'Ring trip advice needed :)

[N00b]

I'm sure that loads of you guys (and girls) have made the trip to the 'ring, so if you could share your knowledge I'd really appreciate it.

Where to stay for starters. Any reasonably priced hotels that any of you have had good experiences with?

Do I need to take a helmet with me?

Are there any facilities to change tyres there?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks for reading,
David.

[gareth]

depending on how much german you can speak, you'll save some money getting into a more 'local' B&B. the ones that are know to the english are usually more expensive
have a look here http://www.tourist-info-nuerburg.de/deu ... sionen.php#
i can highly recommend this place: http://www.burgstube.com/ you'll get a lot of advice regarding driving, what to look out for etc. they have a lockup for wheels / tyres / tools etc too. Martin who runs the place seriouly knows his stuff

take a helmet, it's not essential but silly not to. they're cheap enough. also, you're more likely to get a passenger ride in something silly if you're holding a helmet, it's just polite and reduces the risk for the driver.

there is a car park at the entrance but i doubt they'll be too chuffed with you working on the car there. however there is a grass car park just near the entrance so if you take some wood to put the jack on, you'll be fine there. remember though, your tyres need to be road legal for use on the 'ring as it's a 'road'... ish! so no slicks.

[N00b]

Some good info there, thanks (although the first link is in German only and being from NE England I'm only familiar with Auf Wiedersehn Pet, lol).

Anyone else got any knowledge/experience to share?

[E30BeemerLad]

If you haven't found these sites already, well worth a read

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/

http://northloop.co.uk/

[N00b]

If you haven't found these sites already, well worth a read

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/

http://northloop.co.uk/

Thanks mate, I'm trying to arm myself with as much knowledge as I can. Typically you just can't beat the experiences of others and I figured there must be a LOT of members from here who have been around the course.

[gareth]

one bit of advice i forgot about. when you arrive, i would advise getting a passenger ride with someone who knows the track first. it'll help make the first lap a lot safer as going slowly when you're unsure of the track can get scary at times. undertaking and being undertaken at speed can be a bit alarming at first!

it gets better when you know the corners and where to lift off / move over to let faster cars past. being over helpful can put you in the wrong place at the wrong time to make the next corner yourself.

having a spotter to help look for porka GT3's closing at 100mph more than you is nice too.


after a few laps, you'll have a better feel for it and it will be a lot safer. don't try to go out and prove anything within your first laps though. you will not be the slowest and certainly not the fastest out there and the main advantage the faster cars have is experience of the 'ring.

last trip over there we proved that a stripped out but otherwise standard J reg rover 214 can hunt down and overtake scoobies, evo's, a 911 and several cossies etc.

[e301988325i]

What car are you going in?? I learnt the track on Gran Turismo 4 before going, there are a lot of blind crests and short sighted corners.

Although the track isn't hard overall on the brakes, some of the braking areas are downhill and will test your braking system.

The more laps you buy the cheaper they are, buy more, go slowly, learn the track it's cheaper than crashing!!

The paint on the track is, unsurprisingly slipppery in the wet.

[Simon13]

My advice would be drive within your limits, because when the ring bites it bites hard. Theres no room for error.

Drive smooth and safe and you'll have the time of your life on the best/scariest track in the world.

I'm heading over next saturday for another stint, i get more nervous about it each trip, no lie!

[magpie]

i'd say l@@k out for this herman