Advice 4 Nürburgring visit

[FLYFISHR]

While on a family vacation in late May I will be near the Nürburgring and I am looking for any suggestions about where to stay or even the best place to rent an 86 for a couple of laps. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

[ZetaVI]

Have fun and don't crash.

[Silver Cervy]

Be prepared to move over for people.

A lot.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by FLYFISHR

While on a family vacation in late May I will be near the Nürburgring and I am looking for any suggestions about where to stay or even the best place to rent an 86 for a couple of laps. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

I was told by friends before this place has 86 to rent from but it's really expensive. Just don't crash and prep with your PS3 lol!

https://www.rentracecar.de/en/

I was also told that roads in Eastern Germany and Austria are in much better shape overall than the west.

[FLYFISHR]

Originally Posted by Silver Cervy

Be prepared to move over for people.

A lot.

I'm used to that after doing a track day on Mosport's main track. In the corners I didn't do to bad but the back straight was something else.

[Re_Invention]

I can help you out here. I've rented a BRZ from Ren4Ring previously and have put on 50+ laps around the Ring now over the past 5 or 6 years.



I do not believe they still rent them out - as I rented this one a few years ago it was their last one due to drivers totaling the fleet. They are a great outfit though and if you're ok with going for a smaller hatch their Swifts are fantastic and reasonably priced. You'd be at about 389- euro for 4 laps all inclusive. Go on a weekday if you can, the Ring will be open for about 2 hours for touristenfahrten; check the calendar for days/times: https://www.greenhelldriving.nuerburgring.de/#/landing click on the German flag in the upper left corner for English, then Opening Hours Nordschleife.

Weekends in the summer are rough, lots of drivers and lots of closures due to accidents.

Other outfits I know of to rent cars from:

http://www.rsrnurburg.com/car-rentals
Very pricey but the most known and biggest fleet of cars.

https://www.rentracecar.de/en/
They have a GT86 to rent looks to be about 649- Euro for 4 laps all inclusive.

As a first timer, 4 laps will be tiring but you can generally fit in 5-6 laps in a session provided there are no accidents. I wouldn't advise that - check out the parking lot, grab some merchandise, take it all in and do a sighting lap, do a leisure pace lap, then a fast lap, then a 'remember this' lap. If you still feel up for it, take another spin but don't push yourself and drink plenty of water.

Personally, I take the lower insurance deductible (costs extra) because it's a numbers game and with first timer Xbox confidence those numbers go down for you. It's also around $100 per meter of armco all said and done if you have contact with any part of the track. Then you have to pay for emergency vehicles, truck rental for repair, safety car, etc. if needed. Plus state tax on everything So don't have an off if you can't help it, it'll easily cost you a few grand out of pocket.

My best tip: watch as many youtube crash videos as you can before going. See where the mistakes happen most often. There's a few notorious trouble spots: keep a cool head at Schweden-kreuz, watch out for Kallenhard - it's a sharp turn same goes for near Breidscheid, and go easy through Brunnchen; lots of folks show off for the paparazzi there. Most cars with semi-slick rubber and sub 200 hp will handle the course with little necessity for braking. It's driver courage and competence. You can go virtually 90% flat out in the Swift if you're on the right line and still run a sub 10 minute lap. But don't time yourself - you're racing for points that no one cares about and that mean nothing to you unless you go back regularly. If you'd feel more comfortable take a passenger with you to help you keep an eye in your mirrors. No point by's, use your indicator and keep right to let the faster vehicle pass on the left (German street laws apply to the Ring). Don't slam on the brakes to let people pass. And always remember to look for motorcycles!

My family is from the Trier area, about 40 min out. If you're into Roman history or Marxism it's a great city to visit.

Forgot to say, if you have any other questions about what to do/see in the area feel free to shoot me a PM or post here - I'm always happy to share what I know.

When going to to the Ring, go early in the day to do a tour of the museum if open - lots of cool race cars. Eat something, walk the Boulevard (boring) and be sure to show up early to your car rental spot before the driver brief to get the nervous dump out of the way, otherwise you'll be waiting in line! :p

[FLYFISHR]

Wow thanks very much Re_Invention for all that info, I will be making it a weekday visit for sure now. Like I said this is a family vacation for my wife and my self so most of our travelling will be with public transportation so if you have any suggestions as to nearby places to make as our base camp that would be great. I've done a couple of track days so I'm used to watching my mirrors for faster cars while on the straightaways. I will do my 10 tenths driving while I'm on the kart track as I will be trying to make this experience last as long as possible.

[Calvin27]

My tip would be to get a co-driver. Even though I had the track memorised from gran turismo, co-driver helped heaps to make me go faster holding lines, taking b lines when necessary and most importantly watching for other cars. The one thing you don't get from the game is the many bumps and other stuff on the road (lots of paint and graffiti which makes you lose a lot of confidence). Also there was one time the co-diver asked me to stay right and this gt3 came ripping through.

