# This is it... Nurburgring Day!!



## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Top of the morning fellas... Its 7:27 AM on Sunday morning. Its rainy cats and dogs out there  But that is nuthing new for this time of the year. It pitch dark out there and I am hoping for the best for the rest of the day. I need to try out the Nordschliefe and hopefully thing dries up a bit later. But regardless, I will have me seat time on the ring. If I have to drive 10 MPH in pouring rain, then so be it...  

I got 76 miles to drive to the ring, wish me luck and see ya fellas later,..... in one piece  

cheers,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

beewang said:


> Top of the morning fellas... Its 7:27 AM on Sunday morning. Its rainy cats and dogs out there  But that is nuthing new for this time of the year. It pitch dark out there and I am hoping for the best for the rest of the day. I need to try out the Nordschliefe and hopefully thing dries up a bit later. But regardless, I will have me seat time on the ring. If I have to drive 10 MPH in pouring rain, then so be it...
> 
> I got 76 miles to drive to the ring, wish me luck and see ya fellas later,..... in one piece
> 
> ...


Have a great drive! Good luck, and looking forward to more updates!


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

OK Bee....it's 40 minutes since you posted. If I do the math right you should already be at the Ring since it's only 76 miles away. So why haven't you updated us yet?

Don't tell me you got caught in a Sunday morning schtau????? :angel:

One more thing....don't forget to wear your Helmut.


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## Clarke (Oct 21, 2002)

Have fun and exercise barely adequate judgment!:thumbup:


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## MaxTimeOff (Jan 10, 2004)

Hey Bee,

Its 2:15 AM here in Long Beach, CA 61 degrees and cloudy. Can't sleep. My guess is that you are on the Ring as I type this.

Have Fun.....Max

EDIT: It's about 1:30 PM there so you have probably wrapped up driving on the Ring. Just curious, how many hours did you spend there?


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## Zauberhias (Jun 28, 2005)

Bee...

Gib Gummi! 

... and be fast, there's some rain comming from northwest


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

I got some really BAD BAD news  It has been along exhasting day and we just returned from the ring. The wife is pissed-off and grumpy and so am I :tsk:

beewang


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

beewang said:


> I got some really BAD BAD news  It has been along exhasting day and we just returned from the ring. The wife is pissed-off and grumpy and so am I :tsk:
> 
> beewang


Oh man! What happened? I hope things go better tomorrow!


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## hawk123 (Aug 31, 2005)

beewang said:


> I got some really BAD BAD news  It has been along exhasting day and we just returned from the ring. The wife is pissed-off and grumpy and so am I :tsk:
> 
> beewang


 I have been following the thread intently and enjoying the (at least what it feels like) hour by hour updates. I sincerely hope "BAD, BAD" means nothing serious. Hope all is well.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

You should have gone to the Hockenheimring instead!

There were 147,000 people watching the DTM race there today! It looked like complete madness on TV.

Anyway Bee, let us know what happened. Was there an accident at the Ring?  :eeps: 


.


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## SergioK (Aug 14, 2002)

Don't tell me you had a close encouter with an armco barrier!


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## arnolds (Dec 21, 2001)

What happened Bee? :eeps:


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## BayAreaBMWFan (Aug 8, 2004)

The good news is that both of you are OK.
The bad news? An accident on the track not covered by ED insurance?


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## Calif65GM (Mar 27, 2005)

Ouch not sounding good or maybe he's just pulling our legs with a bad news set-up.


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

Spill the beans Bee... What happened? Are you guys o.k.??


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Okay.... just got back from dinner.  Been dying for a real meal all day.

Here are some of the pictures from first thing this morning.

A lil' back ground.... as I said, it was rainy cats and dogs as I depart for Nurburg. :eeps: It was Sunday morning at 8:00 am and there was no traffic to speak of. I flew (literally) on the Autobahn and had to stop by Mickey Dees for the wife. Had a Sausage McMuffin and coffee and that was about it.

As I approached Nordschliefe, I realized that the Ring is a God's gift to the Germans :yikes: Once again, after a night of hard downpour, the weather cracked a glipse of sunlight thru the rain clouds :eeps: Its as if the track was washed everynight so the track can be used during the day :tsk: Its just unreal!!


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## florinus (Sep 10, 2005)

jou focusi sar thar poop!


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

beewang said:


> Okay.... just got back from dinner.  Been dying for a real meal all day.
> 
> Here are some of the pictures from first thing this morning.
> 
> ...


So what's the BAD BAD news??? Did you get a ride in the taxi?


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## directcj (Mar 30, 2004)

Evidence so far shows that he made it there in one piece. Hofepully he made it out in one pieze .....


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

We (actually ... I) immediately bought the 5 trip tickets for 60 Euros. My heart begins to pounding and I have this funny taste in my mouth. The best way I can describe would be how it feels when you are walking into the classroom on the final exam of a very relavent subject that is gonna make or break your grades on your transcript... Yeah.. its kindda like that. My palms start to sweat and images of what would happen if I should fail (i.e. crash). :eeps: 

The wife and I walked past the Ring Taxi office w/ a TON of people waiting for their ride. I know that you have to make your reservation 9 months in advance and the price tag is steep (185 euros or something like that). I know the answer but I had to ask.... if there are any "last minute cancellations".... The Girls worked there told me "Fat Chance" but they are taking wait list in the unlikely event if someone should backed out at the last minute. At $60 euros a pop, I dropped both of our names on. But ... there is nuthing. :bawling: 

Got back to the car, I grinded my teeth and say its now or never, as there are people flodding into the ring staging area  the wife for some strange reason decide to go with me on my first lap which all added to more pressure to me :eeps: 
: popcorn: no cheat codes. The track is still very wet and a small slip will led to spin out to the guard rail and the game for the day is over w/ a heavy price tag.

