Nurburgring 24

Nurburgring 24

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Discussion

Gtioli

Original Poster:

31 posts

160 months

Monday 21st November 2011
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After a maiden visit to LeMans last year we are wondering about going to the Nurburgring 24 hours instead of Le Mans for 2012, however their doesn't seem to be many websites or forums. Has anybody else been, whats it like and do you know of any good websites. ie a Nurburing 24 version of beermountain or club arnage?

Thanks
Oli

kel176506

211 posts

186 months

Monday 21st November 2011
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Would love to also hear some peoples views and advice on the same topic. Only info i've gained is from the tickets-2-u and travel destinations website, which are owned by the same people. The guy i spoke to was pretty good but was only going to promote there own campsites and packages they had on offer.

Would love to hear form anyone who's been there, seen it and bought the t-shirt on the do's and don'ts of Nurburgring 24h.

Mark B

1,621 posts

264 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2011
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I went a few years ago and enjoyed it. It's not Le Mans though and as the circuit is so big with far less areas to view, it was a bit of a drag as the car was needed to get about. The racing, in my opinion, is no where near as good, the cars are a lot slower than at Le Mans and it doesn't have the excitement, for me. The in car footage on the other hand is A LOT better from Nurburg.. strange!

The German's are a great bunch though, although it is like walking into a scene from deliverance with all the make shift camping areas, and I don't mean tents, they go to the lengths of building wooden structures with bars, cinemas, viewing decks etc, it's quite something. If you think the music at Le Mans can get loud, they take it to a whole new level, with Rock me Amadeus blasting out from huge generator fed sound systems. We cycled round the circuit on the Saturday which was a good, but knackering experience!!

In all, it was a great trip with good friends but it's no Le Mans in my experience, hence I've only been once.

Munter

31,319 posts

240 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2011
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The one major factor is that there is no english commentary. At Le Mans you have radio Le Mans. But at the N24 you have nothing. So you lose track of who is winning, never mind who is catching them.

If you want to go on a lads drinking weekend with a bit of motorsport thrown in. Then it's a great place to go. If you want to follow the intricate details of the race and you don't speak German. Then possibly not the best race for you.

hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Monday 28th November 2011
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Munter said:
The one major factor is that there is no english commentary. At Le Mans you have radio Le Mans. But at the N24 you have nothing.
Doesn't radio Le Mans do the N24? Myself and the OH were considering going next year, after Le Mans last year, but this may be a bit of a sticking point. Without English commentary and only extremely rudimentary German we'd have very little idea what's going on I think.

timmytortoise

83 posts

238 months

Monday 28th November 2011
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Yes it was covered by RLM but only over the internet, nothing on radio. Many of the "campers" had built front rooms complete with sofas, TV's + PCs with timing screens /leader boards on, no-one seemed to mind you having a look to catch up on things, so it was possible to have some idea of what was going on, despie being in the middle of a german of forest with no English commentary.
TT

Nur Links

70 posts

205 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
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The N24 is a fantastic event. I race in the support program every year and it's the only event of the year where I actually stay and watch other races (and the first hours of the 24h race) instead of driving home within an hour of passing the finish line.

Why do I think it's such a great venue? First there is the track. There really is nothing like it in the world both from a drivers as well as a spectator perspective. Nothing comes close. Second are the spectators, who camp in the woods for almost a week to secure the best spots, who build entire village from scaffolding, old caravans, DIY neon signs and grills and who paint the track in support of their drivers of choice (you can in fact smell the BBQ's in the racing car if you drive by!). Third is the fact that it isn't sanitized to death: you can come close to the cars, the track and the drivers. Everything is very accessible, unless of course you're scared of a hike or a drive (MTB, Quad or 4x4) through the woods.

I read some comments that the cars aren't as fast as the LMP cars, that's true. The fastest cars in the N24 are the slowest at LM. But along side the track you'll hardly see the difference. Besides, most cars in the N24 actually make noise and don't diesel about sounding like a pneumatic drill gone wild. Furthermore, there are close to 200 starters which is a great spectacle.

Comments saying that the race is hard to follow I can't understand. There is around the clock coverage on a dedicated TV channel which you can follow on a dirt cheap DTTV receiver (elgato or other) with feeds from the track action, standings, etc... I am pretty sure that there are also English speakers in the commentary box who alternate with the Germans. I have one on my laptop and it works great!

It's a little known event outside Germany, but that may be for the better. There hardly is a commercialized hype with package tours, VIP deals etc... The fact that all the top touring car manufacturers (Porsche, BMW, Audi, Lexus, VW, Seat, etc...) enter works cars with top drivers shows that this indeed is very serious racing.

