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]

(more…)

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!

(more…)

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]

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.

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]

(more…)

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 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.

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.

Attention to all Sydney readers

Mal’s Big Green Hell, the adventures of a group of Australian racers, featuring Aussie Nürburgring pioneer Mal Rose, at Germany’s famous ‘Green Hell’ race circuit, will be re-screening next week on TVS (Channel 31).

The first broadcast airs from 9:30pm tomorrow. Check the TVS online guide for further times and dates.

[Thanks to Marko for the tip]

Porsche test driver, dual world rally champion and all round motor racing legend Walter Rohrl will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 RS at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour race. Rohrl will be 63 when the race takes place in May and it will be his first N24 since 1993.

There’s not much else around announcing this drive at the moment other than the following quote from Rohrl himself, “No other road-going 911 has ever been as close to a race car as this current GT3 RS,” said Rohrl. “That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to prove that this sports car is up to the challenge of the 24-hour race.”

Rohrl will have 118bhp per litre at his disposal from the 3.8 litre flat six engine. That’s around 450bhp (335kW), which won’t grab too many headlines for outright power, but it’s safe to say the GT3 RS will handle itself very well around the demanding Nordschleife circuit.

As usual AUSringers is planning to cover the race as best as can possibly be done from the other side of the globe!

[via evo]

(more…)