NURBURGRING TRIP 2022!

Introduction

My 2020 birthday gift from the family was that I was going to get to visit the Nürburgring so I could achieve one of the goals on my bucket list, which was to drive on the Nordschleife, the world’s longest track. Practically speaking, this meant that we were going to make sure that our next family trip to Europe included a visit to the Eiffel Mountain region of Germany. Due to travel restrictions, the trip could not take place in 2020 or 2021. For 2022, Alex was planning to attend two conferences in Europe in June so we agreed that the boys and I would join her in Paris and then we would all head to Germany after a couple of days. The plan was to spend 15 days in Germany out of a 21-day trip (we would head to Strasbourg and Paris at the end of the trip).  

Planning

We started planning the trip in April, reserving Airbnb’s that allowed free cancellation, as well as a rental car (for the road, not the track) that could also be cancelled if needed. Indeed, right up until we left, I was not getting my hopes up about the Nürburgring part of the trip, since there was no way to know what could come up that would ruin our plans.

The most enjoyable part of the planning stage, of course, was researching which car I would rent for my laps on the Nürburgring. You don’t go on the track with your regular rental car because a) you’re not insured and b) it’s usually a bit of a boring car and not adapted to a race track. Ideally, I wanted a front wheel drive car with around 150-200 hp, basically something similar to the Honda track cars I have owned over the years. Also, I wanted one of the lower cost options because I preferred to have more laps rather than a more expensive car. I was getting a good picture of what was available on the market, but I didn’t want to reserve a car until the last minute, because of the risk the trip was cancelled and also because I didn’t want to end up doing all my laps on a rainy day.

There was also the issue of the track being available for Tourist Drives (TF). On the days we would be in the region, the track was only open for two hours each evening, except for July 3^rd, a Sunday, when there would be TF from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. On the other days, there were race events or track days. If I had had a much larger budget, I would have wanted to sign up for a track day (around 1000$) and do 20 or 25 laps in a rental car (around 2500$ more). On a track day, there are pretty much only track cars and race cars. During TF, basically anybody can drive almost any type of car on track, so there are minivans and 911 GT3’s…. but there are many more track cars than unmodified “regular” cars on track. Race cars aren’t allowed on TF, unless they are street registered (which a great many of them are somehow!).

Another factor, of course, was cost. I have always been budget-conscious about car stuff so that I could keep enjoying this hobby year after year, and I had to keep the cost of this trip reasonable as well. When you calculate the cost, you can’t just take into account the cost of the rental, because you have to take into account the amount of the insurance deductible if you crash the car. These deductibles ranged from around 3000€ for an economy car to 50 000€ for a Porsche GT3. As you might guess, I was interested in the cars with the lowest deductible. I wanted to support Apex Nurburg, because I am a big fan of the YouTuber Misha Charoudin, who puts out almost one video per day from the Nürburgring, usually about car stuff and often about what you should know when planning a visit to the track. However, even their cheapest car, a BMW 218i (3-cylinder version we don’t have in North America), had an 8000€ deductible. Instead, I contacted a company that advertised an Alfa Romeo 159 with a 3000€ deductible (and a 200 hp V6 in a FWD car), but I was informed that the car would not be available this season. I was disappointed, as that car was inexpensive and met all my criteria. There were several places that offered modern hot hatches, usually turbocharged, but the deductibles were high. There were also a couple of places that offered 10-year-old BMWs with around 200 hp and roll cages. These were interesting, but not as affordable. I decided that my first choice would be a place that rented a 10-year-old Ford Fiesta ST, which was FWD with a normally aspirated 150 hp engine. The car weighed only about 1000 kg, so it sounded like a fun package. I decided this would be my first choice for the rental car. As for the date, I would arrive in the area on Friday July 1^st, when there would be two hours of TF in the evening. On Saturday the 2^nd, there was an RCN club racing event all day, and there were supposed to be 2 hours of TF in the evening. However, someone told me that if there is a problem with the track requiring a major cleanup, TF often gets cancelled after a club event. Then there was the full day of TF on Sunday the 3^rd, when I hoped to get in my laps, hopefully 10 of them. A lap of the Ring takes around 10 minutes (for a noob) so 10 laps would be like 100 minutes of track time, about what you get on a decent track day. That would be enough for me (and it would still be an expensive proposition, by my standards). So my plan was to check the weather in the days before our arrival, then try to book the Fiesta for the 12-lap package for the Sunday TF (their 12-lap package was as cheap as the 10-lap packages of other companies).

Arriving in Germany

The beginning of the trip went well, except for the fact that our flight to Paris left 9 hours late and we ended up spending 13 hours in an airport with less than half the restaurants open. Paris was lovely and then we took an efficient train ride to Frankfurt, where we took possession of our rental car (a new Opel Corsa, 3-cylinder turbo 100 hp, 8-speed automatic). 

