Any Nurburgring Advice?

[MX5CC66]

Hello fellow car crazy friends!

I'm looking for some advice. I'm going to Germany in the next month for work. I'm also going to take this opportunity to check something off of my bucket list. My plan is to go in a few days early & drive the Nordschleife, & possibly the GP course as well, before the work stuff starts.

Does anyone have any advice as to where to stay near the Ring, & also which car rental company you would suggest renting from? (I'm talking about renting a track prepped car from one of the 4 near the track, not a general car rental company). I've researched a little of both, but wanted to ask if anyone has done this trip & has any first hand experience (good or bad) to offer?

I'll be flying into Frankfurt & arriving early on a Saturday. My plan is to drive over to Cologne or Stuttgart & sight see that morning, then drive to Nurburg in the afternoon & stay the night. Get up fresh & drive the Ring on Sunday, then drive back to Frankfurt to meet up with others for work responsibilities on Monday morning. We will eventually end up in Munich later in the week, & once done with work, my wife will be joining me. Any "must see" spots in Southern Germany or Austria that you would recommend? May head over to Vienna, or possibly Prague if we have the time.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Chris

[rodhx]

Chris, You suck. Love, Rod



Seriously though, sounds like an awesome trip. We expect a full debrief.

[MX5CC66]

Love you too Rod. Please pray that I don't crash it! It gets real expensive, real quick, when you do. I may have to start an AL SCCA Go Fund Me page to get back home then.

I'm really looking forward to it, but must say, I'm a little nervous. Will most likely be in a small front wheel drive car, which will be different than what I'm used to. My main concern is there is not much runoff area around the whole track.

[HPEVOX]

Ah man just rub it in our faces why don't you!!

Don't be nervous it's a road course. There aren't any cones you have to dodge. All you have to do is keep it on the pavement. Much easier than autox..

Good luck and have fun. And video or it never happened!

[MX5CC66]

Heater, on public track days, there can be 150 - 200 cars, motorcycles, & even busses on it all at once, which can get hairy! Check out YouTube for Nürburgring Fails. (Usually 10-20 crashes per public session). Lots of blind curves & a lot of elevation changes.

You brought up a good point. Anyone have a used Go Pro for sale cheap?

Seriously, I know Chris A. is from Germany. Someone locally must have driven it before?

[DelanieC]

Just on Forza or Gran Turismo...

[cdambrose]

Yeah, I'd run a sim in 1st person mode over and over, with some traffic on it if possible.

[Chuck Baader]

Since you are very close, I would include Salzburg on your list. Be sure to visit the downtown area and the salt mines. You can even find the house where they filmed Sound of Music!
Also BMW World in Munich. Auschwitz is not far if you want a real dose of reality.

[MX5CC66]

I'm not a gamer, but my son has a PS4. I just bought a game called Project Cars which has the Nurburgring (both courses). It was only $20, but the graphics are pretty good. It is so dang long, its hard to learn the layout on the Nordschleife!

Chuck, we are planning on going to Vienna, Austria & may stop in Salzburg. I think we are going to visit the Dachau concentration camp, which was the first one & is close to Munich. Not something I'm looking forward to, but something that I feel like we should do. Thanks for the input.

[MX5CC66]

Update, bucket list... Check! Nürburgring...Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, hat, banner, sticker, etc. Best Father's Day gift ever!!!

What an amazing experience! Didn't crash the car & did five laps. (13 miles around). I had booked 2, but couldn't stop, so paid for three more. Expensive, but worth it! Didn't crash the car, but almost got clipped by a 370Z, & then almost got rear ended by an Audi in a hairpin turn. (Steep downhill into a hairpin, then steep uphill, into a right hander). A little hair raising.

370Z & another car passed me, then came around next blind curve seconds later & both were pulled over with Nissan parts & pieces across track. (Looked like expensive mistake).

Haven't had chance to check videos yet, but here are a few pictures. Also had dinner at Sabine Schmitz's mom's hotel. Excellent filet with lots of race memorabilia from the greats. Highly recommend, if ever in Germany.

Chris

[MX5CC66]

Evidently, the pictures didn't load. Wi-Fi connection is very slow. May have to wait till I get back.

[rodhx]

Can't wait for a full debrief! Congrats Chris

[MX5CC66]

OK, Heath asked for a video & here it is. https://youtu.be/ii6cTihent8

This was my 4th lap, out of 5. Car was not fast, but was quick, & the Suzuki was probably one of the slowest cars on the track. It was difficult to stay on the proper racing line, because of having to constantly watch my mirrors to let faster cars pass. It is not edited, so it doesn't look so great, but it is proof!

If you are ever travelling through Germany, you have got to put this on your "To Do" list! It was a great Father's Day, even though my family wasn't with me. : Em3400:

[nicktcr]

Hate you just a little.

Seriously though, looks like a blast!

[MX5CC66]

Nicky V., don't be a Hater! It's pretty funny when you think about it. That was only my second track day, & I got to do the Ring. How funny is that!