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]
Don’t you just love this old archival image from the 1969 German Grand Prix. A timely way to pay respects to Colin Chapman, who passed away 27 years ago today, the image features Graham Hill behind the wheel of a legendary Lotus 49B, possibly taken over the jump at the start of Pflantzgarten.
For more on the 1969 German Grand Prix check out this AUSringers post from July last year, which includes video footage from the race, won by Jacky Ickx in a Brabham. For more on the return of Lotus to the F1 grid in 2010, check out AUSmotive.com.
The snow is back! Whenever I see the Nordschleife covered by a fresh white blanket a couple of thoughts come to mind. The first is this YouTube clip which has to be one of the best motoring videos around.
The other is a story of a chap who went to the Ring on Christmas last year figuring the snow would ensure the track was closed. From memory he had a 120 minute drive to get to the Touristfahrten gates and, to his surprise, when he arrived the snow wasn’t too bad and the track was open. It gets better. There was virtually nobody else there. The dream of an empty Nordschleife can come true!
To rub it in, this guy went back on Boxing Day for the same result. A clear open track to enjoy. That really would be all your Christmases coming at once!
Below you can see two great clips featuring the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo being thrashed around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Well, great if you speak German that is. Otherwise you’ll just have to enjoy the pretty pictures and enjoy the work of the D:SF camera crew.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that these clips don’t have an independent lap comparison, just so we could get another view on the Porsche v Nissan squabble. However, there is a drag race between the two cars up the Döttinger Höhe straight, but you’ll need to watch the clips to see which car wins the day.
Okay, so this clip is not overly topical given the 24 hour race was over six months ago now. But the chaps from Motor Sport Magazine do give a reasonably good behind the scenes look at what goes on off the track. That means their reporting of what does happen during the race is a bit light on, but if you’re reading this blog, you’ll enjoy this clip.
News is just coming through that Walter Kafitz is no longer running the show at the Nürburgring’s Grand Prix circuit. He’s been in charge there for the last 15 years.
Control of of the venue has been handed over to the privately-owned Lindner Group, headed by Lorg Lindner, who already operates a nearby hotel.
Of more concern, though, is news that day to day running of the circuit will no longer be handled by the mostly state-owned Nurburgring GmbH.
What affect this news will have on the Nordschleife is unclear to me at this stage. One thing is clear, the twitter feed for Ringweekends makes for some interesting reading.
[Source: F1-Live]
The creator of Playstation’s Gran Turismo race game Kazunori Yamauchi recently took part in a four hour VLN race at the Nürburgring. He formed a team with a couple of motoring journos from AutoExpress, including Australian Peter Lyon. They drove a Lexus IS-F in the production category, so the engine and automatic transmission are basically stock.
Above is a complete lap with Kazunori Yamauchi at the wheel. For some reason the footage starts and ends at the approach to Galgenkopf, not really sure why. Nevertheless it is a full lap, including the Grand Prix track, of course.
Speaking before the race Yamauchi said, “I’ve covered nearly 2,000 virtual laps, and while real racing is obviously far scarier, the driver’s actions and the lines taken through the corners are the same.”
After his racing time around the Ring Yamauchi enthused, “The only time I get in this trance-like state is when I am racing a real car. I want to understand what makes me feel like that, and ultimately feed it back into Gran Turismo 5.”
Then Yamauchi-san closes by giving a brief insight into what he thinks makes the Green Hell so special, “What impresses me more than the rapidly changing weather, its astonishing history and its sheer size are the people who come to see and drive it. They are amazing. This is a true Mecca for all those who love driving.”
So, what do you reckon, as a race car driver, do you think Kazunori Yamauchi makes a pretty good game designer, or does he show some talent?
[Source: AutoExpress]
Here’s a nice, clean Touristenfahrten lap filmed from inside a MINI JCW GP, the last Cooper S special built on the R53 platform. Many consider the GP to be the ultimate (BMW) MINI. Well, now you can see how a GP handles the ultimate track. Eight minutes of ‘Ring goodness can be seen after the break.
[via MotoringFile]
Got a spare 7 minutes or so? Then you’ll enjoy this clip from Audi tv that takes a look at four of the world’s most famous racetracks—Hockenheim, Spa, Mugello and, of course, the Nürburgring. Just a shame the voice over guy sounds so uninspired! Check out the clip after the jump.
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