What
exactly is this Nurburgring? Feature Article by
Simon Bradley The Nurburgring is,
without a doubt, the finest racetrack in the world. Like
an exotic drug, once you’ve tried it you’ll be hooked,
and only expensive and painful therapy will get it out
of your system. Many of you will already,
no doubt, have been on track days. Some of you have raced
for real, and the sight of red and white kerbs flashing
past your knees won’t be unusual. I know what you’re thinking
– I made the same mistake. You’re thinking “Been there,
done that.” Well, I promise you, the ‘Ring is like nowhere
and nothing else on earth. Imagine, if you like, the Isle
of Man with all the dull, irritating bits removed. You’re
left with 14 miles of track with 72 bends and about 300m
between the highest and lowest points. No speed limits.
No towns. No lamp-posts or phone boxes. Which is a good
thing. There are lots of places
on the Net where you can find out more about the history
and so on. Suffice it to say that the circuit was built
in 1927, entirely without using heavy machinery, as a
means of easing unemployment in the area, and was home
to both car and bike Grand Prix until 1986 when the new
circuit was opened in response to concerns over safety.
Since then, the ‘Ring has been used for testing, training,
development and terrifying normal drivers in public sessions.
Oh, and providing a roaring trade for local bodyshops
and recovery companies, of course. Ring safety Having
mentioned safety, we may as well get that bit over and
done with. The Nurburgring is a dangerous place. Actually,
that’s not strictly fair. It’s certainly no more dangerous
than riding fast on a public road – probably far less
so. But compared to regular racetracks it’s very dangerous
indeed. There are several reasons for this, but the main
ones are the sheer size of the track, the location and
the variety of traffic there. What you have to remember
is that 1 lap of the ‘Ring is equal to about 13 laps of
the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch. So instead of doing
the same bends 13 times, which should give you a fair
idea of where the track goes and allow you to get faster,
you do each bend once. And then have a 10 minute wait
before you come up to do it again. See that little bit
hanging off the bottom on the map? That’s the GP Circuit,
which may give you a better idea of the scale.
Add that to a circuit which, because of its location and
design has just three gravel traps and often has triple
layer Armco separated from the track by just a few feet
of grass and the potential for sunshine at one end and
rain at the other and you’ll start to see my point. Then
chuck in the possibility of mixing it with anything from
200mph Ruf Porsches to ancient VW campers, all of whom
want to use the same line on bends and the potential to
get hurt gets all too clear. But, there are still remarkably
few serious accidents at the ‘Ring, and with a little
common sense you can avoid adding to the statistics. Riding the ‘Ring
– a guided tour You can now only start
a lap from the new public entrance complex, half way along
D�ttinger H�he. Buy your ticket from the helpful chap
in the kiosk and hang around for a few minutes. Partly
to soak up some atmosphere, partly to check out what else
is out there. If you see a large slow vehicle (bus, camper
van, Montego estate) getting ready to go, try to either
get out very close or wait for five minutes or so. OK.
Ready? Let’s go. When you go through
the barrier you come out onto D�ttinger H�he, the 4km
straight at the back of the circuit. You have several
hundered metres of straight track before curving down
and left through Tiergarten, going back up the hill into
the right-left-right of the Schikane, coming out by the
old public entrance at T13. The surface is pretty crappy
along the short straight here before improving just before
a long downhill left-hander. This bend deserves some respect
as it is longer and sharper than at first appears. On
down the gentle slope through a fast right and fast left
to Hatzenbach and “The Snake.” A sharp right where you
don’t want to cross the centre line leads into a left-right-left
chicane, the last left leading you all the way across
the track in a big arc to be ready for the right-left
of Hocheichen. Watch for the kerb on the left hander and
don’t touch the slippery black band at the edge of the
track. From Hocheichen, accelerate
up the hill, over the bridge where Manfred Winckelhock
flipped an F3 car towards the fast double apex right hander
at Flugplatz. Treat the two bends as one and come out
smoothly into a gentle left and one of the fastest parts
of the circuit – the straight leading towards the left
hander at Schwedenkreuz. Straighten up and brake for the
long downhill right hander at Aremberg and then straightline
down Fuchsr�hre. If you have the bottle you could hit
150mph easily down here before banging
your chin on the tank and loading the suspension up as
you reach the bottom of the hill and climb the other side.
