My Nurburgring Sotry (Long with pics)
04-06-2009, 03:01 PM
#1
Team HOTHOT!
Thread Starter
My Nurburgring Sotry (Long with pics)
So here is my story of this years first trip to the infamous Nurburgring - Enjoy 
So there we were. 1 week to go and still a few bits left to do on the car. No trip to the 'Ring is the same without the last minute rushing about and dash to get the car in a fit state to withstand a few laps of the Nordshleife.
What was left to do? Well after the LSD conversion and repairing of the rear splitter just a basic check over, thankfully. Unfortunately this proved to be rather somewhat expensive and £200 later I come away with new front discs and EBC Yellowstuff brake pads – Luckily I had anticipated the need for better pads but negated to check the discs until 3 days to go – In good old typical fashion the front discs were buggered with lips on them bigger than a mountain ridge with extra ridgeness. Funny that, according to the service history they were changed only 1500 miles before I bought the car. On closer inspection the rears had been changed and noted as the fronts – not to worry. It saves a set of discs there I guess.
So the day of reckoning has arrived. It’s Saturday morning and the car is fully loaded with camera gear, clothes, food, a few motoring essentials and all that is left to do is wash and wax and then fuel and go – Excellent
The time was getting on after washing and waxing and it was soon 1500 – only 30 mins before I need to set off to pick my passenger (and co-incidentally my significant other) up from his house. The inevitable shit, shave and shampoo was al I had to do. Time now being 1525 – the car is warming up and ready. Up to the Shell station to fill up and reset all the MPG, Speed and Mileage counters. Sorted – on our way at last
The trip to the ferry was nothing special, after all, there is no point in getting the hammer down while in the UK, when there is a perfectly good Autobahn to enjoy at the other side of the ferry
Sunday morning and we arrive in Rotterdam, a quick check of the fluids before disembarkation and all is good. Fire up the motor and flick the lights on to be greeted by “check parking lights” on the computer – cock, one of the angle eye bulbs has popped. Not to worry, unplug the other and make it even – joyous
After getting thru customs quite quickly (for a change) its time to hit the road - So off we go and head onto the motorway in the direction of Venlo. Just as we hit the (deserted) motorway we head into some rather pleasing tunnels – sunroof open, drop a few gears and hammer the pedal into the carpet – such a noise from the V8, not too loud but loud enough to bark and roar through the tunnels with a big grin on my mush.
Not much over an hour later (and 90 miles) we get to Venlo – this is a busy town on the Netherlands and German border, with the added bonus of going through the town and straight onto de-restricted autobahn – yummy!
So that’s 1 Autobahn, 1 155mph car and 1 mad driver – that’s a recipe for fun (and sometimes disaster :mrgreen: ). Manual mode selected and the flappy paddles on the steering wheel are as ever perfect for the job – the Big5 races thru the gears, 90mph, 100, 110, 120, 130mph and BANG – Fuck me, that was a bit scary. Out of the corner of my eye I had seen a rather large bird emerge from the hedgerow on the side of the road and before I knew it, the little (big) bugger had embedded itself into the drivers side wing, got entangled in the wheel arch and torn itself to pieces leaving the entire drivers side of the car covered in blood and a massive ball of erupting feathers in the middle of the road. Shit – that’s going to be expensive. We stopped on the hard shoulder and I braced myself for the headlight, bumper and wing being demolished but no, a small dent and lots of red mess and the lovely aroma of cooking bird on the exhaust – I suddenly felt hungry! Could have been worse, could have been my mirror or windscreen! No harm done in the grand scheme of things, but I did get a bollocking for killing an innocent bird (innocent my arse, the bird had suicidal tendencies :mrgreen: )
At this point I would normally get a picture of the mess, but with the camera (stupidly) packed deep in the boot behind everything I missed the opportunity for that photo, especially as my next thought was to get to a service station and wash the side of the car with whatever came to hand first!
After a brief hose down and a splash of fuel (and a drink for myself) at the next service station it was time to crack on and get to the hotel in Heirshbroich. Not far to go now, only 90 miles or thereabouts we make it without anymore bird kills. The only things that are dead are all the bugs that are now adorning my windscreen and entire front end of the car.
