RE: An idiot's guide to driving the 'ring

[JonathanLegard]

thewheelman said:

RS4Magic said:

I've been to the ring for the past 12 years and love it. My Porsche 996 C2 was the worst, RS4 B7 the best and my new C63 should prove mental. If you think the ring is dangerous, try it when it's raining! See you all in July; 12-17th.

Try it in the rain in a borrowed Cerbera, more than the odd squeaky bum moment.

I can categorically state that I am not that brave/stupid.

[leeson660]

Really looking forward to getting down to the Ring one day.

I've learnt it on Forza and feel I know it pretty well but I'm sure when it's real life and it's your pride and joy at stake I would imagine that all goes out the window!

Keep thinking back to the video on you tube of the E92 M3 ploughing into the barrier - horrible sound of //M vs steel barrier

[TimmyWimmyWoo]

I've done a lap on my bike in the rain at 7pm on a chilly September night. My friend lowsided on the first left hander after you go past the old pits. It's fair to say I proceeded to do the slowest lap known to mankind! It's a lot more hilly than in Forza

[mrh1275]

Going on the 15th of July , booked the hotel last night, buying the xbox today and Forza 4 !

[Frances The Mute]

RS4Magic said:

I've been to the ring for the past 12 years and love it. My Porsche 996 C2 was the worst, RS4 B7 the best and my new C63 should prove mental. If you think the ring is dangerous, try it when it's raining! See you all in July; 12-17th.

Lightweight. You should try it in the snow...

[mmm-five]

Frances The Mute said:

Lightweight. You should try it in the snow...

I tried, but they wouldn't open the gates for me.

[Milky Joe]

Zod said:

I've done this course a couple of time. Now, I will admit to being an average driver at best, but I am nowhere near knowing the track and, to prove it, the second time I did the course, I crashed on the last lap of two days at Metzgesfeld and trashed one Of BMW's M3s (it was very badly bent). Notwithstanding my uselessness, it's a fantastic course.

Did you get charged?

[Jamesp24]

mrh1275 said:

Going on the 15th of July , booked the hotel last night, buying the xbox today and Forza 4 !

Its well worth getting some practise in on a console,Ive done 100s of laps of GT5 and it helped me massively on my first laps with lines etc you will get alot more out of your first trip.

[Zod]

Milky Joe said:

Zod said:

I've done this course a couple of time. Now, I will admit to being an average driver at best, but I am nowhere near knowing the track and, to prove it, the second time I did the course, I crashed on the last lap of two days at Metzgesfeld and trashed one Of BMW's M3s (it was very badly bent). Notwithstanding my uselessness, it's a fantastic course.

Did you get charged?

Nope. No charge from the Ring or from BMW. They discussed it with me and concluded it was just one of those things. The instructor was encouraging us to push very hard on that last lap and we were all too close to each other. I put a wheel on damp grass and that was that.

[djmotorsport]

I've been to the 'ring twice - first was a wet RCN event (Nov 2010) in a 325i - 3 laps in damp then 2 full wet followed by a VLN race (Oct 2011) of 6 laps in the dry in an E46 M3 - It required absolute concentration and driving at 95% max, but It's not a difficult as some make it out to be.

Of course, you can't fully know it after the above 14 laps, but you can enjoy it!

[Frances The Mute]

mmm-five said:

Frances The Mute said:

Lightweight. You should try it in the snow...

I tried, but they wouldn't open the gates for me.

That's understandable.

I got caught a treat. Started the lap in cloudy conditions and hit a wall of the white stuff near Metzgesfeld. That was fun.

[456GT]

For anyone planning their first trip, I'd recommend doing as many laps as you can on GT4/GT5. The game doesn't replicate all the bumps (and you certainly won't be replicating the lap times!) but you will learn which way the track goes, you can learn the corners, what's coming up and whether it's a fast or slow bend.

I did this before my first trip and it was such a rush driving the track for the first time! It was familiar and new at the same time. You still have to take it easy but any prep you do will pay dividends.

[thewheelman]

JonathanLegard said:

thewheelman said:

RS4Magic said:

I've been to the ring for the past 12 years and love it. My Porsche 996 C2 was the worst, RS4 B7 the best and my new C63 should prove mental. If you think the ring is dangerous, try it when it's raining! See you all in July; 12-17th.