The next right hander leads into Adenauer Forst – probably
the most common place to fall off. The following long
left hander leads straight into a hard right. The track
is often dirty and slippery, and the sight lines are all
wrong for the direction the track goes. Turn in very late
for the left hander or you’ll run out of track. Advice:
If you do screw up the entrance by pitching in too early,
simply pick the bike up and go straight across the grass.
Stay off the power and don’t brake – you should be OK.
Rejoin the track after the bend. After Adenauer Forst,
accelerate onto the straight and carry on down to the
double left of Metzgesfeld. The first part is a long past
sweeper, followed by a bit of braking into a hard left
with a bit of a broken up surface. Then a gentle right
leading to the long, hard, off camber right hander of
Kallenhard. Turn in really late and get across
to hit the apex or you’ll run out of track. The into a
left-right-right combination of fast downhill bends where
you want to miss-hit-miss the apexes. Then further downhill
into Wipperman. Get most of your braking out of the way
for the first right hander then scrub off the rest of
the speed for the left hand hairpin. Again turn in late
and get on the power gently because the exit is a little
off camber and can be slippery. Carry on down a long gentle
left into a short straight before the long left at Breidscheid,
the lowest part of the circuit. This is a popular viewing
point, there is an exit and a coffee house here, and it
is an extremely bad place to fall off. Carry on sharply
uphill into a hard right at Ex-Muhle. If you’re on a small
bike you’re really going to have to work it here. Along
a short straight, through a left hand king locally known
as Grillkurve (“Here vos Nicky Lauda’s big crash”) and
turn very late into the long fast right hander at Bergwerk. From
Bergwerk accelerate into the long uphill drag of Kesselchen.
3km of virtually flat out uphill sweeping bends from the
gentle left-right-left at the bottom through the daunting
and blind left hander of Angstkurve into the right hander
over a crest which leads to Klostertal. Be careful in
the wet, as there are often puddles where you wouldn’t
expect them. Klostertal is a wide hairpin, again needing
a really late turn in to avoid running out of track. Straightline
up the hill through the kinks before the unique banked
left hander of the Karussell. Stay about halfway up the
banking, keep a constant throttle and look as far ahead
as you can. Be gentle with the power on exit, as the bike
is off balance and the surface is slippery. Carry on uphill
into a fast left hander which in turn leads to a right
curve followed by a long right bend at H�he Acht, the
highest point of the circuit. There is a ridge across
the track which can throw you off line, and this point
also often marks a change in the weather as you move into
the next valley. H�he
Acht leads into the left-right-left-right downhill Wipperman
complex, ending on a short straight which curves up and
right into the downhill left hander of Eschbach. The surface
is a little broken up here and the front of the bike will
be a little light as the track drops away. Eschbach leads
straight into the double right hander of Brunnchen. There
is a carpark and viewing area to the left of the track,
and it’s a popular place to watch from. Brunnchen consists
of two sharp right handers linked by a short straight.
The second goes steeply uphill, leading into the blind
left of Eiskurve. The track kinks slightly right over
a crest, although it looks as though it should carry on
left, before heading slightly dowhill into the beginning
of Pflantzgarten 1. Straightline the bends and get
all your braking over before the jump. There is an
advisory speed limit of 50km/h through here. It is a dangerous
place to get wrong, although recent changes to the trackside
layout have at least improved the run-off area. Turn in
very, very late and apex equally late to be ready for
the immediately following left hander. Take that in a
wide sweep but be ready for the bike to go light or even
wheelie at the drop for Pflantzgarten 2. This is a very fast
section of the circuit and although it looks straightforward
enough it can be a killer.Then into the long right
and straightline the next kinks before the fast uphill
right hander leading into Schwalbenschwantz This is an
uphill right which is far longer and sharper than it appears,
followed by a very short straight and another, smaller,
karussell. Be careful on the exit, which is sharp and
can throw the bike off balance. Uphill to the long, double
apex left hander of Galgenkopf before exiting onto D�ttinger
H�he and a blast back to the barriers. Things to avoid Noisy
exhausts. The locals get pretty tired of antisocial
pipes, and the police regularly have clamp downs. If your
bike is unreasonably loud and the exhaust doesn’t have
a TUV or BSI stamp, they can, and often will, confiscate
it on the spot. Makes it a laugh to get home. Oh, and
they’ll fine you loads as well. Plus, the ‘Ring management
may not allow you on the track. Bit of a wasted journey… Fatigue.
Riding at 100% for 15 miles is hard work. Doing
it several times is knackering. And knackered brains don’t
work properly. Your reactions will slow, your concentration
will wander. Take frequent rest breaks. Drink plenty of
water or energy drink. Give your tyres a chance to cool
down as well. Take the opportunity to look over your bike
for loose bits and to check out the other stuff in the
car park. You’ll see conclusive proof that the Germans
certainly do have a sense of humour… Crashing.