So the gate opens and away I went. The short acceleration led to the quick turn to the pit area (and I know to stay on the Left) and next thing you know you are looking at the TUV tower and that's my cue for a quick sharp right turn and I have to Jam on the brakes and quick accelerate and set up for the raceline for the apex in the next quick left turn and there is no turning back... all this is so familiar from the X-box, its almost scary!!  

All of suddone, a pair of xenon coming from behind at a VERY high velocity!! :eeps: I signal to let then to pass and sure enough, it was Sabine Schimtz and her fare in the BMW E60 M5 RingTaxi. She blew by me and and then proceeded to kick out the rear tyres and power slide into the Aremberg turn as I followed her into the turn. The wife and I had a front row seat as she power glided and turn sideway just 10 meters away from me :bow: :beerchug: Good god!! That's something you don't forget for the rest of your life!! She gained traction and peeled off, but we were left w/ her showmanship, not something either one of us will soon forget  

30 seconds after Sabine's departure, I caught up to the BMW guy that I let him go ahead at the gates. I was on coming to his tail and the E36 bimmer over steered and spunn out on front of us and hit a huge A$$ Pine tree :jawdrop: I actually have a very bad clipse of this incidence, if I can find a way to host it, you all can see this  

more to come...


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

beewang said:


> 30 seconds after Sabine's departure, I caught up to the BMW guy that I let him go ahead at the gates. I was on coming to his tail and the E36 bimmer over steered and spunn out on front of us and hit a huge A$$ Pine tree :jawdrop: I actually have a very bad clipse of this incidence, if I can find a way to host it, you all can see this


Oh man! :yikes: Was the driver ok?


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

florinus said:


> jou focusi sar thar poop!


SO here is the bad new...

The camera is broked, it will not foucs and this POS is done  I am pissed off and so is the wife, NOT ONE F**KING picture on the rest of schitt I am about to tell you guys...

.... meanwhile back at the farm, I completed the first lap, escaped, relieved and elated!!

Heart till pounding as I pull into the staging lot. Had to sit down and reflect on all that has happened. Walked past the RingTaxi area and the gal scrambled and ask if we still want to ride the ring taxi.  Ehhh.... duhhh... Let me think about that one.... ehhhh.......HELL YEAH!!! Duh!!!

She told us to get our $$ ready and be ready in 30 mins.

Wow!!! This has gotta be the best vacation I have ever had!! :banana: :clap: I might as well go buy a powerball ticket. 

Here is the problem.. I need to get cash (I have to pay the guy who is graciously letting us tagging along w/ him on his Taxi reservation. money talks... Credit card WALKS). So I scrambled out of the Ring Entrance and head to the F1 Circuit Hotel for the nearest ATM. Found teh ATM but it refuses to dispense cash to out ATM card. I was  furious and was about to beat the crap out of the EC ATM machine, I will NOT let the ATM keep me fron the experince of lifetime, I will RIP IT APART before I walk away without cash G Damn it!! :violent: . WIfe was smarter than me and tried a different ATM card and VIOLA we got out Euros and we zipped right back to the Taxi ring.

We signed our waiver and got our name tags... Just waiting for the cab (we're next) and that's when all hell broke lose .... 30 cars come in simoutenously.

"... Ladies and gentlemen... The Ring is now closed ..." :bawling: :doh: Wahh???!! WTF?? What happend??!!

to be continued


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

: popcorn:


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Well... Although the Ring is open from 9:00 Am ~ 5:00 PM realisticlly, its more like 9:00 AM until the first bad accident to closet the Ring. This could be anytime as I have been told, almost everyweekend there is a bad accident and someone dies. Hey!! No (blood and) Guts no Glory... I suppose..

This is when I had the pleasure to meet-up w/ Jupeman who is also there w/ his wife and her new red 330i :thumbup: After sort discussion and shop talk about the ring, I told him that we're SOLed on camera and were about to take the ring taxi. ".... Hey.. Take our Camcorder..we are going to grab some lunch anyways..."

You guys are a bunch of lucky bastards!! Thanks to Jupeman's generous trust to a perfect stranger, I taped my M5 RIng taxi experince and will likely post it after a slight editing.

I don't suppose ya'll want to see me puke after the taxi ride :eeps: . Yes... it was that bad!! I told ya it was a BAD BAD DAy...

More on ring taxi later...


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

beewang said:


> You guys are a bunch of lucky bastards!! Thanks to Jupeman's generous trust to a perfect stranger, I taped my M5 RIng taxi experince and will likely post it after a slight editing.


:bow:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

For a second I thought something happened to the car, Bee. Glad to hear that everything is OK. I know the weather sucks this time of year. Lots of leaves and wet track makes it a lot more dangerous than just wet tarmac.


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## florinus (Sep 10, 2005)

dont edit the hurling!


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## MaxTimeOff (Jan 10, 2004)

beewang said:


> I got some really BAD BAD news  It has been along exhasting day and we just returned from the ring. The wife is pissed-off and grumpy and so am I :tsk:
> 
> beewang


O.K. let's define BAD BAD news:

Your BMW gets stolen and keys #1, #2 and #3 are nowhere to be found!

You are hauling a$$ on the ring in your brand-spanking-new 650, you lose control and crash into Sabine. The passengers she is taking for a quick spin....Helmut Panke and Ulrich Bruhnke!

