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Need Advice for the Ring

Discussion in 'Tracking & Driver Education' started by BassMan, Mar 25, 2014.

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  1. dwhite

    dwhite F1 Rookie

    May 30, 2003
    3,511
    Bklyn, NY/Vero Beach
    #26 dwhite, Apr 4, 2014
    Andrew, Andy and I are Jealous. Enjoy your trip.
     
  2. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
    11,074
    LA
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    Todd
    #27 Todd308TR, Apr 5, 2014
    Lot's of good advice in this thread. I have over 1,000 miles on the 'Ring in a 2002 Z06, and this summer I will be back and rent a car also.
     
  3. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

    Jan 3, 2009
    11,189
    Texass
    #28 Nurburgringer, Apr 6, 2014
    yours isn't yellow is it? I know a guy named Krister that drove a Z06 at the 'Ring about 10 years ago.

    A young lady I met at work last week wants me to show her around the Nordschleife in her Z4 coupe 3.0. After she gets new tires, when I'm back in July.
    Had to think about that offer, for about 1 second.
     
  4. kverges

    kverges F1 Rookie

    Nov 18, 2003
    3,179
    Dallas
    Full Name:
    Keith Verges
    #29 kverges, Apr 7, 2014
  5. BassMan

    BassMan Formula Junior

    Aug 14, 2008
    626
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Andy
    #30 BassMan, Apr 8, 2014
    That is a great video. I think I'll watch it a couple of dozen times. ;)
     
  6. dasvolk

    dasvolk Rookie

    Mar 27, 2014
    2
    #31 dasvolk, Apr 10, 2014
    I stayed at Hotel An Der Nordschleife at the extreme end of Adenau by the Adenau Forst gate. Touristenfahrten are very much a mixed bag - this is one of the places where you will see many expensive and fast cars being driven very slowly, passed by cheaper track prepped cars. To really enjoy I think you need handling more than power, I took my modified V8 M3 there and I really really really needed more than a 3 point belt and a few airbags to keep me in one piece.

    I was lucky to have no mishaps, but expect elevation changes to be violent, conditions can change in tenths of a second, it can rain on one side of the track and be dry on the other. This is a problem because the speed of the ring is very addicting, you will find yourself being tossed out of your seat at speed because once you have the basic line down and are comfortable, driving something with >400bhp will get you north of 250kph several times per lap. I drove my personal car there but I highly recommend going to RSR as others have suggested, get something that is handling first and power second with a full cage. Be prepared to spend €500-700/day on laps and petrol alone. I found 6-8 laps per day comfortable without being taxing.
     
  7. BassMan

    BassMan Formula Junior

    Aug 14, 2008
    626
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Andy
    #32 BassMan, Apr 16, 2014
    Thanks for all the great advice everyone. This is what I love about FChat- car enthusiasts sharing their passion and knowledge.

    I am really looking forward to this trip and the Green Hell. I hope I'll be able to take some pics and maybe a video on the last lap.
     
  8. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

    Jan 3, 2009
    11,189
    Texass
    #33 Nurburgringer, Apr 16, 2014
    Very good point. Not many other tracks can start out sunny and dry and suddenly get quite wet and rainy somewhere else. At least without it being easy to tell when you start :)

    Defintely have a camera battery or two fully charged! Take lots of pics in the car park especially, I've found these "improptu" shots of cars and people to be some of the most enjoyable to go back through.
    The most popular and easiest to get-to place to spectate/photograph is Bruennchen:
    https://www.google.com/maps/place/N%C3%BCrburgring/@50.3692956,7.0039542,528m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x80dbc21b73ca589a
     
  9. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
    11,074
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    Todd
    #34 Todd308TR, Apr 17, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Was Krister from Denmark? If it is the same guy I knew him when he had a black C5, we had a lot of fun.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  10. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

    Jan 3, 2009
    11,189
    Texass
    #35 Nurburgringer, Apr 17, 2014
    Yes! My color memory ain't the best...
    You can see him at the very end of this video I made, saying hi :)
    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AtfIXbEw5c]Nurburgring VLN compilation - YouTube[/ame]

    I never got a ride in his Vette but he did participate in the "Rental Smart Roadster Challenge" a few of us had, I believe clocking the quickest lap of ~9:25. I was in the high 9:30s/low 9:40s.
    Even with less than 25% of the Vette's hp he praised the Smart Roadster, esp it's balance and handling. Told me his fastest lap included taking Schwedenkreuz flat, once, which even in this low-powered car he would never repeat....

    BTW here's a cautionary tale from a friend of mine (Karl aka "Sir Bastard", know him?) who lives 10 minutes from the NS and has done thousands of laps:

    (in response to me asking him what he's driving on the NS these days, and replying with the pic below)
    "[it happened at] Hohe Acht, hit a fluid spill mid corner, slid for 150 metres, hit the armco, took off and then landed on the roof, and the rest is history I was on Marshal duty at the time so that went down well, lol. The car was caged, thankfully, so just minor cuts and bruises!"

    http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x155/kedelbach/KarlVR6_zps4dd91116.jpg
     
  11. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
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    Todd
    #36 Todd308TR, Apr 19, 2014
    Cool, I was going to pit crew for him at the May 24 Hours in 2003 but had to go to Baghdad. Do you have his email?
     
  12. Kislik

    Kislik Rookie

    Apr 20, 2014
    38
    #37 Kislik, Apr 20, 2014

    You go to Gran Turismo? if so I can help you
     
  13. BassMan

    BassMan Formula Junior

    Aug 14, 2008
    626
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Andy
    #38 BassMan, May 13, 2014
    Last edited: May 13, 2014
    Just got back from my trip to Germany and the Ring. What a great experience!

    I flew into Dusseldorf on Saturday May 3 at 7 AM rented a car and drove down to Nuburg. I was approximately a 2 hour drive after a 7 hour flight and an 8 hour workday on Friday.

    Went straight to the Ring to look aroung and get a feel for the whole experience. Talking to people there I found out that the track was closed due to a severe accident. I believe it involved a motorcycle and potentially a fatality. The track reopened later in the day for a short time and then closed again. Luckily I wasn't driving until the next day.

    Being tired and hungry we opted for an early dinner at Sabine's - a very nice Argentinian Filet on the stone. While there we chatted with some other Americans that were sitting nearby. After dinner we went to check in at our hotel Landhous Sonnenhof. What a great hotel. Beautiful location. Nice room with a huge balcony. In the morning a fabulous spread for breakfast - perfect for fueling up before heading to the track.

    I went to pick up my BMW 330ci and headed to the track. At 8:20 there was a line but it wasn't too long so I started out for my very first lap on the Nordeshlife. I eased through the gate swiped my Ring Card and snaked my way through the pylons befor seeing the open road.

    I gunned the engine and took off accelerating as quickly as possible before reaching the first turns and hearing the tires squeal as I was taking the them in rapid succession. But I kept looking in my mirrors and tried to move over to the right for cars flying up behind me.

    Since this was the first lap I was taking it easy and trying to get a feel for the car and the road. About 12 km into the lap I approached a curve (don't know the names yet) with someone flagging us to slow down. As I went through the curve there was a bad crash involving a Scirroco and another car. I knew then that this would mean track closure for some time. I was right - everyone had to exit and stay in the parking lot for the next hour.

    That gave me some time to walk around see all the cars and setup my GoPro video for the next laps. I will post the video once I have a chance to download and scrub it.

    Once the track opened again I did 2 laps back to back and each time they ended with pulse racing and adrenaline pumping.

    The fourth lap brought some mechanical problems. After I went through the starting lanes and began accelerating, the car kept reving past the 3k rpms up to 7k without driving the wheels almost like it was in neutral. However, if I kept it around 2-3k rpms it was able to keep driving. This meant that I limped along for the next 15 km with the turn signals going to the right. Then all of a sudden it engaged again and I was able to drive normally. I don't think it was a clutch issue maybe the master cylindar. In any event, I was not going to put that car back on the track.

    I returned to the dealer and he offered me to take an M3 as a replacement. Hard to pass up the upgrade so I took the new car and completed 3 more laps. Much improved handling and acceleration with the M3 vs the 330ci. Just as I finished my last lap the alarm sounded and they closed the track again. Perfect timing.

    All in all an amazing experience and now I need to get back to a track soon!

    Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice as I found them to be extremely helpful in preparting for this trip.
     
  14. Nurburgringer

    Nurburgringer F1 World Champ

    Jan 3, 2009
    11,189
    Texass
    #39 Nurburgringer, May 20, 2014
    Awesome!! It's addictive isn't it? :)

    Who did you rent the BMWs from, and what did it cost you?

    Post up some pics!
     
  15. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
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    Todd
    #40 Todd308TR, Aug 15, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
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