Ever wanted to drive the Nordschleife in your Cat?

[mph]

Hello folks,

New owner Pete [ptr_drvr] has a thread which has turned into a bit of a discussion about the Nordschleife. So I was wondering how many other folks would be interested in driving their Caterham around it, but not on a Touristenfahten day?

this year with DNevents, and I firmly intend to go back next year. It's not a terribly cheap day (I think it was about £550 this year) but it is well run, and mostly full of Porsche GT3s

I had zero problems with the standard of driving that day, so I will return next year. They seem to have a fairly consistent visit in May - and if you're interested in doing it too I'd be happy to gather a group, sort the hotel, and organise the road trip to get there (I had great fun

to get there this year!)

If you're at all tentatively interested, comment on this thread, and when DNevents release dates later in the year I'll come back and check if folks are completely up for it.

--Mark

[ptr_drvr]

Excellent! Unconditional, i'm in.

[graearea]

I'd likely be up for this next year. Was thinking of renting a trailer but could be convinced to road trip it. 

[mph]

Excellent, will keep you posted too John

[graearea]

Oh. the other thing would be to look at spa, zandvoort and bilsterberg dates :D

[mph]

Good to meet you at Anglesey John! We should've discussed this thread :) I *might* be doing Spa in November. Opentrack have a two dayer I was eyeing up. Not decided yet. 
 

--Mark

[graearea]

good to see you as well! I spent half the day trying to sell pedals, the other half trying not to dehydrate to a ball of leather. it was a hell of a fun day. I love that circuit.

if I'm going to Spa I'd want to hit Nurburgring for a track day at least. I need to see if there's dates that match up.

[ptr_drvr]

Depends on how it works out, but Spa and Zandvoort are the wrong side of the Ring for me, so i'll likely just aim for the Nürburgring.

[krisfl]

Always wanted to vist too. TF scares the hell out of me as I don't have too much track experience, especially in my 7. But love the idea of this, especially the road trip too. But not sure my track skills are up to sight driving the ring without instruction and GT3s coming at me from behind! 

[mph]

krisfl- computer games are your friend  Get a sim on your computer and get practicing. Honestly, they're so good these days I put a 8m20 down in the Cat on only my third lap IRL. I knew the place so well even before turning up. 
 

Plus, loads of instructors there to help you. I'd say it's even easier than a race circuit, because you can just drive it like a mega B road, with no oncoming traffic. 

[graearea]

I went the first time with my BMW 130i and learnt the track in VR. there's ALWAYS GT3s overtaking you, but as long as you know to keep right and an eye on your mirrors you're fine. there was a guy there in his Carrera GT chilling doing loads of laps. I wouldn't do TF. too risky.

saying that. it is a LOT of track to lean and there's some obvious risky parts which you learn if you do a couple of hundred laps in a sim. even on Playstation you'd learn it.

[mph]

Yup, totally that
 

I'm sure I once read in Evo mag that Dicky Meaden learnt the Nords on the PlayStation

It's just such a bonkers place. Even though the straights are purgatory for a Cat I still loved my time there this year, and I'm still dead excited to go back. 
 

--Mark

[RogNeedham]

I can still remember my first trip to the Ring in my first Crossflow engined 7, almost 20 years ago.

As I headed out under the barrier with an equally terrified mate in the passenger seat, the fog had lifted but the drizzle remained.....

On the second lap it absolutely siled it down. My job was to look forwards, backwards through the centre mirror and driver's 'door' mirror- my mate kept his eyes glued rearwards through the passenger door mirror.

After what seemed like an eternity, we returned to the paddock area and took cover in the coffee shop.

After about 5 mins of stunned silence, my mate turned to me and said "what the f£&k did we just do?" :)

I have subsequently returned in more powerful 7s, but I now more concerned with just how popular the Touristfahrten have become. I now reckon I'd prefer to revisit on a proper Trackday, albeit at a much higher cost.

If you do want to do the Touristfahrten days then pick an evening early in the week, well away from public holiday weekends.

