Nurburgring 2017
Discussion
eddd1e said:
Birky_41 said:
We leave to come home tomorrow at 11, it's a long old ride to calais and we hopefully should be back in Essex around 6-7pm
The video should be uploaded in the next day or two from that. When it's up and you see the time I'd like you to just wind that neck in a bit. Id be a very silly boy to put a time that I couldn't backup
And yes that video was purely following the mclarens and nurburgring biker blogs wife and daughter who work for them. Was just having fun on the last lap before we headed back
I deleted my comment as first time round i gave up watching after the overtakes on the right of the maclarens, which is a big no no. I didn't notice you cruised a lot of the last section.The video should be uploaded in the next day or two from that. When it's up and you see the time I'd like you to just wind that neck in a bit. Id be a very silly boy to put a time that I couldn't backup
And yes that video was purely following the mclarens and nurburgring biker blogs wife and daughter who work for them. Was just having fun on the last lap before we headed back
If you managed a sub 8 on first visit, then fair play to you.. but to be honest if you did, you either have supreme skill or you're pretty lucky to still riding home. I imagine the guides that took you around were experienced enough to show you the lines. If so, fair play.
I'm gonna be honest... You may disapprove a bit when you see Joe do his time today. He was well committed and even I said that's too fast for me with that amount of cars.
I probably was a little stupid. Hopefully Billy will get back on pistonheads as he said he has an old account and can comment on my first day and first lap with him
Andy XRV said:
Birky_41 said:
Still in Germany so hard to upload videos on my phone. This is the last one following the mclarens. Apologise for the shaky camera. My fixing partially broke. It's unedited so I'll sort once at home
https://youtu.be/bn6j9Gmca44
Great lap times and I bet Billy was gutted as his quickest lap ever is 8min12sec and he lives there! Really nice couple Billy and his little lady.https://youtu.be/bn6j9Gmca44
Looking at your AR pipe I assume Billy is talking about you on his FB blog
"I did a lap following an English lad on a V4 1100 Tuono the sound was kin Awesome!! Plus the power Wow! I need a faster Bike! I need a newer Tuono"
Glad you had a great time and that you're all still in one piece.
PS: we passed that poster too and did a double take before pissing ourselves!
That picture had us laughing for ages. I'll get a few site seeing pictures up tomorrow on the way home
kellys hero said:
Hi OP as above totally agree.
I went across in 2009 with a friend and we did only did 3 laps due to time constraints. In brief we were one of the "shed" brigade as far as the car goes, however we did a lot of research beforehand and decided that we didn't wan't to be the cause of any accidents or injuries so we made sure the car was as safe and as up together as possible so it was given a service, we fitted decent tyres, fitted new brake pads and then had it MOT'd a week before going over in case we had missed anything. On top of that we also fitted a bespoke "tray" that fitted beneath the engine to catch any oil drips.
Our research included reading the sites website and looking at various forums (as you are) At the time the website listed emergency phone numbers for marshal's etc so we each had these emergency numbers in our mobile phones.
The comments about bills for damage were certainly the case in 2009, as I recall it was something like £1000 euros per meter of damaged armco, similar fee for any fluids dumped on the circuit so oil, screen-wash, coolant etc plus recovery fee if the vehicle has to be carried off. We realized that a significant shunt could easily cost us £5k if we tried too hard- plus the hassle of getting home. We paid 20 euros per lap.
On the day we arrived (Sunday) the place was packed and was a great mix of supercars, experienced enthusiasts, a few like us and some total fxxxwits that were going way to fast in cars that were hopeless. We saw a few spin off and passed a few wrecks that were probably looking at a big bill.
As far as the track itself goes you spend as much time checking the rear view mirror as you do looking out of the front, cars catch you really quickly and are probably aiming at the same piece of tarmac you are, we found that we would choose a line, commit to it and then be swarmed by bigger, better and much faster cars. It is very hard to change your chosen line midway through, a standard car runs out of grip / brakes really quickly on a track.
On this note, it is 13 odd miles long, most average cars (and i guess bikes) never get driven or ridden at such a pace for so long in normal day to day use, even spirited road driving still gives a car time to cool down between giving it the berries due to slower traffic, junctions etc. On the Nurburgring the car will get hot, brakes get hot and tyres suffer, we did two consecutive laps and the car was showing its age at the end, and we really weren't pushing at all, I doubt we did more than 90mph in reality.
It was a great experience and we loved every moment of it but I think as we treated the place with respect and recognized that neither of us were F1 drivers it went well. Neither my friend or i egged each other on and accepted that we were the limiting factors. However it would be very easy to be taken off by a total loony toon who thinks he is Lewis Hamilton in some lowered, noisy exhaust knackered Astra...
As a final point as we left we saw a brand new BMW 1 series sport model parked up with a whiff of smoke coming from beneath the bonnet, within 10 minutes it was burnt out. Shows that even brand new sports models find the Nurburgring too much!
