SCUDERIA HANSEAT: Nürburgring 2026
What happens when you send RPM Technik’s Commercial Director (and RUSH Members Club mastermind) to the Nürburgring for the legendary Scuderia Hanseat? A lot of learning, a lot of fast laps, and hopefully not too many shredded tyres. Here’s Darren’s honest review of the world’s oldest continuously running driver training school:
“This has to be one of the best things I have done in terms of trackday driving – ever!”
Now that is a bold statement, and I should qualify it: although I have had plenty of opportunity to do track days in the UK and Europe over the years, the Nordschleife is not a track I have had much time on. I won’t lie, it is quite an intimidating prospect, and the endless YouTube fail videos only add to that anxiety. But putting that to one side, it is arguably the most exhilarating ribbon of closed tarmac in the world. It is also the benchmark against which most of our sports cars are measured. So the desire to drive it is high.
My previous experience at the Nürburgring was limited to maybe 12-15 laps in shared cars across a couple of Manthey days and a DN day. As for cars, all but one lap was in a 996 Carrera or our 718 GT4 MR of the time. So, tackling this event in my own 991.1 GT3 RS MR was definitely a box I wanted to tick. In many ways, as Jonas explained before the event, I was almost the perfect candidate for the Scuderia Hanseat Spring Training course as I was experienced at track driving generally, but with little to no experience of the Nordschleife specifically.
What is Scuderia Hanseat?
At this point it’s probably worth introducing what Scuderia Hanseat is and what makes it so unique. The world’s oldest continuously running structured driver training school, Scuderia Hanseat was established in 1958 and has now run over 134 individual events. It is an experience like no other. Three days of exclusive Nürburgring use, so you don’t have to worry about an ambitious Fiat Punto trying to outbreak you into a corner. The track is broken up into eight sections for the morning sessions that allows for repetition of specific corners and properly structured learning. Then the afternoon is open pitlane lapping of the whole Nordschleife. There is also a dedicated assessment lap on the last afternoon, which is almost guaranteed to be a clear, allowing you to test your limits (safely).
Designed to optimise Nürburgring driving specifically, it stands as the perfect way to improve your skills and enjoy a week at the ring. You just have to bring yourself, your car and your racing helmet, everything else is prearranged, from hotels to full day and evening schedules. The training is carried out by drivers who have previously competed at the highest levels of motorsport as well as some ring lap record holders. For the pit lane, Manthey Racing and Raeder Motorsport supply technical support to make sure your car is running at its best throughout. Drivers are split into groups based on language spoken which meant the English speaking group on this occasion had drivers from all corners of the globe including the UK, USA, Australia, Dubai, Spain and the Congo.
The Driver Training
The format for the section training is brilliant. The whole circuit is split into eight sectors, with turning areas at the start and end of each section. When the time is up, all eight groups move on to the next section up the track. The first time through a section it’s super slow, with the coaches parking up at two or three points along the length. This allows drivers to absorb advice relevant to that particular corner or section. The next pass is at around two-thirds pace, following the coaches in a follow-my-leader format. The next five or six passes are solo and at your desired pace, at managed intervals. After the second of these, the three coaches stationed along the section will flag you down on your way back up and pass on commentary and suggestions for improving your technique or approach.
The sections are managed by a group leader (in our case a lovely and highly experienced German driver called Peter Pangert). Very ably assisted by Linn and Victoria. At all times we were well looked after and they were totally on top of managing any risk within the turning areas.
After eight passes, your knowledge of the track will have improved no end. That knowledge comes in small enough chunks that the information actually sticks too. I know this approach works because, on the second afternoon, having completed six of the eight sections, I knew exactly where I was going for most of the laps, with the comments from Adam, David and Markus popping into my head at multiple points through the sections we’d trained on. The remaining two sections I was far more circumspect through, and the moment I crossed back into familiar territory, the speed picked up and everything flowed far more naturally.
If you’re into the science behind driving, this course is going to be right up your street. The driver coaches don’t just cover optimal lines and the visual cues that help with track positioning, they also explain the logic behind the strategy for finding that optimal lap. There are places where it’s actually faster (and safer) to come in slower rather than at Vmax. For me, that advice really worked at Pflanzgarten, where I’d previously been braking after the jump. It’s far nicer to softly brush the brake just before the crest to settle the car, which makes the braking on landing much smoother and far less stressful. The following left-hander, Sprunghügel, is a ballsy corner in its own right, and I found the car moving some distance laterally over the crest, which meant you had more to do before picking up the crucial entry line into the Bellof S’s.
We all know the most important corner to get right is the one immediately before a long acceleration phase or straight. But that’s never truer than at the Nordschleife, something David Pittard was regularly reminding us of. Knowing which kerbs can be safely taken is another key piece of knowledge transfer. It’s always optional, but using the kerbs does help the flow. Even this isn’t entirely straightforward, though, as there are some kerbs where, if you take them, you have to properly commit and get up on top of them, a halfway house can punish you (as James Walker unfortunately discovered on his attempted sub-7 lap). Adam was great at literally walking you through the kerb entry and exit.
Jonas, the event organiser, very kindly took his 996 GT3 “Cup” out and showed me round the circuit for a couple of laps. Imagine Wolf of Wall Street meets a Ducks and Drakes sighting lap with traffic! It was a quick lap, but one that flowed beautifully and really highlighted the level of grip and corner speed you can sustain out there.
Like most track events, the driving itself is clearly a big part of it, but by no means the whole story. One of the most important things is who you’re doing the event with, and the attitude of the group. This is something that underpins our RUSH Members’ Club track events. The location makes a big difference too, and every overseas trip has another level of specialness over a local circuit in the UK. I challenge anyone to go to the Nürburgring and not fall in love with the motorsport and car-nerd vibe that cloaks the place. Add in the special sauce of the Scuderia event, and in our case a very fortunate bucketload of sunny weather, and you have the perfect recipe for one of the most memorable trips ever.
Jonas has an expression WIR, a concept from the German word for “us together”. The focus is on the atmosphere on and off the track, with a huge emphasis on community. The section training fosters a strong bond within the 20 or so drivers in your group, but really the whole event is built around this idea, from the assembly in the old paddock on Day 1, through the lunches and briefings around the Devil’s Diner, to the dinners and the final awards night. The lunches, diners and awards night are all included in the circa £3800 cost!
I now think of the Ring not in terms of a sprint and a flat-out pursuit of lap time, but more as the art of flowing around a circuit. Get into that state and the lap times take care of themselves. Nothing forced, nothing ragged, and you always feel like you have options. If the training taught me one thing, it’s probably that. I genuinely can’t wait to go back for another Spring event, or maybe even step up to the Autumn one. Just off to rummage under the bed and see what I can scrape together!
Be sure to check out Darrens interviews with some Nürburgring legends, Scuderia Hanseat driver coaches and Jonas Nilsson, the man running this party!
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