Our trusty Opel Corsa

Driving in Germany was pretty painless, but I was often unsure about the speed limit on certain stretches of highway. I didn’t get passed by people driving over 200 km/h like you see on TV… We had planned to visit Koblenz and Trier before heading to the area of the Ring, and it was agonizing to see on Google Maps that I was less than an hour’s drive from the track, but there was no point in heading straight there with so few TF hours available. By Wednesday the 29^th, it was clear enough that the weather was not going to be terrible on Sunday, so I called my first choice rental company, the place that had the Ford Fiesta ST. The person who answered the phone told me someone had had a mis-shift in the Fiesta and blown its engine only a couple of days earlier, and that it would not be repaired by the weekend. I was offered an Audi TT or Nissan 350Z at a sizeable discount, but even with the discount, they were not cheap and neither was the type of car I was looking for. I was disappointed about not getting the Fiesta (which was also the least expensive car on my list), but at least I hadn’t missed out because of my last-minute booking: even if I had booked it a month earlier, it would still have had the blown engine when I needed it. Undeterred, I called my second choice, Apex, to see if I could book the 218i, but it was a bit complicated. They said they had slots in the morning of the Sunday, or after 1:00 p.m., so I couldn’t just take the car for the day. Also, they had no instructors available and I really wanted to have an instructor on my first lap. I had to figure out my next move. A well-respected place called Rent4Ring had a fleet of Suzuki Swifts, a perfectly acceptable car, but they were not really cheaper when you booked 10 laps instead of 2 or 3, and the insurance deductibles were not that low for what is an inexpensive car. There were a couple of places that rented street-legal race cars, mainly BMW 3-series, and this seemed like a good option, so I called one of them, a place called Jaco’s Paddock that was not in Nurburg itself but in another nearby town, Barweiler. The person who answered was Jaco himself, and we discussed the idea of me renting their E90 BMW 325i. He told me that it was not sure I would be able to have access to the car, as it was participating in the RCN races on Saturday and he could not guarantee it would be in one piece on Sunday. He was also unsure about having an instructor available on Sunday. Jaco was not able to talk longer at that time so we agreed to speak again later that evening. In the meantime, I contacted Apex by email to see if I could do 2 laps in the 218i on Friday evening, and then at least I could get my instructor laps done before Sunday. When I spoke to Jaco later in the evening, he proposed to me that I rent a 125i hatchback instead of the 3-series. He said it would be a better car for a newcomer as it was an automatic, but the main selling point was that it was not participating in the Saturday races, while 5 of his other BMWs were. He was willing to let me have it for the same price as the 325i (essentially giving me a 20% discount) and also lowering the insurance deductible to match the one of the 3-series. I was interested, and I then proposed to him that I do 2 of my 10 laps on Friday, the first with an instructor, and the other 8 on Sunday. He liked this idea and we agreed on the plan. He asked me to confirm our conversation by email and I asked him what time to show up on Friday, knowing TF started at 5:15 pm. He said 4:30 and just like that, I had my car pretty much booked, with an instructor, for 10 laps on two different days! I was pretty excited about it all. I looked at the specs of the car on Jaco's website: basically, it had a stock drivetrain, so about 230 hp from a 4-cylinder turbo, and KW suspension. I was not too worried about the car being rear-wheel-drive as it was not terribly powerful and I do have some experience with rear-drive cars on track. I was not thrilled about the fact that it was an automatic, but I was happy to have booked a good car nonetheless. I initially felt a bit bad for Apex, as I had asked them to book the 218i on Friday, but they eventually emailed me that the car was unavailable. On Thursday, I texted Jaco to confirm all was OK and got no response, but I wasn’t worried, as I was sure everything would be fine.

Friday in Adenau

On Friday, we finally made our way to the area of the Nürburgring. The track is so big that it’s not actually located in any single town… it’s spread across several towns. The access to the track itself is located in the town of Nurburg. From my (fairly extensive) research, I could see that most of the services, like stores, restaurants and hotels were in the nearby town of Adenau, about a 10-minute drive from the track entrance. As a result, that’s the place I chose for our Airbnb rental. There were not that many choices with free cancellation, but I had found one less than 1 km from the town center.

As we approached Adenau, it began to feel surreal for me… We were seeing more and more track cars on the road, mostly BMWs and modified hot hatches, and once in a while we would drive under the actual track and hear the cars going by. As we came into Adenau, it was like arriving in some fantasy land for car enthusiasts, as there were Lotuses, M3s and Cayman GT4s on almost every corner and in the parking lots of the stores. I couldn’t believe we were here. I have been to major car events before, but only as a spectator. This was different… even if only for a few laps, I was going to get to drive on the Ring. The track really is like the Mecca of track enthusiasts, as people visit from all over the world to drive there. We passed some of the car rental spots with BMWs and Golf GTis with “Rent Me!” stickers on them. The town’s businesses were clearly geared towards enthusiasts of the track.

The plan was for me to drop the family at the rental apartment and then drive the Corsa to Jaco’s to meet him at 4:30. The family loved the vacation apartment , it was basically the whole upper level of a good-sized suburban house, and it even had a massage chair (which the boys loved, of course).

The view from our apartment

Picking up the car

In my enthusiasm, I ended up arriving at Jaco’s more than half an hour early. I had not bought my lap tickets online yet (you get a discount buying credits online) because I wanted to be sure things actually worked out with my rental. I did not want to pay for credit I would not use if I ended up having to rent somewhere that had all-inclusive packages, for which I did not need lap tickets. Anyway, when I got to Jaco’s, there was nobody there. There were a couple of cool cars (Cayman, E46 M3), but no Jaco and no other employees. Also: no 125i. Clearly, I was in the right place, I thought. I texted Jaco to tell him I was there. No response. I was a tiny bit worried.

