...and after 2 laps

Nik won't mind me saying this, well I hope he won't, but it is fair to say that we were both bricking it! As the weather didn't look too hot we decided to go out at the same time which in hindsight was a good decision I think.

As soon as we got out there, whilst still a little apprehensive, I started to enjoy it straight away. I was following Nik and we soon caught up to a biker who was taking things even easier than we were. Nik had a bit more confidence in passing people than me and soon despatched with the biker. Being a bit more nervous I tried to get a good exit out of a bend and get past on the straight, not easy to do with a bike!

Other than braking too early for some corners and some interesting gear choices the first lap was dealt with without drama. The same couldn't be said for the classic Jag that crashed in quite an odd spot on the entry to a bend. I assume due to hitting the brakes too hard, locking up then using the armco to stop! They were all fine though which is all that matters, although I don't think we will see it for the start of the classic rally today.

I followed Nik back in to the car park and we went to buy another lap!

Lap 2 was much like the first, I decided I was going to take it slightly easier than the first but once I got out there that didn't happen! We both got caught behind a RSR Clio doing driver training. This meant that the driver was sticking dead to the line but driving quite slowly. Again Nik managed to pass pretty swiftly I, again being a bit more nervous about passing took a few km to finally get past on the straight after a good exit from a bend. Again another fun lap.

For our first time out I think we both did a pretty good job. Whilst you should only be driving your own lap you can't help but feel good when you catch and pass much better machinery.

The only thing I missed out on was getting down into the karousells. On all 4 occasions it turned out to be an easy opportunity to allow quicker cars pass so I took the slow route around the top. Nik got stuck in to them... as did his exhaust clamp!

As for the cars, well my one coped pretty well I think. It didn't feel like it rolled too much into the bends, not enough to spoil my fun anyway. The Whiteline anti roll bar did a good job of dialling out understeer although at the limits of grip it still defaulted to understeer which in all honesty suits my driving talent (or lack of).

Niks Mini looked to be in a different class and was certainly the better tool for the job with the way it changed direction. His only complaint was with a bit of brake fade, probably due to the DOT 4 fluid he was running.

To the Nordschleife!

The public sessions or Touristenfahrten as they call it in these parts runs daily from 17:15 to 19:30. So with a slight feeling of impending doom we decided to head down arriving at the entrance at about 16:50. We parked up and the car park rapidly started filling up and we set about checking out the kind of metal that the locals used.

Supercars certainly weren't the order of the day (apart from the numerous Porsche GT3's) but instead there was quite a mix including M series BMWs, several of which were modified e36's, and a whole host of other cars that were obviously heavily modified for track use. None of which made me feel any better about taking my standard (other than a stiffer rear anti roll bar) Octavia round. After a while though I spotted a Nissan Note, Citroen C3 and a Merc B class which made me feel a little better!

I think it is fair to say you can put yourself in one of two categories, those that are worried about being held up by other cars and those that are worried about holding others up... for many reasons we classed ourselves as the second group so once the Nissan GT-R that was testing came in and the huge rush for the track set off we hung back.

As the car park emptied and the road to the toll was now empty there was no other reason we could find to put it off any longer!

Porsche / Lotus Track Day at the GP Circuit

It was hard to miss the abundance of Loti around the ring. Also on the previous night the people at the table next to us were talking of an RSR Track day that they were going on.

After a bit of walking around we found our way to the "Historical Paddock" where we were greeted by an increasing paddock full of Lotus' and a track full of Porches, excellent!

The only track I regularly frequent as a spectator is Snetterton and the Nurburgring with its complex turns and gradient changes was worlds apart. All in all a fantastic sight.

Meanwhile, at the Pistenklause...

Less than 12 hours to go...

So I thought (as I had planned to about 6 weeks ago!) to get some practice in on Forza 3!

All was going well until I parked it in a barrier... hmmm... I guess the game isn't that realistic!

What I did discover was if I tried to drive it like a track then I was lucky to get round in one piece. If on the other hand I drove it like a country road, expect the unexpected at every corner, assume that there is a hairpin coming up every time the road ahead becomes blind etc. then it all clicked in to place.

Oh well, we shall see how things pan out on my first tentative lap!

GP Circuit Arrive and Drive

This was news to me. http://www.nuerburgring.de/angebote/fahrerlebnisse/touristenfahrten-gp-strecke.html

Simply turn up, hand over 30 Euros and the track is yours to play on for 20 minutes. Awesome!

I just hope they do helmet hire if you need one!

Ring Racer...

http://www.nuerburgring.de/angebote/familie-freizeitspass/ringwerk/attraktionen/ringracer0.html

I'm looking forward to this almost as much as the ring itself! Currently out of action due to a technical fault I'm hoping that all will be well in time for our visit. 0-217 kph in 2.5 seconds... eek!

Hotel is booked...

Nik sent me a message tonight to say that the hotel has confirmed the reservation so it looks like we'll be spending 3 nights here http://www.hotel-wilhelmshoehe.de/en/about-us/nuerburgring.html :)

Nurburgring or Bust!

On the 28th September I will be setting off on my first Nurburgring trip in my trusty Octavia vRS. Also heading over for the first time will be Nik in his Mini Cooper S.

This blog will track the run up to the trip and the trip itself. The plan is to do a few laps of the ring each and visit the Ring Werk, check out what is claimed to be the worlds fastest roller coaster plus anything else that occurs on the way!

So far the hotel rooms are reserved and the Euro Tunnel has been booked...