Febs
14-11-2006, 11:46 AM
Hi guys,
I figured we could start a series of "Track Report" threads (seeing as we are a track-oriented forum :)), with details such as track locations, costs, rules, accommodation, tips etc...
I figured I'd kick it off with something a little different...
Trackchat Track Report: N?rburgring Nordschleife
What:
The N?rburgring Nordschleife in Germany is possibly one of the most well-known racetracks in the world, due to it's length, history, difficulty and beauty. 20km long and consisting of 73 turns, it twists it's way through some of the most amazing German forrests and countryside you'll ever see.
Where:
Located around the towns of N?rburg and Adenau, in South East Germany. Approximately 160km from Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA).
What makes it unique:
For much of the year, the Nordschleife ("North Loop") part of the 'ring is a public road. A public, de-restricted, twisty, narrow, fun road. :) Forget showing your rego papers or wearing a helmet, just turn up, pay your lap fees (16eur per lap, or 4 laps for 56eur = approximately $23/lap), and away you go. They do have restrictions on noise limits, but there seems little in the way of enforcement of this.
Track rules:
See the official site (http://www.nuerburgring.de/) for all the details, but the two main ones are: 1) No filming on the track. 2) No timing. Of course everyone breaks these rules...just don't get caught. ;)
Getting there:
Qantas fly to FRA (via Bangkok, Singapore or HK) pretty frequently. From the airport it's approximately 160km, and 1.5-2hrs drive, along plenty of de-restricted autobahns. If you ever need to travel somewhere in Europe, and are going via Heathrow, consider going via Frankfurt instead and taking a day out to visit the 'ring. It's well worth it.
Accommodation:
Plenty available in N?rburg and Adenau (see Ben Lovejoy's site below), but in my mind you can't go past the Hotel an der Nordschleife. The main advantage with this place (apart from its very friendly owners and 35eur/night price for a single room inc brekky), is it's right next to the Nordschleife. Not only that, but the entrance (literally 30m from the hotel) to the track is at the half-way point (10km), so you get an extra half-lap for free every time you enter there.
Costs:
Rental car - Anything from ~$80/day for a small buzzbox to $1000's day for almost anything you can imagine (I read somewhere that there's a mob who hires out Enzo's for a price!). I got a BMW 320d (which was suprisingly quick for a 2.0d, although it did have 340Nm) with excess reduction and GPS (which was brilliant) for ~$125/day. If I was over 25, I probably would've gone for a 997 911, which I'm told you can get for around $400-500/day.
Accommodation - At the Hotel an der Nordschleife - ~$58/night for a single, ~115/night for a double. Small rooms, but the location is unbeatable and you're not going to be spending much time in there anyway.
Lap fees - ~$26 for an individual lap, ~$93 for a 4 lap pass (which actually gave me 5 laps, plus my two extra half-laps), ~$1,330 for a yearly pass.
Fuel - Approx $1.80/L for diesel, $1.98 for unleaded. I used $80 all up for about 600km, which included 6 laps and several 200km/h+ adventures on the autobahns.
Tips:
1) If hiring a car, check the insurance closely. Hertz will ban you worldwide from hiring one of their cars if they catch you on the ring. Avis apparently specifically exclude "de-restricted toll roads" from coverage (the 'ring is the only such road in Germany). Budget I think have similar restrictions. I went with SixT, who had no specific exclusions mentioning the ring or de-restricted toll roads. There was a clause about race tracks, but it can be argued that the Nurburgring is a public road (because it is). Either way, unless you hire a specific "ring tool" from a dedicated race car hire place, you're likely to be in fuzzy insurance situation at best. In my mind, it's better to go 8/10ths and save yourself potential massive headaches (and watch out for the crazy's flying up behind you!)
2) Keep RIGHT unless over taking!
3) Try to pick a weekend (see official website for dates) where the track is open on both days - that way you get more of a chance to have a go, especially if the track is busy or closed for hours.
4) If you can, try to score a seat in BMW's "Ring Taxi". Usually driven by Sabine Schmidt (winner of the N?rburgring 24h a few times), it's a BMW E60 M5 that is supposedly one of the most amazing racing experiences ever. It costs 180eur (~$300AUD) for a lap, but that can be split amongst 3 people. It's booked out months in advance, but often you can find two people taking it for a lap who'll be willing to sell you the third seat. Unfortunately it wasn't operating when I was there. (Word is it costs BMW about triple that per lap! They replace the tyres every 10 laps, and the brakes every 20!)
