Nürburgring

The ultimate test of endurance for the Clio Sport was a whirlwind, high-stakes pilgrimage to the Nürburgring on 24 March 2014, with a strict target: completion within twenty-four hours, a journey that would ultimately rack up a total of 957 miles. Time was the greatest adversary, as the track only opened for public driving at 5:00 pm. Leaving home in the early hours, I made it to the Eurotunnel for a 10:00 am crossing, but emerging in France revealed a daunting five-hour and nineteen-minute drive remaining. Losing an hour immediately to the continental time jump left a razor-thin margin for error. The high-revving hot hatch flew through France and Belgium before crossing into Germany under a sky that began to lightly scatter winter snow. .

The Nordschleife (The North Loop)

The Nürburgring, located in the Eifel mountains of western Germany, is widely considered the most challenging, dangerous, and legendary racetrack in the world. Built in the 1920s around the village of Nürburg, it earned the terrifying nickname "The Green Hell" from three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart. While the facility includes a modern Grand Prix circuit, it is the historic North Loop (Nordschleife) that captures the world's attention.

Immense Scale: It spans a massive 12.9 miles (20.8 km) through dense forests and contains over 70 corners (depending on how you count them).

Extreme Elevation Changes: The track plunges and climbs through roughly 300 metres (1,000 feet) of elevation changes, featuring dizzying downhill drops and punishingly steep inclines like the Hohe Acht.

No Room for Error: Unlike modern tracks with wide tarmac runoff areas, the Nürburgring is narrow, undulating, and bordered almost entirely by steel Armco barriers. A single mistake usually results in a direct hit.

Green Hell

Arriving at the Green Hell precisely as the gates opened, I ran into the shop to secure my track ticket and the compulsory Nürburgring boot badge before lining up. The single lap of the massive, unforgiving circuit was an absolute masterclass in adrenaline, and knowing the immense mechanical strain of the Nordschleife, Tackling a lap of the Nordschleife in a Renault Clio Sport 172 is a visceral, sensory overload. With over 70 corners packed into 12.9 miles, the car’s ultra-communicative hydraulic steering, low mass, and high-revving 2.0-litre engine make it the perfect tool for this twisting asphalt labyrinth.Here is what it feels like to guide your Clio through the most iconic bends and turns of the Green Hell.

The Launch and the High-Speed Descent

Hatzenbach & Hocheichen: Passing the toll gates, you drop the clutch and accelerate. The Clio darts through the tight, rhythmic s-bends of Hatzenbach. The stiff sports suspension loads up side-to-side, the front tyres biting hard into the tarmac as you warm them up.

Flugplatz (Airfield): You accelerate hard over a blind, rising crest. In a lightweight car like the Clio, the suspension goes completely light at the top. You hold your breath as the car settles back down, immediately positioning the nose right for the fast, sweeping double-right hander.

Schwedenkreuz & Aremberg: Powering down the hill, the engine is screaming near the redline. You hit a wicked left-hand kink at high speed (Schwedenkreuz) where the car dances on its springs. You brake heavily in a straight line, downshifting through the close-ratio box for the sharp, right-hand corner of Aremberg, framing the historic stone bridge above.

The Return Journey: Strange Roads and Closed Parks

I backed off after one lap to ensure I didn’t blow the Clio up. Driving it was an unforgettable, legendary experience, made sweeter by trackside photographers capturing crisp, professional action shots of the car attacking the apexes. With the lap checked off, there was zero time to spare; the Clio was immediately pointed back toward the coast, sprinting through the night to successfully catch the 1:22 am Eurotunnel train back to the UK.