The Nürburgring Diary

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viperin

viperin

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G’day all, greetings from Oz.

I have decided to seek expressions of interest from drivers here to join a rebooted Nürburgring Diary
Some users may remember this concept as created by sackedagain ( in a Galaxy far away and a long time ago ).
This involved fans of the Nürburgring Nordschleife joining together in a friendly and relaxed manner to enjoy this most iconic of circuits.

The basic idea is this, there will be three different types of events to enjoy on a weekly basis :

Weekend Rider™ (WR™)

This will be the standard weekly get together.
A Car will be selected around about Wednesday 12 Noon GMT of each Week. Clues to the identity can be given and whoever guesses correctly can pick the next weeks "Rider".
Selection must be run absolutely Stock,no parts added except an oil change for second hand Cars, and, for those who wish, fitting of lower grade tyres ( N2 used to be the unofficial standard). Car settings are at drivers discretion, but all assists off is usually the norm.
Purchase, beg, borrow or steal selected chariot and do what you love to do - drive the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Post your times at the standard Midnight Sunday GMT
However this is not just about trying to post the fastest lap, drivers are encouraged to write their impressions of the particular Rider issued.
Stories documenting drivers efforts, loves, hates, crashes and anything else you wish to share will be highly regarded.

I am unable to access the PSN network and am unable to win heaps of Cash via online Races, trade Cars or any of that stuff.
I would therefore urge that for the early stages selected Cars should be relatively easy to acquire.


Budget Rider™ (BR™)

This will be an occasional event and requires a volunteer to come up with a suitably interesting idea.
A Car, a $ Budget and some sort of challenge will be provided, then you will be let loose to do your best.
However, once again, an interesting premise for the event will be very highly regarded, hopefully generating some amusing stories.

An example would be : "You have a '54 Chevy Convertible as your Mafia Staff Car. You have spent $100K in an attempt to beat your best time of 13 Minutes. However you are slightly handicapped as you have to drive to Wipperman with an extra 200 kg of ballast in the boot ( In the form of Anthony "Fat Tony" Piazza).Find a suitable shallow grave here then continue unballasted to the end ( you will need to make two runs and add up times for each part). etc etc etc.

These can be run in conjunction with the Weekend Rider™ or as standalone events. Flexibility is the Key here.


Racecar Rider™ (RR™)

This is the third Rider which will be offered on an occasional basis.
You have probably gotten the idea of how this works so I will leave it there for now.

So what say you fellow 'Ring enthusiasts ? Is anyone interested in joining in a relaxed, friendly and hopefully entertaining forum ?
Please post you interest and any questions and if it looks like getting going I will start "Nürburgring Diary Volume 1" with a Weekend Rider™ for later this week ?

Cheers !
 
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Count me in.

That's what I mostly do anyway, drive different cars around the 'ring for kicks.

The original thread was a diamond and it's going to be a blast to get at it again!

I have most, though not all cars in the game and am willing to loan them to fellow 'ringers.

Hop aboard, people!

-zwork aka flibutz
 
zwork
May I propose allowing engine overhauls and rigidity restoring for used cars?
Click to expand...
Not sure how much I'll get into this, however since this isn't really about hot lapping or a time trial, but more focused on the driving experience, engine rebuilds and chassis alignments are a bit pointless.
Think of the amusement value of cruising the ring in some ultra high mileage rust bucket from the 60s, 70s or 80s.

I can see it now...
In its day the Golf MK1 was THE hot hatch and played a key role in many a young man's dreams of being a racer. Unfortunately the long years and 185,000 miles mine had on the odometer left it rather anemic. While the skinny tires of days gone by could provide a bit of excitement, this wasn't the thrill of cutting a razor sharp line through the winding corners of the famed Nordschleife, but more the white knuckled chill of wondering if the car was actually going to find enough grip to make that next corner, or was instead going to plow straight ahead leaving me stranded against one of the majestic trees that give this track its nickname of "the Green Hell"...:D

See lap time is immaterial really, just a bit of journalistic editorializing on a car and how you felt about it and your experience driving the ring.:crazy::cheers:
 
Thats the spirit xdesperado67, nice to see bit of journalistic derring do 👍

Having said that, if the Car selected is a second hand one and absolutely clapped out, it may need more than an oil change to make the experience bearable.
It may also be necessary to occasionally allow overhauls, so that everyone is driving as similar a Car as possible.
No rush to decide this week though, as we will be using a Showroom Beauty :sly:

Here is a clue to go on with : " A West Coast Italian maybe ? "

More later.
 
