15.05.2008
I can’t say for sure, but I’m fairly certain that lines from a Queen song have never before flashed in to my eyes as I headed towards a sizeable accident. Fat bottom girls certainly do not make the rocking world go round. And they didn’t on Saturday at the VLN race at the Nordschliefe. Round four of what must now be the most exciting race series in the world, was going swimmingly with the DR liveried Porsche Cup car I’m driving this year sitting in 11th place (there were 209 cars in the race). We – that’s me Chris Cooper and Guy Spurr, were trucking nicely.
With one lap to go, the team told me to back off and then I became stuck behind a car with ‘The show must go on’ daubed on its bootlid. How he must have regretted that choice of livery as we both attempted to scrabble back onto the track after clattering the barriers, and it was he who couldn’t rejoin. For reasons only he will ever know, he had decided to tag me, send me into a spin and then biffed me as we both hit the hard stuff. A twit if ever I saw one. Still, we were fast on the day -taking it to the German teams, and we’ll keep you updated on our progress through words, pictures and videos during the season.
My show was terminated pretty soon afterwards. With a broken steering arm and plenty of sundry damage we tried to limp an extra lap to score a finish, but a cracked radiator hose halted those ambitions down at Adenau Bridge, the lowest point on the circuit.
And it was there, sitting and cursing the prat in his Queen-tribute-Porsche that I began to understand just how popular the ‘Ring had become. Dozens of people came to look at the bent Englisher (itals) Porsche, and hundreds more were leaving for the end of the race. Half an hour later, the queue for the public entrance, where early-evening lapping would soon begin, was bloody enormous. I had to park in some field and then walk down to the car park to see some mates who’d come for the weekend. The number of Brits was astonishing –two thirds of the cars were UK registered.
That evening it was like being at a UK holiday resort –only without the violence- scores of red, mildly inebriated, flaking Brits wandering around recounting completely fictional tales of derring-do from their recent laps. To extract the truth from any such yarn, I simply reduce any story by at least one quoted gearchange and around 40mph of the speed mentioned. Now a part of me slightly resents this new-found popularity –the part that remembers going there for the first time ten years ago and revelling in the secret wonderland I’d found. But even though the track is now so busy when the weather is good, the more people that go, the more money it will make, the more the local economy will depend upon such trade and the less likely it is to close.
Because the day they close the ‘Ring is the day a small light in every car-nut’s head will be switched off forever. It has rightly become a Mecca; a pilgrimage for like-minded people. Even if it occasionally becomes a platform for people in camp-rock (can that be shortened to cock?) inspired 996 Cup cars to spoil my weekend.
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16 Comments
Mannginger
May 15, 2008A trip to this Mecca is a must for me. Must make the time and find the money soon!
Mannginger
May 15, 2008A trip to this Mecca is a must for me. Must make the time and find the money soon!
DBT
May 15, 2008I’ve been saying it since the day I passed my test (11 years and counting!) and I’ve lapped it too many times to remember on Gran Tourismo…
One day I shall take the plunge.
My cousin’s comments on his first trip were excellent – on your first trip, no matter how quick you or you car are (or think you are) you just won’t be anywhere near quick!
Or you’ll crash.
I can’t wait!!
DBT
May 15, 2008I’ve been saying it since the day I passed my test (11 years and counting!) and I’ve lapped it too many times to remember on Gran Tourismo…
One day I shall take the plunge.
My cousin’s comments on his first trip were excellent – on your first trip, no matter how quick you or you car are (or think you are) you just won’t be anywhere near quick!
Or you’ll crash.
I can’t wait!!
admin
May 16, 2008DBT, you will be pleased to hear that we’re planning to run a competition during the next few months for a passenger ride around the ‘ring in Chris’ race car. How does that sound?
admin
May 16, 2008DBT, you will be pleased to hear that we’re planning to run a competition during the next few months for a passenger ride around the ‘ring in Chris’ race car. How does that sound?
Stubert
May 16, 2008A trip around the ring with chris? Yes please. Would it be Chris driving also? Bit of a hero of mine
Stubert
May 16, 2008A trip around the ring with chris? Yes please. Would it be Chris driving also? Bit of a hero of mine
.tribeca
May 17, 2008Such bad ‘luck’ on the last lap.