You get pulled over by really bad cops and are used as a boy-toy for hours on end :yikes: ! Now THAT"S really BAD BAD news!!

Having your camera break on vacation, a huge bummer and it is an inconvenience, BAD BAD news, I think not!!

Make the best of it and enjoy the rest of your trip :thumbup: .


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Thnx Loren,
On my way out to take the wife on river cruise on the Rhine, so I have to make it short.
I will make a separate post on the M5 Ring taxi w/ the video clips.

I want to get this thought out before I forget. Driving on the Ring is a nerve wreckiing experince, the X-box definitely helped on getting my self familiarized w/ the turns, but with a new car at hand, you will always 2nd guess yourself on the next blind turn over the hills. The problem is two-folded when you are dealing w/ wet track condition. When apexing in wet, you need to lay off the red/white edge, due to the paint on it. Lastly, the afternoon sun shining thru the tree of forest acting like a discoball flashing at you. This was NOT on the video game!! :eeps: 

to be continue,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## roots (Sep 27, 2002)

Hey Bee, sounded like you had the best of time of your life at the ring. :thumbup: I'll be there exactly next Sunday and I too am hoping for last minute cancellations. And I'll be ready with €185 in my hands for sure 

BTW, did you say that you had to pay €60 to put your name on the waiting list?


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Indeed I have!!

No, I paid €60/ person to hitch on a ride w/ someone who agrees to let me tag along. S/he paid the €185.

no cost to get on the list, but you must have a (german) cell phone that they can get hold of you. Or else you will sit in the waiting room all day just to make sure yu didn't miss anything. Not a good way to go.

good luck and have a small breakfast that morning, as the lesser you eat, the you vomit afterwords.

beewang :bigpimp:


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

Awesome Bee. When I was there, it was closed for two one-hour periods to clean up accidents. I got 3 laps (bought a 5 lap ticket, but was so sick that day my head couldn't handle more than those ~40 miles). I did manage a ~10:30 on my 3rd lap in a rented E46 320dT.... with a Renault that wouldn't move the [email protected]!#@ over for several kms...

Good times.


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

KrisL said:


> Awesome Bee. When I was there, it was closed for two one-hour periods to clean up accidents. I got 3 laps (bought a 5 lap ticket, but was so sick that day my head couldn't handle more than those ~40 miles). I did manage a ~10:30 on my 3rd lap in a rented E46 320dT.... with a Renault that wouldn't move the [email protected]!#@ over for several kms...
> 
> Good times.


Yeah... I was pretty bummed when they first annouced the closure, knowing that it could be close for the rest of the day. 

Your time is excellent Kris, not bad for a nerd  Yeah, I ran into a brit (GB Plate) that wouldn'y let me pass  Really pissed me off how someone could be at the ring and pull something like that :tsk:

I am just wating to hear back from Jupeman so I can post the video clips of the M5 Taxi ride 

cheers,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

beewang said:


> Your time is excellent Kris, not bad for a nerd


ha!

it was *ok*, I feel that with anohter lap or two I could easily be <10mins. The weekend before I was at the ring, I was at the BMWCCA driving school @ Thunderhill Raceway.


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## Squawks (Aug 2, 2005)

I was wondering - is BMW some sort of big sponsor behind Nurburgring? Why aren't there MB SL55 or Audi RS-4 or even Ferrari/Lamborghini taxis running around? Is Sabine, the M5 taxi driver, a self-entrepeneur is she some sort of BMW official advertising the performance capabilities of BMW's latest sports endeavors?


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

Bee, it was great meeting you and the wife. I am home now and will get that DVD out to you probably first thing next week (after having the weekend to download and burn to disk the M ring video).

I wrote up my own Nordschleife experience and will post it with pics later tonight (it is long).

Oh, and the red 330 is more mine than hers. We do a good job sharing cars, but I will probably drive it most of the time. It is really a great car (and capable of 9:37 in the wet at the 'Ring. Ask me how I know...  )


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Jupeman said:


> Bee, it was great meeting you and the wife. I am home now and will get that DVD out to you probably first thing next week (after having the weekend to download and burn to disk the M ring video).
> 
> I wrote up my own Nordschleife experience and will post it with pics later tonight (it is long).
> 
> Oh, and the red 330 is more mine than hers. We do a good job sharing cars, but I will probably drive it most of the time. It is really a great car (and capable of 9:37 in the wet at the 'Ring. Ask me how I know...  )


Jupeman,
You are not gonna believe what I saw this afternoon when I dropped off my car in Frankfurt. 

Took a few pictures of the cop magnet and will send it to you later this week 

Looking forward to the Video, thanks again for offering the camera, I owe you big times 

cheers,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## turpiwa (Jun 13, 2005)

Jupeman said:


> Bee, it was great meeting you and the wife. I am home now and will get that DVD out to you probably first thing next week (after having the weekend to download and burn to disk the M ring video).
> 
> I wrote up my own Nordschleife experience and will post it with pics later tonight (it is long).
> 
> Oh, and the red 330 is more mine than hers. We do a good job sharing cars, but I will probably drive it most of the time. It is really a great car (and capable of 9:37 in the wet at the 'Ring. Ask me how I know...  )


Yeh - my wife tried that - she was pissed off when I said I put her down as 5% and me as 95% on the paperwork - especially when I told her I was being generous at that. Well, geez - she doesn't even have a Bluetooth phone - what's the point :dunno:


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

KrisL said:


> ha!
> 
> it was *ok*, I feel that with anohter lap or two I could easily be <10mins. The weekend before I was at the ring, I was at the BMWCCA driving school @ Thunderhill Raceway.


