14-mile 1967 Nurburgring Coming To Grand Prix Legends

Papyrus and Sierra today announced that they’ll be including the daunting 14-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in their upcoming 1967 Formula One World Championship simulation. This is quite an amazing project that surely took a lot of time to build.

Press Release:

Sierra Sports To Include Famous Nurburgring Track In Grand Prix Legends

Sierra Sports announces it has obtained the license to include the world-famous Nurburgring track in Grand Prix Legends, a racing simulation based on the 1967 Grand Prix Season. The first CD-ROM to feature the original Nurburgring, Grand Prix Legends is developed by Papyrus and due on the market this July.

In 1967, Nurburgring was the ultimate challenge to man and machine, and the most deadly track in the Grand Prix circuit. The track, which once hosted 22 German Grand Prix and crowds of over 400,000, was abandoned after a 1976 race in which Grand Prix World Champion Niki Lauda was nearly burned to death after an accident in the Bergwick section of the ‘Ring.

The Nurburgring’s 14.2-mile “Nordschleife” was the most complex permanent-use racetrack ever used in Grand Prix competition, and will now be available for the first time for racing simulation fans.

With 174 corners, countless elevation changes, and a 1.4-mile long start/finish straight, the racing legend will pose a formidable challenge to drivers of the Grand Prix Legends CD-ROM. Some of the elevation changes are so severe that the cars can become airborne in several places around the circuit. From the Flugplatz to the Fuchsrohre to the Karussell, the Nurburgring has always required nerves of steels and a tremendous amount of discipline on the part of the driver.

The 1967 Grand prix race distance on the Nurburgring was 15 laps, or 213 miles. Jim Clark’s 1967 pole position time was 8:04.1, and Dan Gurney had the fastest lap time in 1967 with 8:15.1. A short (and much safer) circuit of the same name was opened in May of 1984. Like all racetracks included in Grand Prix Legends, Nurburgring will be represented in its 1967 format.

Grand Prix Legends is a racing simulation featuring historical tracks, teams, and cars from one of the most dangerous and exciting years in racing history. The physics model in Grand Prix Legends allows cars to drift, “catch air,” and interact realistically with the road. A demo version of Grand Prix Legends featuring the Watkins Glen track is available at www.papy.com.

Some of the other legendary tracks included in Grand Prix Legends the historic Spa, Kyalami and Zandvoort. Among the famous drivers represented in the simulation are Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, and teams like Lotus, Brabham, and BRM.