Arriving at the hotel was a welcome relief on the bladder, in my haste to get there I neglected to empty and was in quite a bit of pain. Check-in and direct to the bog we go.
Normally the ‘Ring isn’t overly busy when we go, but with this being a bank holiday weekend in Germany it was absolutely rammed solid – No chance of getting a cheeky lap in today as the queues are stupid long and the track is shut every 5 mins because of some cheese on a bike wanting to get intimate with the Armco (usually a British biker as well). Now being a biker myself I can see the attraction, but I can also see the danger, 4 wheels here for me!
So this gave some time to relax and chill for a bit and inspect the damage that the bird did. A few snaps of the dent and the remains that didn’t get washed off:
Now, the German style plates I have on the car are considered to be illegal in the UK for obvious reasons. They are also illegal in Germany for obvious reasons too. After chatting to a friend who was with us he said to cover the D with a GB sticker. Unfortunately that isn’t easy so out with the blue insulation tape and marker pen and we have makeshift GB plates to keep the German Police happy :mrgreen:
This worked well and no-one moaned at me for it neither – all is good
The time was ticking on and after a nap it was feeding time – Up to Pistenklause for the evening meal – good job I had rung up earlier in the week and booked a table as it was rather busy. The usual steak on a stone was delivered to the tables and we consumed while swapping stories about events of recent – Its bizarre that you only get to see someone you consider a good friend (who lives 180 miles south) for any length of time in another country, but this is what the ‘Ring is about – bringing you together with friends
After the feeding and drinks we went back to the hotel for more beer. While on the terrace of the hotel we got chatting with a couple of chaps from up Preston way, one with an Audi R8 and the other with a new Scooby – both superb blokes. The chap with the Scooby (Mick) had booked the Ring Taxi for a lap and offered us the other 2 seats for the bargain price of €30 each – I nearly ripped his arms off for that and myself and Alex were then excited like a child at Christmas. This was going to be something special.
Monday came and with the morning spent checking the cars over and Alex doing his brakes on the Skyline we were killing time until 1045 when we set off to sign in at the ‘Ring taxi office.
Alex playing with the brakes on the Skybus:
I forgot to mention earlier that I took 2 passengers, one being the other half and the other being Flat Eric
Then we go – we make our way up to the Nordshleife main entrance point and park the cars, sign on and wait for our lap in the E61 M5 with the SSG gearbox – Stunning piece of kit!
While we wait the car park is as you would expect – pretty much automotive pornography, the only problem being you get bored of seeing Porches all the time, except in bright orange – the GT3RS looked stunning in orange with its Carbon Ceramic brakes too!!!
While I was snapping a few cars and waiting for the Taxi, someone parked this heap of junk next to my car
Such a stunning car (and a nice Ferrari too!) – there must have been at least £10,000,000 of cars in the car park with the multitude of Ferraris, Porches, BMW M6’s, M5’s and a Mercedes McLaren SLR too for good measure!!! A petrol heads wet dream IMHO!
But our attention was diverted suddenly by the return of the Ring Taxi’s to the barriers – we’re next up and off we go. Our driver was a chap called Phillip (probably a different spelling in German) who spoke amazing English for a German chap – He is a bit of a poser too!!
We strap ourselves in and Phillip explains the car a bit to us and pressed the button marked “M” With this pressed, the car sets itself up in Sport mode with no DSC and puts the SSG gearbox into mode 7 – ultra ferocious. With this done Phillip hoofs his right boot into the carpet and the car rockets off giving us all a dose of whiplash – all 500BHP down into the road with precision accuracy. This man certainly can drive. We asked him if he would give it a cheeky drift here and there, but they are forbidden from doing it “officially” but in his own words “We make clouds for crowds” – Yep, that’s clouds of tyre smoke as we slide graciously round many of the corners at breakneck speeds!
I could go on for hours and hours about how good the ‘Ring taxi is, but you really need to go for a ride yourself. The car is amazing and completely standard bar a set of uprated brake pads on the front. Absolutely stunning, it makes the E39 (as good as it is) look a bit Mickey Mouse in comparison!
