?+
No, not on a regular basis. The circuit uses public roads that remain open to normal traffic outside race weekends, so there is no everyday tourist-drive program as at permanent circuits like the Nürburgring.
Other tracks nearby
- Motorsport Club Nürnberg (Norisring organiser) · 0 km · club
- MSC Wieslauftal Rudersberg · 131 km · motocross
- Loketské Serpentiny · 143 km · motocross
- MSC Straßbessenbach · 146 km · motocross
- Kramolín (Automoto klub Nepomuk) · 178 km · motocross
- Hockenheimring · 186 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.