thinking about doing a trip to the ring somtime this year and was wondering if anybody has any pointers for the track the car is a standard mk1 octy vrs estate any points will be much appreciated

thinking about doing a trip to the ring somtime this year and was wondering if anybody has any pointers for the track the car is a standard mk1 octy vrs estate any points will be much appreciated

I'm taking a bog-stock vRS estate to the 'Ring end of September, so I'll let you know

Take it very easy if it's your first time. Don't forget you're not insured so if you have an accident you could be in deep, deep trouble.

A standard VRS will cope adequately, mine was standard the first year I went and although at times it was understeering a bit it was fine. The best thing was it got me there and back in comfort and without anything going wrong whatsoever when all the jap cars i was with broke down

For all other info join up on the Northloop forum

Some things I like doing when I'm there:

Go down to the bridge at Breidscheid to watch the track action on weekend mornings, the cafe by the bridge does amazing waffles with cherries and squirty cream

Go to the pistenklause in the evening for the steak on a hot stone... awesome :clap:

Visit the castle, it only costs a couple of euros to get in and from the turret you can see the GP track, the Norschleife and all the Eifel area

There also used to be a 4x4 experience thing about 2 miles east of Dottinger Hohe where you could drive Suzuki SJ's around a quarry for £30 an hour but I think that might have closed down now :(

Edited 19 August, 201015 yr by chicken_eyebrow

i go a few times a year and every time i'm still in complete aura of the place.

a standard vrs will cope fine but make sure yr brakes are up to it as they will kill a standard set in 1 lap if not before. i had major brake failure within half a lap on newish pads but 20k discs.

Remember not get sucked into driving beyond yr limits, look out for much quicker cars that will appear from no where.

use yr passenger to look out for these!!!

Have you arranged where yr staying yet? try www.ringhaus.com 500yrds from the nordschleife entrance, great food, great hotel and cheap!!!!

but most of all enjoy yourself!!!

i go a few times a year and every time i'm still in complete aura of the place.

a standard vrs will cope fine but make sure yr brakes are up to it as they will kill a standard set in 1 lap if not before. i had major brake failure within half a lap on newish pads but 20k discs.

Remember not get sucked into driving beyond yr limits, look out for much quicker cars that will appear from no where.

use yr passenger to look out for these!!!

Have you arranged where yr staying yet? try www.ringhaus.com 500yrds from the nordschleife entrance, great food, great hotel and cheap!!!!

but most of all enjoy yourself!!!

cheers for all the info guys luckily enough i am having my brakes sorted out next week and i also llive in germany so i dont have to worry about digs or anything like that, the misses wants to go just to say we have been and done it but not to sure about haing passengers in the car as you can guarntee the whole tribe would wanna join and i aint having 3 kids in the car while doing that LOL

Lucky you, living in europe you will probably be insured as most european insurance companies treat the nordschleife correctly. It is not as british insurance companies claim a race track, it is a private one way toll road. Remember on public days the vehicles you encounter could range from coaches to supercars/bikes, not everyone will be going fast, not everyone will drive within their limits and accidents can and do happen there.

I was reccomended that you should drive well within your limits, it is easy to think you are on a different part of the circuit than you are and get caught out. Also even though Germany is a metric country if you crash you will be charged for the armco by the foot and track closure is charged for by the minute, I dont know what the rates are but the bills you get if you crash can be rather high.

If you have an x box or playstation it may be worth spending some time on it lapping the nordschleife, it will give you no idea of how it will feel when you are driving it, but it will give you an idea of where the corners are and which way they go.

Most of all though dont take unecessary risks and enjoy yourself.

Standard brakes are fine, IF you are driving properly. I did 80 laps in my MK1 vRS on standard disks and pads, and they were still fitted to the car when I sold it. As long as you dont try and do more than 1 lap at a time, and leave the car in gear without the handbrake applied in the carpark then all will be fine. Standard suspension is not that bad, but it will be a bit rolly, polly in the corners.

Watch out for other cars on track. Virtually all uk insurance companies exclude ring use either by name or mentioning derestricted toll roads. So you will have zero insurance whilst on circuit, so if you crash you will need to pay for damages to the circuit, closure time, attendance of staff, and possibly damage to other cars. These will need to be paid on the spot, or the police called. I now no longer drive the ring, the risk is just to great, and could cost many 000's of pounds should you crash.

Standard brakes are fine, IF you are driving properly.

Agreed, my standard brakes were fine, I wasn't braking late into the corners as there was so much traffic it would've been dangerous to try and take the best line on every corner, better to go through slow off the line and let faster cars past. One lap at a time, there's viewing areas nearby and a cafe at the Aral on the main road (a lot cheaper than the Gruneholle cafe in the carpark) where you can take a break while the brakes cool down

I don't drive mine on the Ring anymore either, just passenger in other cars. I've read one or two horror stories on Northloop of people who've been responsible for damage to £100,000 cars, injuries to bikers etc and have ended up losing their houses

Edited 20 August, 201015 yr by chicken_eyebrow

Things like this happen way to easily and quickly:

(me and my mate)

(amusing but scary!)

Just don't drive like a spanner! If it's raining, consider doing something else for the day, because it's stupidly slippy in the wet and you'll probably spaff it unless you take it very easy.

luckily we just want to go there and run the course not race it car cost to muh money to be doing stupid things like that

Would like to go there myself but hell no

You only need to know the answer to two thing befor you go.

1) Can i afford to write my car off

2) Will my other half kill me if i do

If the answer is no to 1 then dont go but if yes then go have fun.

As for number 2 thats comes down to how good you ass at kissing ass if you did write it off

But read this

Things to know

Pls read the parts on the cost if you hit some1 and the cost of repairs to the track and stuff like that

Edited 21 August, 201015 yr by JackDeath