who has been to the 'ring?

[rattlsnak]

I have vacation in Sept and want to go drive on the Nürburgring.. i cant make heads or tails of their website as far as what days are open to the public, where to rent cars, etc. anybody shed some guidance?

[Geronimo '74]

Svandamme has, recently IIRC.
I’m sure he’ll chime in.

[911boost]

My 911 has, unfortunately I have not.

Subscribed to hear about the process.

[Purrybonker]

I had a Renault Megane RS from Renault Eurodrive (highly recommend, you "buy" a new Renault and "sell" it back to Renault when you're done - I think 30 day minimum, but I could be mistaken) in 2016 I think.

Anyway, it was the hot-hatch version of the Megane and I picked it up in Munich.

After a few weeks cruising around Germany we drove by the 'ring and put in a lap.

We just showed up, no booking or anything - I think it cost like 20 Euro or something.

I can't recommend to be honest. I mean, I didn't know the course or anything so I drove it like a sissy I suppose.

Plus slow-pokes and duffers everywhere.

I had much more fun driving the Megane on the autobahn.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Purrybonker

I mean, I didn't know the course or anything so I drove it like a sissy I suppose.

Plus slow-pokes and duffers everywhere.

You have driven the ring. Excellent. Speed doesn't really matter, just being there matters.

[svandamme]

I went last week, had hoped it wouldn't be to busy on a week day, but was not the case.
To much young'uns in cheap expendable cars that know the place way more then a foreigner can.

Track closed after 5 minutes when a biker had planted himself in the Armco.. there was a car parked in teh grass but not sure if he stopped to help or if he was involved.

I returned home after my 1 lap, never got in the flow of things, to busy and the track then closed..

Chased top speed at the autobahn.. got up to 268, 263 on the satnav. There was some more left but traffic ahead..
The old girl did alright considering official topspeed is 258


I had hoped for rain, I prefer rain at the ring, takes away a lot of the timed racing and bikers getting in-between the cars.
It's more relaxed driving (at least for me, I love driving in the rain), much less traffic and great to learn the track at your own pace.

Do keep in mind , regardless of what anybody says, it's NOT a public toll road
They say the road rules apply, which is true, but it's sold and in private ownership.

So if an when something happens , Your insurance in most cases will not cover you
Armco is something like 2000euro / meter, they charge very enthusiastically even if it's just a scratch
500 bucks to get hauled off after a breakdown and normal triple A probably won't cover that either.

And that's not even discussing possible damage you may do to others (coolant leak and resulting pile up, imagine your insurance telling you they don't cover it)
or
Damage others do to your car

So think carefully what you want to do and achieve there.

For me , i always get trackday insurance, something like 40 euro/day..it won't cover everything but at least you have basic coverage for damage to the Armco.
I also will not drive if it is too busy, or if I notice too much stupidity on track.. young drivers don't see danger like older ones and they can't pay for the damage they caused you either. It's not worth it in a nice car you bring there.
You can't win any prizes
You can loose a great deal
Hence my preference for rain it takes the edge off things


I supposed you could rent a track car, they have Renaults and ford focusses there. up to Porsches and Mclarens for those with deeper pockets.
I don't know price, but i would reckon it limits your liabilities as the cars come with insurance , so that helps if it's just for a short one off visit, that might be a good idea.

For me personally I want to drive my Porsche to places so renting FWD hatches is out of the question .. But I am weary of the risks and I make sure not to get caught up in the hunt for seconds off my time.

[svandamme]

This was in 2018 , we showed up unknowing it was Rock am Ring.. So everybody was more busy nursing their hangovers in the morning then they were keen to drive..

So for me it was ideal for my first time ever, low traffic.. bit of rain in the morning

[tubwreck]

Done 5 or 6 days in the Megane RS rented from RSR Nurbug (https://rsrnurburg.com/).

I highly recommend RSR. They have a huge range of cars, they can usually give you instruction, they have great support, and their prices are...reasonable.

Note that you are responsible for damage to RSR's vehicle up to an agreed limit as well as damage to the track (they will charge you for Armco repair by the meter), but I believe they will cover you up to I think 2M Euro for injuries caused to others.