These things attribute to the driving experience. I want the cars to handle as they're meant to, and also would like a fair comparison between new and old cars. Many of the older cars handle beautifully and I wouldn't want to cripple them. Also in real life the true classics are usually kept in tip top shape.

Having participated in the original thread I know laptimes are not the most important part of the thread, but I like to do my best anyway even if only to compare cars of the same era etc. Laptime is only a small part of the evaluation but it's a part of it anyway. I'm not comparing our skills, I'm comparing the cars.
 
Well, Alfa Romeo comes from Napoli, maybe our WR is one of those? I'm a big fan of the 8C but viper might as well pick something older, too.
 
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This sounds like my kind of thing. We'll see how it goes, I'll try it for a few weeks and see what happens.
 
The Ferrari California would fit the hint perfectly and explain the "maybe?" part. As the WR is a showroom car I got to say 8C Competizione... though it seems less likely after spork mentioned the Ferrari.
 
sporkface69
The Ferrari California? The only one I can think of.
Click to expand...

Well done ! 👍👍

So to make it official, the first Weekend Rider™ (WR™) of the new era is : Ferrari California '08


I have my 0 Miles non adjusted one raring to go.

See you on the Track.
 
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To be completely honest, that was rather easy to guess. Thank god I have 2 of every Ferrari, tunes and 0/0/0. Looks like I'm about to have 3. :D
 
Yes interested.

Would be nice to hear about other drivers likes and dislikes about the ring, and some obscure tips other drivers use to get the most out of a lap. (Like never using a shadow as a brake marker)

Maserati California (Rebranded as a Ferrari... cynical sales folk at Fiat.)
 
XDesperado67
................................

In its day the Golf MK1 was THE hot hatch and played a key role in many a young man's dreams of being a racer. Unfortunately the long years and 185,000 miles mine had on the odometer left it rather anemic. While the skinny tires of days gone by could provide a bit of excitement, this wasn't the thrill of cutting a razor sharp line through the winding corners of the famed Nordschleife, but more the white knuckled chill of wondering if the car was actually going to find enough grip to make that next corner, or was instead going to plow straight ahead leaving me stranded against one of the majestic trees that give this track its nickname of "the Green Hell"...:D
Click to expand...

👍 Nice. Made me want to thrash that Golf around the Ring right away. :)

XDesperado67
................................
See lap time is immaterial really, just a bit of journalistic editorializing on a car and how you felt about it and your experience driving the ring.:crazy::cheers:
Click to expand...

I agree . . . a car is not always about racing - it's about driving, too; an automobile tuned and tortured to run at its maximum velocity throughout is not the same as a vehicle allowed to dance gracefully at it's most individual, allowing the driver to come truly to grips with the personality of the car as made by the manufacturer and simulated by Kaz.

I'm looking forward to this - both in joining in when I can, but also in reading what the rest of you are going to say.
Somehow this brings back memories of GT4 (And GTFCentral - does it even exist anymore?)

Alright, then . . . now where's my stock Cali . . . I heard they're stuck starting a race at the Ring - waiting for the hot model who's supposed to drop the flag - and I have to deliver her. ;) Should be a fun drive in the Ferrari - which is a loaner just for the drop off.
Should I dawdle in the California or should I take this lady through her paces and see whats she has under her hood?
Who knows what may happen. It's a jungle out there.;)
 
G'Day all,

I spent a very pleasant Sunday Evening driving the 'Ring again.
Had the TV etc. to myself (trouble & strifey gone to bed :) ), the odd glass of home brew Stout to fortify myself :cheers:, a nice Car, and of course the 'Ring :):)


NuumlrburgringNordschleife_FCalifornia_zps0ef378f3.jpg



I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy doing the various riders, I am not particularly fast but have different priorities to just setting superfast times.
My main focus being to complete a valid lap with no crashes and improve my times substantially from my first lap to my last ( usually I do about 5 complete laps).
The Ferrari California '08 is a fine Car, looks great and goes like a cut Cat once you get it wound up ( I saw an indicated 276 km/hr as I braked at Tiergarten, woohoo ).
Having said that it does have a propensity to go from fairly significant understeer to major tank slapping oversteer if treated roughly.
Brake early and in a straight line, coast if possible ( trail braking seems to be a no no).
My best effort was a scary 7 ' 58 . 134 ( at least I know where all the unsettling bumps are !!) no red numbers and only a minor brush of the wall at Karussel.

