The Nürburgring used to be a formula 1 race track. Nowadays anyone can buy a ticket and take their own private car to race there. Just beside the race track, there is a gas station which is almost as old as the track itself. It's being run in third generation by Hans-Joachim Retterath. The gas station Döttinger Höhe is not just a place where one stops to get fuel and drives on. People come there to spend the day, standing by the side of the street, watching fancy sports cares drive by. Retterath also sells a unique selection of model cars, and famous formula 1 drivers of all decades have visited or have even spent the night in one of the guest rooms. Together with writer Nina Golombek I spent a day at the gas station, talking to Retterath and all the other motor sport enthusiasts that stop by.

Published in DER SPIEGEL 33/2025