[Irace86.2.0]

I second playing Grand Turismo. You really get a sense of the bumps and pitch changes. It's harder to see but you feel them on the game. The game is apparently very accurate. Definitely one of the hardest tracks on the game, if not the hardest.

[krayzie]

I think out of many in-car videos on YouTube this one has the best view where you can make a pretty good study. It certainly helped me a lot in Gran Turismo.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5FNEhF3b7I"]Best Motoring S2000 Nurburgring test - YouTube[/ame]

[Spec C Wannabe]

Originally Posted by Re_Invention

I can help you out here. I've rented a BRZ from Ren4Ring previously and have put on 50+ laps around the Ring now over the past 5 or 6 years.



I do not believe they still rent them out - as I rented this one a few years ago it was their last one due to drivers totaling the fleet. They are a great outfit though and if you're ok with going for a smaller hatch their Swifts are fantastic and reasonably priced. You'd be at about 389- euro for 4 laps all inclusive. Go on a weekday if you can, the Ring will be open for about 2 hours for touristenfahrten; check the calendar for days/times: https://www.greenhelldriving.nuerburgring.de/#/landing click on the German flag in the upper left corner for English, then Opening Hours Nordschleife.

Weekends in the summer are rough, lots of drivers and lots of closures due to accidents.

Other outfits I know of to rent cars from:

http://www.rsrnurburg.com/car-rentals
Very pricey but the most known and biggest fleet of cars.

https://www.rentracecar.de/en/
They have a GT86 to rent looks to be about 649- Euro for 4 laps all inclusive.

As a first timer, 4 laps will be tiring but you can generally fit in 5-6 laps in a session provided there are no accidents. I wouldn't advise that - check out the parking lot, grab some merchandise, take it all in and do a sighting lap, do a leisure pace lap, then a fast lap, then a 'remember this' lap. If you still feel up for it, take another spin but don't push yourself and drink plenty of water.

Personally, I take the lower insurance deductible (costs extra) because it's a numbers game and with first timer Xbox confidence those numbers go down for you. It's also around $100 per meter of armco all said and done if you have contact with any part of the track. Then you have to pay for emergency vehicles, truck rental for repair, safety car, etc. if needed. Plus state tax on everything So don't have an off if you can't help it, it'll easily cost you a few grand out of pocket.

My best tip: watch as many youtube crash videos as you can before going. See where the mistakes happen most often. There's a few notorious trouble spots: keep a cool head at Schweden-kreuz, watch out for Kallenhard - it's a sharp turn same goes for near Breidscheid, and go easy through Brunnchen; lots of folks show off for the paparazzi there. Most cars with semi-slick rubber and sub 200 hp will handle the course with little necessity for braking. It's driver courage and competence. You can go virtually 90% flat out in the Swift if you're on the right line and still run a sub 10 minute lap. But don't time yourself - you're racing for points that no one cares about and that mean nothing to you unless you go back regularly. If you'd feel more comfortable take a passenger with you to help you keep an eye in your mirrors. No point by's, use your indicator and keep right to let the faster vehicle pass on the left (German street laws apply to the Ring). Don't slam on the brakes to let people pass. And always remember to look for motorcycles!

My family is from the Trier area, about 40 min out. If you're into Roman history or Marxism it's a great city to visit.

Forgot to say, if you have any other questions about what to do/see in the area feel free to shoot me a PM or post here - I'm always happy to share what I know.

When going to to the Ring, go early in the day to do a tour of the museum if open - lots of cool race cars. Eat something, walk the Boulevard (boring) and be sure to show up early to your car rental spot before the driver brief to get the nervous dump out of the way, otherwise you'll be waiting in line! :p

"389- euro for 4 laps all inclusive"
Insurance, Gas, Ring Entrance Fee--all included?

[Re_Invention]

Originally Posted by Spec C Wannabe

"389- euro for 4 laps all inclusive"
Insurance, Gas, Ring Entrance Fee--all included?

Yes on entrance and gas. I don't know how much gas I burn through, maybe ~60% of a tank in a session doing about 5-6 laps. I suggest the all inclusive because the difference works out to a few euros between cost yourself and all inclusive especially anything under 10 laps - those few euros are worth the convenience 10x. Insurance is a standard liability which you're responsible for up to 5,000 euros or so of damage. You have the option to choose for a lower deductible of 2,500 euro for 40- euro or something like that. I take it because I figure an accident at speed will likely mean big costs one way (track damage) or another (vehicle damage). Like motorycling, it isn't a matter of if but when. Those figures may have changed, fuzzy memory on the details.