Rog

[mph]

What a great memory to have Rog! 

[ptr_drvr]

TF get's a bad rep from crash compilation videos (that the Nürburgring now does well to keep off YouTube). It really needn't be that scary and the stereotypical GT3 coming past 100kph faster, they're not the cars to worry about. The drivers of those car normally know what they're doing.

As long as one remains aware of their surroundings, keeps an eye on the mirrors, and remembers that German road rules apply, everything really will be fine.

To relieve the nerves, as others have said, driving the track on a game will help enormously. Knowing where the track goes is half the battle and watching on-board videos will do that if gaming isn't your thing.

I'd highly recommend Misha Charoudin on Youtube, here's a great recent video of his about 

 

[krisfl]

Aaah Misha, yes I've been following him since his 'boosted borris' days. As well as Apex and Robert, Tim Morely et al. I had a trip booked before Covid to Apex but it never happened. But would love to go with a gang of Seven's. I've really enjoyed my club track day this year...

So completely agree with you @ptr_drvr, TF probably doesn't deserve its rep. Still... 

A SIM sounds like a good shout. What SIMs would people recommend? I don't have a PC or console but I do have a powerful iMAC 

[RogNeedham]

My TF comments have nothing to do with YT videos- just based on visiting the place, either in the 7, or calling in on "ahem" business trips :)

Back to my first trip when my mate and I were rather shocked to see a Land Rover Discovery complete with roof top kayak, head out down the latter part of the Dotinger Hohe straight. The attendant marshals having given said kayak a cursory 'wiggle' to check all was secure :) 

"On yer go son" ..or the German equivalent:)

Rog

[mph]

krisfl - if you can still Bootcamp the Mac you could run Assetto Corsa on a Windows partition. That's exactly how I started (before the sim racing bug took hold and I bought a dedicated "rig")

[Ballast-ic]

Also check out Scott Mansell's videos on learning the Nordschleife: https://driver61.com/circuit-guide/nurburgring/

[krisfl]

Thanks @mph, will look into Bootcamping... I see Assetto Corsa and also be used online/streamed? Perhaps a PS3/4 is in order, though I think you can't download all the track mods (so all the extra UK circuits)?

[Drumster]

I haven't been back since our first and only visit in 2004 and that was on a TF day, also in our x/flow. SWMBO also managed a lap. The best bit for me was that a biker from Norway asked if he could have a ride in the 7 and when I explained I was a complete novice at the 'ring he said he and his mates were regulars each year so he got them to provide an escort convoy of about 6 riders in front and a few behind. I stayed a safe distance behind the guys in front but was able to watch their positioning and speed which helped tremendously. No doubt this would have been my quickest lap. 

http://c7cat.com/Ring.htm#NB

[anthonym]

Interesting, I have always trailered my R500 K there. With screen and half doors I don't think I more than about 80mph. After my first attempt I purchased my 4 section panoramic mirror so that when three Porsches passed me in line abreast it was interesting rather than scary. Yes they made me look like I was parked. Not sure how many times I have been over the years. Had cars spinning out in front of me, or going slowly, nearly losing it etc etc. I find in the Seven it's like the ordinary roads, if more extreme but the "navigating around" whatever is going on in front is much the same. The track is wide and that gives room for dodging. 

I think the scary aspect of the 'ring isn't the corners, those are all fun and level the playing field a bit. It's the "vertical bends". The rises heading in to blind dips. Add a bit of oil in the dip and the recipe for mayhem is ready. 

I've never been sure I want to learn the 'ring. I like it as a road not a race track. Clearly I remember bits, possibly much of it as it unfolds in front of me. My usual time is about 14 minutes. Not 7.5 .

Yes a day on it sounds like fun and less risky.

Anthony

[DanRo]

People have probably seen this already but it makes the hairs stand up for me, even after a good few viewings:

 

 

[SM25T]

Nicely done ... he was on the ragged edge a few times !

[mph]

#23 That is mega @DanRo! I'd not seen it before. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it