The Nürburgring

There’s talk within my club about a trip this year to the Nurburgring – and, having also mentioned it in my previous piece, it seems a good time to recall a visit that I and a few others made back in 2006.

A trip to the Ring is not for the faint-hearted. Here, we are not talking about the small and rather neutered current F1 circuit – no, no, no…. This is “Nordschleife” – the legendary North loop, nestled in the Eifel mountains in southern Germany. The original circuit dates from the 1920s, is nearly 14 miles long and was nicknamed “The Green Hell” by Jackie Stewart. Along with Spa Francorchamps and Monza, it is considered one of the toughest, most dangerous and most demanding purpose-built racing circuits in the world. It is also a challenge that any self-respecting petrolhead will feel they have to overcome.

Nowadays, except for occasions where it is closed off for testing, for training or for race events, the Ring has the status of public toll road – but without any speed limits or indeed any road rules to speak of (although passing on the right is – allegedly - prohibited). Run off areas are few and far between and such is the risk of accident and injury, the majority of insurance policies specifically exclude cover for the Ring. So, it was with some trepidation that I turned the wheel of my Triumph Daytona 955i and headed out onto the track for the first of 8 booked laps.

The Ring’s status as a toll road means that it attracts cars, vans, motorhomes, coaches, lorries, motorbikes, 'Ring taxis – all sharing the same space and all jostling for position while aiming to go as fast as possible to break the benchmark time of 10 minutes per lap. It's a nice 400 or so mile run from London but unfortunately, our visit coincided with a German bank holiday and the weather was warm and sunny – hence, all the boy racers were out with their Porsches/Mercs/BMWs/Subarus, ready to rumble. A difficult track was about to get even more challenging.

Lap 1 went by in a blur of concentration, prayer and expletives - and having witnessed fully 8 accidents on that lap alone, I tip-toed back into the pit area just glad to be alive. I’d never seen anything quite like it so close to hand – cars were racing side by side, bumping, sliding through bends – completely without care for those of us on bikes trying to run our own laps. It was carnage. What the f*** was I doing??!! Fortunately, the next couple of laps were quieter so I was able to get my head down and start to build a bit of confidence in the track and the bike. Not that it helped as on lap 4 I went straight on at a bend and had a nice little trip across some grass, fortunately being able to bring it back on track without mishap. Then, further down the road I was nearly driven into the Armco by a couple of racing Porsches so any confidence gained from the previous laps was completely shot. Then followed a break of about an hour or so (and the track closed) so that a couple of lads could be airlifted out and off to hospital following a big shunt about half way round. Gulp….

Strangely enough, after the track reopened, lap 5 turned out to be my best one – at just a shade over 10 minutes. Not massively fast by any stretch of the imagination but a reasonable time in the circumstances. But any euphoria was short-lived as lap 6 ultimately proved my last. Again marked by numerous minor accidents, I came round one particular corner and in front of me four Porsches had come together, with petrol and oil spewed all over the track. Having managed to keep the bike upright and picking my way through the debris, I decided that enough was enough. My last two laps went unused. I’ve never worked so hard on a bike.

The Ring is different. It is no respecter of reputation – claiming the best and averaging about 5 deaths per year. Our accommodation (Sliders Guest House) was provided by a couple called Bren and Suzan – both experienced bike racers and experts round the Ring. Bren was just out of hospital as we visited, having smashed his shoulder at the Ring. Sadly, Suzan – riding a ZX10R - was killed on the track in 2008. So skilled a rider was she that she posted a PB lap time of 7:50. Bren was a bit faster with a PB of 7:32. Have a look for yourself…

A lap with Bren

So, despite it all, would I do it again? You betcha – but not the Ring. Happily, the roads around Nurburg and the Mosel Valley are so good that you don’t actually need to do the Ring to have a great time on the bike. But even so, I’m glad I’ve done it at least once….