Bilster Berg

The Bilster Berg Drive Resort is a private motorsports club for automotive enthusiasts and manufacturers with a 4.274 km (2.656 mi) long motor racing circuit in Pömbsen, a district of the village of Bad Driburg in the Teutoburg Forest. The track is built on land formerly used by the British Army as an ammunition depot; it was designed by Hermann Tilke, with input from Walter Röhrl.

Bilster Berg

LocationBad Driburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
CEST (DST)
Coordinates51°47′32″N 9°4′0.8″E
Broke ground27 September 2011 (2011-09-27)
Opened11 April 2013 (2013-04-11)
Construction cost€34 million
ArchitectHermann Tilke
Websitebilster-berg.de
Full Circuit (2013–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.656 miles (4.274 km)
Turns19
Östschleife (2013–present)
Length1.491 miles (2.400 km)
Turns10
Westschleife (2013–present)
Length1.146 miles (1.845 km)
Turns12

History

The site was used since the 1970s as an ammunition depot for the British Army of the Rhine.[1] When Great Britain withdrew its forces in 1993 following German reunification, the 85 ha (210-acre) site reverted to its previous owner, Count Marcus von Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff.[2] The Count, a motorsports enthusiast, thought the site would be suitable for a motorsports track; his earlier attempt to build a track there was stymied by the 2008 financial crisis. It was the first track built in West Germany in 80 years, and was designed by Hermann Tilke, who waxed enthusiastically about building a track with a constant gradient.[3]

Design

Because of its seclusion and relative anonymity, it was envisioned that it could be used for sensitive driving exercises, including manufacturer testing and advanced driving instruction for bodyguards or special forces.[3]

The track features 200 m (660 ft) of elevation change over its 4.274 km (2.656 mi) length, with maximum gradients of +21/-26% through 44 crests and dips and 19 turns.[4]

In 2019, the driving simulator software RaceRoom added Bilster Berg to its tracks.[5]

Lap times

Bilster Berg does not record official lap times; in 2014, the Donkervoort D8 GTO set a lap record for regular production vehicles at 1:46.120,[6] which the firm celebrated by releasing a limited Bilster Berg Edition.[7] Lars Kern set a new record of 1:43.100 in a Porsche 911 (991.2) GT3 RS in 2020.[8]

The Volkswagen ID.R electric time attack car set the unofficial overall track record in 2020 with a lap time of 1:24.206.[9]

See also

References
  1. "British ammo dump to become the Bilster Berg luxury drive resort". New Atlas. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  2. Votsmeier, Volker (February 24, 2020). "Ein Graf kämpft um seinen Traum von der eigenen Rennstrecke" [A count fights for his dream of his own racetrack]. Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  3. Franz, Martin (28 June 2010). "Neue Rennstrecke im Teutoburger Wald geplant" [New racetrack planned in the Teutoburg Forest]. Heise Online (in German). Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  4. Robinson, Matt (17 January 2021). "We pound a Panamera Turbo S around the Bilster Berg". 50 to 70. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  5. Thornton, Dan (8 October 2019). "RaceRoom To Add Bilster Berg Circuit". Online Race Driver. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  6. "Donkervoort D8 GTO breaks lap record Bilster Berg Drive Resort" (Press release). Donkervoort. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  7. "Donkervoort introduces D8 GTO Bilster Berg Edition as limited series" (Press release). Donkervoort. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  8. Perkins, Chris (7 August 2020). "These Porsche GT3 RS Wheel Covers are Rad and Functional". Road & Track. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  9. Schrader, Stef (24 September 2020). "Just Go Destroy Every EV Lap Record In Germany, Volkswagen". The Drive. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
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