The N?rburgring

[Dave SS]

I enjoyed the pgr2 version so much it kick started an obsession with the place that saw me buy a performance car, stop playing games completely then spend most of my spare cash on Ring trips. Three years later I've done 120 laps of the real thing and it's the most exhilerating thing I've ever done - none of the electronic versions can even hint at what the place is like in reality. The ps2 version is fairly accurate in places but the scale just feels wrong, somehow.

Some pics from easter............








And this is the quickest lap I've got on video from easter 2007...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1394459543887566180&q=nurburgring+integra&ei=zWBFSMOmM6i8igL-36jnCQ

it's not always bright and sunny in the Eifel mountains though....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3054789012296912843&q=nurburgring+integra&ei=yWJFSIukLZCEjgKO6qzoCQ

[Leon Retro]

I like the track. It's not always something I'm in the mood for - but sometimes... taking a good car on it, can be really fun.

I used to enjoy cat&mouse on PGR2.

[ItsThere]

one of the most amazing tracks there is on the planet !
for me it's the ultimate challange to be fast, it's so damn hard and it's easy to make a mistake around this narrow track, but the sensation you get when everything goes just right is unbelievable ! This track has everything, it separates the boys from the men !
But it takes quite some time to learn it.

From the all the games I played it in, the best version has to be in Forza2 ! in the PGR and GT series it's totally unrealistic, the speed you can reach on these games are insane...

I go to the Ring every as often as my $$$$ allows me to go, I make about 30-50 laps a year so I know it quite well, and still there is stuff to learn to be really fast like some of the lokals there...

With regard to that - see my time in PGR4 with a B class (430) you were my only friend on the list! Lets get some time trial going on.

[kernow]

isn't a supposed rumoured addon coming out for gt5p with the nuburgring? I always enjoyed the track, but haven't raced it much really.

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

PGR4. Minis. Snow. Trust me. It rocks!

No when Hirst rams you off the road and you end up being about 20 seconds behind everyone else.

That ruined it for me

Up for a sesh at the weekend though.

[Brats]

I enjoyed the pgr2 version so much it kick started an obsession with the place that saw me buy a performance car, stop playing games completely then spend most of my spare cash on Ring trips. Three years later I've done 120 laps of the real thing and it's the most exhilerating thing I've ever done - none of the electronic versions can even hint at what the place is like in reality.

That's fantastic - I love stories like this. Good for you.

Great pics too .

[Dave SS]

it is however, somewhat more expensive than playing the ps2/pgr2 versions :-E

With the chronic exchange rate you don't get much change from a grand if you're there for a few days and average about 7-10 laps a day.

[Senna]

Excellent pictures, especially the one with snow at the sides of the track.

Thanks for posting them!

[charlesr]

it is however, somewhat more expensive than playing the ps2/pgr2 versions :-E

With the chronic exchange rate you don't get much change from a grand if you're there for a few days and average about 7-10 laps a day.

How much is a lap? I'm going at the end of the month.

[TheForce]

great stuff there Dave ! I like that Honda Integra TypeR , it was built for stuff like this!
The pics are VERY nice !
How often do you go there ? because from the UK it takes some planning to go there...

I like the Ring, it has something special, once you've been there it gets to you, the whole atmosphere there is amazing, it's all about fast cars and bikes and people who have a passion for racing on one of the most dangerous and amazing tracks in the world.

I will be there again on 22-06 and 23-06, I have a track day at the F1 track on the 23rd and the 22nd I will be at the Nordschleife. These are the days I'm always looking forward to a lot, that is where I bought my bike for !

have some nice pic's from last year on my old bike as well on the Ring;




and one with the new bike ...

How much is a lap? I'm going at the end of the month.

it's not cheap mate .... it's getting more expensive every year... and it seems to get busier every year as well.
1 lap: 21 euro
4 laps: 70 Euro
8 laps: 135 Euro
15 laps: 235 euro
25 laps: 370 Euro
yearcard: 995 Euro

you are there weekend of the 28th ? ....

[Dave SS]

I tend to go twice a year as a driver, although I was there three times last year - once as a passenger in May when a 6hr VLN race was on. I walked the full circuit while I was there, took six hours :-D
The atmosphere is just unbelievable eh, there's nowhere on earth quite like it. Easter last year was an unbelievable trip, perfect weather and a relatively crash-free weekend. The lad I went with did a full write-up on it as well...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stuart.elsigood/ringapril2007.html

ticked all the important boxes on that trip: captured some video footage, went out in the M5 Ring taxi and made the trip up Nurburg Castle as well.

The GP circuit was actually open at easter this year, 20 euros for 20 minutes but the standard of etiquette was shocking - far worse than on the nordschleife!

You must be at least partially insane riding a bike on it ;-)
..although I'll be riding my own bike on it in august - my mountain bike that is!

http://www.rad-am-ring.de/

[TheForce]

nice report from your trip ,
I try to go there as much as possible in the summer time, normally that's about between 5 - 8 times a year, it all depends on the weather and if I have other track days planned, most of the time we look on saturday what weather we will have and we go on sunday morning early.
I have some friends that like it also, one of them rides a Suzuki motor bike and one has a Sierra Cosworth and one has a Opel Speedster Turbo,

I have to admit though that the Ring is more suited for cars than it is for bikes, the cars your can really throw into the corners and with bikes you can't really do it on this track.

But at the moment I also still like track days with the bike so much I decided to keep it and not go look for a fast car.....

[TheForce]

With regard to that - see my time in PGR4 with a B class (430) you were my only friend on the list! Lets get some time trial going on.

done, check the leaderboards again ..

[charlesr]

I'd love to take a car around the ring too. I wouldn't do it in mine till I've sorted out the standard handling issues that Imprezas have though. They get weird understeer when you chuck them in.

However, the bike is the same age (8yrs) and has always handled way beyond my ability completely bog standard, and the ride there from the UK should be fun if we can find some nasty B roads.

Yeah, I'll be there on the 28th.

[ItsThere]

done, check the leaderboards again ..

I thought you might say that! Will try and post some better times later this weekend.