Legendary, world-famous, 22 kilometres long and either loved or feared – mostly both: The Nürburgring Nordschleife is still seen as the toughest racetrack in the world and has a magnetic attraction for motorsports fans and high-performance enthusiasts. So it’s understandable that many amateur racers and novices would love to experience the “Green Hell” behind the wheel. Besides a suitable vehicle and sufficient racing experience, anyone wanting to race here needs one thing: a DMSB Permit Nordschleife – also known as DPN for short. The Deutscher Motor Sport Bund (DMSB) licence is a requirement for most of the races on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. These include the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the ADAC qualifying race for the 24h race, the ADAC 24 Hours and other events. Here we explain how to obtain the racing licence.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DPN?
Fewer crashes, less frustration, more racing: Safety is the ultimate goal of the DMSB Permit Nordschleife. In order to raise safety standards on the Eifel racetrack, thanks to the DPN above all Nordschleife newcomers are more intensively trained and better prepared for the particular circumstances of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DPN?
Besides sufficient race experience or participation in a DMSB-recognized driver training course, the successful completion of an e-learning course is a requirement for the granting of a DPN, which is currently issued in three levels (A, B and C, according to vehicle category and driver level). On this course, racing drivers can prove their knowledge of the special features of the toughest racetrack in the world. The individual training modules include international driving regulations and behaviour codes, along with all current safety-relevant changes to the Nordschleife. As these are altered regularly, the e-learning course has to be repeated every year.
Only those who have successfully completed this e-learning course (including online test) can apply for the DPN.
HOW DO YOU APPLY FOR THE DPN?
The DPN can be applied for on mein.dmsb.de. After registration, you can take the e-learning course that has to be completed successfully within three attempts. This is a prerequisite for participation in one of the DPN training courses, one of which then offers the possibility to acquire a DMSB Permit Nordschleife Level B.
WHERE DO DPN TRAINING COURSES TAKE PLACE?
There are several authorized providers in Germany who will carry out driver training courses for the acquisition of a DPN Level B or Level C. You’ll find an overview here.
HOW DO YOU GET TO DPN LEVEL A?
Anyone with a Category A vehicle wanting to take part in events like for instance the 24-hour race needs a DPN Level A. To obtain one, participation in at least two Category B races in the previous two years (from the 2019 season) is mandatory and the following must have been achieved:
- 1 x top 75 % in class (min. 3 starters in class),
- 1 x top 33 % in class (min. 3 starters in class) with a minimum driving share of 33% of the total number of laps of the team
- minimum 18 laps
