The 29‑year‑old Richard Schäfer is a true Nordschleife freak. Growing up near the circuit, he runs his own YouTube channel where he drives various cars around the track, always trying to beat his own lap records. He also worked as a cameraman for the TV broadcasts from the Ring. This year, after three previous participations, he will once again compete in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) in the Hyundai i30 N from STENLE Marketing by Mertens Motorsport in the VT2 class.

From YouTube to record breaker

Richard started his YouTube channel 13 years ago, initially filming cars from outside the track. “I started the YouTube channel by filming from the outside, in every wind and weather condition. I always thought: one day I’ll be on the other side of the track.”

That dream eventually came true. Once he began racing himself, the speed came quickly. “In my second overall race, in a Ford Fiesta ST in the VT1 class in RCN, I did an 8:28. Until this day, that is still the lap record for this class.”

Nordschleife veteran

It’s clear that the 29‑year‑old driver knows the track by heart. “In real life I’ve done around 500 laps. In the sim, more than 5000.”

He has driven the Nordschleife in many different cars, but his fastest times came in a Porsche and a BMW. “My best lap time in the NLS configuration was a 9:07 in a Porsche Cayman GTS. On Nordschleife‑only, it’s not directly comparable because of different classes, but in a BMW E90 325i it was an 8:16. It’s somewhere near the top,” he says proudly.

On the difference between sim racing and real life, he explains: “I would say the main difference used to be in rain conditions. But over the last few years that has improved a lot. In iRacing or Le Mans Ultimate you now get a very good feeling for the wet line, even wet patches that can catch you off guard.”

Full NLS season in 2026 and future plans

“This year I’m planning to do the full NLS season in the Hyundai i30 N from Mertens Motorsport,” Richard says about his plans. But it’s far from easy. “I’m still in the situation where I have to pay for it myself, and getting the full budget together is really, really hard, especially towards the end of the season.”

Still, Richard refuses to let that stop him from pursuing his passion. “I’m working as an instructor for coaching laps on the Nürburgring and on Spa-Francorchamps. Besides that, I’m currently working on building my own website, which I hope will go online in the next days.”

Coaching isn’t the only thing Richard does; he has also been working as an automotive engineer for five years. “I’m currently developing active aerodynamic systems. That’s my main source of income.” With that income, he can continue racing.

When asked whether Ferrari might need him in Formula 1, he laughs: “Oh yeah! I’ve seen they have a very nice rear wing… twisting!”

Follow Richard Schäfer on his new Instagram account.