[Dpmulvan]

drive an overhyped dangerous track at less than exhilarating speeds with a bunch of people who can barely parallel park. Add the risk of easily destroying your car or worse one of the rentals that you pay for out of pocket.
Have you guys seen their YouTube channel?? Complete carnage on a daily basis.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

I've been a few times, we like the burgers at the Devil's Dinner

Had two passenger rides around, once is a 72 Porsche 911 ST recreation, we found out the kerbs are very high and the other was in a Renault Clio 182, driver knew the track well as he'd done a few laps and written off one car

It's a public toll road but your road car insurance won't cover any accidents caused by you or someone else

RSR seem to be well regarded for car rental and the ring website should tell you when it's open to the public. I would suggest doing a weekday as it get crowded with locals on weekends, they know the track well so will be flying around

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Last time I went we did a pit stop to removed the front wheel spacers as we had nearly lost a rear wheel on the Autobahn



I think people thought I was swapping over to sticky tyres for a hero lap

[svandamme]

devils diner wasn't open when i went, it may be in weekends, no idea

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

drive an overhyped dangerous track at less than exhilarating speeds with a bunch of people who can barely parallel park. Add the risk of easily destroying your car or worse one of the rentals that you pay for out of pocket.
Have you guys seen their YouTube channel?? Complete carnage on a daily basis.

I wouldn't say it's overhyped, it's really great fun to drive that track
Also I would not say they can barely park, a lot of em can drive really really well.

The issue is that people get overconfident, or get red mist to get a few seconds off
mix that up with bikers who ride completely different lines and brake points from cars

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

You have driven the ring. Excellent. Speed doesn't really matter, just being there matters.

Yep. I don't think your avg tourist should be expected to rip off a 7 or 8 min lap. I'd be happy to drive it under almost any circumstances. Just to be on the road/track that so many amazing drivers and cars have been on would be impressive.

[svandamme]

sub 10 already requires quite a bit of speed and effort.
the video above was a 9m36, barely any traffic, no yellow zones

Any traffic you need to yield for, or get around or yellow, is 10+

I might have gotten to 9 minutes, but with only 4 laps done, ever.. I was still keeping a big margin for safety on the long straights, I was not getting the maximum speed possible.. and it's really on the big straights you win and loose a lot of time
Also keep in mind if you go 200+ there..
It's not a highway, the long straight is not as straight, it's bumpy and the entry of the next corner , the brake zones. They are blind and come REALLY fast.
its all starts to get really dodgy..

most of the crashes at Adenaur Forst is from people who come in way to hot from the faster straight before it.. they follows somebody more capable, and miss the brake zone.. get unsettled and wipe out.
Keep in mind at 200kph + you are going over crests and arrive at a corner that was previously blind.You have to be a fool to do that on a track like the Ring, unless you have 100 or so laps worth of experience..
at 100 you might start to become somewhat experienced.. but the real fast folks got thousands of laps..
If you try to chase others who are 100 laps ahead of you, in a fight against yourself and your own time.. You'll pay a hefty price.
I'm at 5 laps with my lap last week added and 9m36 was more then good enough for me.. There are no prizes for knocking time of your own record.. Just armco.
It felt busy and i wasn't in the flow.. had to many people coming up from behind, it seemed stupid to try and continue more laps like that, even if the track hadn't closed, I probably would have bailed..

[aschen]

second the endorsement of rsrnurburg had a great experience with them. I rented a fiesta ST which is about the perfect amount of sportiness for the application imho. Unless you have a ton of laps there anything faster is a waste and a detriment imho. Don't rent anything you cant write a check for.

I went in 2005 and 2019, had a fantastic time both outings. Its really a spectacle of car culture and an adventure on track. I think if your goal is to beat some time benchmark or drive beyond 7/10ths you are pushing your luck.

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Have you guys seen their YouTube channel?? Complete carnage on a daily basis.

The BMW 3-Series is to Nurburgring what Mustangs are to a Cars & Coffee.

_

[svandamme]

well, to be fair, them bimmers are mostly dangerous to the armco, the public, bystanders are generally very safe at the Ring, and they do manage to get to some speeds before they loose it.. unlike stangs that peel out and into trouble from close to stand still.

[matthewb0051]

Drove it in 2003ish in my E30 M3. What an experience. Watch for the bikes. They close on you quicker than you may think.

Also, check into the rules about vehicles with red number/lettered plates. They used to not allow them as it was a temp registration IIRC.

Scary AF but well worth the experience.

BTW, Hockenheim used to open for similar sessions usually on Thursday afternoons.

[svandamme]

Those are export plates, only supposed to be driven from place of purchase to home country.
in Holland they don't even recognize em at all despite EU regs, they will pull you over and give you plenty of grief , especially if you live in Holland..

I reckon the Ring got waaay busier since 2003.. TopGear and internet made it way better known to way more people