I decided to just call him and he picked up right away. He noted that I was more than a little early (true) and told me that he was on his way. He said that the 125i had been rented that day for a track day and the he wanted to clean it up and check it out before handing it over. He told me to come back at 4:45. I felt immense relief, and completed my transaction to buy my lap tickets on my phone. As I was doing this, Jaco actually showed up and we met face to face. I was super excited and Jaco was really friendly. I figured it would be weird to hang around while he checked over the car, so I went for a little drive. I decided to drive to the town of Nurburg for the first time. I drove past Apex, and it looked exactly as it was supposed to, complete with all their rental cars parked out front, as well as their Ring Taxis (I did not see Misha among the people hanging out in the parking area). I drove past the famous Pistenklause restaurant and onto Nürburgring Boulevard… it was all just as it had appeared on the internet. I was so excited just to be there, and again, it didn’t seem real to me... it was like being on the set of your favourite movie. It was almost time to head back to Jaco’s, so I drove back at a leisurely pace and Jaco and his employee (or partner?) were cleaning the car. He was very efficient. He showed me the car, got me a helmet (clean and near new), and told me we were just waiting for the instructor to arrive. We signed the rental agreement and I took a moment to look over the car. It was very clean… it had the complete OEM dash and steering wheel, Sparco race seats, Schroth harnesses and a full cage. The seat was adjustable, as was the steering wheel, and I looked for my ideal seating position. I heard Jaco complaining about someone texting him, saying “why doesn’t he just call like a normal person!”, and I immediately understood why I would sometimes get no response when I texted him! He got on the phone and told me that there had been a misunderstanding and that I was to meet my instructor at the track. He gave me the keys and told me to drive over there. He also told me not to take the car on Nürburgring Boulevard, as there was always a chance of getting pulled over by the police when driving a caged and stickered car. I asked how I would recognize the instructor at the track, and he laughed, saying that the instructor would clearly recognize the car when it arrived. Duh… I was so nervous by this point that I had forgotten how to get back to the track, so I programmed my destination into my phone (I used Devil’s Diner, the restaurant in the track access parking lot, as a destination) and put my phone in the cup holder.

My rental 125i at Jaco's Paddock

Hitting the track

As promised, as I entered the car park, a guy flagged me down and hopped into the car. He introduced himself: George (I later found out it was actually Jorg). We chatted a bit. He asked me how much experience I had on the Ring and was a bit surprised when I said “zero”, but he did not seem too worried. He told me to just leave the transmission in full automatic and said we could head out. He said that we would talk after the lap, unless he had something urgent to say while we were on track. I had hoped for turn-by-turn instructions, but I wasn't going to complain. I couldn’t believe it… this was it. It was all happening so fast… I had seen it on YouTube so many times watching Misha… you just drive up to a gate like at a parking garage, put your card of phone on the scanner, the barrier lifts and you are on the track! 

Actually, if you don’t have a physical card to show at the barrier, it’s a bit more laborious… you have to scan a QR code on your phone, and the scanner at the barrier does not work very well with phones… then one of the course workers brings out a little hand scanner, and in our case, it still didn’t work. Then the guy pressed something on my phone and the QR code was gone from my screen. We ended up moving out of the line and going back around to get out of the way of other drivers. I managed to log into my "Green Hell" account and get my QR code on the screen again, and then the attendant activated the gate and we were off. We set out between two rows of cones, just like in my simulation, except there was a portable speedbump in real life. After the cones, one can accelerate hard, although I wasn’t confident enough to go flat out. I was a bit overwhelmed by it all, because, it was all happening so fast. Jorg and I had just been chatting in the parking lot and now were on the actual Nordschleife only a minute later.

The first part of the track is basically the end of Dottinger Hohe straight and the easy corners after the straight can be taken at pretty high speeds, but I was conservative there. When we got to T13 and the corners at Hatzenbach, I had a clear picture in my memory of simulation laps (thanks Assetto Corsa!) to push a bit more, but it wasn't long before we were being caught up by much faster cars. Jorg hadn’t said much so I asked him how I was doing and that seemed to be enough to prompt him to give me almost corner by corner instructions, as I had hoped for. Sections like Flugplatz that were easily flat out in my game were intimidating in real life. Still, some of the reference points from the game appeared in real life, so I think my line was not too bad. My speed, however, was very low and I was waving by Porsches and other BMWs. As we approached Schwedenkreuz, Jorg reminded me to lift or brake before and go through the corner on the gas. I could sometimes feel a delay between the moment I stepped on the gas and the moment the car actually accelerated, because of the automatic transmission.  I felt confident through Arenberg and then much less so through Foxhole, since it's hard to see the line all the way through. Jorg had told me to generally avoid the curbs, and I took that advice seriously in the faster bits. I had a bit of a sloppy line through Adenauer Forst before recognizing where I had to be for Metzgesfeld 1 and 2. I recognized Kallenhard when I got to it. We arrived at Miss-Hit-Miss and the line was more obvious in real life than in the game, as I was able to take the three rights with a single steering input. I felt I knew what to do in Wehrseifen and Ex-Muhle. I was soon at Bergwerk and just like that, I was at Kesselchen. In any low-powered car, you can easily go flat out through the first part of Kesselchen, but it doesn’t feel that way on your first ever lap in real life! As a result of going into the section conservatively, the closing speeds of the other cars are really high. I managed to keep out of others’ way. Jorg rarely hesitated to remind me that “this can be taken flat out” or “normally we take this corner at 140”. I believed him in my head, but I would need a lot more laps before trying it out myself. When we arrived at Mutkurve, I could see why people slow down there, although I didn’t really have to, since I was already going so slowly. I knew what to do at Steilstrecke and then I was approaching the legendary Karussell. I braked and dropped onto the asphalt patch (too early, as pointed out by Jorg) and it was as bumpy as expected, although manageable. Then came a whole section around Hohe Acht where I was a bit overwhelmed and did not remember the corners too well. Before I knew it, I was a Wipperman, but I hardly recognized the corners. Then I arrived at Eschbach and Brunnchen and I remembered what came next. Again, I was conservative through Pflantzgarten and the Bellof esses. I felt I knew what to do at Schwalbenschwanz and I also knew there were several rights coming up for Galgenkopf, although again, these corners were much more intimidating (and felt off-camber) in real life than in the game. I floored it down the straight and the lap was over. I had survived. I’m pretty sure I had managed to see each approaching car in my mirrors without Jorg pointing them out. Among the cars that passed me was a Lancia Delta Integrale… unbelievable. My first lap had gone by so fast… there was no time to think between corners… the next corner was always coming up so fast, even at my reduced pace. Everyone always says that the simulator cannot prepare you for the awesome elevation changes on the track, and it’s true. However, I can’t say that I was in a position to really notice the elevation… there was just so much going on for me: learning the real-life track, learning the car, looking out for fast-approaching cars in my mirrors, slowing down for the two spots on the track with temporary speed limits… it was a lot, and I can’t imagine doing my first laps without an instructor.