Funny/not so funny story. When I went last year I was the last to get safety proofed out of the facility to head to the track. I'm watching from my seat a first timer with his father (drive must have been 20-22 years old) as passenger in their Swift get ready to leave for the track. The guy was definitely excited during the driver brief. Anyway, he gets the go head from the tech and lets the clutch out to leave the parking lot (has a steep driveway) but the car rolls back some 5' and hits an angle of the building. Due to the bizarre 90 degree puncturing the trunk and denting the rear roll cage it's deemed a loss. Driver got pulled, was on the hook for the car and I don't believe was able to run. Was heart breaking to see but that's life, weird things happen.

So another word of caution, take it easy and think things through. Don't let the Playstation confidence get to your head or a simple clutch out roll could end your day. Again, watch as many crash videos as you can to stay sober and humble. It's a lot of fun going 100+ mph through fuchsrohre flat out when others are lifting or through pflantzgarten at high speeds dancing around high end sports cars getting caught out but it takes only one small misjudgment to put you on youtube as well. Trust in the machinery and trust in your judgement. And take lots of photos and post post post!

To OP:

As far as areas around the Ring go, it is a small village town. Though there are several hotels/inn's located in and around Nurburg. The nearest large 'city' would likely be Koblenz - I'm a fan of this city, it's large but still has a quaintness to it though some may say boring. You get the German Corner; two rivers meet, and a nice university with some local drink holes and overall chill vibe. Take the cablecar for some good views. Cochem is to the south, I've only been once - small square and a little but charming castle. A bit south of that is Wittlich. I don't know what to say about Wittlich, I know it as a pun for jokes and I've been there go karting a couple of times. It reminds me of Bitburg in some ways. Definitely see Burg Eltz. Anytime you see "Burg" it means Castle. And that is a beautiful castle, well worth the visit. Plan 4-6 hours for it. Anytime you see "Bad" it means spa or bath - a historical reference. Doesn't guarantee the place will be a nice destination Lots of time's you'll see two names with a hyphen in between like Bernkastel-Kues it's usually two opposing areas either side of a river now conjoined as a single city. Also a nice small quaint town to visit for an ice cream and hour or two of sight seeing and shopping. And anytime you see "Dom" it means cathedral - and some can be absolutely breathtaking and worth the visit. One of the best is in Cologne. A great city to stay for a few days. It's a fun place and you can always take a short train to Dusseldorf for a day or two as well. So much to see, do and the nightlife is wonderful in either.

Don't forget - you aren't far from Spa-Franco course only some 100 km away to the west. I haven't driven on it yet but visited a few times for events as a kid. Obviously it is in Belgium, but crossing isn't an issue. I'm unaware of any race car rental agencies or public lapping days - I think it's more of a traditional race track with conventional track sessions (and costs!). Gerolstein could be a nice stop on the way westward to Spa.

It sounds like you two are staying more on the western portion of Germany, correct? If so, make an effort to get to Luxemburg for a day or two, small but very cool and different. If you're willing to go the distance, Maastricht in the Netherlands is also a fun two day place to visit with a completely difference vibe (food, language, culture, etc.).

I highly, highly recommend you two rent a car for some period of time. The public transport is good but it's so much fun to drive around the little villages in the Eifel Forest and get lost. Head south through the Black Forest for a road trip and really see some beautiful romantic places. Or take a dip into France in Strasbourg for a couple of days, or do a very romantic getaway to Colmar and head back into Germany via Freiburg - one of my top five cities! Germany is a drivers country for sure, you can be efficient with time or take the longer route.

I think I've given you material here for a 3 week and 1,000 km round trip vacation! Again, happy to answer questions though I won't be responding for a few weeks, going on vacation myself in 48 hours!

[goldenfri]

FYI, if you are going in late May you may run into the 24 hour race (May 25-28th this year) I went last year and it was a blast. I intended to drive on the ring but made plans too early and the 24 hour race ended up being that week/weekend that I went. I was disappointed at first, but the 24 hour race is a whole different experience and also lots of fun. Nothing like eating a chocolate crepe at 1am sitting in the grandstands watching racecars smack into each other. Last year there were at least 2 or 3 86s running as well as more racecars and the brand new 2017 86 in the Toyota booth.

We ended up renting a mercedes in frankfurt and sleeping in it for a few hours in the muddy parking lot on saturday night. (It hailed last year lol).

[Coffee]

I agree with all the advice people have given here on this thread.

Here's a few things I can re-emphasize from when I drove at the Ring last year in Spring and rented a prepped Renault Clio Sport:

•Do it!
•loved renting the car from and lodging at https://www.rentracecar.de/en/. Super responsive people and easy process. Car had tons of grip and no brake fade.
•practice with Gran Tourismo until you've got the course memorized (took me an hour/day for a month). Use a quality racing wheel setup and it's important to really practice with the car you're going to be driving at in reality. Shift points and speed are important to note. Also practice in race mode where you get used to driving with other cars on the Ring. After doing all this simulated driving, I was super comfortable driving there in real life as fast I drove in the game.