The Nurburgring Experience – Pics and Vids

If your a motorsports enthusiast or have ever played a racing car game, then you know about the Nurburgring. The Nurburgring is located in Nurburg, Germany and referred to as the Nordschleife. For those that have driven it, the other name is the “green hell”. Built in the 1920’s, this 23km track is the ultimate lifetime experience, and we did it. So if you ever get the chance to go run it, here are some tips and thoughts. If it is only a dream, then check out our pics and videos below.

The Nurburgring is a public road. Certain days of the week they have “tourist days” where the track is open to the public. You can drive ANYTHING on the track at that time. Each lap cost about 25 Euros and you just go. There are times when there are a ton of cars, or times where barely anyone is out on the track. There are also times when people stuff it and the track closes. If you have played the video game and you think you know the track, you don’t. In fact, they call those people “couch warriors”. The video game cannot give you the feeling of the G forces, the over 1000ft of vertical elevation change, and most certainly the feeling of all the blind corners. In fact, there is only a couple sections where you can see down the track to know what is coming up. Most turns are either blind or off camber. The track is something you can’t learn in 1 or 2 days, but you can grasp and become addicted for more. I feel bad for the helmets we had and the steering wheels we held because of the amount of sweat delivered. The concentration and focus is something I have never experienced behind the wheel.

If you go to the Nurburgring, check out Eddy Mathay’s B&B, Hotel An Der Nordschleife. This is where we stayed and is a hot meeting place with a view of the track at the midway point. From here and many other points of the track, you can actually walk the outside to get great views of the cars lapping. After being blown away by the scenery and the amount of insane cars, you will obviously need a car to run the track. Rumor has it, don’t take your rental car out there as there are spies taking photos which can result in hefty fines. So you will need to rent a car for the Ring. We connected with Ron Simons the owner of RSRNurburg. They have all sorts of cars from Alfa’s, Lotus Exige’s, Renault Clio’s, BMW M3, Porsche GT3, and more. Their business is giving you the ultimate experience while you are at the Ring. Since we were running 2 days, we decided that our first day would be in 2 cars to “learn” about the track. We first did 6 laps in a Renault Clio Cup and then 6 laps in a BMW M3 E92. After riding in the back seat of the small Renault Clio for my first time out, I was sure this was a mistake and I did not want to be here. But after we split and had some instruction from RSR on the track, the comfort zone increased. The next day driving the GT3 really put me at home. The handling, braking, and power of the GT3 made me more confident in the driving. If your use to driving stiff, fast cars, then rent one. But know you dont need to drive it at 100%, let alone 50% to have fun.

In the end, the team at RSR Nurburg really treated us like family adding to the overall Ring experience. Whether you spend 500 Euros on a car or 2500 Euros, the Nurburgring is a motorsports enthusiast dream. For those that want to enjoy the Nurburgring as much as I did, take a look at www.savethering.org, so you will have an opportunity some time. As much as this was to be a once in a lifetime experience, I know I will definitely be heading back!

Lap in Porsche GT3