We exited the track and parked in the parking lot closest to the gate, which I understood was supposed to be for people who are actually going to go out onto the track. There are several other close-by parking areas if you just want to see the cars going on track and coming off. It was time to talk about the lap with Jorg. I asked for his feedback and I can still remember some of it. He said I should brake harder and for less time to avoid overheating the brakes (makes sense, and I would apply this on subsequent laps, as I gained confidence to brake later and harder). He also told me I should use more of the track. This also made sense, and I knew that by trying to avoid the curbs, I was overdoing it and not using the full width of the track. He said he liked the way I drove at Brunnchen, which was cool, although I did not remember being any better there than elsewhere. I mentioned to him that sometimes, when he said I should be on the throttle, I actually was, but there was a delay due to the automatic transmission changing gears, and the Dynamic Stability Control cutting the power. I had not been sure if I had booked one or two instructor laps, but Jorg suggested we do our second lap right away as there were often closures during evening TF (so I guess it was 2!). Also, he had to get his race car through scrutineering for the next day’s event (an E90 3-series, not one of Jaco’s). We headed out for the second lap and it was pretty similar to the first lap, but at slightly higher speeds. I had a bit more confidence, but I know I was still slow. I had passed exactly one car: a recent Mustang Bullitt. After the lap, I chatted more with Jorg, he reiterated some of his advice from earlier, and recommended I drive the car in “manual mode” and maybe with fewer driver aids. I had a lot to think about before doing the rest of my laps, but luckily, I would have a lot of time to do it, since I would not be driving again until Sunday. I parked the car in one of the secondary parking lots because I just wanted to walk around, take photos, and soak up the atmosphere. That atmosphere was amazing… men and women just like me who were here for the same reason as I was. There were the ring taxis, some regulars, and a few rental cars, as well as cars from all over Europe here to tackle the Ring. It was amazing… cars that would have been rare anywhere else in the world were common here: 992 GT3’s, Yaris GR’s, Lotus Exige Cups and so, so many modified BMWs. I asked a Scandinavian-sounding biker if he would take a picture of me with the 125i, and he happily obliged. After a quick lap of the main parking lot, I figured Jaco was probably waiting for me so I decided to bring the 125i back to the shop so that I could come back with the Corsa to take more photos and just hang out at one of the coolest spots on Earth (for a car enthusiast, at least). On the way back to Jaco’s in Barweiler, I shifted the BMW’s transmission into manual mode. I also realized I hadn’t even been in Sport mode when driving earlier, which could explain the sluggish throttle response. In a few minutes I was at Jaco’s and he greeted me warmly. I handed him the key after telling him all had gone well. He looked at me and decided I should just keep the key since no one was using the car Saturday. This way, he would not have to wake up as early on Sunday since he wouldn't have to meet me here. He recommended I get an early start on Sunday, which had been my plan all along, as there would be much less traffic at 8am on a weekend day of TF than later on in the day. I drove the Corsa back to the track entrance and parked in one of the secondary lots. Jorg had told me I could get a physical card to access the track instead of pulling out my phone, so I went into the ticket office, and by the time I had finished explaining what I wanted, the attendant had already made me my card (which is now a nice souvenir). I walked around and took about 100 photos of the wide variety of cars on hand. 

Two Cayman GT4s at the ticket office

Apex's 4-seat Schirmer race taxi

Two of the most common cars at the Ring

M4 and Seat

Elise and E90 M3

American and German Muscle

Cool and slightly ratty S2000 from the UK

New F8

GT3 taxi and Electric taxi of the future

Working on a lovely R33 Skyline

Low-dollar alternative

Sweet vintage Opel

As I had seen watching YouTube videos, there were mostly BMWs and Porsches, VW GTis and their Seat counterparts, Renault Sport Meganes and Clios, and a few more McLarens and Lotuses. There were also a few Civic Type Rs and other cool Japanese cars, as well as several Hyundai N-cars. Just as you would see at any track day, there were people working on their cars, including a guy laying on the ground in the parking lot trying to fix something underneath his R33 Skyline GTR. As I wandered around, I wondered if some people make the trip and are content to just soak it all up without actually driving on the track at all… I’m sure it would still be exciting to go to the car park, do some car-spotting, and just hang out. There is also the option of paying for a taxi lap and being driven around the track at ludicrous speeds (but that costs 300€). I saw that the passengers in the AMG GTR cars actually don race suits, which are lent to them as part of the experience.  As TF was winding down, I decided to head back to Adenau and tell the rest of the family about the experience so far (I had already texted Alex earlier that my laps had gone well). I stopped at the Rewe supermarket and ate a delicious tuna sandwich, still on the high of having driven the track. A track-ready British E46 M3 parked right in front of me while I ate, just a normal sight around here. Before heading up the hill to our rental house, I parked near the center of Adenau and walked around for a few minutes, taking in the ambiance and taking more pictures of the track cars parked all over the town center. Only when I got up to our “suburban” street did I really leave the world of fast cars, as our street looked like any other German residential street.

