It's been a stressful few weeks at the Nurburgring since my last update here. The good news is that after weeks of closures, lots of politics,
many feet of snow
, cancelled races, and one gigantic phallus, we're finally back in business. More about the phallus in a moment, first I'm going to cover some serious politics.
Giant cock closes Nurburgring - really
As you probably already saw, the
Nurburgring is for sale
Despite the big blow-up online a few weeks ago, the sad reality is that it's been for sale for a while. Since the liquidators were appointed last year, the sale of the 'ring has just been writing on the wall.
The good news is that after a massive demonstration and some keenly applied political pressure, the political tide might actually be close to turning. The state government is a red/green coalition. The CDU (centre-right party here is the national government. The CDU recently issued a statement backing the sale of the hotels and concrete NuroDisney, but stating that the racetracks should stay in state ownership. This is a good thing, and after so much doom and gloom it's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
The other good news this week is that last night the track actually hit temperatures in double figures. And positive figures too. The snow is finally melting, and we even saw a large ball of yellow fire rise above the trees.
Dale's been playing with a new toy - vid below
Joking aside, this winter has just dragged on and on. My employers were getting nervous, so were many others. Normally we're doing decent business by March and in full flow by April. This year we've only just started serving customers.
I didn't even get to drive my first lap of 2013 until March 31. By this time last year I'd already turned nearly a hundred laps of the Nordschleife! Although I won't complain too much, as 2013's first lap was in a brand-new BMW RS M3 (a tuned E92 M3).
The first weekend it was open (Easter), it was snowing quite a bit. But last Sunday we were greeted by warmer temperatures, a hint of sun and a gigantic 40ft phallus on the exit of Brunnchen. It was such a large penis that the track was closed for nearly two hours to accommodate its removal. The idiots who had painted it having done so in a water-based household emulsion. Honestly, words fail me.
The giant penis wasn't done yet though...
Hours later, three cars had
fallen victim to the grease
and oil still lurking after the clean-up and countless others had succumbed to the low levels of grip on other parts of the circuit. The weekend was, literally, a write-off.
This weekend is looking better though, with a forecast of sunshine and a whopping 17 degrees! I'm so excited, I can barely remember what it feels like to venture outside of the office without a hat and gloves. The other great news is that after one cancelled race and two cancelled practice sessions, the amazing VLN series will be hitting the Nordschleife again on Saturday.
I'm still chasing the sponsorship to get out on to the grid again this year, but hopefully I'll give you an inside report soon. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the livefeed this Saturday afternoon if, like me, you want to forget some of the stresses and just enjoy some great racing from the best track on Earth.
[Sources: clean-up pics via Ringbilder, lead photo Save The Ring]