Nurburgring germany

spark240

So...my other half thought it would be good to get me 9 laps on the racetrack for my birthday. Problem is, I don't want to to do it as it means taking your own car, and I'm not up for driving 500miles there, nail my SLK round and then 500miles back, plus of we hired a track car it's another 300 euro, I have a 9 lap ticket , which can be taken anytime this year, cost £ 300. If it's of use to anyone let me know, we can discuss, it's on eBay at the moment with £100 bid.

Axe_meister

Try Cadwell in the UK. The mini Nurburgring. About £100 for a track day + £100 for track day insurance (although the excess is pretty high).

Very safe track (except one corner with a rather nasty concrete barrier), just take it easy and you can spend all day on the track.

Note budget for new tires/break pads and maybe even disks afterwards but also make sure they are not near the limit already.

xmrchi

I did the Nurbergring every years untill 2012 on a bike, we would ride there about 20 of us, the Journey to the Nurberg was part of the fun, its a real experience, its a shame you dont want to do it as it should be on everyones bucket list

roundthebend

mrchi said:

I did the Nurbergring every years untill 2012 on a bike, we would ride there about 20 of us, the Journey to the Nurberg was part of the fun, its a real experience, its a shame you dont want to do it as it should be on everyones bucket list

Agreed. It's a bucket-list type of experience, just do it and enjoy the whole occasion. Turn it into a mini break away too.

spark240

Thats what she thought.....but Im thinking, if the car gets pranged, I have to pay loads for recovery, you cant get any insurance on track, you pay for any barrier damage, plus any track closures, I have an SLK350, and if I did it I couldnt just tootle round,

 

Reading up on it, its highly likely you will see some incidents on the day and I dont really want to risk it.   

I will see how many others can try an convince me.....

xmrchi

I can see why you are worrying, but to be honest your prob not going to be going round the Nurbergring at a million miles an hour, just Keep your right indicator on so people know they can over take you.

People dont want to prang their cars either so give indicating riders/drivers a wide berth, plus by your 3rd lap you will be enjoying the straights so much you will forget about the potential prangs.

It really does not matter how fast you go its about consistency, ride round slow, then gain a bit of speed when you feel confident, even at civil road speeds the Ring is brilliant, and the final straight will blow you away, I got up to 184mph on my old r1, I'll never forget that !.

gusman2x

Yeah, just don't bin it.

crunchman

Buy an old Golf GTI second hand that won't be a great loss if you prang it, or blow up the engine.  If it survives then sell it again afterwards.

oddball

I really don't fancy it, specially driving something as every twat in a shed wants to get past you. Go on youtube and look at Nurburgring crashes, it looks horrendous with loads of bellends all thinking they are Lewis Hamilton. As OP said, you're car insurance is invalid once you go on the circuit. Better to spend the money at the Porsche Centre at Silverstone where they'll let you redline it all day but it is supervised to keep things safe (the low friction circuit is brilliant as well)

http://www.porsche.com/silverstone/en/experience/

xmrchi

@oddball that's a voice of no experience with the nurbergring
:-) , have you been there? Theirs a huge amount of safety regs you have to abide by and the YouTube videos usually show barrier crashes, 2 car contact is alot less than you think.

You can also search youtube for plane crashes, boats sinking.... actually just stay at home and be safe, you know it's a dangerous world out there, live it through the TV instead , it's almost as good,

oddball

A couple of myfriends have done it (one who hillclimbs) and both would never set foot near the place again - is that good enough?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfHJCv_S6iI

looks like a lot of people:

Don't read/care about regs

Drive faster than they or their car can go

xmrchi

Not really m8, I have done it 9 plus times on a bike, never crashed there, I would go again in a heartbeat. 

Gassage

mrchi said:

I did the Nurbergring every years untill 2012 on a bike, we would ride there about 20 of us, the Journey to the Nurberg was part of the fun, its a real experience, its a shame you dont want to do it as it should be on everyones bucket list

I did it in my 911 Turbo S.

As @mrchi will be aware- it was like- the straights- bikes flooding past me, even in that behemoth car, then corners it was "Out of my way little bike.....move yer ass, you're ruining my fun...." and as we came out of the corners so they'd all flood past again....I was frantically searching for crisp packets to throw on the corners (joke)....

One tip- don't try and be the first one there...you really DON'T want to drive that place when it's green. It is best done in afternoon.

My fave was the Caricciola. (sp)

xmrchi

Hahaha @Gassage you damn car drivers getting in the way of my straights! I bet that was brilliant in a 911 tho :-D

Gassage

@mrchi

Yeah, as I stayed right til 6pm and did a very quick lap last around for that very same reason. I managed 8.34 on the PCM lap timer in the car which wasn't shabby although I believe that a proper driver in the Turbo S will do 7.30 ish. Which shows how shit I am...but I was told it was good for a novice.

I did it again in my C2S 997 (355bhp v 450 in the 996 TurboS) and was still sub 9. For some reason in the dry 2 wheel drive is quicker than 4.

xmrchi

@Gassage Some very good times there, especially for a non pro driver, plus I bet you didn't have a sore arse and aching backs at the end like we all did!

Gassage

I've done a lot of extended racing courses- Palmer Motorsport GT3's and also through Rugby me and a teammate won the Land Rover Challenge twice - 2007 RWC launch and 2011.

But I'm still nowhere near as good as a good kart racer. Clarkson broke 9 in a diesel Jag!

Re sore- actually I was really sore. My forearms and hips ached for 2 days, esp hands and forearms.

I can't stress enough not doing it in the morning. If you are not a serious driver the adverse cambers and moss and overnight weeds will have you off the track quicker than you can say Herman Goerballs. You want the track warm and rubbered up. And, you will need new boots after it as you'll scrub the outside edges. I note the points re pads- I was fine as mine has ceramics so far less wear and far better to stop when hot.

Re Porsches around it, I'd love to take a Boxster 3.4S around it- I reckon I'd be close to the Turbo S times in the curves due to mid engine.

midiglitch

@oddball can the ticket be used/transferred to motorbike?

spark240

midiglitch said:

@oddball can the ticket be used/transferred to motorbike?

It's just 9 laps on a prepaid card, i actually just found it it cost about £170 not the £300 I originally said, that might have been euros? Anyhow...that's it.