Hi All, My recent birthday present from my wife is a trip to Europe to drive on track at Spa and the Nurburgring. I'll be going in late May and am looking for recommendations of things to do in the area, or any advice to get the most out of the experience. My wife already booked travel, accommodations, and track days (via RSR) with "rental" track cars. Track days include self-drive guided tours of the areas surrounding each track in "loaner" cars (e92 M3 at Spa--they weren't sure I'd fit in the default Lotus Exige S--and Lancia Delta HF Integrale at the 'Ring). Track cars are RenaultSport Clio Cup track-prepped cars at both tracks. The track day package at Spa also includes a video V-box, and I'll also be taking my own videos. I also recently purchased a PS3 and GT5 so I can learn the tracks ahead of time. I'm driving myself from Spa to the 'Ring and I plan to take in some unrestricted autobahn on the way, so I'll be booking a rental car that will let me take full advantage of that. Any other advice to help me maximize the experience? Thanks, Kajmo
That sounds really cool. Good idea on learning the tracks before you go. There are also lots of videos on YouTube that you can watch to learn the tracks and see the different lines that drivers take and listen to when they pick up and feather the throttle with different cars. If you don't have track experience perhaps you can get in a HPDE or racing school before you go.
I thought it was pretty cool when my wife gave me the Skip Barber 3-Day Racing School at Laguna Seca for my 50th birthday. This just might be cooler than that! How about a Euro Delivery while you're there?
Sounds like you have a wonderful wife! I too am lucky to have a wonderful wife, we recently returned from picking up my new M5 at the Welt (the picture is my car parked in front of BMW M). We spent 3 weeks driving primarily in Northern Italy, around the lakes and in the Austrian and Italian Alps. I've been to the Spa and to the Nurburgring many times but the M5 isn't really a track car so we skipped the Nurburgring on this trip. You're smart to get and study the videos/games of the tracks. But what the videos won't really show is the HUGH elevation changes on both tracks. What I strongly recommend in studying the videos is that you learn "what turn comes next!" This is particularly important for the Nurburgring. Many of the turns have blind entrances and the entrances to many turns look similar but you can't always tell which way the next turn goes (which side of the track you need to enter from) and where the turn-in point is. If you're lucky there will be circles painted at the edge of the track marking the turn-in point and apex. Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not. I'm uploading a file that shows the "Ideal Line" through each turn and provides some hints for some of the turns. The drive from Spa to Nurburg is easy and because the A60 Autobahn avoids cities and large towns there should be a lot of unlimited speed zones to enjoy. But just remember the rules of etiquette and laws in Germany and NEVER pass on the right! It is also considered impolite to flash your lights, use your left turn indicator if you want to get the attention of a slower car in the left lane (which probably won't need to do if the driver lives in Germany!) Finally, I recommend you give your wife a big hug if you haven't already done so!
That just reminded me of a Nurburgring guide I was given before our ED. Sadly, we didn't make it to the 'Ring, but that's a whole other story. It's a 28 page PDF in full color with lots of pictures and graphics, published by Sport Auto and presented by BMW M GmbH. I printed it out double-sided and had it spiral bound at Office Depot with a clear front cover.. It's too large to upload here (3MB) but send me your e-mail by PM and I'll send it to you.
Here is the guide Tom is refering to. http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/at...fe-ideal-line-great-pdf-bmwm_nordschleife.pdf www.bridgetogantry.com is also an excellent reference. stay safe & have fun! Cheers from Stuttgart Bob
Kajmo- Now that you've done it, how was your experience with RSR, and the Ring track day? I'll be renting an E92 M3 from RSR and have booked a Nordschleife track day in October. Any advice is appreciated! Satch, my girlfriend (drives a 335i 6MT) will be in charge of photography and video - hopefully we'll have something for a later edition of the Roundel. Thanks, -Brian