 :rofl: Wasted no time in putting those skills learnt to good use eh?


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

doeboy said:


> :rofl: Wasted no time in putting those skills learnt to good use eh?


Indeed . I wish I could go to Infineon next month... but I've got a wedding to save for.


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

KrisL said:


> Indeed . I wish I could go to Infineon next month... but I've got a wedding to save for.


If you're lookin' for something to do, c'mon out and say hi to the rest of us track-a-holics that will be there. Get some rides and familiarize yourself with the track before doing it for real.


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

doeboy said:


> If you're lookin' for something to do, c'mon out and say hi to the rest of us track-a-holics that will be there. Get some rides and familiarize yourself with the track before doing it for real.


Actually I might do that... as well as photograph for the local CCA newsletter. It's only about a 75-90 minute drive for me.


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

OK, as promised earlier, here is my long write-up on the 'Ring experience from Sunday and Monday. It was great meeting Beewang and his wife at the legendary circuit!

*They Don't Make Them Like They Used To*
A Trip to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, October 2005

Much has been written about the Nürburgring and its most notable course configuration, the Nordschleife. Normally I might not feel compelled to add to the collection of books, articles, and websites that describe the circuit. However, after visiting the 'Ring for two days, I find myself anxious to document my experience - and share my enthusiasm.

Prior to visiting the Eifel Mountain region, the circuit had almost iconic status to me. As an avid and serious driver, I had been hearing about the Nordschleife for many years. What serious motorsports enthusiast, particularly a German sports car fan, has not heard of the unique Karussell turn or noted manufacturers' 'Ring laptime boasts? With the increasing detail of modern racing simulation video games, awareness of the 'Ring, and the Nordschleife in particular, has grown. More enthusiasts are able to "drive the 'Ring" as it is included in most best selling simulations. One of my primary motivations for purchasing Forza Motorsports for the Xbox this past year was to drive the Nordschleife. The game is excellent and you definitely receive the sensation that the Nordschleife is a mammoth place, unlike any other track in the world. Perhaps the point of my writing this recollection is to convey to the fellow driving enthusiast: do not settle on a video game for your Nordschleife experience. The real thing is mind-blowing and not reproducible in a video game (yet).

For those not as familiar with the Nürburgring Nordschleife, here is a brief background. The track began construction in 1925 as a public works project involving 60 men funded jointly by local government money and from federal government funds. By the time of its completion in 1927 over 2500 men were working on the circuit - carving out completely new roads around the small town of Nürburg. The full circuit measured an immense 28.265 km (17.5 miles!). Not unlike large (for the U.S.) tracks, such as Virginia International Raceway (VIR), the Nürburgring could be divided into three sections, the Nordschleife (North Ribbon or Curve) measuring 22.81km, the Sudschleife (South Ribbon) measuring 7.45km, and a start-finish loop of 2.24km. Today, the Nordschleife is basically as it existed in 1927, save for occasional Armco and one or two run-off sand traps. The Sudschleife is gone, buried beneath trees and other undergrowth. The start-finish loop is now encompassed in the Grand Prix circuit which links to the Nordschleife.

At 14.1 miles in length, the Nordschleife is 3.5 times the size of the largest road course in the U.S. that I am aware of, Road America. It is over 4 times the length of Watkins Glen! You can travel within the confines of the circuit and visit four towns. More over, there are 170 bends, 73 official turns, and greater than 1000 feet of elevation changes (with ascents of 17 percent and descents of 11 percent)! Any rookie driver that found Watkins Glen's 13 turns challenging to remember, the Nordschleife would seem to be an insurmountable challenge. To many it is: there are blind brows such as do not exist anywhere else (to paraphrase former Porsche factory driver Derek Bell's words), off camber and on camber turns, changing grip levels, turns that almost never see sunlight, a front straight almost as long as Lime Rock (_the whole track_), and at least three jumps. Yes, _jumps_. There is a reason one of the course's nicknames is "Gröne Hölle" (Green Hell)! You might suspect that with all its challenges and mammoth size, that only those with proper training are permitted to take-on the Nordschleife. In fact, it only requires 15 Euros and a street legal car&#8230;

With this last fact in mind, I made sure that when planning a trip to celebrate Katie and my 10th wedding anniversary that we just happened to be in the Eifel Mountain region of Germany during at least one public lapping day! With luck, I was able to plan around two consecutive public lapping day

Katie and I had a rather modest three day honeymoon trip to Maine back in 1995. To celebrate our 10 years of marriage I wanted to "go big" and take a trip such as I would have wanted to do 10 years ago. I have always thought of the Alps as a scenic and romantic location, so our primary destination was Bavaria, Austria, and Switzerland. In conjunction with the trip, we picked up a new BMW 330i in Munich which will ultimately replace our 8 year old, 166k mile Toyota 4Runner (some NNJR-PCA folks might remember this truck pulling our green '74 914 and silver '01 Boxster S to/from track events - yes, we still have it!). Katie and I have chronicled the rest of the trip elsewhere, so I will fast forward 6 days and 1400 miles later when we arrived to the Nürburgring for the first time.