The end of the lap came round quickly and we wanted more – much more, but we couldn’t so had to go be heroes in our own cars
From Left to Right – Me, Alex, Mick and Phillip (The driver)
So its time to get the Big5 on track at long last – all fluids are good, everything is out of the boot and we are good to go – A couple of cheeky laps ensured and lots of fun was had – the flappy paddle gear change on the steering wheel was perfect on track, negating the need to remove my hands from the wheel – A worthy investment for anyone who uses their Autoboxed E39 hard.
The E39 was absolutely flying round and all was good for 2 laps then the track shut with the inevitable biker loving the Armco again
That’s it for today, back to the hotel and then out for the beer.
Tuesday comes and the track is only open in the evening, so we are at a loss as to what to do. The castle in the village of Nurburg is always a good wander round, especially in this sun, and the views from the top are simply amazing – so that’s what we did!
After spot of dinner at the café at the bottom of the castle boundary, we headed back to the hotel to decide what to do for the next couple of hours while waiting for the track to open. We decided that a quick trip to the Karrussell was in order to do the usual tourist thing and sign the track. So that is what we did – “Team HotHot” for our group, the obligatory Passionford.com tag and a cheeky Forum.bmw5 tag as well just for you (not sure if you will approve, but there are registered companies who have their name graffitied on the track too )
Also, a “special” bit of writing on the Armco just for Alex :mrgreen:
But before we did that, I wanted a photo of myself sat in the Karussell – And why the hell not!
My mush in the Karussell:
Here is the obligatory scribbling upon the sacred tarmac and Armco!
And finally, the special bit for Alex:
So with that done we headed back down to the hotel (which is only a 20 min walk from the Karussell up some rather offensive steep hills!!) to get the cars ready for the afternoon session.
Up to the track we go. I have 3 laps left and intend to make use of them – Out we go for the first lap and what a belter it is, coming in at 9:26 with traffic. The LSD certainly making good for putting the power down on the road here! Then yet again the track is shut – the time is 1755 and the track shuts at 1930 for the day – Not good this, 2 laps left on the ticket and the track is shut on the last day, Shit! 45 mins later the track re-opens and I hotfoot it out onto a deserted track – clean air, no traffic and superb weather, the perfect combination. The car is once again absolutely flying and then out of the corner of my eye as we head down the sweeping left at Metzgetsfeld, 2 birds fly right in front of me and only 1 emerges – shit shit shit. Undeterred I continue to hoon it round – I’m determined this bird strike (the second now of the weekend) isn’t going to spoil my day and it doesn’t – it hit the NSF fog light cover, pushing it back and leaving the bird dead and trapped in the void behind – serves it right!
Oh well, It can live there until I get home I guess.
A quick cool down round the village roads and its back out for the final lap of the trip – lets make this a good one. The car being as usual, in perfect working order and off we go, not too concerned for going fast as any time better than 9:30 is good for me this weekend, but more concerned with looking good – DSC off, LSD operational, Sport Manual mode selected and the car is wild in the corners – throw it in and feel it slide, hold it on the power and keep it going – This LSD certainly does a wonderful job! The end of the lap is upon us and the stopwatch in the boardmonitor records a 9:19 from Bridge to Gantry – not bad at all considering there was a bit of traffic and plenty of showing off for the crowds :mrgreen:
A nice gentle cool down drive and I park up in the car park only for Alex to come over and say “your diffuser is missing!!!!!” What? Missing? – He was right, the damn thing had melted off with the heat from the exhaust tips – Bugger
Oh well, A good enough excuse to get my Carbon Fibre diffuser ordered
So that’s it really – My Nurburgring Story for the early 2009 trip. I had a fantastic time and loved every second of the trip, the highlight being the lap in the Ring Taxi – That was just a case of right time right place!
2 final photos – 1 of me stuffing my face at Pinocchio’s and one of the Big5 on track going round Hocheichen.
So there we were. 1 week to go and still a few bits left to do on the car. No trip to the 'Ring is the same without the last minute rushing about and dash to get the car in a fit state to withstand a few laps of the Nordshleife.