Links:
http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/ (The 'ring bible!)
http://www.nuerburgring.de/ (The official site)
General report:
What an amazing experience. :) I'm currently in Europe for work, and had a free weekend in Czech Republic (where I am for 2 weeks). I looked into flights to Frankfurt and noticed I could get there (from the small city Brno where I'm staying) for under $500, getting into Frankfurt at 8:30am Saturday morning, and leaving 7pm Sunday night. Basically a whole weekend in Germany. The temptation was too great. I booked a rental (BMW 320d - the best I could get being under 25) from SixT (who were the only insurer I could find who didn't seem to exclude coverage on the 'ring), booked a hotel room at the Hotel an der Nordschleife and was on my way.
The drive from Frankfurt was interesting. It was my first time on a German autobahn (which frequently change from 100km/h to 130km/h to de-restricted to 80km/h to 130km/h etc...) and it was pouring with rain. I mean really pouring. I wasn't going to give up an opportunity though, and had the 'little diesel Bimmer that could' to 200km/h within half an hour. Visibility was terrible so I decided to save the high-speed runs for when it was a bit drier.
I got to the 'ring at around 11am and (after realising my hotel was actually in Adenau and not N?rburg) settled in, only to discover there was a race going on and I could see the cars getting hugely crossed up from my hotel window. :D I went for a walk along the track and stood watching the action for a bit.
At 3pm the track opened to the public so I paid my 56eur, drove through the entrance, put my foot down and hoped for the best. Being wet and only open for 2 hours, the track was practically deserted. In the 2.5 laps I did on Saturday, I saw only one other car. It was slippery, but I was taking it easy (73 bends aren't exactly easy to memorise - they say you only start to become familar after 500 laps!). My first lap was a 14:30 and I managed to pull 195km/h down the straight (well into the braking area...the 'little diesel Bimmer that could' just couldn't get the speed up quick enough).
I met a few Aussies who had just parked after a few laps - two of them in an AMG E63, the other two in an AMG CLS63 (ie: 6.3L AMG V8s!) The lucky bastards worked for MB and had these things as company cars while in Germany! After that the track was closing so I left and made my way back to the hotel (about 5mins). Had a snooze (I needed it after having a big night the night before, and driving on one hours' sleep) then headed out for a late dinner. I found a little restaurant called "Pinocchio" in Adenau (about 2km past the Hotel an der Nordschleife) which I can highly recommend. I couldn't even finish my main, and it was about $16 with a decent-sized beer. Got back to the room and fell asleep with little trouble at all.
Up at 8am the next morning for a full day on the track. After a hearty breakfast (included in the room rate) I took my 4 lap ticket (still with 2 laps remaining) and headed back to the Adenau entrance. Apparently I wasn't supposed to use my ticket here, as the old ex motorbike racer (by the looks of the photos in his cafe) came running out to open the gate for me. After another half-lap, I got to the main entrance to the 'ring and discovered I still had three laps left. :) I did one (the track was still wet, but it was only drizzling) then parked it to see what nice metal was hanging around the car park.
It was pretty quiet, but there were a few M5s (E39s and E60's), a Super 7, a few newer 911's and an E46 M3 Convertible. I asked the M3 convertible owner if he'd mind taking a first-timer for a passenger lap, and he happily agreed. :) Being wet he kept it pretty sensible, but still did a pretty blistering lap and certainly showed me the best lines through each corner. Apparently he'd done ~300 laps, goes every 2nd weekend and has done a best of 9:50. Not bad! After that I did another lap myself (did a 13:32 that time) then asked a guy in a WRX STi if he'd mind taking me for a lap. He was a US soldier (there were about 10 of them), and they all had their own WRXs from America with them. Apparently the US Military paid for their cars to be shipped over there, as they're stationed somewhere in Germany. Not a bad deal! The cars all had Euro-styled plates, but with "USA" instead of "D" for Germany. He was a nice bloke, but it was only his 2nd lap and I think I actually did a quicker lap. ;) His mates all asked if "his passenger had ever been so slowly around the 'ring in his life?" :lol: It was good fun though. :)
...continued next post.
