nurburgring ring

[irishandy]

I was thinking of driving my Williams 2 to the nurburgring ring for a lap or two next year as I have always wanted to go and I feel the car is ready- I think!

I have never had the car on a track and drive it hard the odd time but not at high speed.

Would the clio be capable? - my mechanic has concerns that the gear box in the williams may not be up to the job aswell as the head gasket for the sort of punishment it will get.


Has any one been in a Williams?

[Jaymzfc]

Hi, You can drive anything on the ring, you see everything from Vans to gt-r's, so the willy will be more than capable.

However, and this is my opinion of course. Do you have a few quid put away? have you seen the costs god forbid you have an accident on the ring, imagine your pride an joy breaking down and being unfixable, and having to get it back to the UK.

Still would love to do it myself at somepoint.

[stevie_b]

As long as the car is capable of a 13 mile drive (which it must be if you are planning on driving all the way out there) then it is definitely capable of managing a lap or two. It is how you respect the car and the track in those few miles that are going to dictate whether it takes you home afterwards as well though. If you have never been on a track day before and drive it as an interesting country road rather than treating it as a race track you should be fine. To be honest, you are going to find it challenging enough for the first two laps to remember where it goes to worry too much about trying to push hard, or you should be.

There is nowhere else on earth like it so I would highly recommend your trip. You may find that once you have been you end up making regular trips! Just bear in mind that there are risks (the tragic accident with the death of the Clio passenger last month being an example) and leave something in reserve for such situations. Also check the wording on your insurance policy as many now exclude the 'Ring and will try to reclaim any 3rd party payouts they have to make.

As for whether a Williams has been there before then I have seen one there at least a couple of times. One was Dutch and I think I posted a picture on here at the time.

[chip]

Some of the best holidays Ive had have been over at the ring, but my advice would be to treat it more like a b road you know there are no police on than a track, if you drive 100% committed on track its inevitable that at some point you will leave the tarmac and I can tell you form personal experience (6K euro bill) that when that happens at the ring its a very unforgiving place.

Drive it at 8/10ths, dont bother timing yourself, and just enjoying learning the lines and the amazing atmosphere.

[irishandy]

I have looked into what can happen and you just need to look at youtube to see that it don't even have to be your driving that can get you in a crash.

Before I go Im going to take out Euro AA cover plus get insurance for the ring from a specialist. I want to be able to relax when Im there and not be worrying about other stuff.

Cheers for the advice I think driving it like a b road ( country road) and just enjoying the experience is the right thing to do.

Is there a best time of year to go? and is anyone else planing to go next year?

[chip]

Best cover to get if you can be bothered to arrange it is ADAC cover.

That includes recovery off the ring if you break down on the track, where as AA doesnt and you will get a bill for recovery (about 150 euros IIRC) if you have a breakdown on the track itself.

I normally go a couple of times a year, I cant really say what is the best time as it depends what you are looking for, some people enjoy the track and paddock area very busy, others would prefer it quiet so they get more time on track (im of the latter frame of mind)
Any english bank holiday tends to be absolutely rammed.
Bare in mind that if it rains there isnt a great deal else to do (although if its your first trip the museum is worth a look, and there is offroading just down the road that runs in the rain too although its a relatively simple course so you get bored eventually and there is karting in the museum) so basically if you have gone there to drive the track and then cant, its not a great trip, so for that reason the summer months tend to be a safer bet.

Make sure you check the timetable as it varies massively what days or evenings the track is open, so you need to make sure that there is sufficient tourist time on the track for what you want to spend there.

Its getting quite expensive as a holiday now, the euro bolstering against the pound and some inflationary increases have made food there for example roughly twice the price that it was about 8 years ago when I first started going.
I think a realistic budget (if you dont crash, lol) for a long weekend for two people in one car is around 1000-1500 pounds depending on if you take into your budget that you'll probably wear out a set of tyres and brake pads etc if you do a lot of laps.

[Wobba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRC2ChgSpo0

[stevie_b]

Before I go Im going to take out Euro AA cover plus get insurance for the ring from a specialist.

Good luck finding that. Are you in Ireland (just guessing from your user name) as maybe you might have other options there, but I'm not aware of anyone in the UK that will insure you on TF? As chip said, if you are spending some time on the 'Ring it is worth getting the ADAC cover rather than buying the AA European upgrade perhaps.

Sorry, to go back to the risks thing again, but take a lid and wear it. Have a high viz jacket on the passenger seat or somewhere you can immediately grab it and the main office number in your mobile phone in case you need to flag to others spilt fluids/breakdown/accident or call it in. Make sure you apply for an EHIC card and take it with you in case the worst happens and you need assistance. If you are driving slowly then try to keep to the right as by law people should be overtaking you on the left.


Is there a best time of year to go?

The NS is at quite high altitude in places so gets the weather and so I wouldn't bother in the winter when it can easily get snow and ice. I don't even enjoy driving it in the wet to be honest, and only time I felt compelled to (no prospect of weather improving during my visit) it was tricky even with 4wd! For that reason I try to stick to summer visits May-October, as although they are busier you get a better chance of getting some dry lapping. If you are just going for a leisurely lap or two to say you have been there then I guess the weather isn't so much of a concern.


is anyone else planing to go next year?

I'll certainly be going a few times next year, if time permits.

[chip]

Ring insurance is a grey area, I claimed on my normal road insurance when I crashed there, but that was about 7 years ago now and i know that insurance companies have started having a go at adding exclusions since.

Bottom line though is that it IS a public highway, and you REQUIRE a minimum of 3rd party insurance by german law to drive on it as per any other public highway in germany.
Its illegal under EU legislation for an insurance company to withhold 3rd party cover on any road in a member state which requires insurance.

If you have the wrong accident there, the bill could easily be 200K due to the extended liability under german law versus UK law, they see an event that you put in progress as your fault, so if you drop oil for example and someone spins on it 5 minuntes later, they can claim off you, where as in the uk I dont think that would ever happen.

As per the advice above, its crucial you have a reflective jacket with you to jump out and wave at oncoming traffic.

[irishandy]

Cost is an issue and add in an extra ferry trip to Ireland and it all adds
up - realistically I may only go once or twice in my life.

Id definitely prefer it to be quiet so there was less cars on the road which means less stress for me being a Nurburgring virgin.

Thanks guys I will check out ADAC . As for Specialist insurance I thought Id seen somewhere in a Mag or site that you could get it but maybe not I was not sure.

You guys seem to know what ur talking about and Stevie_b I bought a Helmet about a year ago so thats sorted! … I just cant under stand how anyone would drive on it with out one.

If you guys are going over and want some one to make you look good on the ring then im your man :driving:

[chip]

Ive never worn a crash helmet at the ring, unless you are in a car with a cage i dont really see it as particuarly important.

Ive been involved in two accidents there, once as driver and once as passenger but neither have made me think I need a crash helmet.
In reality you are more likely to exagerate whiplash with the extra weight of crash helmet, so I reckon I would have been injured worse wearing one than I was not wearing one TBH

If you work on the logic that you are safer with one you may as well wear one on the road all the time, lol

Because of all the armco crashing at the ring in a car is a relatively safe hobby, its only on a bike that you are massively at risk of personal injury rather than just wallet/pride/car damage.