Nürburgring

grizzly1911

A friend has a strong interest in popping over for a spin.

Anyone been, have any tips?

Has a suitable vehicle but wondered if you can hire anything over there for the day or by the hour?

Any useful websites.

Accommodation?

Trebor16

Don't get carried away. It's a wonderful experience but it can bite you in the posterior if you are not careful.

Not sure about hiring a vehicle but they do have a "taxi" which will give a hair raising ride if required. It's not cheap though.

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/ringtaxi/taxi.php

Accomodation here:-

http://nurburgring.org.uk/where_to_stay.php

ventureuk

It's a cheap thrill if you have lots of money, come off, damage the grass, the armco or anything else and you'll get a bill for thousands of euros. Then you'll need a set of tyres, possibly a new set of brakes and will be scared to death by the speed everyone else goes past you in cars and bikes that look as if they shouldn't travel that fast.

Insurance, good luck with that.

Drive there, pay for a shared ride in a ring taxi or even better befriend a rich banker or Dr with a stripped out 911 and pay for a few laps with him sitting in the passenger seat.

It's probably the least vehicle based MSE you can do.

Keith

ventureuk wrote: »

Then you'll need a set of tyres, possibly a new set of brakes

Really, from a few laps of the 'Ring?

Enjoy, but remember, it can go very wrong very quickly. ADAC breakdown cover is great and check that it is not excluded from his insurance policy.



That was the 'Ring taxi crashing early this month.

grizzly1911

ventureuk wrote: »

It's a cheap thrill if you have lots of money, come off, damage the grass, the armco or anything else and you'll get a bill for thousands of euros. Then you'll need a set of tyres, possibly a new set of brakes and will be scared to death by the speed everyone else goes past you in cars and bikes that look as if they shouldn't travel that fast.

Insurance, good luck with that.

Drive there, pay for a shared ride in a ring taxi or even better befriend a rich banker or Dr with a stripped out 911 and pay for a few laps with him sitting in the passenger seat.

It's probably the least vehicle based MSE you can do.

Agree it isn't very MSE but you only live once.

I'm usually a pretty fervent MS chap.

My mate is pretty safe, is into his cars and has done track stuff before. He has a sports car but I am sure he will wish to preserve it - more about the experience and savouring the experience rather than scaring himself or me.

Certainly the ring taxi looks a good idea.

Jimx26

I have been a fewtimes but doubt I will go again. Like all things it has become very commercial and expensive! And is now very busy and at the weekends you will be lucky to get a couple of laps in.
Insurance-forget about it I doubt anyone will touch you.
Like others have mentioned it could turn into a very expensive weekend if you spin off and damage the barriers as you will have to pay for the pick up truck to get you,damage to the barriers plus for the amount of time the track is closed.
When I was there in 2005 the gumball guys turned up and I guy in a brand new evo smased into a barrier and wrote his car off had to pay something like 2000 euro's before they would give him the car back.
If you want to see some awesome cars and a thrill ride in a ring taxi or if you are lucky have a chat to some of the guys in the carparks they will more than happily take you out if you pay for a lap. Just be careful out on the track as there are some idiots on there.

grizzly1911

Jimx26 wrote: »

I have been a fewtimes but doubt I will go again. Like all things it has become very commercial and expensive! And is now very busy and at the weekends you will be lucky to get a couple of laps in.
Insurance-forget about it I doubt anyone will touch you.
Like others have mentioned it could turn into a very expensive weekend if you spin off and damage the barriers as you will have to pay for the pick up truck to get you,damage to the barriers plus for the amount of time the track is closed.
When I was there in 2005 the gumball guys turned up and I guy in a brand new evo smased into a barrier and wrote his car off had to pay something like 2000 euro's before they would give him the car back.
If you want to see some awesome cars and a thrill ride in a ring taxi or if you are lucky have a chat to some of the guys in the carparks they will more than happily take you out if you pay for a lap. Just be careful out on the track as there are some idiots on there.

Thanks:-

Looks like the ring taxis need to be booked in advance is this correct?

I noticed on the "Offical" website some comment re taxis not being allowed, presumably this means unlicensed for the track vehicles?

Looks like you can purchase laps over the internet and get the vouchers posted to you. Can you pick up additional ones when there if they have capacity? Are laps allocated to named drivers or could a block of laps be used between two, providing licenses and vehicle in order.

The "offical" site mentions insurance needed for foreign vehicles. I thought it unlikely you would get insurance cover for your own vehicle but what are they after? Do they flog some kind of collison waiver product for the track itself - for a price?

Weird_Nev

You buy laps that get put on a 'ring card' - which you also have to use at all the food outlets/shops at the site.
I'm not aware of collision waivers or insurance. Anyone offering it would be mad to do so. The ethos of the place is very much 'don't whatever you do crash' so selling insurance to cover the event is contrary to that. Fact is ,if you crash, it's your car + The barriers damaged + recovery + down time for the track + whatever injury you receive = €€€€'s. So don't!

When I went we had several fast cars in the group: All drove within their limits and whilst we were travelling, no-one was trying to set a time. You're just asking for trouble if you do so. Drive it like an unsighted B-Road with no speed limit and you won't go far wrong. Wear and tear isn't as bad as a trackday, we ran all of our cars 8 laps each through a day, and managed not to shred any tyres or need new brakes. We did break a gearbox, but that was only because it was a Mitsubishi GTO making 600+hp.

You can hire cars there. My mate did so after his gearbox exploded. He got a caged and stripped Suzuki Swift on sticky tyres for (IIRC) €350 for a day, including fuel and 8 laps. Additional Km's were horrific though, something like €50 if he did an extra lap. It's not actually that bad a deal though... See if one of the companies out there can provide anything that takes your fancy. It at least means you won't wreck your own car.

So:
It is horrifically expensive. Food, accomodation, fuel, car prep....It all ads up to trackday levels of expense. If you're 'driving by' then you can dip in for a lap ,but check ahead that the track itself is open for 'tourist fahrten' as it is often closed for races or testing.
It can be worth hiring a car, only you can decide if it's right for you.
Insurance: Your best insurance is not to crash. I'd insure a car I knew I couldn't afford to lose, but you'll pay an absolute fortune to do so.

It's a real experience. It's not cheap but then nothing to do with driving cars fast is cheap. What I've done and I'd recommend is going to the Nurburgring 24hr race and making a proper trip of it. The atmosphere and history of the place as you see cars race through the forest at night is something else. Or you can do the Spa 24 hour race and stop off at the 'ring on the way there or on the way back.

Trebor16

I seem to recall that as the 'Ring is classed as a toll road that your insurance would cover you. Is this still the case?

Weird_Nev

Trebor16 wrote: »

I seem to recall that as the 'Ring is classed as a toll road that your insurance would cover you. Is this still the case?

Check your small print. Every UK insurer worth it's salt explicitly or implicitly excludes the Nurburgring. I know mine (Admiral) names and excludes it along with time trials ,rallying etc.

tim9966

Went there in 2009, and had a great time. We decided not to stay at the ring, and stayed about 30 miles away which was a lot cheaper.

Assume your not covered by your insurance, although you might find you are covered 3rd party only. Overtake on the left, if you are going to do a slow lap let other cars past. It's better to have no one in your rear view mirror.

I used this website http://nurburgring.org.uk/ although it hasn't been updated for a while.