I figured we could start a series of "Track Report" threads (seeing as we are a track-oriented forum :)), with details such as track locations, costs, rules, accommodation, tips etc...
I figured I'd kick it off with something a little different...
Trackchat Track Report: N?rburgring Nordschleife
What:
The N?rburgring Nordschleife in Germany is possibly one of the most well-known racetracks in the world, due to it's length, history, difficulty and beauty. 20km long and consisting of 73 turns, it twists it's way through some of the most amazing German forrests and countryside you'll ever see.
Where:
Located around the towns of N?rburg and Adenau, in South East Germany. Approximately 160km from Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA).
What makes it unique:
For much of the year, the Nordschleife ("North Loop") part of the 'ring is a public road. A public, de-restricted, twisty, narrow, fun road. :) Forget showing your rego papers or wearing a helmet, just turn up, pay your lap fees (16eur per lap, or 4 laps for 56eur = approximately $23/lap), and away you go. They do have restrictions on noise limits, but there seems little in the way of enforcement of this.
Track rules:
See the official site (http://www.nuerburgring.de/) for all the details, but the two main ones are: 1) No filming on the track. 2) No timing. Of course everyone breaks these rules...just don't get caught. ;)
Getting there:
Qantas fly to FRA (via Bangkok, Singapore or HK) pretty frequently. From the airport it's approximately 160km, and 1.5-2hrs drive, along plenty of de-restricted autobahns. If you ever need to travel somewhere in Europe, and are going via Heathrow, consider going via Frankfurt instead and taking a day out to visit the 'ring. It's well worth it.
Accommodation:
Plenty available in N?rburg and Adenau (see Ben Lovejoy's site below), but in my mind you can't go past the Hotel an der Nordschleife. The main advantage with this place (apart from its very friendly owners and 35eur/night price for a single room inc brekky), is it's right next to the Nordschleife. Not only that, but the entrance (literally 30m from the hotel) to the track is at the half-way point (10km), so you get an extra half-lap for free every time you enter there.
Costs:
Rental car - Anything from ~$80/day for a small buzzbox to $1000's day for almost anything you can imagine (I read somewhere that there's a mob who hires out Enzo's for a price!). I got a BMW 320d (which was suprisingly quick for a 2.0d, although it did have 340Nm) with excess reduction and GPS (which was brilliant) for ~$125/day. If I was over 25, I probably would've gone for a 997 911, which I'm told you can get for around $400-500/day.
Accommodation - At the Hotel an der Nordschleife - ~$58/night for a single, ~115/night for a double. Small rooms, but the location is unbeatable and you're not going to be spending much time in there anyway.
Lap fees - ~$26 for an individual lap, ~$93 for a 4 lap pass (which actually gave me 5 laps, plus my two extra half-laps), ~$1,330 for a yearly pass.
Fuel - Approx $1.80/L for diesel, $1.98 for unleaded. I used $80 all up for about 600km, which included 6 laps and several 200km/h+ adventures on the autobahns.
Tips:
1) If hiring a car, check the insurance closely. Hertz will ban you worldwide from hiring one of their cars if they catch you on the ring. Avis apparently specifically exclude "de-restricted toll roads" from coverage (the 'ring is the only such road in Germany). Budget I think have similar restrictions. I went with SixT, who had no specific exclusions mentioning the ring or de-restricted toll roads. There was a clause about race tracks, but it can be argued that the Nurburgring is a public road (because it is). Either way, unless you hire a specific "ring tool" from a dedicated race car hire place, you're likely to be in fuzzy insurance situation at best. In my mind, it's better to go 8/10ths and save yourself potential massive headaches (and watch out for the crazy's flying up behind you!)
2) Keep RIGHT unless over taking!
3) Try to pick a weekend (see official website for dates) where the track is open on both days - that way you get more of a chance to have a go, especially if the track is busy or closed for hours.
4) If you can, try to score a seat in BMW's "Ring Taxi". Usually driven by Sabine Schmidt (winner of the N?rburgring 24h a few times), it's a BMW E60 M5 that is supposedly one of the most amazing racing experiences ever. It costs 180eur (~$300AUD) for a lap, but that can be split amongst 3 people. It's booked out months in advance, but often you can find two people taking it for a lap who'll be willing to sell you the third seat. Unfortunately it wasn't operating when I was there. (Word is it costs BMW about triple that per lap! They replace the tyres every 10 laps, and the brakes every 20!)