Not the easiest Car to punt around quickly ( like me the weight it has to carry probably has a lot to do with it :ouch: ), albeit an interesting challenge.

sporkface69 : are you happy to make a pick for next week or should I continue present randomly selected Cars or requests ?

Hope everyone having as much fun as me.

More later
 
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Well I've just finished lapping in the Ferrari California '08 and what a pleasant experience it was.

Let me start by stating my lap time. I'll go into more detail after.
Lap time: 7:45.517 (with lots more room for improvement)

Ferrari's have never usually been cars that I have taken the time to drive, barring the usual Events - La Festa Cavalino - I did not consider them to be the best Italy has to offer (need I say the Z word?) but when I was given this car as a prize in said Ferrari Event it has forever stayed in my garage untouched and looking rather sad for itself. But I got in it and took it to the track and was very much surprised.

After 4 laps (time restraints meant I could not go for longer) I had already gotten comfortable with the car and managed a reasonable time of 7:45. I say reasonable, because I'm not fast, but I like the ring and the first lap was 8:04 because I had made a few mistakes, etc. But I managed to shave off 19 seconds, so I would say that was very reasonable given the number of laps I ran in it.

Why was I surprised? Well I had always preferred to drive the younger brother of the Ferrari set, the 458 Italia - that car is just so fast and lovely to drive, but beautiful too - so when I looked at the stats of the California, I thought "Oh it's just a Ferrari Convertible". But it's not just good looking, it's really great to drive. It doesn't have the massive understeer problems of the Enzo and neither does it have oversteer troubles like the 512B or the 330 P4 - it is just so neutral (I found) and I could push and push and not get bitten by oversteer or understeer. Granted I wasn't doing much trail-braking, nor was I flooring it coming out of the corners, but this is learned behaviour and I've found that I go faster if I drive this way, so maybe my experience of the car is different from others, but I thought it was reasonably fast - not really as competitive for it's PP level - but what a pleasant experience it is besides.

I do like driving stock cars, and to say I was a little apprehensive before driving this one is putting it lightly, I was scared stiff tackling the ring in a Ferrari in stock form. But, the results show that was just completely unfounded - after the first lap I knew I was in love with this car, it just felt so right, it cornered beautifully, no fuss at all, and it had the power to leave them just as good. Top speed was fairly low along the back straight, I think I hit 170 mph on the downhill section, but 167 at the bridge at the top of the slight hill.

The colour I drove was the Grigio Titanio, but that was just what I was given from the ticket. I was neither happy or disappointed with the colour, it's not the typical Ferrari red that you would expect, and the interior was dark and matched perfectly with the paint.

A heavy car, with not a high amount of horse power, but I guess it's not really a "performance car". So what? If a supercar handled this good, then they would be extra-super-cars because this is the kind of handling that has to be tuned, but this has it in spades already. Such a pleasant car stock I have never found, yet and this shall certainly be driven many more miles than 52.1 that it has currently on the clock. This car shall no longer be left to it's more powerful brothers, because frankly it can handle itself and then some.
 
The Outlaw Rants

Getting a chance to join other correspondent's, test drivers and tuners, to drive a variety of cars around Nürburgring's famed Nordschleife was too good for Ol'Harvey Wallbanger to pass up.

The first car to be on offer was the Ferrari California and Ol'Harvey's came painted in Azzuro California a rather intriguing shade of blue.
Now it must be said that the Wallbanger isn't a huge fan of newer Ferrari's and the California has always struck him as more of a rich man's fashion accessory that he gives to the wife or girlfriend, rather than a true supercar for serious driving. Never the less, the Wallbanger arrived at Nürburgring shortly before dawn on a slightly chilly late winter morning, and after checking that all the cars fluids were in order, including a fresh change of performance grade oil, set off into the early morning mists.