What was left to do? Well after the LSD conversion and repairing of the rear splitter just a basic check over, thankfully. Unfortunately this proved to be rather somewhat expensive and £200 later I come away with new front discs and EBC Yellowstuff brake pads – Luckily I had anticipated the need for better pads but negated to check the discs until 3 days to go – In good old typical fashion the front discs were buggered with lips on them bigger than a mountain ridge with extra ridgeness. Funny that, according to the service history they were changed only 1500 miles before I bought the car. On closer inspection the rears had been changed and noted as the fronts – not to worry. It saves a set of discs there I guess.
So the day of reckoning has arrived. It’s Saturday morning and the car is fully loaded with camera gear, clothes, food, a few motoring essentials and all that is left to do is wash and wax and then fuel and go – Excellent
The time was getting on after washing and waxing and it was soon 1500 – only 30 mins before I need to set off to pick my passenger (and co-incidentally my significant other) up from his house. The inevitable shit, shave and shampoo was al I had to do. Time now being 1525 – the car is warming up and ready. Up to the Shell station to fill up and reset all the MPG, Speed and Mileage counters. Sorted – on our way at last
The trip to the ferry was nothing special, after all, there is no point in getting the hammer down while in the UK, when there is a perfectly good Autobahn to enjoy at the other side of the ferry
Sunday morning and we arrive in Rotterdam, a quick check of the fluids before disembarkation and all is good. Fire up the motor and flick the lights on to be greeted by “check parking lights” on the computer – cock, one of the angle eye bulbs has popped. Not to worry, unplug the other and make it even – joyous
After getting thru customs quite quickly (for a change) its time to hit the road - So off we go and head onto the motorway in the direction of Venlo. Just as we hit the (deserted) motorway we head into some rather pleasing tunnels – sunroof open, drop a few gears and hammer the pedal into the carpet – such a noise from the V8, not too loud but loud enough to bark and roar through the tunnels with a big grin on my mush.
Not much over an hour later (and 90 miles) we get to Venlo – this is a busy town on the Netherlands and German border, with the added bonus of going through the town and straight onto de-restricted autobahn – yummy!
So that’s 1 Autobahn, 1 155mph car and 1 mad driver – that’s a recipe for fun (and sometimes disaster :mrgreen: ). Manual mode selected and the flappy paddles on the steering wheel are as ever perfect for the job – the Big5 races thru the gears, 90mph, 100, 110, 120, 130mph and BANG – Fuck me, that was a bit scary. Out of the corner of my eye I had seen a rather large bird emerge from the hedgerow on the side of the road and before I knew it, the little (big) bugger had embedded itself into the drivers side wing, got entangled in the wheel arch and torn itself to pieces leaving the entire drivers side of the car covered in blood and a massive ball of erupting feathers in the middle of the road. Shit – that’s going to be expensive. We stopped on the hard shoulder and I braced myself for the headlight, bumper and wing being demolished but no, a small dent and lots of red mess and the lovely aroma of cooking bird on the exhaust – I suddenly felt hungry! Could have been worse, could have been my mirror or windscreen! No harm done in the grand scheme of things, but I did get a bollocking for killing an innocent bird (innocent my arse, the bird had suicidal tendencies :mrgreen: )
At this point I would normally get a picture of the mess, but with the camera (stupidly) packed deep in the boot behind everything I missed the opportunity for that photo, especially as my next thought was to get to a service station and wash the side of the car with whatever came to hand first!
After a brief hose down and a splash of fuel (and a drink for myself) at the next service station it was time to crack on and get to the hotel in Heirshbroich. Not far to go now, only 90 miles or thereabouts we make it without anymore bird kills. The only things that are dead are all the bugs that are now adorning my windscreen and entire front end of the car.
Arriving at the hotel was a welcome relief on the bladder, in my haste to get there I neglected to empty and was in quite a bit of pain. Check-in and direct to the bog we go.
Normally the ‘Ring isn’t overly busy when we go, but with this being a bank holiday weekend in Germany it was absolutely rammed solid – No chance of getting a cheeky lap in today as the queues are stupid long and the track is shut every 5 mins because of some cheese on a bike wanting to get intimate with the Armco (usually a British biker as well). Now being a biker myself I can see the attraction, but I can also see the danger, 4 wheels here for me!