PJ34

4 posts

170 months

Tuesday 29th November 2011
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I agree with everything you say Nur Links - not that I am priviledged to race there...but attended the past 2 years.

We always to go Le Mans and decided that N24 should be experienced in 2010 - we went back as a much larger group in 2011 and camped almost opposite the main entrace to the F1 circuit and the new complex. Whilst not next to the track, the fellow German and other European campers are v friendly and you don't get the 'Mad Friday' antics of Le Mans, which to me is a good thing.

The new complex also provides a motor show which, if like me, you love VW (esp the mad Golf that raced last year!), BMW and Porsche, is great. Camping near this also provides for numerous drinking opportunities in the bars opposite and not to mention the village of Nurburg, very close by, for beers in the local bars, good food and not to mention the dinner at the Pistenklause. More civilised than Le Mans in my view.

So, Le Mans and N24 are quite different, but for us traditional 'Le Man-ers' the N24 is another calendar appointment not to be missed.


thanetspeedshop

503 posts

189 months

Thursday 8th December 2011
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Never been to the N24, but always fancied it so I asked Danni Crash wot he thought.
He said:

"There’s racing cars racing and that’s all good, but there are some new featurettes that you should probably take into consideration

Firstly the new management at the ‘ring doesn’t much care for racing or the fans. One such example is that Radio Le Mans were there, but whilst the French authorities will bend over backwards to get them a frequency, it appears not possible in Germany . If you have a mobile with roaming internet you’ll be able to listen to them on-line, but other than that you’re stuck. The RLM crew are also not allowed into the pits and so get most of their information from the work-to-rule camera operators around the circuit. You end up with hours at a time with one camera angle covering the entire circuit.

One aspect that the organisers neglected to include this year was any way of telling who was in the car at any one time. It would have been quite nice to know how inter team rivalries panned out.

I have however assumed at this point though that you’d have managed to gain entry, so I should back-track.

Buying tickets was a nightmare. So far as I’m aware, unless you’re on a coach trip or own a helicopter, you can only get there by car. You can’t however park in order to go to the ticket office because you need a ticket, apparently from the ticket office, to park. Apart from this system being designed by a Joseph Heller fan, the ticket desk was unable to sell us camping tickets and didn’t know where to get parking tickets. They did however confirm that our tickets would enable us to watch the start from the grandstand.

The best part of the ring weekend is the grid walk. You can talk to the drivers, get close to the cars and soak up the atmosphere. It is very special. The downside came when we tried to take our place in the grandstand to watch the start of the race. We expected it to be busy, but what we didn’t expect was for the ‘ring management to have chained the gates to the grandstand shut. Apart from this being quite an impediment to our plans to watch 200 cars cross the start-line, it was borderline criminal. A stampede caused by an accident or fire would have been catastrophic.

Just as an aside at this point, you have to use a ‘ring card to pay for things. You need to queue up for your card and to put money on it, queue up to get whatever you want to eat/drink and then queue up to get a refund for your drinks cup/bottle. It is very environmentally friendly and a biblical faff. That reminds me, I still have a ring card with money on it…..

Anyway, we gave up. We had no idea what was going on in the race, the organisation was poorly thought out and the atmosphere during the race itself was lousy. We went to a friend’s house 60 miles away, watched German coverage on the internet, listened to Radio Le Mans and drank beer.

Will I go again? Probably. But then I never learn."

To mis-quote the most mis-quoted man in recent history "one moment gentlemen, I have a splendid idea...". let's organise a group trip there - anyone fancy it?

Oh, and I wouldn't let any of the above put you off - he's a bit of a pussy.


GrahamG

1,091 posts

266 months

Friday 9th December 2011
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Sorry but a lot of what has been said above about RLM is incorrect.

RLM has covered the race for the past 5 years and for the last 2 years did the whole 24 hours live.

We are allowed in the pits (unless my fevered imagination has left me confused about the several dozen interviews conducted there!)

There are issues around radio coverage at the track - but that's more to do with running a single event radio service for a topographically challenging location as anything else, and the fact that potential audience numbers around the Nordschliefe for an English language service are currently quite low (but growing year on year - not least because people listen to RLM at home and want to come)

The race organisers and many others, are hugely supportive - don't confuse them with the well known issues around the owners of the Ring and the associated commercial disasters that continue to cast long shadows in one of motorsport's most fantastic locations.

