Nurburgring Trip 2008?

[N8]

Hi Guys,

For my cousin's 24th birthday next summer , I thinking of organizing a weekend trip to Nurburgring next June 2008. Just wondering how many people from this forum :thumbsup: would be interested in joining us? The more the better! Never been to the ring' before so its an experience I would like to cherish!

Thanks

Nathan

 

[Von Maximo]

Hi Nathan

If I had an S3 I'd be there with you But just wouldn't find it as much in a TDI But who knows what the future brings.

 

[Staz]

Nathan, what date is his birthday anyway? I've already let my mate who has an R32 know. I can ask him to plan the stuff for our end in advance too.

By the way where was the hotel you mentioned?

 

[N8]

I like making use of the icons vonmaximo! lol. Here is the package I have found, doesn't list the hotel name, I'll give the guy a ring tomorrow.

http://www.thenurburgringexperience.co.uk/site/booking.htm

You guys who have more experience, may have more knowledge, so please correct me if I need it!

Thanks

 

[Jo Sharp]

I'd come along to join in...I live less than an hour away so I might be able to help with arrangements for you.

 

[N8]

Really? Excellent! Where abouts do you live jo?

 

[Staz]

I like making use of the icons vonmaximo! lol. Here is the package I have found, doesn't list the hotel name, I'll give the guy a ring tomorrow.

http://www.thenurburgringexperience.co.uk/site/booking.htm

You guys who have more experience, may have more knowledge, so please correct me if I need it!

Thanks

The hotel looks good, not far from the main entrance. The only thing is, do you really need a guide to take you to the ring and show you about? I mean you drive there, go to the ring, go around it as many times as neccessary get ******, get up the next day, go around to the viewing points and then do a few more laps before you drive back in the evening or the next day. You can also take a trip to the Grand Prix track which is very easy to find and get a tour there if you want.

Also at night we all go on the **** in Adenau which is at the top end of the ring. We try to get accommodation (including buffet breaky) around there. It's further away from the track entrance but you have a car to get there anyway and taxis can be a drama if you want to get to/from Adenau from Nurburg.

It's completely down to you mate how you do it, and the prices you quoted are not bad either. But I wouldn't bother. Closer to the time if you want we can book accommodation for anyone that needs it and we'll show you around as much as needs be.

 

[N8]

Nathan, what date is his birthday anyway?

His birthday is July 9th, but we'll end up going last weekend in June because our other cousin is a footballer and his training will have started up again. His TT is 330bhp , so we need him there

 

[N8]

Thanks for the post, good knowledge!! Cheers

 

[Beddie]

Nathan,

I've been twice this year in the oil burner and will be going back in May next year with a trip to the VW factory and Autostadt at Wolfsburg on the way home time permitting,
You'll love it mate, a great place and a chance to take the car around probably the worlds best known track, even the drive there and back is a giggle when in convoy... :icon_thumright:

I'd recommend a crossing with P&O ferries from Hull over to Rotterdam mate as it's just so much quicker for us NW guys - 130 miles to Hull versus 330 to Dover and the journey from rotterdam to the ring is shorter by around 50 miles compared to Dunkerque - ring

The hull crossing will cost around £220 compared to £80ish for Dover but factor in a tank less of fuel just for the UK leg and the fact you get 12 hours on the ferry and can have a drink and a kip and break up the journey and all the while avoiding the nightmare of the M6/M25/M20 then i think it's well worth it imo..

Have a look around the various ring forums for recommendations as where to stay but you can't really go wrong tbh, eating out is cheap enough and good places plentiful (pinnochio's in Adenau and the Pistenklause in nurburg village etc)

Plenty to do and see, obviously lapping the ring but deffo visit the museum mate and go for a drive on some lovely local roads!

We prefer to organise it all ourselves rather than the package route as it's a good bit cheaper and adds to the spirit of the trip we find

Good luck with it mate and p.s. i havent forgot your test drive pal... :icon_thumright:
Steve

 

[N8]

Thanks for the advice Steve!!! Was just about to say about the test drive, I can't wait to see how a mapped 140 drives. It was in april when I test drove the A3, forgotten what it was like already, good chance to analyze the build quality etc again. Thanks

 

[Staz]

pinnochio's in Adenau

Just don't ask for a large beer there if you're driving, it's a litre



I was going to suggest a ferry crossing other than the Dover dash too. I normally get the Harwich - Hook of Holland on my travels. There used to be a fast ferry but now it's just all day or all night. It's worth paying the extra though to get the rest, save fuel, save miles and a few beers with your mates while you talk about who is going to be fastest around the track!

