I took a trip to the ring this weekend. At this time of year it is only open on certain days and my window of opportunity was last Sunday. A mate recently moved to Berlin, so we thought we'd spend a morning over in Nurburg. Unfortunately for both of us, the ring happened to be hundreds of miles from home which meant that Saturday and the remainder of Sunday were filled with a lot of motorway driving.
After munching through SE England, France and Belgium I arrived in Germany on Saturday evening. I didn't see much of the autobahn before hitting some strangely familiar roads. The roads around the Nordschlief seem reminicent of what I'd experienced from GT4 - winding curves, heavy gradients and the surrounding forests. By the time I arrived, it was dusk and the place was overcast - and completely silent. There was just a really eery feel to the place.
After a few laps on my PS2 in the hotel, I had an early night feeling slightly worried about what lay ahead.
A long sleep did little to calm my nerves. This place is reknown for its sheer danger, and I was going to attempt it in my own car with no previous track experience. Adding to the fact that my insurance was highly questionable with regards to the ring, I wasn't so sure it was such a good idea.
Anyway, after a 20km drive my car seemed fully warmed up in the 10c ambient temperature and we arrived at the ring. The first thing that struck me was the completely relaxed atmosphere. We arrived at 9am and the track had just opened. A few cars littered the car park and people were just milling around drinking coffee. We sheepishly bought a 4 lap ticket from a machine and went back to the car to brush up on the rules.
There are some rules at the ring, but surprisingly these are not hammered into you before you embark - there are no consent forms, no safety briefings. It really was just a public toll road.
There were however some rules you must follow. Being a normal road, you should stay on the right side of the road. Obviously if you are to take the racing line, this is impossible - but venturing over to the left is at your own risk, and if someone rear ends you, it's your fault. Two sections incorporate speed limits. There are also coloured flags which you must pay attention to.
After a few deep breaths I drove up to the toll booth and passed through. I was now on the circuit. What struck me first was the silky smooth surface. It was fantastic to drive on. Not only that, but it squealed when you cornered to give some extra feedback. I was already hooked.
After a couple of corners my fears had vanished. I felt so comfortable driving it was simply fantastic. GT4 had prepared me for the next bend, but hadn't mentioned the sheer ecstacy of the track. I love driving on normal roads, I love karting - but this was on a completely different level. Never before had I driven my car to such extremes, never before had I even come close to the limits before - but here I did, and I felt comfortable, even secure about it.
After completing my first lap I handed my keys over to my mate, I just couldn't describe what I was thinking, so knew it would be easier for him to experience it first hand. Probably the most terrifying experience of my life was cornering hard at 80mph as a passenger in my own possibly insured car, but my god it was fun. We spoke about this after, and both came to the agreement that as drivers we felt 100% in control, despite being worried as passengers.
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) and cruising comfortably at 115mph on the Autobahns up to Luxembourg. She's now resting in an underground carpark in the French Capital.