It hurts, it’s embarrassing and it’s inconvenient. It
can also be expensive. As well as the damage to your bike,
you are also liable for any damage you do to another vehicle,
another person or the track and trackside facilities.
Even indirectly. Say you crash and drop oil from your
smashed crankcases. Then say a car crashes on the oil
and trashes the barriers. You, my friend, are liable for
all of it. Including your medical costs. Your insurance
should be OK, because it’s still a public road and you
aren’t racing, but do you really want to chance it? Oh,
and remember that if you’ve crashed after ignoring an
advisory speed limit there’s a fair chance of getting
prosecuted as well. So be careful out there. How to get there Take
the ferry or tunnel to Calais. You’ve got two choices
from there. Either take the direct, quick but very boring
trip along the Autoroute through Belgium or take a Michelin
guide and have a laugh. Either way, if you can get there
from Calais in less than five hours you’re going some.
In case you need a clue as to where you should be going,
it’s worth remembering that the D258 from Monschau to
Nurburg is one of the best biking roads in the world. Costs Expect to pay around
�9 for a single bike lap. It will cost you a whole heap
more, of course, because you’ll want to do it again and
again and� A note from the
‘Ring management (rather liberally translated) This was left
on all the bikes in the car park one Saturday. Dear Motorcyclist!
For the good of your health: The Nordschleife is not a
safe place for motorcyclists. Changeable weather conditions,
hills and dips, varying road surfaces and rubber deposits
can easily create surprises. Ride with a safety margin.
Always expect the unexpected. Ride with the same consideration
for yourself as you would for others. Devote your full
concentration to riding. Doing too many laps can be both
physically and mentally tiring. Take a break, make sure
that the Nordschleife doesn’t get the last laugh. Over
exuberence=Danger! The last word I think
that says it all at least as well as I can. The Nurburgring
is one of the best biking places on the planet. But if
you get it wrong or take too many liberties it will turn
round and bite you. And I promise. It will hurt. |
Exploring the legendary Nurburgring racetrack
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out now.
Waterproofs, route map, traffic? Check it out first
What
exactly is this Nurburgring?
Feature Article by
Simon Bradley
The Nurburgring is,
without a doubt, the finest racetrack in the world. Like
an exotic drug, once you’ve tried it you’ll be hooked,
and only expensive and painful therapy will get it out
of your system.
Many of you will already,
no doubt, have been on track days. Some of you have raced
for real, and the sight of red and white kerbs flashing
past your knees won’t be unusual. I know what you’re thinking
– I made the same mistake. You’re thinking “Been there,
done that.” Well, I promise you, the ‘Ring is like nowhere
and nothing else on earth. Imagine, if you like, the Isle
of Man with all the dull, irritating bits removed. You’re
left with 14 miles of track with 72 bends and about 300m
between the highest and lowest points. No speed limits.
No towns. No lamp-posts or phone boxes. Which is a good
thing.
There are lots of places
on the Net where you can find out more about the history
and so on. Suffice it to say that the circuit was built
in 1927, entirely without using heavy machinery, as a
means of easing unemployment in the area, and was home
to both car and bike Grand Prix until 1986 when the new
circuit was opened in response to concerns over safety.
Since then, the ‘Ring has been used for testing, training,
development and terrifying normal drivers in public sessions.
Oh, and providing a roaring trade for local bodyshops
and recovery companies, of course.
Ring safety
Having
mentioned safety, we may as well get that bit over and
done with. The Nurburgring is a dangerous place. Actually,
that’s not strictly fair. It’s certainly no more dangerous
than riding fast on a public road – probably far less
so. But compared to regular racetracks it’s very dangerous
indeed. There are several reasons for this, but the main
ones are the sheer size of the track, the location and
the variety of traffic there. What you have to remember
is that 1 lap of the ‘Ring is equal to about 13 laps of
the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch. So instead of doing
the same bends 13 times, which should give you a fair
idea of where the track goes and allow you to get faster,
you do each bend once. And then have a 10 minute wait
before you come up to do it again. See that little bit
hanging off the bottom on the map? That’s the GP Circuit,
which may give you a better idea of the scale.