Signs begin to point to the Nürburgring when you are within about 30km of the circuit. The signs, however, direct you to the Grand Prix circuit, museum, and indoor go-kart course. We arrived at the large facility on a Saturday afternoon while it was bustling with activity. We ate "F1 Burgers" in the café before visiting the gift shop. Tempting fate before we had even ventured onto the course, we bought shirts, hats, and stickers in the gift shop (I showed great restraint). After watching some go-karting, we went in search of the Nordschleife. I finally spotted the "Zufahrt Nordschleife" signs indicating the entrance to the Nordschleife circuit. When we arrived at the entrance, I noted from the signs that indeed Sunday was an open track day. We also took note of the home of the BMW M Ring Taxi (for a mere 179 Euros you can be chauffeured around the Nordschleife by a pro driver, such as the now-famous-thanks-to-Top-Gear Sabine, in a M5). To our excitement we noticed there was a race going on. The race appeared to be some sort of SCCA-like race with many different car makes, from VW, BMW, Porsche, Mini, Opel, Lotus, etc., participating. The vantage point from the Nordschleife entrance is not great as it looks out on portions of the massive 2km long Döttinger Hohe. Watching cars go fast is fun, but we wanted to see some in-turn action, so we set off to look for a better vantage point.

Recalling that the track drives over the town of Adenau (actually, Adenau is nearby, the town the track crosses at that point is Breidscheid), we set the BMW's navigation system to guide us to Adenau. Sure enough, we found throngs of fans watching the race. We parked the car and headed up to look at the track. My first impression was, "Holy mackerel, look at that hill!" We were standing at the entrance to Breidscheid, the turn that crosses over the town below. Although I have driven at least 50 laps of the Nordschleife in Forza, I was not prepared for the incredibly steep climb that is that makes up the Ex-Muhle turn right after Breidscheid. At this point, I immediately recalled that my video game experience driving Road America prior to participating in the Road America PCA Club Race had only given me a suggestion of what the track is like in real life. Elevation changes, in particular, are hard to appreciate in the current crop of racing simulations. It did not take much more than a hike up the hill leading to Breidscheid to confirm that Forza had not prepared me for the real thing.

The descent down Metzgesfeld through Kallenhardt to Wehrseifen is, frankly, insane to look at. Actually, it was downright intimidating. I have been driving on tracks since 1994, instructing since 1998, and recently ventured into Club Racing. I have not been nervous about simply driving on a track in years (there are some butterflies before Club Races, but those stem from anticipating the competition). I was definitely nervous after looking at this small section of the 'Ring - and this was not even the portion of the 'Ring that I thought was scary from the video game! I think Katie made up her mind at that point that she was not interested in putting our six day old car on the track under her control.

That did not stop me, of course! After a pleasant dinner and night in our hotel (we can make a great hotel recommendation in the area that is English-speaking friendly and serves great food!), we returned to the Nordschleife bright and early. The scene on public session days at the Nordschleife would make some hard-core Driver's Education participants pale. There is no tech line, there is no staging, there are no safety requirements other than your car being street legal. Why? Because on public road days the Nordschleife is quite literally a one-way public limited access toll-road by German law. That is right, the Polizei are there to monitor the situation and issue citations if you break the rules. Perhaps the single most important rule is that overtaking can only be done on the left. In turns or on straights, pass wherever and whenever you want, it just has to be on the left. Whose responsibility is it to accomplish the mandatory left-side pass? The car being overtaken! That is right, if you do not move to the right when being overtaken and you are rear-ended or otherwise cause an accident, you are responsible!

The paddock was dominated by the familiar growl of air-cooled Porsche engines and various vintage BMWs primarily, but there were also several Ferraris, Lotus, Alfa Romeos, a Viper, and on the second day a Carrera GT. Of course, there were also VW Golfs, family sedans, and touring buses! They are all out there with you.

Much to my disappointment, it had rained very heavily the night before and the track was very wet. I ventured out on my first lap and found out no sooner than the second mild bend, Tiergarten, that the track was slippery. The car stepped out under braking at about 120 mph (despite entering the track mid-way down the straight, it is so long you can still accelerate to a quick pace - even in my 3400 lbs 255 hp family sedan!). Despite 12 years of active autocrossing and driver's education participation, I credit my recent foray into club racing for pushing me to the next level of driving ability. As such, the slight misbehavior of the car at speed on this unfamiliar setting was easily controlled and actually put a smile on my face. "So you are as nasty as they say," I thought to myself as if talking to the circuit itself.

I will not bore you with the turn-by-turn details of that first lap, but I returned to the pits 11 minutes and 47 seconds later with a sense of relief, satisfaction, and excitement. I had made it around once in the wet, had a good feel already for the track, and felt I knew where I was going (I tend to learn new tracks quickly - an ability I attribute to my experiences with autocrossing and NNJR-PCAs Driver's Education program that visits many different race tracks).

I drove two more laps improving to a 10:47 minute lap time. Not bad in a new car, on a new track, and in the wet, I thought. My benchmark: the 9:59 lap posted by Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson in a Jaguar (in the dry).

While I was out on the circuit, Katie had stayed in the paddock ("We have two kids!") and met a gentleman from Philadelphia. Dave is a BMW-CCA driving instructor who was bitten by the 'Ring bug a few years ago and now flies over for open track days whenever he can. Being a BMW fan he took note of our easy-to-spot-red BMW and its European Delivery license plates and had come over to say "Hi". BMW people are as nice as Porsche people! Dave very graciously took me for a ride in his automatic BMW 320 rental. I welcomed his explanation of the approach to the various turns and made particular mental notes of areas where his advice and line were different than what I had done on my last few laps. Of particular help was his "miss, hit, miss" guidance for Wehrseifen and positioning advice entering into Pflanzgarten I where I had been consistently early.

After my ride with Dave, I coaxed Katie into taking a ride with Dave as well. She rode up front while I was in the back. Dave was notably more aggressive in this run as the track started to show a dry line. Only once or twice did we hit the wet non-line but Dave's skill easily handled the BMW and we had a great run.

