Reserved 5 - My Trip to Nurburgring
Hahaha! I see someone from Germany beat me posting my photos! Many are almost identical to the ones I was about to post, some better! I won't post duplicates, here is some notes from yesterday and the Nurburging info is below it.
Yesterday:
***Everybody, thanks so much for the encouragment and tips! I went back and fixed up a few of of the issues, all should be good now. The bad internet connections and lack of forum experience has made this all the maore a challenge. Any insight is welcome.****
Yesterday wasn't a busy day for the 1M and I other than we drove our first long trip together.
Firstly, I've owned many different cars, all over the spectrum, many of them highly modified, the 1M makes 5 in the stable at the moment. I'm a driver, too, having driven well over 1M kms in 25 years of driving. I've have owned some that attracted some attention...but nothing like the 1M.
I'll start with what happened when I arrived at the Ring. My schedule has been crazy and I forgot to book the hotel here, so off we went "hoping" that we'd find a place we could sleep at midnight in the country (oops). When we arrived we drove past the Jaguar, Aston, Cadillac/Chevy Racing Centers, under the track and see the "Ringhaus Hotel" very near the track entrance. All the windows are darkened and there is a faded sign taped to the window that says call +49 2691 935390 to check in. I call the number and across the courtyard I see a curtain pulled away from a window and in sleepy English with a heavy accent the man says (before Allo, or any other greeting), "Is that the 1M? I'll be right there...."
Jorg was the man who greated us at the Ringhaus (
http://www.ringhaus.com). This is the original hotel and garage built in 1924, before the Ring opened in 1927. The Auto Union Team stayed and prepared their cars here, and so have many others ever since. Its literally right at the entrance to the Track and was just fully refurbished. Here's Jorg and the crew out front, and an original image from back in the day:
A couple friends (in preveios photos, and above) joined me early this week for appointments during the week, and another flew in today to spend the weekend at the track with us. As we drove up from Neuburg, right beside Ingolstadt (where Audi is, see photo)
we stopped for gas and a drinks along the highway. We never made it out of the car before people were standing at all four corners of it, checking out the brakes, looking underneath, and wierdly, they didn't say anything. I nodded at them as I got out and pushed past so I could walk around to the pump, still nothing. I filled up and went inside to pay, upon returning found all the people that were there moments ago were gone...and replaced by all new poeple. They didn't respond either.
My friend Steve was amused by the can of 10% alcohol Beer for sale at the highway gas station where we stopped, right there beside the Premixed Jack & Coke, and the mickeys of Jager and Jim Beam. For sale on the highway.
Cruising north on the A3 heading towards the track, we were almost run off the road several times be passers by who were caught off gaurd by what they saw and forgot they were doing 180 km/h. The best though was two women in a highly modded E46 M3 who blew by us as we cruised at 180. They made it about 2 car lengths past us, slammed on brakes, hesitated, and then moved out the fast lane to go across our bow, down one side, across the back and up the driver side again. Big smiles, thumbs up and they were off again. A couple others did this too, interestingly, all were driving other BMWs.
We used an entire tank of Fuel on the trip, arriving with the light having been on for sometime, and 8 km (5 miles) range left on the gauge....We averaged 11.9L/100km or 20 mpg (US) at a range of speeds, mostly around 150 km/h. I think back home, I'll easily get this under the 10L/100km mark or better.
Today:
We had a blast at the track today and we met some awesome people (It was great to meet you Mark!). We had some helping hands with intstruction, learning track ettiquite, finding a great place to eat, etc. Ron and John at RSR Nurburg, beside the Ringhaus Hotel, offer track rentals, car sales and instruction (
http://www.rsrnurburg.com/. The four of us hired them for instruction and two more cars (both Clio). Ron was a great help, and clearly had an impact on my days success. He showed me a bit of the line, but more importantly, gave me some insight to what the other drives would do, what to focus on (steering and brakes for me) and got me through a nervous first lap.
The second and third laps were more about learing the track, and discovereing that I was barely using the car. On the forth, a great guy driving an awesome vintage Escort (who had passed me a lap earlier) offered to spend another lap with me. He had been racing on the ring for 20 years and clearly knew it well. If only I had his name...I'd tell you, but I don't...He helped me to identify a couple parts of the track where I could carry more speed and how to improve my line. This was helpful after having a couple laps under my belt.
The fifth lap was great! I had the little car honking! I wasn't brave enough to deactivate the traction system, but it was activating a good portion of the track and cars passing me earlier were disapearing behind me now. Earlier I posted I wanted to explore the stick the 1M has, well I did it. It sticks. after examining the tires, it would appear there is lots more stick available to me, I was barely using them....As you can see, they weren't rolling at all, they were barely getting warm...and yet I was carrying good speed. THe car, as delivered from BMW, was sooo nice to drive fast on the track.
I'm sure you all want to know something about track times or have an indication of how it compares, I don't have it. I'm a competitive guy...a lap timer would have ensured something bad would happen!
I was very happy with my own progress, and the car made me look like a star. All these cool on track photos are courtesy of
http://www.ring-bilder.de owned by Jorg, the guy working at the Ringhaus Hotel.
I wasn't really looking for a sharp lap time, as mentioned before. It's still on the original oil. We hit the track at 810 km and there wasn't a chance to get the fluids changed, so I was "kinda" gentle. It has been a goal to make the trip over here and run on this track, and I encourage all of you to this once. The experience has been incredible. Just to hang out at the entrance to the track or the diner across the parking lot is a lifetime experience if you're a car nut. Rarely have I ever seen the likes of what entered that track today!
The people at the track were more than excited about the 1M, too:
...and they were very hospitable. We had a great time talking with so many different people from so many different places. We talked with people from Idaho, Minnesota, Ukraine, Ireland, Germany, England, France and others. The man who owned the gas station near the entrance, took us into see his private stash of Nurburgring memorabilia...and Steve managed to wrestle an orginal Nurburgring poster with a 1973 Alfa GTV Race Car on it. He wouldn't part with the Porsche or BMW stuff...
The car as a track car is just insane. I had a couple little niggly gripes from earlier in the week...I don't care anymore. They're all insignificant (except one...the seats). I don't even remember what I wrote anymore (but the seats were still fresh in my behind). What an awesome day. I cannot wait to get this thing home and drive it again. I can't believe I'm heading home the day after tomorrow...and I DROVE THE GREEN HELL in my NEW BABY!
I let several people sit in it and every single one of them, inlcuding John at RSR, the gentleman with the Escort, the owner of the Ringhaus and many many more said, something like, "I think this will be my next car...". I didn't have the heart to tell them the situation.
ADDED: PHOTOS/VIDEOS FROM BENDER82 (who witnessed WLKSFTLY's 1M at the ring)