Interest from the UK is certainly building in the race - it is, hands down, the maddest event on the calendar - I cannot believe for a single moment that anyone with petrol running through their veins wouldn't love it to bits


denat

51 posts

213 months

Saturday 24th December 2011
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Frankly a bit surprised about the negative feedback on N24. This is a spectacular event. Don't think there is any other event which mixes professional pilots and factory teams with your average punter/driver (i should know as i did it in a m3 with friends earlier this year). The speed differences between the top cars and the 'average' ones is mind buggling, the track is the best (period) and the atmosphere at night is something else. Racing is very close, in fact often too close as there are always a number of pretty dramatic accidents, most of them fortunately not as hurtful as they may look. Seeing a bunch of cars bumper to bumper taking the jump at Tiergarten II with all kind of beam lights, sparkles from bodywork everywhere and flames spitting from exhaust on the overrun, combined with the smell of Bratwurst and some kind of technomusic in the background is simply exceptional. Frankly having been at LM24 hours and N24, i can only recommend the latter. It takes a bit of organising granted. Best is to book the Tiergarten Hotel well in advance and have dinner at the Pistenklause, where most of the work teams hang out. Also would recommend to take a mountain bike of some sort as the circuit is huge and getting from one viewpoint to the next often means taking some narrow walking paths. Get there and you will enjoy. This is one of the last true motorsport events where the original spirit remains.

2kwik

140 posts

228 months

Saturday 24th December 2011
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It is a very simple answer. Just go!! It is an awesome event and have done I think 7 of the last 10 years. There are mixed views regarding recent developments at the Ring (more hotels, bars, commercial areas) but I think it adds rather than detracts from the experience. You have been signposted very well by others above - just make sure you don't miss out on the Pistenklause argentinian fillet cooked on a stone.

Jacobyte

4,718 posts

241 months

Thursday 29th December 2011
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210 cars on the grid, including Porsche GT3s, Astons, Ferraris, Vipers, Corvettes, Gallardos, M3s, Type Rs, Touring Cars, Hot Hatches, and even the famous fox-tailed Manta, the number and variety of cars (and German hillbillies), with over 250,000 spectators makes for arguably the biggest motor race in the world.

I agree that it's got some organisational challenges, and non German speakers turning up on the day will struggle to get the best out of it. But if you plan everything in advance properly the experience is absolutely fantastic.

Make a week of it. Set yourself up on a hill overlooking Breidscheid or Steilstrecke with a large Union flag and possibly your favourite car marque flag (the drivers really appreciate it and will flash and hoot back at you). Bring a mountain bike with good lights. That way you can go everywhere around the circuit, including on the track for the parade lap where cars will stop and do burnouts for you, and really soak up the atmosphere.

I've only been to it twice (both times as a driver) and intend to go again in 2012. Imagine 7 other teams all sharing the garage, so with all the support personnel and cars coming in for driver changes, refuelling, fixing damage, etc, it gets ridiculously mental in the pit lane.

It's pretty much a whole week of partying, all about motor sport, with grass roots mixing with the pros. I'm not saying it's better or worse than Le Mans, it's just a very different experience. There's nothing else like it.

majordad

3,600 posts

196 months

Thursday 29th December 2011
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Been there a number of times and agree it's one of the best motorsports events I've ever seen. Don't agree re the Union Jacks, they would not be welcome , it's not Le Mans ( an allie ) , remember the war and all that. And David Cameron's recent refusal to shoulder in with Germany and the rest of the EU has not helped . Leave the flags at home, buy a German or Ring flag at the track.

Superb Event, just dont turn it into a Brits on Tour like Le Mans.

JayPee

1,032 posts

194 months

Friday 30th December 2011
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Having done LM for a few years, me and a few friends decided to do the N24 in 2011. The OP is right, there is much less info available for Brits on the event, but we found all we needed on here.

We decided to camp at the Mullenbach site which backs on to the new circuit, probably a mile and a half from the start/finish line. We couldn't book this up ahead, but they assured us that if we were there late Thursday/ early Friday that there would be space. The facilities were decent (Much, much better than MB or Karting Nord at LM!) and due to an error by the stewards we were camped on a British tour operators site, which was quite nice as we got some advice from veterans of the event in a language that we understood! Regardless of this I would happily camp on that site again next year, though it may not be ideal for those who like peace and quiet in the evenings!

Best bits-
-Fantastic track, massive amount of decent places to spectate.
-The racing. Yes it is tricky to keep up with. We didn't, but I would recommend one of those TV's you can hire, alternatively some of the more clued up and typically friendly spectators will usually be more then happy to give you an update. Regardless, due to the huge amount of vehicles with varying capability on track at once, it is just fantastic to watch.
-Great atmosphere. Dominated by German/Dutch/Belgian spectators, all who have a great spirit for this both in terms of the racing, but also the party side of things. IMHO puts us Brits to shame a little bit when looking at Le Mans. There is probably more beer/person consumed at the ring but much, much less dickish behaviour.
-The Beer! German stuff is great, and extremely cheap from the Rewe/Lidl at Adenau (I think?)
-Track facilities. On the new circuit the ring card system works well with cheap-ish food and clean, well maintained grandstands.

