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Would love to hear about that experience. 100% bucket list item to check off
Originally Posted by No_snivelling
Heading there in June. Would really like to hear more and see more pictures.
I managed to sneak over on a business trip to the UK back in '18. Spent a few days in Stuttgart, did the museum, and then rented an M4 in Cologne and drove down to the Ring. Absolutely fantastic trip and total bucket list experience for any gear head.
I stayed at the Dorint hotel right at the Ring. It was fine, but I wasn't there for the accommodations. Just a place to crash while exploring and driving. Had a very cool lounge / bar loaded with historic pictures and memorabilia.
When I went, weekends were tourist / public days at the Ring, and weekdays were limited to a couple hours at the end of the day. I went in Fall, and it was dark by late afternoon, so I dedicated a Saturday to driving. Got there at opening in my rental M4, followed the crowds, grabbed coffee and a pastry at the on-site restaurant, and was on the track within an hour of arriving.
Whatever prior track driving experience you may have will only faintly prepare you for the Ring. It's absolutely insane. The circuit itself is obviously massive and incredibly challenging, but the real intensity comes from managing the traffic. Everyone's seen plenty of footage, but man . . . it's bonkers in the car. You need ALL your wits about you to enjoy and stay safe.
Once the nerves subside, you learn the traffic protocol, and get some muscle memory for the track, it morphs into the most sublime, thrilling driving experience I think you can have in a street car. Just an absolute blast.
I naively thought a few laps would suffice, but you don't even really get a feel for the experience until you've been out and around several times. So, buy the full day pass, or whatever your budget permits. If I had a do-over, I'd get at least one lap ride with a local before going out, and ideally, I'd probably do a proper track day experience instead of the public driving day. Again, even if you know the track from SIM or video games, it's not remotely close to the reality of the elevation changes, speed, and overall pressure of being out there with no structure and MUCH faster traffic.
Couple of comedy moments: When getting ready to go out for my third lap, I was approached by a ~16 y/o kid who asked if he could ride along. I naturally said yes, and within 2 minutes, realized he was basically a local expert. He knew every inch of the track and shouted instructions like a professional rally co-pilot. Totally amazing. He even knew how to adjust the electronic chassis settings in the M4, which I hadn't fully appreciated. My laps got WAY better with him riding shotgun. We finished the day with beers and a walk through the museum. A few days later, I learned there were dozens of websites where the photogs lining the track posted their pics and videos from the weekends. You can search by make / model of your car, or more precisely, by license plate. That's how I learned that my rental M4 was a Nurburgring ****. At least 4 other people had similarly violated the rental agreement in that exact car before me. I remember returning it at the Cologne airport covered in brake dust and the agent giving me the most knowing German sly smile. Very funny.
Nice to hear, someone from the states had fun at the nordschleife.
Always a pleasure being there, even after more then ten years, driving at the ring. The down-side is, that other tracks become more and more uninteresting (for me)... The whole atmosphere there with two or three standard hotels where the track-crowd has it`s accommodation, the crowded pistenklause in the evening (even if the food is not great there)... always fun and so, i try to do 4 to 6 or 7 trackdays at the ring every year...
Sick photos! Caught a little air with that last one.....
I have to get on this. I have zero excuse. Live in Greece during the summers. This and Spa are bucket list track's I want to do. Thanks for explanation and breakdown
11-23-2023, 12:32 AM
