My Clio 197 Cup and the Nurburgring
Discussion
Thought i would share with you all my recent Nurburgring trip from May. The original plan was to be a group of us, all drive to Germany, have a laugh, complete a few laps and drive home but sadly that didn't all go to plan. 2 people dropped out straight away when it came to booking the hotel and ferry etc.... and my other mate who was due to come along sadly wrote off his car 5 days before the trip. So it was just me, my mate, and the Clio.
Friday 22nd May, drove down to Kent for our overnight stay as i wasn't too keen on completing the journey in one hit. Caught an early Ferry on the Saturday morning and arrived in Dunkirk for 11am (France time). On the way i was keen to check out Spa and see if there was some exploring to be done, unfortunately the circuit was hosting a classic endurance event which i didn't bother paying to watch as it was only free practice being held and there was around 30 mins of racing left for the day. However, Spa is a stunning place, very scenic, quiet and there's a few nice places there to eat and stay. Would love to visit again for an event or a trackday.
Onwards to Germany, now, there's plenty of nice places to stay in and around the Nurburgring so you will not be short for choice, i stayed in a family owned hotel in Wimbach around 10 mins from the circuit called Hotel Meggis Landgasthaus which was perfect, £120 for 3 nights incl breakfast and some stunning scenery.
Scenic again by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Arrived late on in the afternoon, and had to take the obligatory Nurburgring picture.
Nurburgring ! by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Sunday; Tourist day. First time you arrive at the Nurburgring your eyes are everywhere, so many nice cars to check out and soak up the atmosphere. Its great to watch the locals and "die hard" fans pilot their cars around, you can easily spot who's a Ring Warrior. I decided initially to buy 4 laps and see how i got on. Having completed my first lap all i can say is what an experience, the surface of the circuit is so smooth but its a daunting place and easy to see why so many accidents occur. The hidden dips, crests and camber changes can easily catch you out but there's such a buzz from driving it you just want to keep going. I managed to grab another lap in before lunch time and another straight after however the circuit was closed in the afternoon due to a Spanish registered Megane 250 which rolled.
Clio by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Clio by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Monday, unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worst and the heavens opened but sod it, whats the worst that could happen
The wet weather made things a bit.... interesting... in some places it feels as though your driving on ice but it was interesting and enjoyable to get a feel for the circuit in wet and damp conditions. Luckily the circuit dried up, 4 laps completed but i couldn't drive all the way over here and complete only 4 laps. I bought another 2, waited until the afternoon and hoped the circuit dried up. The afternoon was perfect, less traffic and i managed to bag a 9:31 BTG (Bridge to Gantry) on my 5th lap which i was pretty happy with. 6th lap was going well until an accident through Foxhole brought out the Yellow flags the ADAC recovery lads.
Clio by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Clio by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Here's a small selection of my pics from the weekend.
Continental by Adam Melville, on Flickr
4.0 by Adam Melville, on Flickr
4.0 by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Green Hell by Adam Melville, on Flickr
M3 E92 by Adam Melville, on Flickr
997 GT2 by Adam Melville, on Flickr
Overall, a fantastic weekend. The car was superb considering its standard excl front pads, braided hoses and performance brake fluid. For any petrolhead, its a must visit. For anyone interested, all in the trip cost around £750 which incl accommodation, laps, food, ferry and other misc' costs such as breakdown cover etc...
Friday 22nd May, drove down to Kent for our overnight stay as i wasn't too keen on completing the journey in one hit. Caught an early Ferry on the Saturday morning and arrived in Dunkirk for 11am (France time). On the way i was keen to check out Spa and see if there was some exploring to be done, unfortunately the circuit was hosting a classic endurance event which i didn't bother paying to watch as it was only free practice being held and there was around 30 mins of racing left for the day. However, Spa is a stunning place, very scenic, quiet and there's a few nice places there to eat and stay. Would love to visit again for an event or a trackday.
