Without doubt the greatest racing circuit in history, the original Nurburgring was a 14-mile rollercoaster ride through the wooded hills of western Germany, not far from the Belgian border. The idea for the circuit came in the 1920's from Dr. Kreutz, the local district controller, who felt the construction would reduce unemployment and promote tourism, as well as providing a testing facility for the German motor industry. The idea won the approval of the German government, who supplied the DM 15,000,000 needed to fund the project. The new track consisted of two separate circuits, the Nordschleife and Sudschleife, or north and south loops. These circuits could be used separately or combined to create one large track, with the pits and grandstands located where the two tracks met in the middle. The Nurburgring hosted its first German GP in 1927, a race won by Otto Merz in a Mercedes in front of 100,000 local fans. The history of the circuit is littered with great wins from the legends of the sport, including Nuvolari, Fangio and Jackie Stewart. As the years went by, safety concerns steadily grew and TV coverage was a problem too, as it was far too expensive to set up cameras to cover the whole course. Austrian legend Niki Lauda asked his fellow drivers to boycott the 1976 race on safety grounds. In a sad turn of events, the other drivers voted against him and the race went ahead. Lauda crashed out and was badly burned, prompting the sport's governing body to withdraw the Nurburgring's F1 license. The old circuit held its last international event in 1982 - a 1000km sportscar race. The new Nurburgring hosted its first F1 GP in 1984, a race branded as the 'European GP' with Hockenheim hosting the German GP. The race was won that day by Prost in a McLaren, as many still mourned the passing of the old ring. The new track was not to become a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar until the rise of Michael Schumacher, a local boy, prompted increased pressure for its inclusion. Commenting on his experiences of the old ring, racing legend Jackie Stewart had this to say - "Nothing gave me more satisfaction than to win at the Nurburgring, and yet, I was always afraid".