Add that to a circuit which, because of its location and
design has just three gravel traps and often has triple
layer Armco separated from the track by just a few feet
of grass and the potential for sunshine at one end and
rain at the other and you’ll start to see my point. Then
chuck in the possibility of mixing it with anything from
200mph Ruf Porsches to ancient VW campers, all of whom
want to use the same line on bends and the potential to
get hurt gets all too clear. But, there are still remarkably
few serious accidents at the ‘Ring, and with a little
common sense you can avoid adding to the statistics.
Riding the ‘Ring
– a guided tour
You can now only start
a lap from the new public entrance complex, half way along
D�ttinger H�he. Buy your ticket from the helpful chap
in the kiosk and hang around for a few minutes. Partly
to soak up some atmosphere, partly to check out what else
is out there. If you see a large slow vehicle (bus, camper
van, Montego estate) getting ready to go, try to either
get out very close or wait for five minutes or so. OK.
Ready? Let’s go.
When you go through
the barrier you come out onto D�ttinger H�he, the 4km
straight at the back of the circuit. You have several
hundered metres of straight track before curving down
and left through Tiergarten, going back up the hill into
the right-left-right of the Schikane, coming out by the
old public entrance at T13. The surface is pretty crappy
along the short straight here before improving just before
a long downhill left-hander. This bend deserves some respect
as it is longer and sharper than at first appears. On
down the gentle slope through a fast right and fast left
to Hatzenbach and “The Snake.” A sharp right where you
don’t want to cross the centre line leads into a left-right-left
chicane, the last left leading you all the way across
the track in a big arc to be ready for the right-left
of Hocheichen. Watch for the kerb on the left hander and
don’t touch the slippery black band at the edge of the
track.
From Hocheichen, accelerate
up the hill, over the bridge where Manfred Winckelhock
flipped an F3 car towards the fast double apex right hander
at Flugplatz. Treat the two bends as one and come out
smoothly into a gentle left and one of the fastest parts
of the circuit – the straight leading towards the left
hander at Schwedenkreuz. Straighten up and brake for the
long downhill right hander at Aremberg and then straightline
down Fuchsr�hre. If you have the bottle you could hit
150mph easily down here before banging
your chin on the tank and loading the suspension up as
you reach the bottom of the hill and climb the other side.
The next right hander leads into Adenauer Forst – probably
the most common place to fall off. The following long
left hander leads straight into a hard right. The track
is often dirty and slippery, and the sight lines are all
wrong for the direction the track goes. Turn in very late
for the left hander or you’ll run out of track. Advice:
If you do screw up the entrance by pitching in too early,
simply pick the bike up and go straight across the grass.
Stay off the power and don’t brake – you should be OK.
Rejoin the track after the bend.
After Adenauer Forst,
accelerate onto the straight and carry on down to the
double left of Metzgesfeld. The first part is a long past
sweeper, followed by a bit of braking into a hard left
with a bit of a broken up surface. Then a gentle right
leading to the long, hard, off camber right hander of
Kallenhard. Turn in really late and get across
to hit the apex or you’ll run out of track. The into a
left-right-right combination of fast downhill bends where
you want to miss-hit-miss the apexes. Then further downhill
into Wipperman. Get most of your braking out of the way
for the first right hander then scrub off the rest of
the speed for the left hand hairpin. Again turn in late
and get on the power gently because the exit is a little
off camber and can be slippery. Carry on down a long gentle
left into a short straight before the long left at Breidscheid,
the lowest part of the circuit. This is a popular viewing
point, there is an exit and a coffee house here, and it
is an extremely bad place to fall off. Carry on sharply
uphill into a hard right at Ex-Muhle. If you’re on a small
bike you’re really going to have to work it here. Along
a short straight, through a left hand king locally known
as Grillkurve (“Here vos Nicky Lauda’s big crash”) and
turn very late into the long fast right hander at Bergwerk.
From
Bergwerk accelerate into the long uphill drag of Kesselchen.
3km of virtually flat out uphill sweeping bends from the
gentle left-right-left at the bottom through the daunting
and blind left hander of Angstkurve into the right hander
over a crest which leads to Klostertal. Be careful in
the wet, as there are often puddles where you wouldn’t
expect them. Klostertal is a wide hairpin, again needing
a really late turn in to avoid running out of track. Straightline
up the hill through the kinks before the unique banked
left hander of the Karussell. Stay about halfway up the
banking, keep a constant throttle and look as far ahead
as you can. Be gentle with the power on exit, as the bike
is off balance and the surface is slippery. Carry on uphill
into a fast left hander which in turn leads to a right
curve followed by a long right bend at H�he Acht, the
highest point of the circuit. There is a ridge across
the track which can throw you off line, and this point
also often marks a change in the weather as you move into
the next valley.
