The cost of stuffing your car into the Armco at the Nurburgring, and other Nurburgring tidbits.
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Damn! All the things that you just never think of when watching track sessions and those all time fun "FAIL" videos. Wow!!
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10 Nürburgring Facts Revealed Nürburgring Secrets: 10 things you (probably) didn't know about the real German Disneyland.
FEBRUARY 2010
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BRAMLEY
1. The Nürburgring was built to alleviate unemployment in the Eifel region of northwest Germany. From 1925 to 1927, some 25,000 persons were hired to construct the racetrack.
2. The man who spearheaded the job, Dr. Otto Creuz, a politician in the Eifel region, was later suspected by the Nazis of diverting funds; he eventually committed suicide.
3. The track cost 14.1 million reichsmarks to build, about $40 million in today’s money.
4. It originally consisted of the 14.2-mile Nordschleife and the 4.8-mile Südschleife. The Nordschleife has since been shortened to 12.9 miles. Parts of the Südschleife became the so-called Neue Nürburgring F1 track in the early 1980s.
5. The Nordschleife is a toll road open to the public. It’s closed only during testing events and races. A lap costs 23 euros (about $35). What you really didn’t know: German road regulations apply—there are some posted speed limits, and you can’t pass on the right.
6. The record for the fastest lap on the 12.9-mile track belongs to Stefan Bellof, who in 1983 drove a Porsche 956 around it in 6 minutes and 11.13 seconds, averaging 125.6 mph. In 1975, on the 14.2-mile track, F1 champ Niki Lauda lapped a Ferrari 312T in 6 minutes and 58.6 seconds, averaging 122 mph.
7. Nearly 1000 feet separate the highest and lowest points on the course.
8. The lap record for a production car belongs to Michael Vergers, who turned a 6:48 lap in a Radical SR8LM, a machine that pushes the term “production car” to comical extremes.
9. According to the official website, there are 33 left-hand bends, 40 to the right. Looking at a video of Jim Mero’s 7:26 lap in a Corvette ZR1, we count 87. Others count 100 turns.
10. The number of fatalities in its 83-year history is a source of contention. One source puts the toll at 73; others say that between two and 12 persons die every year. If you have an accident and damage the Armco barriers, you (or a non-dead relative of yours) will end up paying. And if your accident closes the track for an extended period, that’ll cost your estate, too.
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Drive a rental car — it sounds like a good idea, but the world of rental cars has changed in the past few years with respect to the Ring. Tired of getting their cars back with bald tires and vaporized brake pads, rental companies are now tracking their cars with GPS and hiring people to go to the Ring to spy on you. A friend of mine was banned for life from Hertz worldwide for driving his BMW 1-series diesel on the track. (Update: I've also been banned, so the danger is real.) Some companies have added large charges/fines if your car has significant wear of the brakes or tires. So lap your rental car at your own risk. Caveat renter.
However, if you do choose to rent a road car, there is quite a selection in to be had. You can rent anything from a subcompact up to a Ferrari Enzo in Germany, and insurance coverage varies among the companies. Ask to see a rental agreement in English first. Pay special attention to the deposit on the collision damage waiver—this can be thousands of Euro and will not be refundable in the case of an accident.
Just for the record I've rented several 911s, a 350Z, a few Mercedes SLK 180s, several Audis, a BMW 1-series diesel, among others. My recommendation for first-timers would be the SLK; it's rear-wheel drive, two seater, and has decent power. An alternative would be an Audi TT or Golf GTI if you can find one. Just don't drive more than two hard laps in a row on these cars or you'll lose the tires and brakes in half a day.
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Love the Nurburgring! Was there and watched the Old Timer races back in late 2011. Was lots of fun walking around the pit area and looking at the old European cars and bikes that were running that day.
I have a bunch of pics from my day there, but, I can't upload any of them. Danged pic uploader works for crap on this site.
Eric
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Love the Nurburgring! Was there and watched the Old Timer races back in late 2011. Was lots of fun walking around the pit area and looking at the old European cars and bikes that were running that day.
I have a bunch of pics from my day there, but, I can't upload any of them. Danged pic uploader works for crap on this site.
Eric
You MUST post these pics!
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- Base fee for attendance of armco truck: $204
- Removing damaged armco: $14/metre (x2 or x3 or x4 for multiple-height sections)
- Replacement armco: $42/metre (x2 or x3 for double/triple height)
- Removing damaged armco posts: $7 each
- Replacing armco post: $53 each
so if you spun and clipped the wall and bounced off, you might damage say 4 meters of armco. to repair it would be 204+56+168+28+212= $668.
you know what milwaukee county billed me for doing less damage than that to their armco barrier? (damaged a 10ft section, plus replace two wood posts) ....$3500 fuckin dollars.
sounds worth it to travel to germany and crash there instead.
Dan
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