View Full Version : Any Tips for Doing The Nurburgring?
talkingfish
07-09-2009, 13:41
Hi All,
Due to pop my 'Ring cherry next weekend (18-19th Sept) when I'll be taking 0425 to RWS Germany as a guest of the RTOC.
For those of you that have been, do you have any hints and tips and / or must see things to do whilst there.
Cheers.
don't blow your gearbox on the autobahn on the way there with 50 miles to go :(
don't blow your gearbox on the autobahn on the way there with 50 miles to go :( :(
Don't hit the armco barriers. They are made of gold and cost £5k each.
Treat it like an unknown A road, not a race track and you will be fine.
Remember you get money for recycling bottles, and cans over there.
white16valver
07-09-2009, 18:03
Don't crash ;)
make sure you carry all your docs with you as the police were pulling quite a few over on weekend we went, as adam said treat it like a unknown A road, its fairly wide most the time although little run off!
dont get into any races lol
richy you cheeky shite, dont get into any races? i seem to remember a certain porsche within, ooo what, two corners into the first lap
in fact within 3 seconds of you saying 'i'm going to take it steady first few laps' you hared after it :roll: :lol:
did you not see my lol :lol:
yeah i know i did kinda forgot the steady bit once i got past the cones lol! :lol: :twisted:
this one....?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/c20rfs/nurburgring%202008/DSCF0376.jpg
stevie_b
08-09-2009, 08:43
You've left it a bit late for revision but there are some good DVDs out there that talk you round the track and the BMW M division notes written by Jörg Müller are quite handy too. If you can't get to see some good footage of a lap beforehand then make sure you go on a few passenger laps to get a very rough feel before you bother driving it at any speed. That said if you take it easy you would be fine - just remember that people must pass you on the left so if you are not going quick then keep an eye on your mirrors and stick to the right with an indicator on if you see stuff coming up behind you.
Make sure your car is in tip top condition before you go. You are going to be giving it hell for around 9 minutes and if it drops any oil or coolant and a bike goes down on it then you are held responsible and are going to have a potentially massive bill to pay :shock:
Is the day you are going on a TF day or is it hired out for the day for exclusive use by the Renault lot?
BigSteveT
09-09-2009, 11:11
Is the day you are going on a TF day or is it hired out for the day for exclusive use by the Renault lot?
General Ring Admission Day. :wink:
Keep:
Aware
Right
Ready to Get the Indicator on
And you'll be fine!
talkingfish
15-09-2009, 09:32
what about insurance? not covered on my regular policy and struggling to find anyone prepared to cover for a few laps of the 'ring..... :(
very unlikely you'll get it, its usual for you european insurance to be retracted if your insurance company even gets wind that you may be going to the ring rather than just 'europe'
stevie_b
15-09-2009, 11:05
They can't retract the European cover part - it's EU law that a policy you buy in one member country covers you for your statutory obligations in the rest of the EU. That said you will find it near impossible to find an insurer who will specifically cover you at the 'Ring - nearly all exclude it by name or by design with 'one way toll roads' etc. excluded. Many regular users would be happy to pay for insurance on the 'Ring but I don't believe anyone has found anything out there. It is a concern as not only do you have damage to your own car to worry about but they charge you per metre of armco you might touch (even if it may have dents in it from previous accidents and is still serviceable you might get charged) and since the armco is three sections high in places that's 3x the per metre charge. A chap in an M3 went off just in front of me and went sliding down the armco for quite a distance until the car came to a stop - I spoke to him in the cafe afterwards to check he was okay and he said that armco bill alone was over 15,000 Euros. They also charge you for any time that they close the track as a result. It can get even worse than that - there is an ongoing case where someone's car dropped some fluids on the track and a bike later went down on it. The biker was seriously injured and the claim is for well over 6 figures, which is going to be an issue if insurance is not there to pick it up for you. Be aware of the risks and drive accordingly - or if you don't like the idea of driving without the insurance safety net then there are days where the track is booked out as a track day and you do not have these liabilities you could look out for (RMA track days, etc.)
Thoughts of that M3 bring me on to another tip - carry one of those high vis vests in the car somewhere where you can grab it in a real hurry. As I came over the crest before Pflanzgarten I just caught sight of something in the corner of my eye and instinctively started braking. A few feet further on as I crested the brow I saw a child, the M3 driver's son, running up the track towards me waving a hat (a high vis vest would have been better, but the hat worked!) and next I saw the M3 sideways across the track with most of the front end trashed and mud pulled all over the track. Had I not seen the kid a second or so before I was able to see the scene of the actual accident I think there is a distinct possibility that I may have gone over that crest and not been able to stop before hitting the M3, or at the very least lost the car at high speed as I took to the grass in avoidance!
Something in this fashion would be just fine. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqZO-xURLqc
cliokongen
15-09-2009, 11:26
Might be interesting for you lot.... :)
http://www.nurburgmotorsport.com/Insurance.html
http://www.nurburgmotorsport.com/Insurance-FAQ.html
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default ... ryId=20312
my recommendation would be the Argentinian fillet steak from Pistenklause!
£100/day for tpo insurance? flol
stevie_b
15-09-2009, 19:56
TPO for track damage only, not any other third party. And it's for just 8 laps - might not even be a full day! And you need to add on the cost of labour to have your car checked over first before they allow you to buy it - might be another 50 quid or more. You'd have to be very risk averse or pretty sure you will clout a barrier to get value :lol: Not worth bothering with IMO.
my recommendation would be the Argentinian fillet steak from Pistenklause!
Yes! 8)
stevie_b
28-09-2009, 10:41
How did you get on? Was the circuit full of Renaults that day!?
BigSteveT
28-09-2009, 14:53
He did Just fine :wink: 8)
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn259/BigSteveT/WSR%20Nurburgring%2009/DSC00483.jpg
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn259/BigSteveT/WSR%20Nurburgring%2009/DSC00484.jpg
talkingfish
29-09-2009, 09:09
I'll put a post up with piccys and a report soon.... arrived back safe and sound though... :D
stevie_b
29-09-2009, 20:11
Great, I look forward to reading that. Glad you had fun. I'm off there again this weekend - I hope the dry weather holds!
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