Date : July 2005
Car : Porsche 993
Nurburgring ability : Beginner (probably need at least another 50 laps under the belt until I can even consider myself as more than just a beginner at this place!) , so the following is an account by a first timer..
Epic in every sense..
At 13.5 miles in length it's a long lap with the track surface being more road like unlike a proper race circuit. In the dry it is a constant rush of accelerating-braking-cornering-accelerating but in the wet it is indeed slippery.
As a first timer there is no real way to explain the driving sensations out on the ring, I'd seen pictures, videos and even played the computer games to get an idea of what it would be like, but the reality is very much different.
So whereas all these videos and games make it look more open, out of your own controlled enviroment, the barriers are closer, the trees are almost on top of you in most sections that make the track even smaller, the bumps are real over the various track surfaces and the changes in camber on and off line are quite unbeliveable.
Most of all, the changes in elevation is somthing that no game or video can prepare you for, going up the like of Exmuhle and Qulddelbacher-Hohe almost feel like you had just approached a wall of tarmac and then going down the likes of Fuchsrohre and Pflanzgarten II are just like rollacoaster rides !
Every lap requires commitment, as driving into a blind corner where there is little or no run off area is a challange, as on a Public day there all sorts of vehicles on the ring and you never know what you may be greeted by around the next corner, i.e. oil on track, an accident, deers ! This place is an epic adventure and must be treated with complete respect, even after my 17 or so driven laps there were still sections that I was getting lost on !
A ride with a member of the Ringers list is a must as these are the people who know the way around, as there are actually white dots on the circuit to mark the turn in points, which I had never noticed. Traffic can be a problem as it can get busy and for car drivers badly driven motorbikes can be a real hazard, not forgetting that almost anything is allowed on, so apart from almost every make of car and bike watch out for the odd Transit vans or coach !
The exploits of JC and Top Gear have brought the Nurburgring Nordschileife into the public eye, so it is really getting busier and busier where on most public weekends the car park is packed and there will be long queues to exit the circuit. The rules of the circuit are slightly different to a trackday as it is a public derestricted one way toll road, so worth checking and if you do have an incident and cause damage to an Armo barrier, the circuit will expect you to pay for it!
What I found it that when I had a minor moment it's very easy to loose one's rythme and then make the next set of corners a mess before getting it back together and getting back to speed, which is important before you get passed by the stevie wonder bikers club or bullied off the line by some manic driver!
These are some of the many flavours of my experience, but in the end (and here is the clincher) even for a normal driver in a mere 993 I found the holy-grail of driving experiences, I am definately hooked and I will be making another pilgrimage there in the near future.