The plan for Saturday was to spectate a bit, as there would be a full day of racing on the track. Jaco would have 5(!) cars running in one of the events, which would take place at around noon. I hadn’t done too much research about spectating, so I figured it would be easiest to just head to Brunnchen and watch the action with hundreds of other people.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, the four of us made our way to Brunnchen as planned. There were quite a few people, but it was not yet crowded. As expected, the parking lot itself was an amazing place to spot cool cars, including many classics and sports cars. A rare Porsche 918 Spyder arrived and parked just after we did. There were cars on the track, but they were not going that fast and we noticed that each car had a co-driver. Many of the drivers were honking and waving as they passed us. We assumed it was some sort of rally-like event. Some of the cars looked almost completely unmodified, but their crews seemed as if they were enjoying themselves. At one point, I got stung by a bee or wasp on the arm, which was surprising and painful! After a while, a bunch of proper race cars hit the track, including several of Jaco’s cars, each with a different flag graphic on the roof. There was a crash right near our spot and the two cars involved were sitting side by side in the middle of the track, which made it difficult, but not impossible, to drive around them. To our surprise, the two cars were left there, with local yellow flags, and the race went on. This made it less exciting for us, as the one area of track we could see was speed-limited. We decided to leave and head to Nurburgring Boulevard to see if there was anything interesting there.

For a brief period I had two rental cars!

Cool Biturbo at Brunnchen

One of many GT3 RS

The boys monkeying around at Brunnchen

Megane RS is another common Ring tool

A couple of cool Hondas from the UK

Neat old Escort

R8 and I30 in the same livery

New 992 GT3 and Cayman GT4

Nice Audi Coupe from the 90's

Slightly newer 1-series

Rare and expensive: 918 Spyder

Rare and cool: 1M

Rare in Germany: modern Mustang

One of Jaco's cars on track

... and another

... this one with a Polish flag on the roof

Crashed cars at Brunnchen

Cool TVR...

... looks even better from the rear

Lovely vintage Alfa sedan

Insane difference in size... and this is a "small" BMW

One of several Exiges

Another I30N

The massive hangar-like building adjacent to the GP track, with the famous “Nurburgring” writing, is actually quite strange. When you get inside (Jules came with me), it’s sort of like a shopping mall, but there is no one around… there are a couple of open stores (Ring souvenirs, Atomic Racing for driver equipment), but most are closed. Some manufacturers, like BMW M, have storefronts, but they are closed, so you can only do window shopping. There is a huge roller coaster which does not ever seem to run. You can see the potential of such a place, but it’s like the concept never took off. After taking a few lonely photos, we headed out. We had decided to go visit some friends who were staying in Koln and I didn’t mind leaving the area for a few hours, knowing I would be back for my Sunday laps and that the weather was supposed to be great. After a lovely dinner in Koln, we drove back to Adenau and got to sleep at a reasonable hour. My plan was to wake up at 7:00 am and get to Jaco’s around 7:45 to be at the track shortly after it opened at 8:00.

Jules on Nurburgring Boulevard

The Beast of the Green Hell

Really cool M4

992 GT3 and modified M2 at Atomic

M!

Atomic shop is nice

In a giant, nearly empty building

Looked nice from the outside

Cool Celica

Sunday

I woke up Sunday feeling a but like a kid on Christmas morning. I had a quick shower and a bite and I was off to Jaco’s Paddock. This time, there were 7 or 8 track BMWs parked there. I had the key to my 125i, so I left the Corsa there and hopped into the BMW. I filled up the tank at one of Barweiler’s two gas stations and drove to the track, where I arrived just after the 8:00 am opening time. There were many cars, but it wasn’t overly crowded. I didn’t really have a plan as to how I wanted to do my remaining 8 laps, but I did want to take the first lap at a leisurely pace, to see how the car felt in Sport mode and shifting my own gears with the paddle shifters. I had brought a GoPro camera and I attached it to the windshield with a suction mount. It was still hard to believe that all I had to do was drive up to the barrier, pull out my card, and I would be on the legendary Nordschleife, this time alone in the car. I started my lap behind two GT3’s, a 991 and a 992, and a KTM X-Bow. Obviously, I was not able to follow them even for a short time. I was immediately passed by a RingFreaks rental E36 and I quickly realized that I could not hope to follow that car either. I was then alone on track for quite a while, all through Hatzenbach, Flugplatz and all the way to Aremburg. I was taking it easy in the fast sections but was definitely moving faster than I had been with Jorg. Driving in Sport mode and changing my own gears really made a difference... The 125i was not a sports car, but it was pretty close. I was passed by a quick M2 just after Adenauer Forst and by a Civic Type R near Metzgesfeld. I was alone again for a long while, all the way into Kesselchen. I was passed by another M2 after Mutkurve and another BMW (1 series) just before Schwalbenschwantz. The lap was going well and I was able to see the cars coming up in my mirrors. I got passed by an E46 BMW after Karussel and an F80 M3 and GT3 just before Wippermann. I felt I knew where I was going and that I would be able to add some speed in the next laps. I got passed by another 911 after Brunnchen and that was it until the end of the lap. I decided to park and take a break. I wished I had some gloves, as the rubber OEM steering wheel did not deal well with sweaty palms. I removed the GoPro from its case so I could charge it up before the next session on track. There was no rush, it wasn’t even 8:30 yet and I had all day to do my other 7 laps. I parked in the main parking area between a Civic EG and a Porsche 996 and went for a walk to snap some pictures of the huge variety of track cars. I saw a Polestar parked near my car and wondered if it belonged to Misha Charoudin (the one who has a great Nurburgring YouTube channel). I looked inside and sure enough, he was in the car! I knocked on his window and he lowered it. I told him I was a huge fan and had seen all his videos and he smiled and shook my hand. He even asked what I was driving. This made my day! I could see he was busy so I headed off to do some more car spotting. I got my first close-up look at a Yaris GR and Porsche 992 GT3. I couldn’t help but notice the high percentage of cars that were BMWs. It really felt like I was in a dream world, where almost every car is a track car, no matter the budget. There were old VW Polos and new AMG GTR’s, and everything in between. I messaged Alex to reassure her all was going well, and I ended up doing this after each session. 

