Probably one of the most famous, and certainly one of the most viewed corners on Youtube is the Nurburgring Brunchen corner. People watching other’s misfortune on this corner will have amassed tens of millions of Youtube views.
But why is Brunchen known as Youtube corner? Why do so many people crash here? And how do you get to the corner to watch for yourself? We’ll cover all this, and more, in the following article.
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Why is it called Brunchen?
First things first, the Nurburgring Brunchen corner is actually spelled Brünnchen. It’s just us Brits love to be lazy and spell things how we think they should be spelled.
So why is it called Brünnchen? The literal translation from German means fountain. In the early days as the Nurburgring was being built, a number of streams ran through this area of the circuit. These streams were used to supply fresh water to the nearby town of Herschbroich, only a couple of KM away.
See our article Nurburgring corner names for a full breakdown of each corner.
Which section of track is Brunchen?
The Nurburgring Brunchen corner actually consists of two corners. These are around 16km of the way around a full lap of the 21km circuit. The Brunchen corners are both right handers with a short straight section of track between them.
The track map above flattens out the detail of the corners, so here’s a look at the Nurburgring Brunchen section from above.
Brunchen is the part of the track between the two red lines. Cars drive away from the camera in this image. Directly before the first part of Brunchen is the left hander of Eschbach and directly after it is the left hander of Eiskurve.
Why is Brunchen known as YouTube Corner?
Brunchen is known as Youtube corner on the Nurburgring because the circuit layout and topography make this section a natural amphitheatre; a great viewpoint with some tricky corners that are common for people to crash on.
The two right handers of Brunchen are in a bit of a dip. Some people refer to this part of the track as ‘the bowl’. The left hander of the preceding Eschbach falls downhill and the exit of the final right hander of Brunchen climbs uphill.
As such, it makes it a great area to spectate from as it’s one of the few places on the circuit you can get such a good view of a number of corners. And not only is it good to spectate from, it also makes it a favourite place for people to film. You can stand almost anywhere around the outside of the two right handers and see the whole section.
A favourite place for Youtubers to film from is on the outside of the second right hander of Brunchen. This gives a great vantage point as you can see the entry to the first part, all of the second part and also the entry to the following corner Eiskurve.
The majority of mishaps on this section of track happen on the exit of the second Brunchen right hander. This spot gives a prime angle to capture that. But a number of people also get caught out on the exit of the first right hander, and this spot covers that too.
Why do so many people crash at Brunchen?
Decades a go there used to be an additional Nurburgring jump at Brunchen. But now that’s no longer present, there are a couple of different ways people crash at Brunchen. The first, and most common, is on the second right hander.
This corner is surprisingly tricky to get right. As you enter it you are at the bottom of the dip, but the apex of the corner is up a short steep hill, directly followed by the crest of that hill. The camber of the road at this point falls away from you slightly. The apex is much later than you think, meaning the turn-in point is also later than you think.
It is also impossible to see the exit of the corner from the turn in point. This, combined with the factors stated above, is what catches out most people. A too-early turn in, combined with too much speed means that you miss the apex and then the road camber falls away from you. This results in big understeer and a big chance of ending up in the gravel, or even the barrier, on the outside of the circuit.
Image below from AutoAddictionMedia on YouTube.
If you don’t end up in the kitty litter on the outside, perhaps when you realise you’ve cocked up the entry you might lift off the throttle entirely, experience some lift-off oversteer and end up in the barrier on the inside. You wouldn’t be the first.
The second most common reason people crash at Brunchen is because they carry too much speed in to the first right hander. This section is on a steep downhill, so it is easy to carry more speed than you think.
There is very little run-off on the outside here, just a patch of grass a couple of cars wide. If you end up on that, you could hit the outside barrier or spear off to the inside barrier if you just catch the grass with your rear wheels.
Another thing to be wary of is the inside kerb on the first right hander of Brunchen. This kerb is MASSIVE. Do NOT hit it. If you do it will, at best, mess up your line. At worst you can roll, such is the weight-transfer your car is experiencing at that point anyway.
The guy below in his Daihatsu Copen did exactly this. Someone he managed to defy physics and not roll completely, but you can see how it can happen. Image below from RACINGFUN NORDSCHLEIFE on YouTube.
Oh, and the other reason people crash is because everyone knows this is YouTube corner, and we all want to make it on the highlight reels. So we show off. Queue one-handed drift attempts ending up in an unfortunate meeting with Mr Armco.
Images below from Automobilchannel on YouTube.
How to get to the Nurburgring Brunchen corner
The location of YouTube corner on the Nurburgring is very easy to get to. It is only a 6 minute drive from the main entrance to the Nordschleife.
To get there, search for Brunchen or Brunnchen on Google maps (the incorrect spelling works).
Either the Brünnchen Foodbox, Parkplatz Nurburgring or the Nürburgring Nordschleife – Streckenabschnitt Brünnchen will come up. Click any of those three as they will all take you to the correct place.
For old fashioned directions from the Nordschleife main car park, turn right as you leave the parking area down the hill (east on the L93). Turn right at the first junction, then at the T-junction under the bridge turn left away from the petrol station, east on to the 258.
After less than 1km turn left on to the 412. Follow this for about 2km, past some parking for Pflanzgarten until you see a large (probably busy) parking area on your left. Turn in to this down a bumpy gravelly road and you’re in the car park.
Brunchen parking, camping and facilities
The parking area for YouTube corner is massive and, unless you’re there on Carfreitag or one of the most popular race events, you’ll probably manage to find a space. Parking is free.
In recent years there wasn’t much here other than parking. Now there are toilets and burger stands. The food stands aren’t open all the time, but on weekends and during events they should be available to serve you your finest bratwurst and fries. Or a headless man.
During the 24hour race weekend you can also camp around the outside of Bruchen. The camping here is the busiest, most popular and most hectic. The official 24h race website refers to the camping here as the ‘Party Mile’.
Read our full guide on camping at the Ring and during the 24h race for more info.
Tips for driving Brunchen corner
- You will gain speed more quickly than you think on the entry to the first right hander because it is a steep downhill. Reduce your speed more than you might think you need to begin with
- Do not hit the inside kerb on the first right hander
- Be careful with running wide on the exit of the first right hander. There is minimal grass run off which can be slippery, especially if wet, and can send you in to the barriers on either side of the track
- Turn in later than you think to the second right hander
- Be mindful of the crest and adverse camber on the mid-to-exit of the second right hander. This is prime for understeering wide
- Like the rest of the track, it is incredibly slippery in the rain
- Don’t be a showboating muppet
Other Nurburgring corners
Here is some more key info on corners on the Nurburgring:
