Construction of the Nürburgring began in September 1925, designed by the Eichler Architekturbüro from Ravensburg. The track was completed in spring 1927, and the first events held on 18 June 1927 featured motorcycles and sidecars. Toni Ulmen won on an English 350cc Velocette, with car races following the next day. The circuit opened to the public as a one-way toll road in the evenings and on weekends from its earliest years.
The original full layout, the Gesamtstrecke, measured 28.265 km and combined the Nordschleife of 22.835 km with the Südschleife of 7.747 km. Motorcycle Grand Prix events typically used the shorter and safer Südschleife, which measured 7.747 km, though the circuit's overall character — more than 300 metres of elevation change, over 300 corners on the Nordschleife, and narrow sections lined by natural obstacles — applied across all configurations.
The pre-war Nürburgring became a showcase for German automotive and motorcycle engineering, attracting works entries from manufacturers including DKW, BMW, and NSU, as well as international competitors. Legendary pre-war racers including Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari, and Bernd Rosemeyer established the circuit's reputation as a uniquely demanding test.
After racing resumed in 1947, the Nürburgring was reestablished as Germany's primary international motorsport venue. For the German motorcycle Grand Prix, the Südschleife and portions of the Nordschleife were used during the decades that followed. The circuit featured as a regular stop on the World Championship calendar, though the event alternated between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring for portions of its history.
By the late 1960s, the pace of motorcycle development had made the circuit's enormous length and inadequate safety provisions increasingly problematic. Jackie Stewart, whose 1968 Formula One victory in the rain at the Nordschleife led him to nickname it "the Green Hell," articulated what many competitors felt: the circuit was a magnificent challenge but one that outstripped the safety infrastructure of the era. The same concerns applied to motorcycle racing.
Throughout the 1970s, modifications were made to address safety concerns. The Nordschleife was altered to remove some of the most dangerous bumps and sudden gradient changes, and Armco barriers were installed. However, the fundamental character of the circuit — its vast length, its isolation between barriers and forest, and the time it took for emergency services to reach any given point — remained difficult to address.
The German motorcycle Grand Prix was held at the Nürburgring through the 1970s, with the circuit alternating with Hockenheim for some seasons. The 1980 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the last to be held at the Nürburgring. Following that event, premier-class motorcycle racing moved permanently to the Hockenheimring, which, despite its own demanding character, offered a more manageable format for safety and spectator coverage.
The Nürburgring's abandonment by motorcycle Grand Prix racing coincided with broader decisions about the circuit's suitability for modern motorsport. Formula One had already left the old Nordschleife after the 1976 German Grand Prix, following Niki Lauda's near-fatal accident in which his Ferrari caught fire at the Bergwerk section. By 1984 a new, shorter Grand Prix circuit measuring 4.556 km was completed adjacent to the old pit complex, meeting modern safety standards and allowing international single-seater racing to return to the site.
The Nordschleife remains in use for a range of motorsport events, including the 24 Hours Nürburgring and various national touring car series, as well as public Touristenfahrten sessions during which anyone with a road-legal vehicle can drive the circuit for a per-lap fee. Production car manufacturers have used the Nordschleife as a benchmark test for road car development for decades, with lap times serving as a standard measure of a vehicle's performance capability.
As of 2025, motorcycles have been prohibited from participating in public Touristenfahrten sessions following a decision by circuit management in February 2025.
The Nürburgring's role in motorcycle Grand Prix racing belongs entirely to the era before 1980. The Südschleife and the demanding sections of the Nordschleife used for motorcycle racing represented a breed of circuit that valued raw technical challenge over spectator convenience or marshalling practicality. Riders who competed at the Nürburgring during its Grand Prix motorcycle years navigated a circuit where the combination of length, elevation, narrow sections, and changeable Eifel weather made it genuinely unlike any other venue on the calendar. The permanent departure of motorcycle Grand Prix racing in 1980 marked the end of an era in which the most demanding circuits in the world were considered appropriate for the highest level of competition.