Many more cars at Jaco's this time

... all in orange

Gassing up the 125i

Parked after my first lap

Two cars I had never seen in person before this trip

Another popular choice at the Ring

M3 and Lupo

Various 1 and 2 series

Lotus Evora

AMG GT

I was having a fantastic time, but the track was calling… the weather was perfect and I wanted to get in some laps before the crowds appeared. I strapped in for my second lap and headed out behind a Lotus Elise and a Seat Leon. Again, I could not follow them, but I did feel like I was going a bit faster. I was able to push a bit in Hatzenbach because it did not feel that scary to me and I had a pretty precise idea about the layout of the corners from playing Assetto Corsa. I was alone all the way to Foxhole, where a Ford Fiesta came flying by me. Clearly, I could go faster in these high speed sections. I was again alone all the way until Kesselchen, where I was passed by five cars in a row, mostly BMWs, before Mutkurve. I was passed by an E36 after Brunnchen, then a GT3 before Pflantzgarten. I actually passed a car myself, another rental (Renault Clio from Nurblife), then got passed by an E36 BMW before the Mini Karussel. As the lap came to a close, I decided to stay left and head straight out for my second lap, since the car and I were both warmed up. Part of me wanted to make the laps last all day, but I also wanted to enjoy the track while it was open (not closed due to incidents) and not too busy. I went out behind the RingFreaks E36 and never saw it again. I got passed by a BMW M2 before Flugplatz and then was driving alone for a while. The next car I saw was a Civic EG that passed me at Miss-Hit-Miss. I was passed by an AMG GTR and a GT4 at Breidsheid, then a Mercedes SLK. I passed an adventure style motor bike after Bergwerk. Then I passed a stickered up Golf at Kesselchen, and I could see I was catching up to something exotic, which turned out to be a new Maserati MC20. I had never seen one in real life. I passed it before Mutkurve and was alone for the rest of the high speed section. My BMW was not running out of steam in this long uphill section, which is impressive, since it’s not that powerful on paper. I was passed by an E90 BMW just before Brunnchen, then by the M5 Ring Taxi. I was passed by another BMW 1-series just before the Mini Karussel. Looking at my recorded footage, I could see that I was shaving 10 to 15 seconds off each lap, and I was now doing “Bridge to Gantry” in under 10 minutes. At these speeds (still slow, of course), I was less worried about the closing speeds of other cars. I had more time to see them approaching in my mirrors. After my lap, I drove around the main parking area, but couldn’t find a spot, so I drove out and across to the overflow parking area. I snapped some more photos, getting a good look at the Maserati MC20 now that it was parked. It had stickers on the side indicating its owner was participating in some kind of tour or event (called Grand Tour 2022). The car was beautiful and looked so exotic parked between two hot hatches. I saw another of Jaco’s orange BMWs, an E90, and a super clean Mazda RX3. Again, part of me wanted to just hang out, but the weather was beautiful and the track was still open.

The 125i in the overflow car park

Another Ferrari in the parking lot

Opel Speedster: cool affordable sports car

Alpine A110: more rare than I thought at the Ring

Not rare here at all: Cayman GT4

Nice colour scheme on this GT3 RS

Beautiful new Maserati MC20

Typical Ring cars

Another of Jaco's rentals (Japan flag)