Yes some really good comments there. The smell of brakes from some of the cars and I see plenty overheated. The cost of crashing scared me and I always rode well within my limit. I see people in our little bike park bit crash over the 2 days and some weren't pretty I went across in 2009 with a friend and we did only did 3 laps due to time constraints. In brief we were one of the "shed" brigade as far as the car goes, however we did a lot of research beforehand and decided that we didn't wan't to be the cause of any accidents or injuries so we made sure the car was as safe and as up together as possible so it was given a service, we fitted decent tyres, fitted new brake pads and then had it MOT'd a week before going over in case we had missed anything. On top of that we also fitted a bespoke "tray" that fitted beneath the engine to catch any oil drips.
Our research included reading the sites website and looking at various forums (as you are) At the time the website listed emergency phone numbers for marshal's etc so we each had these emergency numbers in our mobile phones.
The comments about bills for damage were certainly the case in 2009, as I recall it was something like £1000 euros per meter of damaged armco, similar fee for any fluids dumped on the circuit so oil, screen-wash, coolant etc plus recovery fee if the vehicle has to be carried off. We realized that a significant shunt could easily cost us £5k if we tried too hard- plus the hassle of getting home. We paid 20 euros per lap.
On the day we arrived (Sunday) the place was packed and was a great mix of supercars, experienced enthusiasts, a few like us and some total fxxxwits that were going way to fast in cars that were hopeless. We saw a few spin off and passed a few wrecks that were probably looking at a big bill.
As far as the track itself goes you spend as much time checking the rear view mirror as you do looking out of the front, cars catch you really quickly and are probably aiming at the same piece of tarmac you are, we found that we would choose a line, commit to it and then be swarmed by bigger, better and much faster cars. It is very hard to change your chosen line midway through, a standard car runs out of grip / brakes really quickly on a track.
On this note, it is 13 odd miles long, most average cars (and i guess bikes) never get driven or ridden at such a pace for so long in normal day to day use, even spirited road driving still gives a car time to cool down between giving it the berries due to slower traffic, junctions etc. On the Nurburgring the car will get hot, brakes get hot and tyres suffer, we did two consecutive laps and the car was showing its age at the end, and we really weren't pushing at all, I doubt we did more than 90mph in reality.
It was a great experience and we loved every moment of it but I think as we treated the place with respect and recognized that neither of us were F1 drivers it went well. Neither my friend or i egged each other on and accepted that we were the limiting factors. However it would be very easy to be taken off by a total loony toon who thinks he is Lewis Hamilton in some lowered, noisy exhaust knackered Astra...
As a final point as we left we saw a brand new BMW 1 series sport model parked up with a whiff of smoke coming from beneath the bonnet, within 10 minutes it was burnt out. Shows that even brand new sports models find the Nurburgring too much!
I can say I've done it and appreciated what it is. It was the help of alot of people on here that got the accommodation that I'm at right now (and definitely people I'll come back to again). Contact numbers, advice and basic things that I didn't know
As already said. If you are on a bike and you want to get some ride time and not have cars absolutely everywhere with red flags almost every hour... Leave going on a bank holiday weekend!
Finally home, cold, wet and tired with a completely numb bum!
Weather was horrible almost all the way back so our only stops were for fuel. I was mighty impressed that my trusty Aprilia was averaging 40mpg at 85-95 with a rain suit on and was pushing 130 miles before reserve
Pleased to say I've done it, will get a few pics Roy got of us as we left but otherwise that's me done on this thread
Weather was horrible almost all the way back so our only stops were for fuel. I was mighty impressed that my trusty Aprilia was averaging 40mpg at 85-95 with a rain suit on and was pushing 130 miles before reserve
Pleased to say I've done it, will get a few pics Roy got of us as we left but otherwise that's me done on this thread
Andy XRV said:
moto_traxport said:
Looking good there Birky - glad you lot had fun & came home safe.
LOL at a couple of the "you can't do that!" comments on here. Nice to see a "I just flipping did!" type end to the trip.
I'd like to second that. The ring is a bit like the TT, it is what it is and some people get it and some never will.LOL at a couple of the "you can't do that!" comments on here. Nice to see a "I just flipping did!" type end to the trip.
5th lap that weekend, 8th lap ever. Sub 8 minutes done by Joe on the second day https://youtu.be/tHs8yXakP6k
We are similar pace riders and run almost the same time at Snett
Funny enough I did Isle of Man last year too and had similar responses...
https://youtu.be/ME7sfAvtUGI mad Sunday
https://youtu.be/oKAX6ClBW14 last day before home. Skip the bit until the mountain.
And if it makes any doubters feel better it cost me €120 euro and my mate €240 for two trips in 2 years. I read earlier about 150+ laps and running an 8.06...that must be expensive haha
Andy XRV said:
The mad Sunday ride over the mountain looked very messy. Lots of bikes wandering all over the place 
It was the bike equivalent of Nurburgring on the Sunday with cars. You simply cannot go the pace you want as its just unsafe unless you have a screw loose. Im a little older than Joe with 2 kids, one of which races so I take a deep breath and just rein it in a bit
Andy XRV said:
This must of happened while you guys were there.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/4nemo
and you're on the telly
https://www.facebook.com/nurburgringbikerblog/vide...
