Newbie "Ring" visit in a chim.
Discussion
Left Monday morning and have just returned, four glorious days through the Ardennes, Spa The Eiffel District, the Ring and home vie a whistlestop visit of Brussels, Brugge and the Museum at Dunkirk.
The Ring. Nothing can prepare you for the length of track, the amount of bends, the climbs, the drops and the sheer madness of every nutter around you!
I have done a load of track days but this is something else, think of it as a Scalelectrix track with about as much room and 50 cars + on it!
I went in blind, not so much as an Xbox game for guidance while my wife sat in stoney silence as we completed the first lap. I passed one fence repair team and three cars off during that lap, unbelievable.
I had meet a seasened guy at the hotel, (his 3rd visit this year!) where we were staying who had excellent knowledge of the track, he jumped in the car for the next three laps untill the track was closed again to clear some cars!
How I could put full faith in an unknown individual seems daft now but at the time, roof off with him shouting instructions like "power, power, brake hard, don't slow on this bend" and waving his right arm to indicate which way the track goes was an experience I probably will never do again.
Imagine going into a left hander at about 80 with the guy shouting don't back off, the next bend is an easy right. The touble is the track dips away during the left hander and the right hander comes into view only when you are commited, my heart was fully wedged in my mouth at those times.
I've no idea about times but towards the end we passed about an even amount of cars as we were passed by, that probably makes me a wimp.
I can only say that you can't imagine it untill you have tried it. Imagine you are going at your quickest and then being passed by two bikes, feet apart braking much later then you, knee down and dissapearing up the track while you have a snorting stripped out BMW fighting with a Porsche GT2 as to who will pass you first at what seems inches from your rear!
By the time we pulled off I was apsolutely amazed that this experience was legal, and I take my hat off to you guys, (Andy Race in particular) who can achieve fantastic times there, it will NEVER be me, I'm sticking to woosey track days
.
And to you guys who think you are quick on the road, dream on
.
The Ring. Nothing can prepare you for the length of track, the amount of bends, the climbs, the drops and the sheer madness of every nutter around you!
I have done a load of track days but this is something else, think of it as a Scalelectrix track with about as much room and 50 cars + on it!
I went in blind, not so much as an Xbox game for guidance while my wife sat in stoney silence as we completed the first lap. I passed one fence repair team and three cars off during that lap, unbelievable.
I had meet a seasened guy at the hotel, (his 3rd visit this year!) where we were staying who had excellent knowledge of the track, he jumped in the car for the next three laps untill the track was closed again to clear some cars!
How I could put full faith in an unknown individual seems daft now but at the time, roof off with him shouting instructions like "power, power, brake hard, don't slow on this bend" and waving his right arm to indicate which way the track goes was an experience I probably will never do again.
Imagine going into a left hander at about 80 with the guy shouting don't back off, the next bend is an easy right. The touble is the track dips away during the left hander and the right hander comes into view only when you are commited, my heart was fully wedged in my mouth at those times.
I've no idea about times but towards the end we passed about an even amount of cars as we were passed by, that probably makes me a wimp.
I can only say that you can't imagine it untill you have tried it. Imagine you are going at your quickest and then being passed by two bikes, feet apart braking much later then you, knee down and dissapearing up the track while you have a snorting stripped out BMW fighting with a Porsche GT2 as to who will pass you first at what seems inches from your rear!
By the time we pulled off I was apsolutely amazed that this experience was legal, and I take my hat off to you guys, (Andy Race in particular) who can achieve fantastic times there, it will NEVER be me, I'm sticking to woosey track days
.And to you guys who think you are quick on the road, dream on
.
Mark, Cheers for that.
Christian, car handled well, really pleased. in fact when I chickened mid bend at speed and lifted off the throttle, John my "instructer" said he was mentally prepared for an off as it should have come unstuck but didn't!
Derek, you'll have to do it for the experience, beautiful country and driving roads as a bonus!
Christian, car handled well, really pleased. in fact when I chickened mid bend at speed and lifted off the throttle, John my "instructer" said he was mentally prepared for an off as it should have come unstuck but didn't!
Derek, you'll have to do it for the experience, beautiful country and driving roads as a bonus!
haircutmike said:
I can only say that you can't imagine it untill you have tried it. Imagine you are going at your quickest and then being passed by two bikes, feet apart braking much later then you, knee down and dissapearing up the track while you have a snorting stripped out BMW fighting with a Porsche GT2 as to who will pass you first at what seems inches from your rear!
I took an bmw 5 seres around about 9-10 years ago, I did a few laps at about 12min something, not an amazing time but i was just enjoying myself. But on one lap I overtaken by a VW caper van!
It really is about object avoidance at that place.
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