With her bravery partially restored as a result of the run with Dave, Katie agreed to take a lap with me next. Thankfully the dry line persisted, so I was able to drop my time to 9:56. Clearly the two laps with Dave helped, and I was happy to have beaten Jeremy Clarkson! Katie was a bit flustered after the run as it was dry enough out to carry serious speed through the Flugplatz to Schwedenkreuz, down the Fuchsröhre, and up through Kesselchen I & II.

I took my fifth and final lap for the day (I had purchased a 5 lap ticket) by myself and finished in 9:37, a time I was very pleased with given the damp conditions, new 3400lbs, 255hp sedan, and only fifth driving lap on the Nordschleife. Take that, Jeremy Clarkson! (Note that the lap record is held by Stefan Bellof in a Porsche 956 at 6:25.)

It began to rain heavily after that so Katie and I decided to explore Belgium, Luxembourg, and France that afternoon (where, incidentally, it was beautifully sunny). I could not resist the temptation to return to the Nordschleife on Monday however, so we returned for Monday afternoon's open lap session. Unfortunately, a steady drizzle persisted, but I wanted to log a few more "memory laps" before we went home. Katie rode with me for the first lap and then positioned herself in Brünnchen to take some pictures. Incidentally, pictures or video in-car is strictly forbidden for reasons that are not entirely clear. I suspect it is the one liability consideration the track gives to the otherwise carefree air of the public lapping days. Given that I fully plan on finding a way back to the 'Ring in 2006, I did not want to risk putting my name on a black list as a result of in-car pictures or video. I respect the rules and do not want to jeopardize losing privileges to the marvelous place. The mere existence of the circuit is practically a miracle, we all need to respect its sanctity.

My overall impressions of the Nordschleife are hard to put into words. There are at least three to four places where I would chuckle out loud. The jump in the Flugplatz is the first and never ceased to entertain me. I do not have enough seat time to describe the subtleties of the Nordschleife, so at the risk of sounding like the common 'Ring rookie, I will note that Flugplatz to Schwedenkreuz, diving down flat out through Fuchsröhre into Adenauer Forst, the Karussell (faster, but bumpier and tougher on the car than I imagined), and the steep downhill in Plfanzgarten II are perhaps my favorites. Hell, it is hard to choose any favorite section as everything is challenging and there is so much! It is more than simply combining Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, Mosport, and Road Atlanta together. The elevation changes, blind turns, blind brows, and long flat out sections through even more turns and brows, and hills are simply unlike anything I have ever driven. As Jackie Stewart once put it, "There were so many sections where you were just a passenger".

I now fully agree with the 'Rings other nickname, "The World's Greatest 14 miles". It is not a modern and safe race circuit, but it is memorable and unique. They certainly do not make them like they used to.


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

The Nav shows the way!









The way to the 'Ring is well marked!


















The sign says it all!









One's ticket to ride!









It is always good to know where to Zufahrt...









At Zufahrt, about to head out for a lap:









Entering Bruennchen in the 330i.









Leaving Bruennchen in the 330i.









Yes, the Nav will show you the circuit as you drive on it - not that there is any time to look down for a hint of what is next!









The time for my 5th, and partially dry, lap.









Try to note the downhill grade!









Ex Muhle has a very pronounced uphill, easily as steep as the toe at the Glen.









Fine German autos...


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

KrisL said:


> Actually I might do that... as well as photograph for the local CCA newsletter. It's only about a 75-90 minute drive for me.


Sweet... hopefully we'll see ya there! :thumbup:


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

Jupeman said:


> (Lots of pics)


Very nice! What a beautiful place... I SOOO want to go someday...


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## bdraper (Jun 3, 2005)

WOW WOW WOW!!!!! Great write up and excellent photos  :thumbup: 

This must have been an absolute blast! Is your adrenaline still pumping? How did the 330 handle? Thanks for the great post!


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

bdraper said:


> ow did the 330 handle?


You guys have to be gentle with me, because I will confess that I am a die hard Porschephile. Ever since I was a boy I only really dreamed of Porsches and as a result have owned one since graduating from college ("there is a used Porsche for every budget" is my motto!). I have tried hard to maintain my Porsche daily driver for years, but family pressures have resulted in the family Porsche being more of a track/race workhorse and not a daily commuter. I knew that the replacement for our aging Toyota 4Runner would be my daily car, but that it also had to accommodate the kids. No matter how hard I wanted to shoe-horn them into another used 911, they are just getting too big. So, I figured the BMW was the "next best thing" and test drove a 330. I was disappointed.

The 330 felt large and awkward. I expected some of that in a sedan, but I was still left a bit hollow. I let a few weeks pass and didn't even try another car. I figured if the BMW didn't cut it, few other cars would. I mustered up the energy to search the dealerships in my area for a 330 with sport package and was happy to find one (there are 7+ dealerships within 45 minutes of my house). The difference in handling with the sports package was immediately evident to me, just driving in the parking lot. I ordered a car based on that 10 minute test drive alone.

So, fast forward 2 months to my Euro Delivery pickup last week. It did not take long for me to become comfortable and happy with the car. After taking it across the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, I was totally sold. The car is really quite superb. The experience on the Nurburgring only confirmed what I had experienced the six days prior driving it through the Alps: the car is very nicely balanced, has decent turn-in for a front engine car, but is communicative and easy to control. It reminded me a bit of my old 944 Turbo, as you might suspect it would with similar weight distribution. For a four door car that will be driven every day, I am not sure I could ask for a better compromise. It was very comfortable on the street yet was nimble and fun in the twisties and on the track. It is by no means stiff enough for real track work, but I don't want that for the street, anyway. I told Beewang at the 'Ring that I liked the car more than I thought I would. I am anxious for re-delivery!