MC20 and a Rent4Ring Swift

Awesome Mk.1 Golf

...with tasteful flares

A McLaren and some bikes

EP3 Type R

Schirmer M3

Bright yellow E36

Getting rare: R32 Skyline

Older Megane RS

Another nice M4

Opening the door on a McLaren increases how much attention it gets

Super clean GC Impreza

Nice Clio RS

As I headed out on my fourth lap of the day, I caught and passed a marshal’s car in Hatzenbach. I was following a modern mini with a roll cage through Flugplatz and was able to stick with it for a while. We both passed a stock-looking Golf Mk 8 and were both passed by the Beast of the Green Hell AMG GTR after Foxhole. I was again passed by a RingFreaks E36 and I was able to pass an E36 Kompact before Bergwerk. I was still in sight of the Mini at Karussel, but it slowly pulled away after that. I passed a regular Fiesta just after Karussel and was alone until Galgenkopf, where I was passed by the Kompact along with a GT4. I headed straight out for lap five. This is the lap where I came closest to having an “incident”. As I headed out, I was stuck behind a Ford Focus RS in Hatzenbach. I eventually passed it and pulled away. I passed an Audi wagon in Flugplatz and was alone for a while. The Focus RS caught and passed me just before Bergwerk. Then I was passed by the M5 Ring Taxi, a BMW 2-series, a Hyundai I30N, BMW 1M and an E46. This is when things got dicey. I was closing fast on the Focus RS, which was going slowly with its hazard lights on. As I pulled left to pass the Focus, its driver decided to pull off the track… on the left for some reason. There was no warning, maybe because you can't use your turn signals with the hazard lights on. I was able to hit the brakes and avoid contact, but at the same time, a much faster BMW M4 was trying to overtake both of us. The M4 slammed on the brakes so hard I could hear its ABS and it honked before driving off. When I look at the video, it doesn’t look like it was a close call, but it felt pretty bad from the driver’s seat! The rest of the lap was uneventful. I can see looking at the videos that I was still shaving off about 10 seconds per lap. This time, I decided to head straight to the overflow parking so as not to waste time looking for a spot. I was feeling good, the car was behaving perfectly and everything was going to plan. The only issue was that at this rate, even with all the photo and relaxation breaks, I would be done with my full Nurburgring day by lunch time! Even in the overflow lot, there were some really cool cars, including a lovely Lotus Exige V6 Cup and some neat French hot hatches. I saw a BMW 1-series on a flatbed tow truck, but it did not seem to have crashed. I headed back out on track for laps 6 and 7. I turned on the timing app on my phone, but left it in the glove box, mainly so I could look at the data when I got back home and overlay the track map on a video lap. On lap 6, I was alone for the first part of the track. I was passed by a Porsche 991 just before Aremberg. I caught an Audi TT before Miss-Hit-Miss, then a Seat Leon going up Ex-Muhle. I passed a BMW 2-series going up Kesselchen, then an AMG GTR and 992 GT3 blew by me before Mutkurve. I was passed by an M4 before Wipperman and then I was surprised to be passed by a Panamera wagon after Brunchen. I passed a Camaro in the Bellof Esses and ended the lap with a time of 9:32. I headed straight out for the next lap, which ended up being my quickest of the day, partly due to there being very little traffic. I headed out behind a Leon Cupra and passed it before the bridge. I passed a regular Focus and some kind of Caddy or Kangoo in Hatzenbach. I was alone for a while after that until I was passed by a Scirocco before Miss-Hit-Miss. A 991 passed me before Steilstrecke and a 2-series passed me at Brunnchen. Yet another 2-series and the Ring Taxi GT3 passed me just before Mini Karussel. Finally, the Leon Cupra re-passed at the very end of the lap, just before Galgenkopf. This resulted in a 9:23 from Bridge to Gantry. I know this is not an impressive lap time, but I still felt I was doing well for my first trip to the Ring. The timing app says I hit a top speed of 207 km/h just before Schwedenkreuz, which is maybe the fastest I’ve ever been on any track. I parked the car again and decided that it would be a shame not to try the pancakes at Devil’s Diner, which were only served until 11:00 am. 

Back in the overflow parking area

Newer Clio RS and 987 Cayman

Swiss Exige V6 Cup

New Z4

A lot of white on this M4

Tastefully modded Mk. 2 GTi

Loud colour for this S13

No visible damage on this 1-series

Another Exige V6

911, Megane RS and E30 M3

The only one I saw on the whole trip

Another 991 GT3

A less expensive 911, still cool

Cool Seven

The MC20 again

Unmodified looking Civic EG

Rainbow track cars

GTi, 911 and E90 from Jaco's

Devil's Diner

The TVR again

Nice livery on this M4

Same wheels on this one

One of my favourite GT3 colours

The Beast (twin of the one on Nurburgring Boulevard)

A couple of Ducatis heading out

M2 and Civic Type R

So rare: Delta Integrale

Is that a GT3 MR? I think so

Another 1M

Back in my parking spot between laps

FK2 Type R

Welcome to the 90's!

Me and my pancakes

... nice presentation

Evo 6 and Megane RS

The big info sign

McLaren and E46 M3

Peugeot and Audi RS3?

It was 10:46 when I placed my order. As I waited for my pancakes, I managed to get a small table on the sort of patio that overlooked the parking area and track entry/exit. This was a great place to pass some time, take some photos and look at the giant screen, which scrolled through a different ads and information, including how many cars were on track (121 cars, 3 bikes). I ate my pancakes (nothing special as far as recipe, but super fresh) and headed back to my BMW for my final lap.  Sadly, I didn’t get the whole lap on video, as I had not charged up the camera battery in a while. As I headed out, I passed a Mercedes 190e before the bridge then got stuck behind an E36 for a while in Hatzenbach. We both passed the same Camaro I had passed earlier. I was passed by a red Seat Leon and another M2 in Hatzenbach, then I passed the E36 at the end of Hatzenbach. Somehow, I passed an M2, a 991 GT3 and an M4 at Foxhole and then went on to pass an F80 BMW wagon at Metzgesfeld. I was passed by the Ring Taxi M5 in Miss-Hit-Miss and I was actually able to follow it a little until we got to a fast section and it disappeared. I passed a small Citroen before Wehrseifen and a BMW 2-series passed me going up Kesselchen. I passed a VW Polo just before Mutkurve and then my video cut out just before Pflantzgarten. I don’t know how I passed so many cars, but I think it was just luck, as my lap was only a 9:33. That was it, the end of my 8^th lap… it wasn’t even lunch time, and I was done. It had all gone by so fast. It was like a blur. I was so glad I had my videos and photos, or I would have remembered so little of how it went! I parked in the overflow for the last time.

