Eifel's tower of passion

Whilst the jet set were in Monaco to see and be seen at Formula One's most prestigious race, your columnist was a thousand kilometers north in the Eifel region of Germany. The Nrburgring 24-hours is not as famous as the other round-the-clock races at Le Mans, Daytona and Spa-Francorchamps, but it's becoming very important in Germany - the world's third largest car market. The event's success provides some ideas for the growth of motor sport in China.

The circuit used for the Nrburgring 24-hours combines the modern-day Grand Prix track with the 22 kilometer 'Nordschleife' which was used for F1 until the infamous crash which Niki Lauda barely survived in 1976. It's therefore about five times the length of a today's F1 tracks. This is a good thing because more than 200 cars enter the 24-hours each year, watched by close to a quarter of a million spectators - many of whom camp in the hills around the circuit in the days before the event.

It's a far cry, then, from the the five-star hotels and mega yachts of Monaco. The Nrburgring is certainly not a place for poseurs but is very popular with motor manufacturers who want to build their brand image in front of the German public. BMW took a surprise victory in this year's race, beating long-time victors Porsche and a strong team from Audi. Volkswagen used the event to promote a low-emissions car and Toyota raced their Lexus LF-A supercar. Your columnist drove alongside Aston Martin's chief executive and two senior engineers in their new four-door sports car, the Rapide.