Links:
http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/ (The 'ring bible!)
http://www.nuerburgring.de/ (The official site)
General report:
What an amazing experience. :) I'm currently in Europe for work, and had a free weekend in Czech Republic (where I am for 2 weeks). I looked into flights to Frankfurt and noticed I could get there (from the small city Brno where I'm staying) for under $500, getting into Frankfurt at 8:30am Saturday morning, and leaving 7pm Sunday night. Basically a whole weekend in Germany. The temptation was too great. I booked a rental (BMW 320d - the best I could get being under 25) from SixT (who were the only insurer I could find who didn't seem to exclude coverage on the 'ring), booked a hotel room at the Hotel an der Nordschleife and was on my way.
The drive from Frankfurt was interesting. It was my first time on a German autobahn (which frequently change from 100km/h to 130km/h to de-restricted to 80km/h to 130km/h etc...) and it was pouring with rain. I mean really pouring. I wasn't going to give up an opportunity though, and had the 'little diesel Bimmer that could' to 200km/h within half an hour. Visibility was terrible so I decided to save the high-speed runs for when it was a bit drier.
I got to the 'ring at around 11am and (after realising my hotel was actually in Adenau and not N?rburg) settled in, only to discover there was a race going on and I could see the cars getting hugely crossed up from my hotel window. :D I went for a walk along the track and stood watching the action for a bit.
At 3pm the track opened to the public so I paid my 56eur, drove through the entrance, put my foot down and hoped for the best. Being wet and only open for 2 hours, the track was practically deserted. In the 2.5 laps I did on Saturday, I saw only one other car. It was slippery, but I was taking it easy (73 bends aren't exactly easy to memorise - they say you only start to become familar after 500 laps!). My first lap was a 14:30 and I managed to pull 195km/h down the straight (well into the braking area...the 'little diesel Bimmer that could' just couldn't get the speed up quick enough).
I met a few Aussies who had just parked after a few laps - two of them in an AMG E63, the other two in an AMG CLS63 (ie: 6.3L AMG V8s!) The lucky bastards worked for MB and had these things as company cars while in Germany! After that the track was closing so I left and made my way back to the hotel (about 5mins). Had a snooze (I needed it after having a big night the night before, and driving on one hours' sleep) then headed out for a late dinner. I found a little restaurant called "Pinocchio" in Adenau (about 2km past the Hotel an der Nordschleife) which I can highly recommend. I couldn't even finish my main, and it was about $16 with a decent-sized beer. Got back to the room and fell asleep with little trouble at all.
Up at 8am the next morning for a full day on the track. After a hearty breakfast (included in the room rate) I took my 4 lap ticket (still with 2 laps remaining) and headed back to the Adenau entrance. Apparently I wasn't supposed to use my ticket here, as the old ex motorbike racer (by the looks of the photos in his cafe) came running out to open the gate for me. After another half-lap, I got to the main entrance to the 'ring and discovered I still had three laps left. :) I did one (the track was still wet, but it was only drizzling) then parked it to see what nice metal was hanging around the car park.
It was pretty quiet, but there were a few M5s (E39s and E60's), a Super 7, a few newer 911's and an E46 M3 Convertible. I asked the M3 convertible owner if he'd mind taking a first-timer for a passenger lap, and he happily agreed. :) Being wet he kept it pretty sensible, but still did a pretty blistering lap and certainly showed me the best lines through each corner. Apparently he'd done ~300 laps, goes every 2nd weekend and has done a best of 9:50. Not bad! After that I did another lap myself (did a 13:32 that time) then asked a guy in a WRX STi if he'd mind taking me for a lap. He was a US soldier (there were about 10 of them), and they all had their own WRXs from America with them. Apparently the US Military paid for their cars to be shipped over there, as they're stationed somewhere in Germany. Not a bad deal! The cars all had Euro-styled plates, but with "USA" instead of "D" for Germany. He was a nice bloke, but it was only his 2nd lap and I think I actually did a quicker lap. ;) His mates all asked if "his passenger had ever been so slowly around the 'ring in his life?" :lol: It was good fun though. :)
...continued next post.