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## bdraper (Jun 3, 2005)

Jupeman said:


> You guys have to be gentle with me, because I will confess that I am a die hard Porschephile. ...


I don't usually see much of a Porsche/BMW 'rivalry' here as, say the I350 and G35 owners. Perhaps more mutual admiration for great cars. I have never had the chance to be spoiled by a Porsche, so one drive in a BMW was all it took to hook me. How was the weather on the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse when you were there? I took the drive the first week of October and although fog and intermittent rain spoiled the view, the driving was more fun than I had even imagined. I even ran into a little freezing rain and snow near the top! I think that was that drive during my ED adventure where I really felt I was getting very comfortable with the car. Plenty of practice on that road shifting, turning, and braking


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## bdraper (Jun 3, 2005)

Jupeman said:


> You guys have to be gentle with me, because I will confess that I am a die hard Porschephile. ...


I don't usually see much of a Porsche/BMW 'rivalry' here as, say from the I350 and G35 owners. Perhaps more mutual admiration for great cars. I have never had the chance to be spoiled by a Porsche, so one drive in a BMW was all it took to hook me. How was the weather on the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse when you were there? I took the drive the first week of October and although fog and intermittent rain spoiled the view, the driving was more fun than I had even imagined. I even ran into a little freezing rain and snow near the top! I think that was that drive during my ED adventure where I really felt I was getting very comfortable with the car. Plenty of practice on that road shifting, turning, and braking


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## L Seca (Apr 22, 2005)

Jupeman said:


> *They Don't Make Them Like They Used To*
> A Trip to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, October 2005


Great write-up! :thumbup: I think you may be hooked, like a lot of us!

Very impressive times on a wet track, and especially after only 5 laps. :bow: 
Where did you take your lap time measurements?


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Damn!! :thumbup: Fantastic write-up Jupeman  :bow: :bow:


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

L Seca said:


> Where did you take your lap time measurements?


Timing is done "bridge to bridge" (when you pass under the shadows of a bridge just beyond the starting gates... and finishing when you pass under the shadows of a bridge about 1/4 mile before you turn back into the carpark).

I took my measurements by starting a movie recording on my phone. Of course, I kept the phone in my cupholder.. but I stopped the movie at the finish. The phone will show you the length of the movie you took.


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## daoushy (Jul 31, 2005)

With iDrive, the easiest way to time your lap is using the built in stopwatch.. you can see it in one of Jupeman photos.

Jupeman, amazing write up.. makes me totally regret not going there  .. I will sure try next time... hopefully after "break-in" period


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

bdraper said:


> I don't usually see much of a Porsche/BMW 'rivalry' here as, say the I350 and G35 owners. Perhaps more mutual admiration for great cars. I have never had the chance to be spoiled by a Porsche, so one drive in a BMW was all it took to hook me. How was the weather on the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse when you were there? I took the drive the first week of October and although fog and intermittent rain spoiled the view, the driving was more fun than I had even imagined. I even ran into a little freezing rain and snow near the top! I think that was that drive during my ED adventure where I really felt I was getting very comfortable with the car. Plenty of practice on that road shifting, turning, and braking


I agree it is a lot of practice shifting and braking, but it sucked having to keep the car under 4500 rpm at that point - which I dutifully did. The weather for the Grossglockner was perfect, as can be seen here:














































(Actually the weather for the whole trip was perfect, other than for the days around the Nurburgring.  )

I timed from the cones (before the bridge, they are immediately as you enter the track) and then when I had to start braking to enter the pits (first speed limit sign).


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

Also, I had some recommendations to include a track map so that my mentioning the turn names would make sense. Here are two, neither is pefect:

The scale of the map doesn't do the course justice, sadly, as there are many more twists and turns than named turns, but this should provide somewhat of a reference for my writeup above.










It is hard to read the corner names in this one:


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

Fwiw, here is the "Boxster V10" through Bruennchen.


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## Squawks (Aug 2, 2005)

That Boxter V10 looks pretty similar to the Carrera GT...am I being mistaken?

BTW, your writeup was truly informative and very well written. It was pretty well structured and was actually a pleasure to read the way you have it styled. Your pictures are actually incredible - either you have a really really good camera or you know how to use your aperture/shutter 

I believe I will be overly pusillanimous to take my ED vehicle on the 'Ring because the last I recall, BMW will not insure any damages incurred from the 'Ring and now knowing that the 'Ring is simply a public toll road instead of a private, organized race track, which scares me that one can crash into another person (how about following a blind turn?).


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## sunnykk (Nov 1, 2004)

Wow!! Excellent photos. I, so wanna do the ED thing for my next bimmer. Great write up.


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## Dirtboy (Apr 19, 2002)

That's a good write up! :thumbup: 

I should be up at the Ring this Sunday, gotta get as many laps as possible before it's closed for the winter


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## Galun (Aug 14, 2002)

Thank you for the writeup!


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## wag-zhp (Apr 8, 2004)

Jupeman, fantasic write up and photos! :bow: :thumbup: I love your writing style. This was one of the better postings that I've seen here on the 'fest. Thanks for sharing your experience on the the 'ring. :clap:


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Jupe, are you a journalist or something? Either that or you are just very passionate about such things!! Very well done...you should be writing for The Roundel...improve the drivel they've been spewing lately....


