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Chris Harris to join Walter Röhrl for N24

Official confirmation of Walter Röhrl’s teammates for his drive in this year’s 24 hour race has finally come through. As expected Röhrl will be joined by Evo scribe Chris Harris (35), Sport Auto stalwart Horst von Saurma (55) and also former German Touring Car ace Roland Asch (59). They will form a very capable team at the wheel of the awesome 450bhp Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Harris first drove the Ring back in 1999 and has since competed there in the 24 hour race and VLN competitions. It’s no surprise, then, to learn he is looking forward to his next Nürburgring experience, “I am thrilled and honoured at the prospect not only of representing Porsche in this great race but also driving alongside Walter Röhrl, a driver who has been a hero of mine for many years,” said Chris.

For Röhrl, it is almost 20 years since he last shared race duties at the 24 hour race. To help prepare for the event he will be jopined by his teammates for a pair of VLN races, “I’m sure we will quickly familiarise ourselves with the track and the car,” claims  a confident Röhrl, “We’ll need to practice our pit stops. After all, it was 17 years ago that I last made a driver change at race speed.”

More from Porsche after the jump. It might pay to keep an eye on Evo’s coverage of this news, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

3D style vintage Nürburgring map

This old skool 3D style map gives a great appreciation of the elevation changes of the Nordschleife (and the Südschleife, too, see top right of frame). Its detailed painting and vibrant colours complement this other vintage map nicely. For a closer look, click on the image above to load a 1600px version.

After the jump you can read a rough translation of the German text.

[via Fairfax by Night]

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A lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife from 1972

Here is a real treat for fans of the Nürburgring, a photographic diary of a Touristenfahrten lap from 1972. The images come via Bill Wagenblatt, a US resident who was living in Europe during the 70s. Bill’s original post on his Track Thoughts blog includes over 100 images of the Norsdschleife taken from the passenger’s seat—a truly amazing effort, and one all fans of the Ring must be thankful for.

The lap starts from the old pitlane complex on what is now the Grand Prix track (refer to vintage map). From the Nord Kehre, shown above, the track turns left onto the Nordschleife we know today. One of the first things you notice is the lack of on-track graffiti. But you will also see just how much the track and surrounding vegetation has changed in the last 38 years. You can see this especially on the images from Fuchsröhre, Adenauer Forst and Döttinger Höhe, which was still lined with hedges. Of course, the other noticeable attribute from the pics is the lack of traffic!

There is a selection if images included after the break, but I cannot recommend highly enough taking the time to view and appreciate all of Bill’s images.

[Source: Track Thoughts, via Bridge to Gantry]

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Audi offers R8 LMS experience in exchange for cash

Audi have just announced they will be offering cashed up wannabe racing drivers a seat in an R8 LMS. Two GT3 cars will be prepared by the Joest Racing Team, the guys responsible for six of Audi’s recent Le Mans victories.

Joest will be entering up to six VLN races at the Nürburgring this year, among other activities, and if you have the cash for this “Race Experience” you could find yourself in the hot seat.

“For the first time, the Audi race experience offers customers the opportunity to participate in a race with a professional Audi ‘factory’ team without having to enter into a long-term commitment or to make a high financial investment,” explains Klaus Demel, who is in charge of the Audi driving experience. “I’m very happy that we’ve been able to win Audi Sport and Reinhold Joest’s team as a partners for this project.”

Joest kicks off their VLN season on 24 April, so you’d better start saving your pennies!

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Eat the Nürburgring for breakfast

Here is the perfect way to start your day, Nürburgring toast! This novelty toaster can be bought for €29.90 from the Nürburgring shop.

A rough translation of the text reads:

“For breakfast, have a quick hot toast with Nürburgring logo.
A must for every kitchen!”

[Thanks to Steve for the tip]

Audi tv looks back at 2009 24 hour race

Last year the Audi R8 LMS came close to winning the Nürburgring 24 hour race. The #99 Phoenix Racing Team entry held the lead position for 17 hours before driveshaft problems pushed the car down to fifth position overall. The #97 Abt Sportline car posted a solid second place giving the R8 LMS a very respectable N24 debut.

This clip shows Audi tv’s look back at the event. The Australian Corolla even makes a brief appearance (keep an eye out at the 3:10 mark). Okay, this clip will be even better if you speak German, but if you speak Nürburgring you’ll still enjoy this footage.

Nordschleife Touristenfahrten footage from 1977

Here is a great old clip of some Touristenfahrten footage filmed in 1977. The action was captured at the notorious Adenauer Forst section, which is known for inexperienced driver carrying too much speed into the tight left hander. Thirty-three years on people still make the same rookie mistake over and over again!

It’s interesting to see that there is some graffiti on the track surface too. While there’s nowhere near as much as we see today, this is clearly a tradition that has been going on for some time.

Other points of interest are the number of people watching on from the side of the track. Also, towards the end of the clip, our intrepid filmmaker is literally trackside filming from the opposite side of the tarmac to the screen grab shown above. After watching all the car going off on entry to that corner, I think I might have found a different location to film the action just quietly!

The footage can be seen after the jump, and this is one clip where you will want to turn the sound down. There is no audio apart from some retro camera clicking.

[Source: Ringweekends tweet]

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A lap of the Nordschleife with Sabine Schmitz

Sabine Schmitz is well known for her appearances on Top Gear. She’s also well known for her gig as a driver of the BMW Ring Taxi. She’s even been interviewed by AUSringers. But, ultimately, she’s a racer, so what better way to kick off 2010 than with some video footage of Sabine at the wheel of her Frikadelli Racing Porsche 911 doing a full lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

The clip is available over at the Ring1.tv website and you can follow the link by clicking on the screen grab above, or the link below. As you can see a digital speedometer has been superimposed over the footage, along with an inset window of Sabine at the wheel.

Keep an eye out around 9:30 into the clip for the yellow Mk3 Golf which provides a bit of a hairy moment just before the apex at Galgenkopf. Sabine lets the driver know all about it as well! There’s another close moment at Schikane, just before re-entry to the Formula One circuit that raises the ire of Sabine.

It’s a great clip and the sense of awesome and terrifying speed really does come through. The footage was filmed in July last year during qualifying for a 6 hour VLN race.

[Source: Ring1.tv | Thanks to Obi for the tip]

Jay Leno discovers Los Angeles Nürburgring

Jay Leno reckons he has discovered Los Angeles’ own Nürburgring Nordschleife. Click on the map above to see the route in full, courtesy of Google Maps.

The circuit forms part of a recent short film, The fast and the famous, featuring Leno and the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Gullwing. In the film Leno claims every city has a hidden racetrack inside. To see Leno behind the wheel of this Rendezvous inspired film, check out AUSmotive.com.

NEW VIDEO: Radical SR8LM Nurburgring record

In August Radical set a new Nürburgring lap record, smashing the 6 minute 50 barrier, with the 460bhp 2.8-litre V8 powered SR8LM. The new time set by Michael Vergers at the wheel of the Radical was 6 minutes 48 seconds, and about a month after the record was set evo published a clip on YouTube.

Now, with thanks to ChaseCam, you can see that lap again, this time with on board telemetry. It’s pretty cool actually, you can see how much throttle is being applied, how much brake effort is being used, and of course, revs and speed. In case you’re wondering, 169mph is 272km/h.