I hadn’t heard of the ring until seeing it on new format Top Gear/Gran Turismo. It has certainly had a massive boost in popularity in recent years with more and more people I know making the pilgrimage.
My friends and I were planning on revisiting New York in 2009 but have since decided that a trip to the ring would make a more enjoyable holiday. I can’t wait to load up the Polo G40′s for a week in their home land…might try and take in the VW museum…and maybe venture over the the Stelvio Pass…would rude not to.
Will have to try and resist the temptation to carry a stop watch…I am sure intrigue will get the better of me though.
.tribeca
May 17, 2008Such bad ‘luck’ on the last lap.
I hadn’t heard of the ring until seeing it on new format Top Gear/Gran Turismo. It has certainly had a massive boost in popularity in recent years with more and more people I know making the pilgrimage.
My friends and I were planning on revisiting New York in 2009 but have since decided that a trip to the ring would make a more enjoyable holiday. I can’t wait to load up the Polo G40′s for a week in their home land…might try and take in the VW museum…and maybe venture over the the Stelvio Pass…would rude not to.
Will have to try and resist the temptation to carry a stop watch…I am sure intrigue will get the better of me though.
CyberBilly
May 19, 2008That was a cracking weekend – great weather, good company, plenty of lappage and good to see you too Monkey – however briefly!
However, whilst I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments about the increasing popularity keeping the place alive, I do think that Nurburgring Gmbh ought to consider improvements to reduce the amount od queuing to get into the circuit. The weekend we were there the queuing was phenomenal although ironically it was fine once you were in and lapping. However, when you had to get fuel it took almost an hour to get back in!
There is a large grassy area to the Nurburg side of the Grune Hoelle car park which could be used – perhaps for non lapping cars?
Still it won’t put us off going to that utterly unique and wonderful place! (though the same might not be said for the fella who stuck his Challenge Stradale in the wall….!)
CyberBilly
May 19, 2008That was a cracking weekend – great weather, good company, plenty of lappage and good to see you too Monkey – however briefly!
However, whilst I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments about the increasing popularity keeping the place alive, I do think that Nurburgring Gmbh ought to consider improvements to reduce the amount od queuing to get into the circuit. The weekend we were there the queuing was phenomenal although ironically it was fine once you were in and lapping. However, when you had to get fuel it took almost an hour to get back in!
There is a large grassy area to the Nurburg side of the Grune Hoelle car park which could be used – perhaps for non lapping cars?
Still it won’t put us off going to that utterly unique and wonderful place! (though the same might not be said for the fella who stuck his Challenge Stradale in the wall….!)
jon_r
May 20, 2008Was bloomin busy that weekend. On the Sunday we were queueing half an hour to get on track! Like Chris I remember when it was all a bit different, but I wouldn’t change it for anything and like many others am off again soon.
jon_r
May 20, 2008Was bloomin busy that weekend. On the Sunday we were queueing half an hour to get on track! Like Chris I remember when it was all a bit different, but I wouldn’t change it for anything and like many others am off again soon.
paulrobs
June 11, 2008I’ve passed the circuit a total of four times. Three times it was closed and these rank as three of my biggest disapoointments in life. The other time it was open and I chickened out, not through fear though. My wife and I were driving down to Austria through France, Belgium (via Spa) and Germany (via the Ring and Hockenheim). Anyway, my company Renault 19 16V at the time had started to develop a noisy gearbox just a day before leaving the UK and by the time we got to the Ring it was quite a bit noisier, so much so that I didn’t want to rag it round the circuit. I had a premonition of having to call the Lease Company to explain how the gearbox had siezed on turn 5 at the Nurburgring! Will get back there some time though.
paulrobs
June 11, 2008I’ve passed the circuit a total of four times. Three times it was closed and these rank as three of my biggest disapoointments in life. The other time it was open and I chickened out, not through fear though. My wife and I were driving down to Austria through France, Belgium (via Spa) and Germany (via the Ring and Hockenheim). Anyway, my company Renault 19 16V at the time had started to develop a noisy gearbox just a day before leaving the UK and by the time we got to the Ring it was quite a bit noisier, so much so that I didn’t want to rag it round the circuit. I had a premonition of having to call the Lease Company to explain how the gearbox had siezed on turn 5 at the Nurburgring! Will get back there some time though.