So this gave some time to relax and chill for a bit and inspect the damage that the bird did. A few snaps of the dent and the remains that didn’t get washed off:
Now, the German style plates I have on the car are considered to be illegal in the UK for obvious reasons. They are also illegal in Germany for obvious reasons too. After chatting to a friend who was with us he said to cover the D with a GB sticker. Unfortunately that isn’t easy so out with the blue insulation tape and marker pen and we have makeshift GB plates to keep the German Police happy :mrgreen:
This worked well and no-one moaned at me for it neither – all is good
The time was ticking on and after a nap it was feeding time – Up to Pistenklause for the evening meal – good job I had rung up earlier in the week and booked a table as it was rather busy. The usual steak on a stone was delivered to the tables and we consumed while swapping stories about events of recent – Its bizarre that you only get to see someone you consider a good friend (who lives 180 miles south) for any length of time in another country, but this is what the ‘Ring is about – bringing you together with friends
After the feeding and drinks we went back to the hotel for more beer. While on the terrace of the hotel we got chatting with a couple of chaps from up Preston way, one with an Audi R8 and the other with a new Scooby – both superb blokes. The chap with the Scooby (Mick) had booked the Ring Taxi for a lap and offered us the other 2 seats for the bargain price of €30 each – I nearly ripped his arms off for that and myself and Alex were then excited like a child at Christmas. This was going to be something special.
Monday came and with the morning spent checking the cars over and Alex doing his brakes on the Skyline we were killing time until 1045 when we set off to sign in at the ‘Ring taxi office.
Alex playing with the brakes on the Skybus:
I forgot to mention earlier that I took 2 passengers, one being the other half and the other being Flat Eric
Then we go – we make our way up to the Nordshleife main entrance point and park the cars, sign on and wait for our lap in the E61 M5 with the SSG gearbox – Stunning piece of kit!
While we wait the car park is as you would expect – pretty much automotive pornography, the only problem being you get bored of seeing Porches all the time, except in bright orange – the GT3RS looked stunning in orange with its Carbon Ceramic brakes too!!!
While I was snapping a few cars and waiting for the Taxi, someone parked this heap of junk next to my car
Such a stunning car (and a nice Ferrari too!) – there must have been at least £10,000,000 of cars in the car park with the multitude of Ferraris, Porches, BMW M6’s, M5’s and a Mercedes McLaren SLR too for good measure!!! A petrol heads wet dream IMHO!
But our attention was diverted suddenly by the return of the Ring Taxi’s to the barriers – we’re next up and off we go. Our driver was a chap called Phillip (probably a different spelling in German) who spoke amazing English for a German chap – He is a bit of a poser too!!
We strap ourselves in and Phillip explains the car a bit to us and pressed the button marked “M” With this pressed, the car sets itself up in Sport mode with no DSC and puts the SSG gearbox into mode 7 – ultra ferocious. With this done Phillip hoofs his right boot into the carpet and the car rockets off giving us all a dose of whiplash – all 500BHP down into the road with precision accuracy. This man certainly can drive. We asked him if he would give it a cheeky drift here and there, but they are forbidden from doing it “officially” but in his own words “We make clouds for crowds” – Yep, that’s clouds of tyre smoke as we slide graciously round many of the corners at breakneck speeds!
I could go on for hours and hours about how good the ‘Ring taxi is, but you really need to go for a ride yourself. The car is amazing and completely standard bar a set of uprated brake pads on the front. Absolutely stunning, it makes the E39 (as good as it is) look a bit Mickey Mouse in comparison!
The end of the lap came round quickly and we wanted more – much more, but we couldn’t so had to go be heroes in our own cars
From Left to Right – Me, Alex, Mick and Phillip (The driver)
So its time to get the Big5 on track at long last – all fluids are good, everything is out of the boot and we are good to go – A couple of cheeky laps ensured and lots of fun was had – the flappy paddle gear change on the steering wheel was perfect on track, negating the need to remove my hands from the wheel – A worthy investment for anyone who uses their Autoboxed E39 hard.
The E39 was absolutely flying round and all was good for 2 laps then the track shut with the inevitable biker loving the Armco again
That’s it for today, back to the hotel and then out for the beer. Tuesday comes and the track is only open in the evening, so we are at a loss as to what to do. The castle in the village of Nurburg is always a good wander round, especially in this sun, and the views from the top are simply amazing – so that’s what we did!