Onwards to Germany, now, there's plenty of nice places to stay in and around the Nurburgring so you will not be short for choice, i stayed in a family owned hotel in Wimbach around 10 mins from the circuit called Hotel Meggis Landgasthaus which was perfect, £120 for 3 nights incl breakfast and some stunning scenery.
Scenic again by Adam Melville, on FlickrArrived late on in the afternoon, and had to take the obligatory Nurburgring picture.
Nurburgring ! by Adam Melville, on FlickrSunday; Tourist day. First time you arrive at the Nurburgring your eyes are everywhere, so many nice cars to check out and soak up the atmosphere. Its great to watch the locals and "die hard" fans pilot their cars around, you can easily spot who's a Ring Warrior. I decided initially to buy 4 laps and see how i got on. Having completed my first lap all i can say is what an experience, the surface of the circuit is so smooth but its a daunting place and easy to see why so many accidents occur. The hidden dips, crests and camber changes can easily catch you out but there's such a buzz from driving it you just want to keep going. I managed to grab another lap in before lunch time and another straight after however the circuit was closed in the afternoon due to a Spanish registered Megane 250 which rolled.
Clio by Adam Melville, on FlickrClio by Adam Melville, on FlickrMonday, unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worst and the heavens opened but sod it, whats the worst that could happen
The wet weather made things a bit.... interesting... in some places it feels as though your driving on ice but it was interesting and enjoyable to get a feel for the circuit in wet and damp conditions. Luckily the circuit dried up, 4 laps completed but i couldn't drive all the way over here and complete only 4 laps. I bought another 2, waited until the afternoon and hoped the circuit dried up. The afternoon was perfect, less traffic and i managed to bag a 9:31 BTG (Bridge to Gantry) on my 5th lap which i was pretty happy with. 6th lap was going well until an accident through Foxhole brought out the Yellow flags the ADAC recovery lads. Clio by Adam Melville, on FlickrClio by Adam Melville, on FlickrHere's a small selection of my pics from the weekend.
Continental by Adam Melville, on Flickr4.0 by Adam Melville, on Flickr4.0 by Adam Melville, on FlickrGreen Hell by Adam Melville, on FlickrM3 E92 by Adam Melville, on Flickr997 GT2 by Adam Melville, on FlickrOverall, a fantastic weekend. The car was superb considering its standard excl front pads, braided hoses and performance brake fluid. For any petrolhead, its a must visit. For anyone interested, all in the trip cost around £750 which incl accommodation, laps, food, ferry and other misc' costs such as breakdown cover etc...
Chunkychucky said:
Hi Adam! Cracker of a Clio, and good work for getting a trip to the nordschleife under your belt. A couple of friends and I planned to do it when I had my Impreza, however with the old bus returning 20mpg at motorway speeds it was beyond my financial means 
one day though!
Cheers Chuck one day though!
jees, 20mpg not good , i averaged 31 for the whole trip which isn't too bad. Tickle said:
Well done Adam,
Great write up and photos. I would love to do a Euro trip at some point.
The Clio look great in the shots too
Thanks Mark, the Clio was faultless for the whole trip; was so impressed with it on the circuit. Needs a few £'s spending on it over the Autumn/Winter. Great write up and photos. I would love to do a Euro trip at some point.
The Clio look great in the shots too
How do Adam! Good write up and pics. Well done for getting yourself on a road trip.
Glad it all went well. The possibility of a big off is probably why I haven't been to the ring yet, although I'd definitely enjoy the road trip, and spectating with a beer or two.
Car looks great and your list of mods is all you need. If I'm tracking something that is already half decent then all I do is change the pads and stick some race fluid in. It's all you need to have hassle free fun all day.
Anyway, summer is here (supposedly
) so keep on enjoying that car.
Glad it all went well. The possibility of a big off is probably why I haven't been to the ring yet, although I'd definitely enjoy the road trip, and spectating with a beer or two.
Car looks great and your list of mods is all you need. If I'm tracking something that is already half decent then all I do is change the pads and stick some race fluid in. It's all you need to have hassle free fun all day.
Anyway, summer is here (supposedly
) so keep on enjoying that car. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff