Nurburgring

[tallywacker]

I know about learning curves, my first racing experiances were at the North course of the Nurburgring and the Hockeinheimring. 15 miles long and over 70 turns but its most amazing experiance.
They operate the North course (the one you play in Gran Turismo) just like a toll road. You go to the ticket machine, pay for how many laps you want to take, and insert your ticket into the automated toll both and away you go.
The track is so big that it takes you through different small towns in germany where the people just walk out there back doors and watch people lap the track. Every major turn you go around you have alot of sitting on the hills picnicing and cheering you on.
You just have to be careful driving the course because how demanding it is and the lack of run-off room you have in alot of places if you make a mistake. I remember i was riding along with my friend in his WRX the first time we went out and we came over a crest and what do you know there is a chacane(or however you spell it) and got the subie to slide around in circles in the grass.
One of the other good features is that its considered a tollroad buy german insurance companies so if you wreck on that track they have to pay out(i love german traffic laws they reward the driver not the insurance company).
Being able to have driven an amazing course makes me glad i decided to join the Army and go to europe. They paid to have my car shiped and with all the 4 day weekends we have i had plenty of time to enjoy the deep racing heritage of germany. Nothing is more amazing than driving hard on the ring and then a totally modded viper GTS-R prepped race car or Mclaren F1 flies by you like you were taking a nice leisurely drive through the countryside....amazing.

 

[onekyoung]

I think I am a little old to sign up, but if the ring was a for sure thing I just might WTF

Seriously though, I have always been enthralled with the Nurburgring since a boy when I saw a PBS special on the whole setup. I thought to myself, why the hell doesn't america have a similar setup. As experience and age piles up around me I can squarely place blame on the disputatious nation in which we live.

One can always dream though, can't he...

I am envious of your laps around NBR. I doubt I am alone in that aspect.

I recall the installment of Top Gear where a German girl set some very ambitious lap times in a DIESEL VAN!!! The girl wasn't that attractive, but man was I turned on I recall her passing sportbikes in the carousel... in the aforementioned DIESEL VAN, friggin' amazing!!!

 

[ldstang50]

i'm jealous, i wish i could drive the ring

 

[tallywacker]

Yeah the diesl van is a common site on the ring hehe. You'll see a bunch of tourists sign up for ring tours and the drivers scare the crap out of the occupents. BMW of course does alot of testing on the track. You can pay for a professinol driver to take you around in a brand new M5. I dont have the money for that and really didn't for it i'd rather drive it myself. I swear though they might have to hose the car out after run when you see the looks on peoples faces when they exit the car.
Another great thing is that there is kind of a club of drivers that drive the ring and know it in and out. You can talk to them and there really friendly and will ride along with you or allow you to follow them to show you the best lines around the track. It sure takes awhile to memorize the track but after awile it becomes a home in itself. I dont know if any other track could make you fall in love it like that track. It get you as close to being intimate with the road as you could image.
Knowing, remembering, and feeling every one of the turns is great experiance. Its like driving 5 different tracks in one lap. Every turn has it own personality from the banked carrosel to the flat chacanes that suprise you and keeps you on your toes. It hard for me fo really put the driving experiance into words as your gently rolling through hills attacking apexs left and right. Its as close to heaven on earth can get.

 

[Zero Bar]

Lucky you. I'll be in Germany next summer and I'm planning on spending a day or 2 at the Ring.