The Nürburgring is a famous racecourse in Western German, situated in the town of

Nuremberg

. It has a Grand Prix track built in 1984, but is more well known for the Nordschleife, or “North Loop” in English, track which was built in the 20's and encompasses the medieval village and the castle of Nuremberg. The track has 20.8km and an elevation difference of over 300m, and has been nicknamed “The Green Hell”.

In the early 20's, car races were often held on public roads in the Eifel Mountains, but this was recognised as impractical and dangerous, so construction of a dedicated race track was begun in 1925 and completed in 1927. The original track consisted of 174 corners.

After WWII when motor racing was resumed, in 1951 the Nordschleife was used as the venue for the German Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship tours, but as the racing cars were developed to increase performance and speed, the Nürnberg ring became more and more dangerous and modifications to the track were made to improve safety, including a chicane corner before the finishing straight to reduce speeds at the pit lane entry.

in 1971 further changes were made due to demands from the F1 drivers who boycotted the Nürburgring one year due to safety concerns following a fatal crash. These included smoothing out some of the surfaces and removing some sudden jumps, as well as installing safety barriers. Parts of the track were straightened out in accordance with the racing line and the number of corners was reduced. These changes made it possible to host the German Grand Prix for a further six years between 1971 and 1976. In 1973, further improvements were made by flattening some bumps and by widening some stretches of road.

As the Grand Prix was starting to be televised, the Nürburgring offered a lot of challenges to television crews due to the sheer length. The length also created safety concerns as more than five times the amount of safety marshals were required than for a standard Grand Prix race which cost a lot of money and the German government were not willing to do this. The last Grand Prix race on the Nürbergring happened 1976.

The record time for completing the Nürburgring Nordschleife is currently six minutes and 48 seconds, completed in the Radical SR8LM car in 2009. This is closely followed by the Lamborghini Huracan Performante at six minutes and fifty two seconds. There are currently only five timed laps that sit below the seven minute mark, and to score below eight minutes is almost near impossible without a professional racing driver behind the wheel who is very familiar with the track.

The track has featured several times on the BBC motoring show “Top Gear”, probably most famously where German Driver Sabine Schmitz, who is one of the presenters on the show since 2016, completed the track in a Ford Transit van in 10 minutes and 8 seconds, in 2005.

The track is open to the public to drive around. It is an important part of automotive history and has become very popular for motor enthusiasts worldwide.

Also known as All Terrain Vehicles (or ATVs) is defined by the America National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along the handlebars for steering control. They are primarily designed for off-road use and can handle a variety of different terrains, making them extremely helpful to those working in agriculture and land management. Other uses include border patrol, construction, sheep herding, military, search and rescue, surveying and pipeline transport. It is operated and ridden much like a motorcycle, however the extra wheels provide extra stability at slower speeds. Most ATVs are designed for just the driver, however tandem ATVs are available that can accomodate a driver and a passenger.

It is also possible to buy sports models which are used competitively in offload events. These are built with performance instead of practical uses in mind and are usually lighter in weight, stronger in power and have a good suspension and low centre of gravity. Some models have even been modified to race in the desert, on ice, for climbing hills and even drag racing. There is even an ATV class in the Dakar Rally.

In some countries such as the UK, ATV are road legal vehicles under certain regulations. The law often requires the rider to hold multiple licences and to adhere to a number of strict safety rules, similar to those riding a motorcycle. It is also becoming a popular recreational activity in many places around the world, which allows experts and novices alike to experience riding the vehicles for fun over different terrain hazards.

To minimise potential risk there are a number of things you can do to ride your quad bike more safely. Much like any vehicle, checking the engine and all moving parts regularly is a must, and keeping them serviced frequently is essential to keep the vehicles healthy. Riders should be fully trained and skilled to operate or under strict supervision of those who are and aware of all the risks and hazards that are not normally expected.

Protective clothing is very important, and a helmet should always be worn. This is often one of the safety regulations that one must practice to be able to drive an ATV legally on the street. When driving on the street, it pays to dress as if you are operating a motorcycle with strong and resistant leathers, strong boots, reflective clothing and gloves so that you are easily seen by other drivers and that, in the unlikely event that you fall off the ATV, you minimise damage to your body. When operating an ATV off road, although a lot of these regulations will not be enforced, it is a sensible idea to follow them anyway and to protect yourself against any accident that could occur, especially bearing in mind that you are more likely to roll the vehicle and fall off as you traverse difficult terrain.

ATVs are essential vehicles to several different industries, besides the agriculture industry and the military, and not only have a number of very practical uses, but are incredibly fun to operate.

Rear wheel drive vehicles contain a long drive shaft that transmit the power from the engine to the wheels at the back. This configuration comes with a few advantages, mostly that it is simple and rugged, particularly when the axel is solid. This reduces the risk of needing to repair your car, especially if you hit potholes or curbs that can damage your car, and has a much higher risk for vehicles with front wheel drive configuration. This is one of the reasons why a lot of service vehicles have this set up.

Rear wheel drive cars also have a better balance and are easier to handle. Where the main axel is at the back of the car with the driving wheels, the weight is more evenly distributed across the body where a front wheel drive car tends to put a lot more weight in the front of the body where they combine the transmission and axle into one unit. This is particularly effective in sports cars and tends to result in a quicker acceleration, and is one of the reasons that almost all race cars have rear wheel drive configuration. This is because there is more weight at the back of the car which pushes the driving tires down into the road.

When approaching corners in a front wheel drive car, one would usually have to slow down a little to take control, whereas in a rear wheel drive you have the ability to overwhelm the rear tires with power which can effectively point the nose of the car towards the apex, and by putting the power on the back tires, the front tires only have to manage steering instead of both the driving and steering, giving you more control. When the front wheels have to do both the driving and the steering, one can effect the other, creating a problem called “Torque Steering”.

Also, because of this improved balance, rear wheel drive vehicles tend to brake better and quicker. They tend to ride better and feel more nimble and sporty.

The disadvantages are mostly to do with traction. When surfaces are wet or icy, rear wheel drive cars are very difficult to control and can be very dangerous to drive. This is because, while the weight is more evenly distributed, there is less weight on the driving wheels, pushing them into the road to gain traction. Under heavy acceleration it is quite easy to oversteer and fishtail, although this can be used advantageously for drifting. Rear wheel drive cars also tend to be slightly more expensive to build as front wheel drive have a cheaper setup.

Not so much a practical advantage, but when you see a car in a movie with the rear wheels spinning create mountains of smoke from the asphalt, that is done with a rear wheel drive car. Other aesthetically pleasing effects are fishtail drifting, tire squeal and burnouts, which are only possible with this configuration. None of these are particularly healthy for your tires, or for timid ears of elderly people, but can be very satisfying to pull off.