Just when you think your vacation is done and you are getting ready for the next thing a surprise jumps out at you. In my countdown for my final days in Europe for 2018 I thought I would have some quiet days ahead of me waiting for my trip. And then, out of the blue, came the invitation to meet a friend at the Nürburgring. Reason? He has a sports car sitting there and he came for a fun weekend from London. And I was invited too. So I drove across Germany once again for my ultimate experience – racing (well, driving) on the Nürburgring. It was awesome!
The Race Track
The Nürburgring is quite popular and famous for many reason. The smaller Grand Prix race track was built in 1984, and a much longer Nordschleife “North loop” track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. Furthermore the track is also known to be one of the world’s most dangerous racing tracks and has been nicknamed the ‚Green Hell‘ long before Niki Lauda had his accident in 1972.
Due to the location of the track, huge rainstorms and thick fogs are quite common so many races have been cancelled in the past.
Now, the track is open to the public in the evenings and on weekends, as a one-way toll road. Otherwise it is used by Sportscar enthusiasts and hobbyists. Guys (and a few ladies) that have a race car (and the money that is needed for such a hobby), enjoy every moment of it. It was great watching!
Click for more details about the track here.
My ultimate experience
The location is really quite stunning. Especially in autumn when the leaves are in their most colourful season. When I arrived in Nürburg Sunday afternoon, the track was closed due to a thick fog. Such bad luck. It was obvious there were others who were disappointed as well, as the queue to wait for to go on the track was quite long. Many of the sports enthusiasts here come from all over Europe, so all they could do is wait. I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to look at all the cars close up.
Around 4pm the track finally opened and we went straight onto it. Clearly my friend couldn‘t wait for his drive. He has a BMW M3 sports version with many extra additions to make it faster. It is a beautiful car however, sitting in the back and racing around Nürburgring is not so much fun. Have you done that? After 2 laps I felt a little bit sick in my stomach, and so I got out. My friend enjoyed a few more laps by himself. Of course!
Second day
The next day was much better in terms of weather. I woke up to a cold, but sunny day. As it was Monday the race track was closed for public drivers. And so today, it was all about the serious sports enthusiasts and the serious cars. There were certainly a few of them. It seemed super busy. So many cars, one more stunning than the other. The Nürburgring is definitely a men‘s world though, that much is obvious. Either way, I loved watching them all going crazy on the Nürburgring.
After the track dried up a little bit I was once again in the M3 car, this time in the front seat however and with a helmet. Better be save because we did go fast.. very fast! Twice! Loved it!
And so… The last two days in Europe couldn’t have been better. And as I am posting this blog, I am already in Asia, in Kuala Lumpur. Stay tuned for lots of SE Asia trips. xx