Me and the 125i after our final lap

Not sure if I keep seeing the same car...

... but it looked and sounded great

old and new Megane RS

Great-looking E36

Neat CRX track car

Alpina wagon looks great

Loud new BMW colours

Tasteful Miata

Another M4 on BBS wheels

A caged EK9 Civic Type R

Serious-looking Camaro

Race Taxi

Rental Clio RS

Cool wheels on Yaris GR

I asked someone to take a photo of me with my trusty 1-series, and messaged Jaco that I would be on my way to bring back the car. I added some gas and drove back to Jaco’s. He was waiting for me and I think he could tell from my smile that I had just had my dream day. We walked around the car together, he asked if I could give him a good review online, and of course I said yes. Choosing Jaco was one of the best decisions I could have made and he was so accommodating. He told me to come again, and bring friends and rent a bunch of cars… I told him I would try. I drove the Corsa back to Adenau (very different from the 125i!) and met Alex and the boys at the park. We all ended up driving back to the track entry/exit because I wanted to continue to experience the atmosphere a bit with the family. We took dozens of photos of all kinds of machinery, from super-saloons to Lotus Seven type cars, and everything in between. We saw a heavily crashed Lancer Evo on a trailer, probably from Saturday’s event. That was the only crashed car I saw the whole trip. After a while there was a track closure, so we headed to Brunnchen to see the cars in action once the track reopened. It took a while after we arrived there for the track to open. At first, only taxis were allowed on track. The boys were climbing like monkeys and on the bars near the fence that were there for spectators to lean on. Even here, there were a ton of track cars and I took many more photos. After a while, we had had enough and decided it was time to head back to the apartment in Adenau.

Tasteful E46

991 GT3 RS

Yet another Megane RS

Mainly BMWs

Another new 992 GT3 and an M2

Cool Gulf livery

Manthey GT4, Swift and E46 M3

R8, AMG and Clio RS

Two generations of Clio RS

Lovely Corrado on cool retro wheels

Yet another GT4

1-series coupe

Mk.8 GTi

Neat Passat wagon

Green means go!

Cage and BBS wheels: nice Opel

Track not closed... confusing

Rental 3-series

RX8s were not common

These AMGs were common though

Another GT4

Newer Megane RS not far behind

M2 and FK2

FK2 and AMG GT

Not rare, but still cool

E36 Kompact

Nice in green too

Volvo I can't even identify

Rare Lancer Evo

New Golf R

Super new: GT4 RS

... first time I've seen one

Another first: 992 GT3 Touring

Crazy modified Supra

Tastefully modified M2

Nice NB Miata

Cool older GT3

Gassing up before the return (sad)

Jaco himself!

Sadly the only laps I will do in 2022!

Focus in neon green

Nice RS3

I20N and a new Micra?

Ratty S2000 again

Cool C5 Corvette

Another Evo

Nice EG hatch and M2

There were a few older Civics

Cool mods on this M2

Civic EK Coupe like mine

I wish I had mine at the Ring!

Fully caged

Manthey GT4

More subtle colour

Caged Clio RS

Another Exige

Look how low the Speedster is

Yet another Exige V6

Nice to see McLarens at the track

... several of them

Kit car of some sort

M4 and M3

992 GT3 and 991 GT3

Looks good in green

991 looks as good as the 992

This M2's splitter was literally scraping the ground

Another FK2 Type R

AMG sedans were not that common

Two very different taxis

Another Corrado and an RS3

A rare 3rd generation Elise

Budget BMWs... cool

E46 M3 is still a common choice too

FK8 Type R in the roundabout

Tasteful E90 sedan

Another FK8

Cool wrap

Yet another 991 GT3 RS

... and another E46 M3

Tasteful Ananas E36

Lovely modified M3

A rental FK2

Opel Speedster

Unexpected: a Ginetta

... it's hard core to drive this on the road.

Huracan and Gallardo

I kept coming across this S2000

E36 and its Japanese counterpart

Alpina wagon

Clean Altezza

Pair of Sevens

Giulia Quadrifoglio

Neat retro livery on this 86

Pair of Fords

Clean 944

Oscar and an orange M3

Jules and a rare Lexus IS-F

Super cool VW van

Clean 80's Escort

Nice 190e

Cool colour E90 M3

New Fiesta ST

The boys love Brunnchen

Another rare car at Brunnchen: Z8

Very different BMWs

The two Lambos showed up too

My favourite colour for the E36: Dakar yellow

Gravel parking lot? No problem

Brunnchen is a popular spot

Another 5-series wagon as a tow vehicle

Tasteful E30

More Sevens

Another Civic EK

Really nice E36

Good-looking Miata

Audi Ur-S6

Lambos leaving

Cool track car trailer

E46 in Adenau

Downtown Adenau

I wonder if I can tow a car with our 535?

Conclusion

I had had my dream experience and it had all gone to plan. In fact, it was hard to believe how well it had gone. This was better then going to the Le Mans 24 hours or Goodwood Festival of Speed, because you are not just a spectator when you get on the track yourself. The following day, we left Adenau and this whole area of Germany, and the rest of the trip was fantastic. When I look back on the whole experience, I don’t see how it could have gone better. Even though I only drove 10 laps, I feel that if I return to the Ring, I would be ready to attend a track day, and then I could do many more laps without having to stop after each one. I don’t know when or with whom I will return to the Ring, but I’m sure it will happen some day. A huge thank you to Alex, who made sure this dream birthday gift became a reality and went along with every aspect of the plan. I’m a really lucky guy.