Yep the guy completely videod me and that was all my lot going round there https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/4nemo
and you're on the telly
https://www.facebook.com/nurburgringbikerblog/vide...
That crash was a guy I know group of mates (Graham Collis). I've just messaged him to see if his mate is OK. The aftermath of the crash is on YouTube. I heard he got put over the barrier and has a broken pelvis
https://youtu.be/nMYyVPnR6Nc
Another guy who was meeting us up there group of mates had a crash
Go over there with your witts about you and eyes open is all I can say. I found faster was safer within reason as nobody came up your chuff it was all cars in front you needed to pass
VonSenger said:
eddd1e said:
Birky_41 said:
But I did and ran 8.06
Managed 7.54 that lap then it was finished for the day
I'm sorry, but you did a 8.06 and a 7.54 BTG in your first laps of the ring on a tourist day on a Tuono? Either you're timing it wrong or you run at the back end of MotoGp in your spare time.Managed 7.54 that lap then it was finished for the day
I did a 8:02 last year and i've been going 7yrs and done 150 laps or so.
Edited by eddd1e on Sunday 30th April 17:36
Chipchap said:
As I am an old fart I would not have rushed straight into trying a hot lap following any local hot shoes but that's just age. Maybe 35yrs ago I would have ?
However what I did see was that lack of circuit knowledge meant that you overcooked it a few times and we're fortunate that those happened in places that had no real potential for injury. Had you overcooked it elsewhere it can and does hurt at that place.
Kudos for having the stones to give it a go and for running a fairly fast lap though but please if you go again just build up to the faster laps but always remember it is not a race and there is no glory or prizes for going the fastest just come home safe.
A
You are right there, I didn't know the track and read it like a fast road ride so a few corners did catch me out a bit. I'm glad I'm mid thirties and it wasn't 10+ years ago as I was quite hot headed hence giving up road bikes for ten years However what I did see was that lack of circuit knowledge meant that you overcooked it a few times and we're fortunate that those happened in places that had no real potential for injury. Had you overcooked it elsewhere it can and does hurt at that place.
Kudos for having the stones to give it a go and for running a fairly fast lap though but please if you go again just build up to the faster laps but always remember it is not a race and there is no glory or prizes for going the fastest just come home safe.
A
I think 15-20 good laps would have me flowing well and some good consistent times
That being said having read comments and advice before I went there I completely agree the roads and atmosphere around the ring area is what you should go for. It's not all about the track.
I had much more fun doing this and saying I've done the nurburgring then actually going round the track if that makes sense
eddd1e said:
Still not seen your sub 8 min lap though... Only your mates, which was good.
I'm not s*** stirring here, genuinely interested.
I only gopro'd the second day and never managed it due to traffic so only have 1 lap following nurburgring biker (8.18) and 1 lap of following the mclarens (cruised some of it) I'm not s*** stirring here, genuinely interested.
Let me know if you go over there anytime after July and I'll go same day. You can see for yourself, I'll get Joe over again and with a bit more practice we might get a little quicker still. Pm me and I'll plan the next one with you.
fergus said:
All the local roads (and further afield) are very well surfaced and excellently signposted. The B500 through the black forest is an awesome road.I'm already missing it having got back on Essex so so roads
Dakkon said:
Great videos and pictures Birky, thanks for sharing, as someone else said, some people get the 'Ring others never will, I love the place, have been many times in cars but never on a bike. You are certainly quick and once you know the track a bit better i'm sure you will be even faster.
Exactly my thoughts and thank you. I definitely 'got it' and already planning another later in the year. I'll photo and video more next time & I've bought a decent 32gb memory card as the 8gb I had ran out very quickly Nurburgring Biker Blog said:
https://youtu.be/aEjXf66B8ro
Check out from 20min30secs you can see Joes rolling burnout at the end of the lap...
I understand rule No.1 at the Ring if it's not on YouTube it didn't happen, but I would 100% vouch that Birky 41 did a low 8, the group he was with were the fastest group of newbies I've ever been out on the Nurburgring with, and I've done 111 laps this year! Check out my blog...
https://www.facebook.com/nurburgringbikerblog/
Billy the rolling burn out was me 😉 check out the end of my mclaren upload you'll see me do it Check out from 20min30secs you can see Joes rolling burnout at the end of the lap...
I understand rule No.1 at the Ring if it's not on YouTube it didn't happen, but I would 100% vouch that Birky 41 did a low 8, the group he was with were the fastest group of newbies I've ever been out on the Nurburgring with, and I've done 111 laps this year! Check out my blog...
https://www.facebook.com/nurburgringbikerblog/
Damn I look such a melt when he sticks the camera on me haha
We are planning another in July August and I'll try do a few days mid week this time. Give my bike a go and convince the wife. You know the vee four makes sense
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