AUSringers.com

By Russ on Feb 5, 2008

WOW! <—- this sums up the nurburgring for me pretty much.

I live in Sydney NSW and im 24, and going to the ring on my 1 month holiday in September 2007 with 2 mates was always on the cards.

We stayed in Koblenz the night before, then drove out there in our rented VW TDI Jetta.

We did 3 laps altogether, mixed in with spectacting from various view points.

We were there the whole day, and were completely amazed at how beautiful the track was and how exciting/dangerous it was to drive on.

My 3rd mate, was happy to sit in the back seat and watch us go around the track. He was too scared that he would understeer the car off the track.

I will definitely be going back there in 2009, and this time in a faster car without 3x 20kg+ suitcases in the back.

BEST THING IVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE!

Anyone reading this, book your flight to Frankfurt Germany!

By Ryan on Feb 5, 2008

I was the other driver in the car with Russ. Beating a porsche in a rental jetta was definetly one of the best moments. Also hounding a newish civic with said luggage and 2 passengers was great too. Loosely timed, I managed around a low 12 second lap from memory. Most of that was moving out of the way of various porsches and bmw’s though

I had found heaven for that one day. A day which I will never forget. Planning to make the pilgramage again in ‘09 with something a little more faster and agile

By Ryan on Feb 5, 2008

Oh and great site too! Funnily enough, my nickname is Ringers too haha.

By Terence on Feb 14, 2008

Hi

I just stumbled over this site. I am an Aussie originally from NSW but am now living 120km away from the Nordschleife in Luxembourg. I am trying to get there at least once a month to do a few laps. Just fantastic. Last year was lapping in my wifes Station Wagon but have bought a Porsche 968 to be my ring tool this year. Have done about 24 laps in total. Totally addicted.

By Terence on Feb 15, 2008

Fair enough - I am a lucky bastard. To be so close is to good an opportunity to waste. anyone coming over post a message and if I can help you out let me know.

By Dave on Feb 19, 2008

Nice looking site Liam, good to see a few Aussie ring enthusiasts getting togeather online. I’m originally from Hobart but moved out 6 years ago and have been living in Holland for the past 3. I’m not quite a close as Terrance, about 250km for me but still quite close enough for day trips (especially since a good chunk of the commute can be done at 200kph

I’m a pretty frequent visitor, having racked up about 900 laps since moving to Holland so there is always a good chance of catching me there. If any Aussies are looking for a bit of help or advice on organising a visit I’ll do my best to assist. Passengers are welcome, I drive a black Elise on Dutch plates, say g’day if you see me in the carpark.

Terrance, we should catch up and swap some laps, when are you going next? I might be there again this weekend, will watch the weather and probably make a last minute decision on Saturday morning. I had thought that conditions would be just too dodgy at this time of year but last weekend was brilliant. It was dry but they salted the hell out of the track and all the dust combined with the sub zero temps made for an ultra low grip experience. It was kinda spooky to begin with but turned out to be brilliant slidy fun. If I get around to writing a mini trip report I’ll post it up here.

Cheers all,

Dave

By Martin on Feb 21, 2008

Hi Liam,

Thanks for your comments on my Nurburgring story… You’d be glad to know that the bluey grinning like a loon next to me for most of the trackday is my Sydneysider girlfriend living over here in London at the moment - I’ll see if she has any uniquely Aussie comments to make beyond “strewth!”…

/bfg

By dominic on Feb 28, 2008

hey guys i have a few questions to the “been there” guys…..

first of all let me say i hate you all and im very very jealous, secondly id like to ask you a question

for just say….. 10 days, purely just to go to germany to race on the ring… what would the holiday budget be? including tix, rental car, the whole shazam??

cheers guys

dom

By Terence on Mar 4, 2008

Dave

I will let you know when I am going. Have been travelling last 4 weekends so have not been. Last weekend looked pretty wild with the weather.

If this weekend is good probably be there.

By Chris Harris on Mar 5, 2008

Another year and already had my first trip! Have just booked my second trip at Easter now! Any ausringers going to be there over Easter? The place where I store the Golf ( http://www.nurburgmotorsport.com/ ) is having its open day over the Easter holiday and anyone is free to pop down!

By Dave on Mar 6, 2008

Terence, doesn’t look like much chance of good driving this weekend, its either going to be still covered with snow or at least wet.

However, we do have a plan if the snow sticks around - taking the Zakspeed quad bikes around the ring in the snow. Will have to wait and see what the weather brings.

By Mc_Crash_mkv on Mar 16, 2008

Hi to all.

I’m going to Nurburg the 20th of march,driving with my car..a 2008 golf gti euro spec.

I’ll take thousands of pics and do some laps on the ring.

I’ll tell you how it went..thanks.

By Terence on Mar 26, 2008

There was a Ford Falcon FPV up at the ring over Easter. Lime Green colour.

Bit of a surprise when I parked next to it. Could not find the owner but it was registered in Jersey.

By Kent (NSW) on Apr 7, 2008

i was lucky enought to visit the ring back in 2001 (from memory) with a good mate.