Taking it easy to give the engine and tires a chance to warm up while getting a feel for its handling, Ol'Harvey was pleasantly surprised by the amount of grip and lack of wheelspin the car exhibited. The soft suspension kept the ride smooth and uneventful over the Nordschleife's many bumps and the occasional curb. The transmission (Ol'Harvey drove with it in automatic mode) seemed to respond smoothly and keep the power flowing, though 7th seemed to be more of an overdrive than a usable gear. Cruising along with top down watching the sun come up as he approached the Karussel, even in the slightly damp chill of a winter's morning, was proving to be a very pleasant experience. The car wasn't exhibiting any of the bad traits typically associated with high performance exotics, just giving the driver a pleasant feeling of running through the countryside at speed while ensconced in luxury.
Completing his first lap in 8:00.017, the Wallbanger decided it was time to start pushing the pace a bit.
By the third lap he set his best lap for the day, and some of the cars flaws were starting to make themselves apparent.
While the car is fine cruising at a good clip, trying to really push the pace you find some not so nice things. First the car is a bit reluctant to turn in at higher speeds, not so much understeer as just being a bit slower to start rotating than expected. Second, while the car has very good grip and opening the throttle up is unlikely to cause the rear wheels to break traction and start spinning, you can't really use it to help get the car to rotate, instead being forced to let the car coast through turns or risk running wide. Third, if you do get the rear to step out a bit, the soft suspension can delay weight transfer making it rather slow to get back in line. Fourth, the stock brakes while very effective can cause issues when trying to slow from high speeds. This was most apparent going into the Fuchsröhre and braking at Tiergarten where the rear had a nasty tendency to get very light and a bit squirrely. Fifth, the car doesn't deal with tire wear very well. Even slight amounts of wear start to adversely affect its handling. Finally, and this is more of a personal issue than a driving one, is the engine sound. This is supposed to be a V8, yet instead of a solid rumble we get more of a high pitched buzz like you would expect from a high reving V6 or V4.

With clouds rolling in and the first drops of rain starting to fall on the track Ol'Harvey decided to call it a day after ten laps. His best time was a 7:49.413 and there was little doubt that the car had a bit more to give.
Unfortunately in the final analyses the Wallbanger's initial feelings about the car were largely unchanged. While a comfortable car for high speed cruising, the stock car falls a bit short of the performance expected from a car with this sort of price tag. Ferrari named it in homage to some of their great cars of the past, yet failed to really give it any styling links to that heritage. With a bit of work by an aftermarket tuner the car could undoubtedly be made into much more of a driver's car/track day performer, but there are a number of cars costing much less that can be tuned to equal or exceed its performance. In the end you are left paying for the name and being able to impress others when they hear you ask the attendant to "please bring my Ferrari around".

Oh and no matter the time of year or car your in, driving the Nordschleife is an experience to treasure.

Remember as Ol'Harvey Wallbanger always says...
Drive hard and have fun!:cheers::gtpflag:
 
A very nice car. I already had two, one untuned so I just grabbed that. It had ~60km on it at that point so a bit of break-in was done already. Don't remember if an oil change has been done, probably so as it has 469hp now at 160km. I used ABS and sports hards.

There are many things to like about this car, the steering is exact, and the handling feels natural. It's the kind of car that instantly feels like it can be trusted. No sweaty palms or nasty surprises. It is very tempting to kick the tail out just a little bit at corner exits, as the loss of grip is not very sudden and the car retains its controllability well. When pushed too hard it understeers slightly but can still be slid around a little if the driver so chooses as it responds well to throttle manipulation. Lots of fun!

The overall feeling is of a very good sports car, rather than a racer. The suspension is sturdy, but not exactly hard. As the car also has a fair amount of mass its not a gokartlike drive but has some of that genuine Real Car(tm) feeling to it. The delicious exhaust note adds its own part to the experience. The whole powerline is excellent, and there is a perfect gear ratio on offer for any bend on the track.

I ran five laps, the best being 7:33,408 with a slight brush against the wall at Kallenhard.
 
Maserati California

This was one of my first cars in GT5 - purchased on 2010/10/29 - 4 weeks before GT5 was released!

This car has 688 miles on the clock (Not bad for over 2 years) and took me to victory in the Laguna Seca Enduro - back in the day. when I ran ABS=1 - as I didn't know which menu or where to alter the Brake Bias - as I couldn't find the old part to let you alter the strength of the brakes. The car still has its original Rosso Met(allic) paint the only options are the array of Sports tyres I used for when I ran at Fort Ord 200mile Enduro (Mazda Raceway...yeah right.)