Try it in the rain in a borrowed Cerbera, more than the odd squeaky bum moment.

I can categorically state that I am not that brave/stupid.

I admit it was rather stupid, obviously I didn't dare try being a hero.

[fishman]

I'm training up to take my 2001 ASC3 on this track hopefully the AC Schnitzer suspension and tuning will help my confidence. TBH after listening to a friend who witnessed 3 or 4 crashes in one single day there I am quite nervous about it all, as no doubt I am bound to forget the course after the third corner so remembering the course from a plan isn't really for me.

I plan to start at a quiet pace and do a few trips before going full steam ahead. Aiming to get around the track in under 8mins 30 seconds as an initial target does that sort of time sound feasible?

Cant wait to get there!

Edited by fishman on Tuesday 12th June 16:35

[Captain Muppet]

fishman said:

I'm training up to take my 2001 ASC3 on this track hopefully the AC Schnitzer suspension and tuning will help my confidence. TBH after listening to a friend who witnessed 3 or 4 crashes in one single day there I am quite nervous about it all, as no doubt I am bound to forget the course after the third corner so remembering the course from a plan isn't really for me.

I plan to start at a quiet pace and do a few trips before going full steam ahead. Aiming to get around the track in under 8mins 30 seconds as an initial target does that sort of time sound feasible?

Don't go chasing a time, go to have fun. I have literally no idea what time I've lapped the ring in, but I was laughing like a tt during the entire experience.

Also if you're learning the track on a console remember that blind corners and blind crests tend not to have stationary cars on the other side of them in a game, so take it easy just in case.

[Spyder3400]

Great article and decent driving to boot!

Is it just me or does that M3 sound rather good? When I drove one I seem to remember it being much quieter!

[tomvcarter]

i did 000s of laps on the xbox on Forza, so knew what to expect in terms of what was coming next. But what i was not prepared for was the massive balls you need to attack it in real life...
but would advise that learning in on a game is a very useful tool.

[Omaruk]

How much was the training? Who do you book it through?

[RB Will]

fishman said:

I plan to start at a quiet pace and do a few trips before going full steam ahead. Aiming to get around the track in under 8mins 30 seconds as an initial target does that sort of time sound feasible?

I'm not sure how quick you or your car are. After my first visit there I was down to about 8.40 and eventually down to a 8.24 (BTG) in my old Impreza (about 250bhp and a big brake kit) but that was pretty on it and I'm a quick learner.

This sort of speed is doable by a lot of cars but does require a bit of commitment through the higher speed stuff and taking blind crests at 100+mph so you want to know where you are going.

It will feel like a very fast lap. I have taken a car load of people round there in about 9 mins before and they were giggling with fear about the speed we were carrying.

As already said. Don't go trying to achieve a certain time as it may well end in tears. Best to just drive a comfortable lap and see how fast it is. That is what I have done with all the cars I have taken there.

If it is raining then just do a slow lap and enjoy the sights, the Ring is way more slippery than any road when it rains.

[fishman]

RB Will said:

fishman said:

I plan to start at a quiet pace and do a few trips before going full steam ahead. Aiming to get around the track in under 8mins 30 seconds as an initial target does that sort of time sound feasible?

I'm not sure how quick you or your car are. After my first visit there I was down to about 8.40 and eventually down to a 8.24 (BTG) in my old Impreza (about 250bhp and a big brake kit) but that was pretty on it and I'm a quick learner.

This sort of speed is doable by a lot of cars but does require a bit of commitment through the higher speed stuff and taking blind crests at 100+mph so you want to know where you are going.

It will feel like a very fast lap. I have taken a car load of people round there in about 9 mins before and they were giggling with fear about the speed we were carrying.


As already said. Don't go trying to achieve a certain time as it may well end in tears. Best to just drive a comfortable lap and see how fast it is. That is what I have done with all the cars I have taken there.

If it is raining then just do a slow lap and enjoy the sights, the Ring is way more slippery than any road when it rains.

Many Thanks RB Will for the heads up! that gives me a good steer.....on the advice of others here think I may hire a car for it initially until i know the track better and then use my own car. Sounds like an epic track thou!