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Sabine Schmitz’s WTCC Race of Germany track guide

Although she won't be in action when the iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife hosts WTCC Race of Germany later this week, few drivers know the 25.378-kilometre layout better than Queen of the Ring and local resident Sabine Schmitz.

Schmitz became the first lady to score an FIA World Touring Car Championship point driving for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport at her home event in 2015. And this is the BBC Top Gear presenter's guide to the track Sir Jackie Stewart christened The Green Hell.

"The Grand Prix Circuit part of the track is not too tough on the suspension like the Nordschleife but it's all about traction for the shorter straights and having a stable car on the brakes so you don't lose time at the start of the lap.

"Onto the Nordschelife and the first left into the Hatzenbach is really important because you have a very, very quick section and you need to carry the speed. We don't brake here, just lift off a bit. The balance of the car has to be really easy to handle and you can't be too quick on the steering wheel. Then we have a couple of tight corners through Hocheichen. The rear tyres will lift off a couple of times and then there will be dust as well to deal with because the WTCC drivers love to cut the first sharp right-hander and they are leaving a big mess, so when I arrive it's very slippery!

"For Quiddelbacher Hohe we are close to being flat but this is a question of practice because there is a lot of movement in the chassis. Be careful how you correct the wheel because the car can go very light here so you have to make sure it has a good balance.

"Flugplatz is a very quick section and it really helps to have good downforce. You need to be good on the brakes for Aremberg and when you are on the brakes the car must be settled down. The Fuchsrohre is the compression, it's very tricky when you have a soft set-up so you have to lift off a little bit. Then you have the Adenauer Forst chicane where the chassis is doing big, big movement from right to left, left to right. Metzgesfeld is a very fast left-hander but it's really flat so not a big deal.

"Then we go down Kallenhard, a very sharp one with a steep braking area as it goes down very much. The weight will be in the front more than in other corners so you have to make sure the car is very well balanced. When you turn in, turn in very gently, which is the same as in Wehrseifen, a heavy downforce section.

"Ex-Mühle is a very big compression. It's a steep hill and you need traction there because all the weight goes to the rear end and when you accelerate the weight goes even more to the rear end. You need really to keep the tyres on the ground and keep the speed out of Exmuhle because there is a long straight to Bergwerk, which is quite easy, flat with good Tarmac.

"Then we have the long, long uphill section - not so difficult to drive - to the Karusell. It's very hard for the suspension but you are only doing 80kph because if you jump out you will end up in the barrier very easily, so you are fighting the car a bit. It's necessary to go gentle out of the Karusell because of the grip at the front.

"Hohe Acht is next and it's where we have good Tarmac. It's not a big deal but the Wippermann is a little more tricky because of the kerbs, which you are quite hard on. You need to be very gentle on the steering wheel otherwise you might have a bad time when you go across the kerbs. Then we enter Eschbach, a very steep downhill braking area.

"At Brünnchen you have to wave to the fans and remember not to crash because your fan base will be gone! But it's good Tarmac here and lots of grip. Next it's down to down to Pflanzgarten where we have a big jump and because of the soft suspension of the front-wheel-driven Chevrolet you will lift off a little bit, all four wheels. But you have good downforce so maybe after landing we jump up again!

"Then we have a long right-hander but this is full speed over a crest into a left-hander. The car will be very light again so you have to be gentle on the wheel to make sure the balance is in good shape. Schwalbenschwanz is after this. It has good Tarmac, good grip and is very flat. For the little Karusell that follows, again you can't be too aggressive on the wheel when you exit. Let the front tyres do their job.

"It's very, very necessary to catch a good line and be gentle on the exit in Galgenkopf because you'll need every single rev to have good speed for the long, long Döttinger Höhe straight, which is two kilometres long. Hopefully you are on your own with not too many cars around you at this point because the track is getting tighter and tighter as you get closer to the finish line."

Zdroj: fiawtcc.com