---

This is it. This is The Ring. This is nigh on thirteen miles of soaring, serpentine sensuousness that will scorch me from my slumber, censure my senses and shakedown my prancing steed with a deadly beguiling series of crests and curves: each demands respect and each demands a different aspect of driving style to get the best out of both chassis and driver. Let’s do this thing.

To give this delicious ribbon od motoring nirvana some respect I’m here in the rather underwhelming V8 convertable from Italy. As it fires up the V8 rumble has a subdued echo to it as if eight ducks were having a fight under the bonnet. But as I get the car rolling I have to wonder if the engine are ducks or just a large turkey? Yes, That’s right; I’m pedalling the California. The accountants at Fiat rebranded Maserati concept and armed it with the Cavalino badge may actually sell to well to do hairdressers, cabin crew and a certain Captain in the Special Air Service. They seem to buy anything from the Italian fashion house these days... I'd almost forgotten they still made cars. And it seems like Ferrari had too.

As The Ring unfolds before me the topless California seems to have no ambition to emulate the cavelcade of cars from Maranello that have done well here in the past. The car seems slightly distant. Like an airhead socialite with a rat dog in a handbag and a cellphone stuck to her cheekbone. No sence of animal urgency, The engine chugs along like music, bad boring music, maybe in an elevator by a band that has made its money and is now just bleeding the fans dry. The V8 is large but the power is a disapointment. The engine struggles to inject any kind of eager aggression. It is tame. Unlike the Gearbox which is a highlight.The gearbox is a high point... changes as slick as a sad seabird sitting on the Exxon Valdiz. But the plodding engine doesn't warrant such a sweet gearbox

But how does it drive? Bumps are dealt with and body roll isn't something you'd notice. The car has plenty of poise, stable and consistent the lack lustre V8 providing its own built in traction control The Mannetino system if you do have it installed - wion't be called in to save you unless you use the hardest of tyres or perhaps if you alter the suspesnion or ramp angles or maybe fiddle about with the engine in some fashion. I'd read the car could get close to 200mph--- Maybe if you drop it out of the back of a Hercules transport plane, terminal velocity could reach that but it is such a fat ungainly lump the drag may prevent it from breaking 200mph that way - On the track, the aneamic engine didn't even get close to reaching 200.

I took it for a single hot lap, Whispering the name of Juan Manuel Fangio and how he won a legendary race against two front engined Ferrari's of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins.

Perhaps the motivation didn't reach the car - The Maserati in it was gone and I was left with a Ferrari that was numb - the engine just let it down - but it is a GT car - with no roof and a big chunk of folding metal sat over the rear axle.

That said it is a safe drive - very stable and predictable.

The Lap? Comfort Softs - 3/2 brake bias - No aids - 700 miles or so on the clock.
7m54.0
After the Gillet, the California was a massively underwhelming drive.
 
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G'Day all,
Greetings from Oz !

Nice work everyone 👍 keep up the good work.

If there are no objections I will start proceedings for the next WR™.

A clue for you : "This one lives South of the other Mason Dixon line"

More later.
 
Didn't he Fight Rocky Balboa?

Not the Ferrari - 512 Berlinetta Boxer. Hate these cryptic clues.

Korea - has some border issues...

Oulem Spirra V8 ?
 
I'll take a stab at the clue:

Hyundai Tiburon Turbulence.

I missed the first ride, but I'll join up for this next one.
 
G'Day all.

IvanOffalich
I'll take a stab at the clue:

Hyundai Tiburon Turbulence.

I missed the first ride, but I'll join up for this next one.
Click to expand...

Welcome aboard !


Ryk
Didn't he Fight Rocky Balboa?

Not the Ferrari - 512 Berlinetta Boxer. Hate these cryptic clues.

Korea - has some border issues...

Oulem Spirra V8 ?
Click to expand...

Well done , you may hate cryptic clues but you are obviously good at them 👍

Weekend Rider™ this week : Oullim Motors Spirra 4.6 V8 '04

This is a standard Car, so hopefully everyone has come across one in the second hand market, or has acquired one by other means.

Mine has only done 34K km so an oil change is all that is required.
See you at the weekend.
 

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