 

[Beddie]

Just don't ask for a large beer there if you're driving, it's a litre

I found out the hard way lol, luckily the wife could drive back, although they do have an even larger 'large' beer, 2 litres of Bitburger...

 

[Beddie]

Here's our version of the Red Arrows... well they are red and did have smoke trails coming out the back lol!

 

[Staz]

I found out the hard way lol, luckily the wife could drive back, although they do have an even larger 'large' beer, 2 litres of Bitburger...

Yeah we were joking about that when we saw the glass on the shelf in the corner. It was a weizen beer wasn't it?

ANYWAY lol yeah last weekend in June sounds good. Weather should be better next year too hopefully.

EDIT: Where that second red A3 is is the exact spot I nearly spun out on my last trip. It's just before the straight(ish) going toward the cat litter isn't it?

 

[N8]

That picture is great beddie, and yeh thats why I wanna go in June

 

[Staz]

As we're posting pictures...

 

[N8]

Nice pic. Bet you can't wait for the S3!!

 

[Staz]

Yeah can't wait to take it around the track. Don't think I'll put the 'ring sticker on the back of this one though. I put it on my A3 as you can see on my avatar then a few months later in my home town I saw this:

 

[Deleted member 22276]

Last time I went was new years day, so the weather wasnt perfect! My mate nearly stacked my car (A3 2.0FSI) three or four times! - thank god for ESP! Going to prague for new years this year (via the ring weather permitting), so, provided my friends and I manage to avoid the armco I'm keen for a trip in the summer Got a mate with a new TT who might be keen too.

 

[N8]

Excellent, the more the merrier

 

[fesss_84]

certainly a possibility, if i do my mate might come along, even tho he's got a honda Civic type R 2.0 petrol.

this will be a good holiday infact, just thinkin of it is getting me excited...the cars goin to get a beating for all its got, thats for sure lol

 

[gr1zly]

I would like to go, propably with me will be some S3, EVO and STI from poland

 

[Amchlolor]

I'm taking the D3 in August, on way back from Czech motoGP.

 

[paracoche]

it is really a nice idea
if I am there, I will go

 

[Staz]

it is really a nice idea
if I am there, I will go

Please everyone put it in their diaries then

LAST WEEKEND IN JUNE - NURBURGRING

 

[N8]

Well done Staz, its good to see that you're up for it!! Excellent.

 

[Staz]

Well done Staz, its good to see that you're up for it!! Excellent.

No chance of anyone not hearing about it now with my new sig :icon_thumright:

 

[N8]

Thats what I like to see! You gonna mod your S3? You gotta map it, at least!

 

[Staz]

Thats what I like to see! You gonna mod your S3? You gotta map it, at least!

The bluefin unit from my A3 is going in the post today. They'll send me a back a blank handset ready to use when I get the S3.

Thinking about coilovers and spacers but I want to put the rest of my savings elsewhere so I probably won't.

Other than that I don't think there's much you need to do to an S3. It's pretty mega already!

 

[N8]

Well there's always things you can do :icon_thumright: Well done for the remap though. 300bhp/301ft-lb will be tasty

 

[mrsteve]

id be up for this as long as i dont think im playing forza ill be fine...

Currently have a 2.0tfsi but trying to find a nice s3 to replace it, how long in advance would i need to book accomodation?

Thanks
Steve

(also whats deal with insurance? track day i assume, tho parts are road...:/)

 

[fesss_84]

i'll c u guys there, are those dates for definate because i will need to book holidays in advance from work

 

[Staz]

id be up for this as long as i dont think im playing forza ill be fine...

Currently have a 2.0tfsi but trying to find a nice s3 to replace it, how long in advance would i need to book accomodation?

Thanks
Steve

(also whats deal with insurance? track day i assume, tho parts are road...:/)

There are plenty of places to get accommodation in nearby villages. Obviously the earlier the better. We have booked only a week in advance and got a place in a village just north of Adenau. Plenty good enough.

Insurance is a bit a of an issue. Obviously you need a green card to get there. On the track you do not need insurance but you will be in trouble if you damage your own or someone elses car.

Many people say you are covered by insurance anyway because it is classed as a toll road. Most insurance companies therefore state that you cannot drive on the Nurburgring by name. You can get insurance to cover you while you're there but the excesses are HUGE (5000 euro we were quoted) and they cost a lot in the first place (300 euros for 1 day).