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

beewang said:


> Yeah... I was pretty bummed when they first annouced the closure, knowing that it could be close for the rest of the day.
> 
> Your time is excellent Kris, not bad for a nerd  Yeah, I ran into a brit (GB Plate) that wouldn'y let me pass  Really pissed me off how someone could be at the ring and pull something like that :tsk:


You ought to see this video of a chap in a 911GT3 following Ms Schmitz in an E39 M5 in 2004. the Porsche kept up (as you might expect) but the M5 was baulked by various crotch-rockets and their incompetent riders. On the straights they eked out some distance but watching this big, white, 2-tonne sedan hounding these little 800 bhp/tonne pushbikes through the bends was great, and must have been galling if you were the rider.

Anyway, two bikers got all pissy and wouldn't let the M5 past in the last few km, despite being convincingly out-driven, out-cornered and out-lapped. One Italian, one Brit.


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## Jupeman (Aug 13, 2005)

Guys, thanks for the kind words. I'm not a journalist, but a lowly computer consultant with a liberal arts college degree who happened to have 2 hours of battery life left in his laptop on the 9 hour flight home... 

Camera: Canon 20D. Still shots were taken with the new Canon 24-105mm F4/L IS lens. The on-track shots were with Canon 70-200 F2.8/L IS. The pics are a mix of those taken by me and my wife. She doesn't understand photography as well as she should, so I set up the settings for her for the on-track shots. Sadly, though that Carrera GT shot is great, many of our 330i were not (it got too dark between when I made the settings and when I finally arrived around the track to where she was).


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## Squawks (Aug 2, 2005)

Canon 20D?!? That would explain the incredible pictures!!!


:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

I'd like to repost this 'ring pic I snapped:










Also with the 20D & 70-200 f/2.8IS


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## Squawks (Aug 2, 2005)

Wow, what's up with all the graffiti/art/chalking on the track? Is the course not entirely encompassed with a fence?


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## KrisL (Dec 22, 2001)

Squawks said:


> Wow, what's up with all the graffiti/art/chalking on the track? Is the course not entirely encompassed with a fence?


It is.... I suppose you could climb over the fence...

or get someone to throw you out on one lap and pick you up the next..


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## L Seca (Apr 22, 2005)

Squawks said:


> Wow, what's up with all the graffiti/art/chalking on the track? Is the course not entirely encompassed with a fence?


Much of the Ring is adjacent to public roads and trails. Many of the gates are left open, so the track is quite accessible to race fan graffiti artists at night. It's just part of the mystique of the place.

Often, a particular piece of graffiti can serve as a turn-in reference point. One year, there was a complete BMW Roundel painted at the entrance to Wipperman that served as a great corner marker.

Many of the corners have colored dots, squares or triangles painted at the turn-in and apex points to help novices learn the track. Some of these are correctly placed, some are not. But like orange cones used at drivers schools, they are useful reference points.


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## woody underwood (Feb 9, 2004)

beewang said:


> Damn!! :thumbup: Fantastic write-up Jupeman  :bow: :bow:


I added an item to "Things to bring for ED" Mr. Bee might find interesting.


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## MP3_E46 (Oct 30, 2003)

Probably y'all saw this already. The ring was lapped in 6min 55sec last month which knocked 20 secs off the production car record. Britain rules again:

http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=26&nid=120127


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## turpiwa (Jun 13, 2005)

You guys have forced the submission of a change request for my trip  

I think I'm going to give Mont Blanc/Chamonix a miss and head to Nurburg instead!

From what I can see though, the ring won't be open during the time I will be there - 24-25 Nov - drop off is in Frankfurt on the 25th. 

Do you think it is still worth going for a look - are the roads still open or is the ring sealed off? From what I can see there are no events scheduled that week.

I considered reversing my trip - but seeing as the drop off is in Frankfurt (flying out of there) it didn't make sense - although the ring is open on the weekend before  

I think more analysis may be required :thumbup:


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## Wingboot (Jan 8, 2002)

Just my opinion.... It's not worth going if you can't at least watch some cars drive around it from a few different vantage points. You will just see some empty corners if you go when it's closed unless there is a lot of testing or a race going on.


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## M-technik-3 (May 2, 2005)

Ah, man do I miss living there. But damn I hated the Eifel's nasty weather. Bitburg is just down the road on 257 we lived not far from their. You should have swung by and looked up some of the Bimmerforums members that are stationed over there at Spangdahlem and Ramstein were both on the way to Das Ring. 

While you were in the Eifel did you drive up to Spa? It's only 40 more minutes away via secondary roads. Is the A60 still a mess? 

Glad you didn't biff it. I tore my 325T up not far from there, black ice season is upon the Eifel now. Thank goodness for ADAC.


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

M-technik-3 said:


> ....While you were in the Eifel did you drive up to Spa? It's only 40 more minutes away via secondary roads. Is the A60 still a mess? ....


Yes, A6 is still a mess  .

Have not done the SPA, it is now on my to do list for next year 

cheers,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

I'm a bit late on this, been away for a week..... anyway...

:jawdrop: 

Unbelievable Jupeman! I'm very impressed by your writeup! :bow:


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## Dirtboy (Apr 19, 2002)

Sunday the 30th was beautiful! Almost perfect day for the track. There really wasn't much of a crowd and the weather was good. The track was still wet throughout the day though... I managed to get 4 laps in and take a few pics. I'll have to find the time and space to host up my pics.  For now, here's one of me that someone snapped...


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## dlloyd1975 (Sep 8, 2002)

Ågent99 said:


> Jupe, are you a journalist or something? Either that or you are just very passionate about such things!! Very well done...you should be writing for The Roundel...improve the drivel they've been spewing lately....


I'll second that! That writeup would be a *great* Roundel article.


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