Not so good bits-
-Weather. Can be quite random, and rarely free of rain during the course of the weekend.
-If like us you want to take in a number of different spectating locations on the old circuit during the 24 hours, then be prepared to drive and walk quite a lot, over some very hilly and muddy terrain. That said, traffic and parking around the circuit is well managed. Bicycles are a tricky one because once inside the circuit, the people traffic makes it difficult to ride them around.

I am nit-picking with those two, and they could be mirrored for LM to some extent.

Overall, it is best motorsport event I have ever been to. Will I go back to Le Mans? Well it would take a good few factory entries and prediction of a memorable race to draw me away from return visits to the N24. Sorry if I have rambled, one day I will learn to structure my musings!





wsn03

1,923 posts

100 months

Sunday 22nd March 2020
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To continue with the N24 questions I'll resurrect this old and well informed thread.

Next year both events are a week apart, so im doing both.

Can anyone tell me - is it worth having a dirt bike to access all the points around the circuit? Or will I gain nothing over a bicycle?

I saw lots of far away parts of the track that seemed to have a perimeter lane running round it, thats why I thought a dirt bike would work.

Aside from the start finish area would I be able to access most areas with a road legal dirt bike? Or should I use a bicycle?

LM24Nut

744 posts

61 months

Sunday 22nd March 2020
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wsn03 said:
Can anyone tell me - is it worth having a dirt bike to access all the points around the circuit? Or will I gain nothing over a bicycle?
Road legal bike, yes! Ride it to where you want to go, park it up and then walk around the grassy/wooded/dirt path areas...very easy. Will also help you getting around the huge traffic jams too. TBH, Devil's Diner and the Adenau entrance are probably the best places to chill out and watch the race.

A push bike will be a big NO unless you're super super fit and brave! Some of those uphills are brutal not to mention boy/man racers putting their foot down at any opportunity lol! It does get a bit Mad Max-ish around there during the N24.

I loved being there last year, it was great!


wsn03

1,923 posts

100 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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LM24Nut said:
Road legal bike, yes! Ride it to where you want to go, park it up and then walk around the grassy/wooded/dirt path areas...very easy. Will also help you getting around the huge traffic jams too. TBH, Devil's Diner and the Adenau entrance are probably the best places to chill out and watch the race.

A push bike will be a big NO unless you're super super fit and brave! Some of those uphills are brutal not to mention boy/man racers putting their foot down at any opportunity lol! It does get a bit Mad Max-ish around there during the N24.

I loved being there last year, it was great!
Really helpful, thank you.
Based on what you said I think I'll leave the dirt bike and take a cheap road bike - don't fancy leaving a dirt bike on its own to get nicked. There seems to be roads all around the entire circuit, so as I'm only interested in viewing I'll probably try to explore the whole area, but I will check out the areas you mentioned first.

I think you stayed in that hotel last time, was it expensive? You had a mega view. I will probably try camping, then hotel it on the way to Le Mans.


As for the journey out - I've looked on the map, and I'm thinking if I leave Monday morning I can drive to Switzerland's lake Bondensee day 1, then day 2 head to Clearemont Ferrant old F1 / moto gp circuit - always wanted to see it. From there a night somewhere south of Le Mans, then hit Le Mans Thursday morning.

One of my group is up for it, he does various biking trips with me. We will meet everyone else at Le Mans...the way things are going the 2020 crowd will all be there to see the race that didn't happen in September

wsn03

1,923 posts

100 months

Friday 27th March 2020
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Does anyone know which is the quietest campsite (probably is no such thing).

Who can i book through?

Does radio LM cover it by radio? That would make it 10 times better if they do

Kev_Mk3

2,740 posts

94 months

Friday 27th March 2020
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No such thing as a quite campsite TBH BUT travel destinations camping is probably the best bet but be warned it is a little out the way near the GP track.

Radio Le Mans do cover it from memory but youll need internet to listen to it as its not on the radio like Le Mans. Pre warning signal in the area is shocking especially if your on O2. I have a expensive brick when I go unless I am on wifi, its actually nice not to have a phone lol

It is totally different as you can see car positions on the windscreen as they are lit up so you can keep a eye on things. The shops always have food, beer etc and locals are brilliant. It is how ever ALOT of walking - dont think about driving its pointless lol





wsn03 - The paths around the ring are not wide when N24 is on so you'll be walking not biking to be fair