My friend had organised to meet up with some VWVortex guys, so i just happened to get a ride in an old 90’s GTI, and a few laps as passenger in a new Porsche 911 Turbo… awesome did not describe this experience.. and i think it would be second only to a trip in the ring taxi

By williamsf1 on Apr 9, 2008

G’day, I’m lucky enough to get to Frankfurt with work at least 4 times a year! and have done over 100 laps in the last 3 yrs…

best bit of advice given to me, and now to be passed on here is not to time a lap till you have done at least 10 laps… as its asking for an crash! and there are no small crashes here!!!

I will be back there in may, and was recently there over Easter… sadly 1 foot of snow!

cheers,

and go the aussies…

By Snowman on Apr 9, 2008

Hey All,

Just came back from my 1st ring experience last week (was there on Friday April 4th). I tee’d up a car from Theo and Heidi at http://www.rent-racecar.de/gb/ and I can’t speak highly enough of them and the state of their veichles.

Also - a hot lap with Theo is an experience of a lifetime as he four wheel slides his Golf around a corner at 140km/hr with one hand on the wheel whilst pointing with the other at some point on the wall where some famous person had once crashed into.

Anyways - since I’ve done a little bit of motorsport back here in Oz I decided to use their BMW 135i which after arriving I was told was their most difficult car to drive (decent power + RWD + short wheel base = very twitchy).

And after my hot lap with Theo in his golf I set out for my 1st exploration lap and discovered how right they were about the car but also how right everyone else was about just how difficult this track really is. The two biggest things for me were the fact that there was no “rest” stages at all (most tracks have one or 2 straights you can catch your breath and just shift gears for a few seconds for), and also how basically there was only 2 or 3 places you can actually see 2 corners ahead. So it made it very hard to know how fast or slow to take each one as you never knew what was around the corner.

Still despite all this - and despite knowing it was “illegal” I had brought along a GPS and the Racechrono software with the ring BTG track built in so set off for a hot lap. The main aim I had in my head was to at some stage in the day break 10mins. I ended up doing my first lap in 9.12.3 (which Theo later tells me puts me in the insane class to run a time like that on my 1st lap).

But in some senses it was lucky I ran my time on that first lap because when I started my second it started to really bucket down with rain and half way around the car infrom slammed into a wall - for really doing nother wrong other than just touching a ripple strip. The little RWD BMW I was in was struggling for rear grip as well and since I had a $20K excess over my head I lost heart very quickly in pushing hard. I ended up just doing a couple more “tourist” laps bringing along some friends that had come to watch but just cruising at a max 100km/hr around the place. But that one dry lap has left me wanting to come back for more and I hope to do it again in the not too distant future.

Cheers

Snowy

By Wayne on Apr 9, 2008

Snowy, please do tell us more about the 135i. What mods has been done to it? What size tyres was it running? How was the power? I am planning to turn mine into a track car when I pick it up next month. Probably not straight away but over the next year perhaps. I can’t wait!

Wayne

By Terence Ledger on Apr 18, 2008

All

Doing the the GLP this weekend at the ring. This is a regularity trial where you have to lap in exactly the same lap time.

Will provide a report. Doing it with Dale from Bridge to Gantry in an Alfa.

By Ric Shaw on May 2, 2008

This year will be my 5th at the Ring and again in the Mazda RX7 i built from the ground up here in Aus. i hope to better my two second in class finishes from 2002 and 2003. Look out for car 104 a white RX7. come say hi if your at the track.i am in class SP3T. some minor changes have been made for this year and i hope to match the lap time again of my mate Mal Rose in the V8 we drove together in Sepang12hr.

By Terence Ledger on May 7, 2008

Ric,

I will be up there spectating. Will bring the flag to cheer you on.

There seems to be a lot of Aussies in the 24 hour this year.

By Terence Ledger on May 7, 2008

Guess you would call me Captain slow guys. It was raining like hell in my stint and I had never driven around in the wet. Anyway we fell foul of the 15 minute rule. Although I lapped consistently at 15.44 it incurred huge penalties. Dale from RSR Nurburg who was the co driver(See Bridgetogantry.com) was in faster form and I would recommend anyone going to Nurburg to take a lap with him. Brilliant driver, we drifted the whole circuit for 6 laps. He taught me heaps about the circuit and I am now much faster around there in the road car than before.

The wet line is very different to the dry line.

It was a hoot though and starting an event on the full Nordschliefe with 143 other cars was an experience in itself.

By Cal on May 28, 2008

I’ve been to the Ring twice, once in 2003 in a rental car and once in 2006 in one of Theo’s race car rentals. I have written stories on both trips, but perhaps they are a bit large to post here?

By Shane on Jun 1, 2008

Hello there

I’m moving to Melbourne from the UK, I’ve done a fair bit of driving around the ring (tourist laps, working/testing and a bit of racing). I was wondering whether there is a cheap(ish) form of racing in Oz? I’d really love a shot racing a big V8!

Great site by the way.

Shane

By Shane on Jun 25, 2008

Thanks Liam

I’ve seen their cars at the ring. I’ll give him a call when I arrive in a few weeks.

I’ll keep in contact via Ausringers!

Shane