H�he
Acht leads into the left-right-left-right downhill Wipperman
complex, ending on a short straight which curves up and
right into the downhill left hander of Eschbach. The surface
is a little broken up here and the front of the bike will
be a little light as the track drops away. Eschbach leads
straight into the double right hander of Brunnchen. There
is a carpark and viewing area to the left of the track,
and it’s a popular place to watch from. Brunnchen consists
of two sharp right handers linked by a short straight.
The second goes steeply uphill, leading into the blind
left of Eiskurve. The track kinks slightly right over
a crest, although it looks as though it should carry on
left, before heading slightly dowhill into the beginning
of Pflantzgarten 1. Straightline the bends and get
all your braking over before the jump. There is an
advisory speed limit of 50km/h through here. It is a dangerous
place to get wrong, although recent changes to the trackside
layout have at least improved the run-off area. Turn in
very, very late and apex equally late to be ready for
the immediately following left hander. Take that in a
wide sweep but be ready for the bike to go light or even
wheelie at the drop for Pflantzgarten 2.
This is a very fast
section of the circuit and although it looks straightforward
enough it can be a killer.Then into the long right
and straightline the next kinks before the fast uphill
right hander leading into Schwalbenschwantz This is an
uphill right which is far longer and sharper than it appears,
followed by a very short straight and another, smaller,
karussell. Be careful on the exit, which is sharp and
can throw the bike off balance. Uphill to the long, double
apex left hander of Galgenkopf before exiting onto D�ttinger
H�he and a blast back to the barriers.
Things to avoid
Noisy
exhausts. The locals get pretty tired of antisocial
pipes, and the police regularly have clamp downs. If your
bike is unreasonably loud and the exhaust doesn’t have
a TUV or BSI stamp, they can, and often will, confiscate
it on the spot. Makes it a laugh to get home. Oh, and
they’ll fine you loads as well. Plus, the ‘Ring management
may not allow you on the track. Bit of a wasted journey…
Fatigue.
Riding at 100% for 15 miles is hard work. Doing
it several times is knackering. And knackered brains don’t
work properly. Your reactions will slow, your concentration
will wander. Take frequent rest breaks. Drink plenty of
water or energy drink. Give your tyres a chance to cool
down as well. Take the opportunity to look over your bike
for loose bits and to check out the other stuff in the
car park. You’ll see conclusive proof that the Germans
certainly do have a sense of humour…
Crashing.
It hurts, it’s embarrassing and it’s inconvenient. It
can also be expensive. As well as the damage to your bike,
you are also liable for any damage you do to another vehicle,
another person or the track and trackside facilities.
Even indirectly. Say you crash and drop oil from your
smashed crankcases. Then say a car crashes on the oil
and trashes the barriers. You, my friend, are liable for
all of it. Including your medical costs. Your insurance
should be OK, because it’s still a public road and you
aren’t racing, but do you really want to chance it? Oh,
and remember that if you’ve crashed after ignoring an
advisory speed limit there’s a fair chance of getting
prosecuted as well. So be careful out there.
How to get there
Take
the ferry or tunnel to Calais. You’ve got two choices
from there. Either take the direct, quick but very boring
trip along the Autoroute through Belgium or take a Michelin
guide and have a laugh. Either way, if you can get there
from Calais in less than five hours you’re going some.
In case you need a clue as to where you should be going,
it’s worth remembering that the D258 from Monschau to
Nurburg is one of the best biking roads in the world.
Costs
Expect to pay around
�9 for a single bike lap. It will cost you a whole heap
more, of course, because you’ll want to do it again and
again and�
A note from the
‘Ring management (rather liberally translated)
This was left
on all the bikes in the car park one Saturday.
Dear Motorcyclist!
For the good of your health: The Nordschleife is not a
safe place for motorcyclists. Changeable weather conditions,
hills and dips, varying road surfaces and rubber deposits
can easily create surprises. Ride with a safety margin.
Always expect the unexpected. Ride with the same consideration
for yourself as you would for others. Devote your full
concentration to riding. Doing too many laps can be both
physically and mentally tiring. Take a break, make sure
that the Nordschleife doesn’t get the last laugh. Over
exuberence=Danger!
The last word I think
that says it all at least as well as I can. The Nurburgring
is one of the best biking places on the planet. But if
you get it wrong or take too many liberties it will turn
round and bite you. And I promise. It will hurt.
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