October '98
Nürburgring
May '99
The Nordschleife (Northern Loop) has remained largely unchanged since 1927. This is no normal racetrack: 21km long, 100 bends, steep uphill and downhill sections, and virtually no run-off anywhere. No wonder Jochen Rindt described racing on the Nordschleife as "fighting with the dragon", while Jackie Stewart called the place "The Green Hell".
There hasn't been much racing on the circuit since Niki Lauda's crash in 1976, with most of the use being vehicle testing and development, driver training ... and, incredibly, public access. It's officially a one-way public toll road, on which you can encounter camper vans, bikes by the score, and busses full of tourists! There's no pressure to go fast - stick to the right of the track and you can bimble around at 30mph, enjoying the view.
After an absurdly early crossing on Good Friday morning, we arrived in convoy
after lunch. The weather was fabulous, and the car parks full. It was
immediately obvious that the 'ring attracts enthusiasts from all over Europe,
as we drooled over Ferraris and Porsches in abundance. BMW M3s were as common
as Mondeos on the M25, while we shared a petrol pump with an F355, a 911GT2,
and two Dodge Vipers! By the time we'd assembled, we had seven UK Turbos, two
22Bs, and SIDC 'ring fanatic (and instructor) Phil Gardner's new
STI V Type R.
Phil brought his own group of 'ring-frenzyists, driving an MX-5, an Elise, two
bikes, two 911 Turbos, a Caterham Seven, two TVR Griffiths, an Evo V ... and a
Ferrari F40.
The 'ring has a formidable reputation. Venturing out into the traffic is a daunting prospect for first-timers, and some of us elected to wait until the following morning. The rest, champing at the bit, bought our tickets and headed on to the track.
There are some great roads in the world: Scotland, California, the Pyrenees all have superb ribbons of tarmac. But if they're good to drive, it's just a side-effect of their main business of going from A to B. The Nordschleife, on the other hand, was built as the ultimate challenge for the dedicated driver. For first-timers and veterans alike, the first lap after the drive from Calais is a stunning experience. The expressions on people's faces all said the same thing: "this is the best road I will ever drive".
Early laps are a confusion of bends. Donington has no surprises after the third lap, but such is the sheer number, variety and deception of the 'ring's curves that experts say "50 laps to learn the bends, another 50 to learn the lines". In those early stages, you wonder if you'll ever get the hang of it, as you're frequently floundering in mid-track, covering the brakes, unsure whether this is the blind crest which turns sharp right, the one where it curves left, or the one where it stretches away into the distance ...
Surprisingly quickly, your knowledge grows. First you recognise the most frightening sections, which frees your attention to look out for the fun bits. You have a favourite bend, and then on the next lap the preceding bend leads perfectly into it. You've got a toe-hold on 'ring knowledge, gradually increasing speed, steadily improving the lines, as a sequence of a dozen bends inexorably string together in a perfect sequence. What a fantastic feeling: you've cracked it; you're the Master of the 'ring. (At this point, an old Golf GL will pass you with about 40mph in hand, and show you how much more you have to learn!)
Five hours on track after a 2am start and 260 miles of motorway is pretty tiring, and by 6pm we were ready for dinner. We realised how close to the track our Nürburg hotel was when we heard a boxer beat, looked out of the window and saw Colin's 22B ("just one more lap"!) roaring past just a hundred metres away. Paradise!
The food was good, the beer was better, and the conversation was sprinkled with the names of sections and bends half remembered: Hatzenbach, a triple-S bend demanding precision of line; Adenauer Forst; a tight left-hander, the correct line still elusive after twenty laps; Brünnchen, a slippery, uphill, off-camber right hander, lined with spectators and (for good reason) boasting one of the 'ring's few gravel traps; and of course Karussell, an outrageous banked hairpin surfaced with bumpy concrete slabs, taken at 20mph on your first lap, and at 80mph by the locals.
We were first through the barriers at 8am, enjoying the luxury of an empty
track, while the morning mist lay in dips, hiding the track and testing our
memories. An hour later the mist had cleared, the sun shone, and more pilgrims
had arrived. The boxer beat filled the paddock, a dozen scoobies joined by
thirty 911RSs. We had a great morning, the speeds steadily rising as
whole sequences of bends started to make sense.
In the afternoon, things got much better (for Imprezas) when it started to rain! The bikes sulked in the paddock and the rear-wheel-drive cars halved their corner speed. This was Scooby territory, and it was fantastic.
And when it all works, it feels great. It takes serious courage (and tyre wear!) to drift around a corner at 120mph on a dry track, but when the same bend is wet enough to give slides at 60mph, you have twice as long to savour the legendary balance of the Impreza: go in a little too fast and the front slips wide; relax the throttle and the car responds immediately and faithfully, tightening the line and tracking true around the bend.
If you're reluctant to try it yourself, a more experienced driver will be delighted to demonstrate. Once you've felt the slides and seen directly how they're controlled, they don't seem so scary any more. This is track learning at its best, and the great variety of the 'ring makes it a superb place for a sensible driver to explore the handling of the car. It is unforgiving - you can't go into a bend 60mph too fast and rely on gravel traps to save you - but drive it as you would a road, and the satisfaction is immense.
One of the best things about a group trip to the 'ring is the opportunity to ride in other cars: to feel the capabilities of different machines, and to experience the styles of other drivers. A ride with an old hand is an education, as secrets are revealed - aim for that tree for the correct line over the hill; turn where the kerb changes to double height; apex on the white dot painted on the track.
As the track was drying on Saturday afternoon, Colin gave me a ride in his 22B - an absolutely stunning car. The list of "offers you can't refuse" is a long one, and I'd thought the chance to drive a 22B at the 'ring about as unlikely as four supermodels beckoning me into their custard-filled jacuzzi ... but when Colin offered, I was in the driving seat before he could change his mind!
This was really driving nirvana, and we made full use of it until we reluctantly left for home after lunch. A good trip back saw us in Calais in time to load up to the bump stops with wine, before catching Le Shuttle home.
October '98 |
Nürburgring |
May '99 |