We had EU insurance anyway but we didn't bother with getting 'ring cover (finar finar) and took the risk. Of course it was a huge risk but we knew what we were getting into. I just took it a lot easier on each lap instead.

The most common crashes are from Brits though apparently. It's very strange but British culture just seems to mass produce complete idiots who think they're rally drivers. Most crashes we saw ourselves were Brits too even though we weren't a majority there. One lad was crying because his Corsa chav-mobile was wrecked. He was concerned about his stereo because the trucks turned up to carry it away to a garage. The fact that he'd picked up a bill for 3000 euro for damaged armco (12x 250 euro) or the fact that he had no ride back to the UK didn't seem to be at the front of his mind. And the 7 second ring king was there with us too. A VXR220 lost its front end. A big merc estate spin and crashed right in front of us while we were watching from Brunnchen. Plenty more others too.

 

[N8]

Wow! You need to get used to the track. I heard its £15 a lap, how does the payment work? Cheers lad!

 

[Staz]

Wow! You need to get used to the track. I heard its £15 a lap, how does the payment work? Cheers lad!

Top tip to get yourself used to the track, play GT4. I did and it taught me exactly where that bit is that LOTS of people come off the track at lol. It really does help with learning it though, it's fecking HUGE.

It's 19 euro for 1 lap and 64 for 4. There are other deals but I think the next one is for 10 laps. You may expect to do loads but 4 laps at 20km is enough really. Especially as you'll do other laps with mates too.

You can pay by cash or card. It's one of the only places I've every been to in Germany (including IKEA) that accepts a UK credit card! There are vending machines just like at a modern car park or you can use the desk in the office.

In return you get a card, again just like a car park card, that you put into the barrier machine, it rises and off you go. It's pretty unreal because you expect to go through some scary paddock with everyone watching you and some complex process to get a ticket but it's easy.

I'd like to post pictures of the car park and all that but don't have them with me.

Anymore questions please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[N8]

How long is a lap 7 something miles? I've got the whole video clip on the Zonda F going round in 7m something, so I'll keep studying that. How do u know what time u did the track in? The Corsa XVR did it in 8m 47s beating the E46 M3, so I'll use that as my guide. Anything near 8minutes I've heard is an excellent time!

 

[Staz]

How long is a lap 7 something miles? I've got the whole video clip on the Zonda F going round in 7m something, so I'll keep studying that. How do u know what time u did the track in? The Corsa XVR did it in 8m 47s beating the E46 M3, so I'll use that as my guide. Anything near 8minutes I've heard is an excellent time!

It's 22km mate!!

Basically you leave the entrance at the very end of the main straight, it bends very gently to the left and downhill and there's a gantry over the track, that's the start line. Then once you go all the way round to the start of the main straight there's another gantry (you can see it in that video I posted before with the Audi rings on it) and that's the finish. You simply time it by having a mate with his stop watch. Or if you're filming it it's better because you can use the counter. I always forgot to stop or start my timer as I was too excited lol

EDIT: Just so you know, when the manufacturers do their timings they start and finish at the same point in a different place so their timing would be different from the tourists. ie longer!

If you can beat 10 minutes on your first lap you're doing well. I think my mate in his S3 got around 9 minutes. Not many normal cars can get past that really. Sub 9 minutes takes cars like the ones you listed. Either big powerful or small and nimble.

To be really honest the time doesn't bother you. You can't really treat it like a race as you don't leave at the same time. And even if you are racing a mate or someone else it really doesn't matter. I had a cooper S follow me around one lap until the karousell. An M3 cut me up going into it and then the mini went through too. I couldn't catch it back up after that. I was adament that it had been chipped but we spoke to the driver after and it was standard! He was shocked when I said mine was 240bhp! I didn't get any stick for being slower because noone was really bothered. I certainly wasn't. Minis have sublime handling, A3 s-lines are for cruising at high speeds.

Simply having the courage to go round the track is an achievement. You'll drive away from there feeling like a new man.

 

[N8]

Every1 is different I suppose, I'll be keeping an eye on lap times to see how good people's driving skills are!!! Is that track open 7 days a week? We'll be going on a friday and coming back monday so I expect we'll be going on it saturday and sunday!!! But yeah you're right, an A3 s-line with coilovers will handle superbly though :icon_thumright:

 

[fesss_84]

Insurance is a must, i wouldnt tae my car anywhere near the track without insurance....thats just insane and illegal. and im one of those brits who thinks he's a rally driver, loool i wish!!!!! wouldnt mind being one though