After spot of dinner at the café at the bottom of the castle boundary, we headed back to the hotel to decide what to do for the next couple of hours while waiting for the track to open. We decided that a quick trip to the Karrussell was in order to do the usual tourist thing and sign the track. So that is what we did – “Team HotHot” for our group, the obligatory Passionford.com tag and a cheeky Forum.bmw5 tag as well just for you (not sure if you will approve, but there are registered companies who have their name graffitied on the track too
)Also, a “special” bit of writing on the Armco just for Alex :mrgreen:
But before we did that, I wanted a photo of myself sat in the Karussell – And why the hell not!
My mush in the Karussell:
Here is the obligatory scribbling upon the sacred tarmac and Armco!
And finally, the special bit for Alex:
So with that done we headed back down to the hotel (which is only a 20 min walk from the Karussell up some rather offensive steep hills!!) to get the cars ready for the afternoon session.
Up to the track we go. I have 3 laps left and intend to make use of them – Out we go for the first lap and what a belter it is, coming in at 9:26 with traffic. The LSD certainly making good for putting the power down on the road here! Then yet again the track is shut – the time is 1755 and the track shuts at 1930 for the day – Not good this, 2 laps left on the ticket and the track is shut on the last day, Shit! 45 mins later the track re-opens and I hotfoot it out onto a deserted track – clean air, no traffic and superb weather, the perfect combination. The car is once again absolutely flying and then out of the corner of my eye as we head down the sweeping left at Metzgetsfeld, 2 birds fly right in front of me and only 1 emerges – shit shit shit. Undeterred I continue to hoon it round – I’m determined this bird strike (the second now of the weekend) isn’t going to spoil my day and it doesn’t – it hit the NSF fog light cover, pushing it back and leaving the bird dead and trapped in the void behind – serves it right!
Oh well, It can live there until I get home I guess.
A quick cool down round the village roads and its back out for the final lap of the trip – lets make this a good one. The car being as usual, in perfect working order and off we go, not too concerned for going fast as any time better than 9:30 is good for me this weekend, but more concerned with looking good – DSC off, LSD operational, Sport Manual mode selected and the car is wild in the corners – throw it in and feel it slide, hold it on the power and keep it going – This LSD certainly does a wonderful job! The end of the lap is upon us and the stopwatch in the boardmonitor records a 9:19 from Bridge to Gantry – not bad at all considering there was a bit of traffic and plenty of showing off for the crowds :mrgreen:
A nice gentle cool down drive and I park up in the car park only for Alex to come over and say “your diffuser is missing!!!!!” What? Missing? – He was right, the damn thing had melted off with the heat from the exhaust tips – Bugger
Oh well, A good enough excuse to get my Carbon Fibre diffuser ordered
So that’s it really – My Nurburgring Story for the early 2009 trip. I had a fantastic time and loved every second of the trip, the highlight being the lap in the Ring Taxi – That was just a case of right time right place!
2 final photos – 1 of me stuffing my face at Pinocchio’s and one of the Big5 on track going round Hocheichen.
Last edited by Graceland; 07-06-2009 at 12:52 PM.
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04-06-2009, 08:56 PM
#11
Too many posts.. I need a life!!
Good write-up fella, proper put me in the mood for it now Me and a friend are seriously considering going this year for the first time as we've been saying we want to go now for god knows how long!!
Roughly how much money do you think you'd need to do a trip the same as yourselves did including ferry costs, fuel, hotel etc etc?? (I know fuel costs will vary depending on what car/driving style etc etc but just a rough guide would be great?!)
Me and a friend are seriously considering going this year for the first time as we've been saying we want to go now for god knows how long!!Roughly how much money do you think you'd need to do a trip the same as yourselves did including ferry costs, fuel, hotel etc etc?? (I know fuel costs will vary depending on what car/driving style etc etc but just a rough guide would be great?!)
07-06-2009, 12:51 PM
#23
Team HOTHOT!
Thread Starter
Now then Mick - Thank you for the opportunity to have a ride in the taxi - it was absolutely something else
Did the email arrive with the hi-gh res version of the pic?
Did the email arrive with the hi-gh res version of the pic?
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