Car Drive Track Adventure Information Tips
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Priya Singh asked:
The Nordscheliefe, at 14 miles in length with 173 tricky corners per lap, is the ultimate driving challenge. The track is so diverse in the nature of challenges it presents that a number of manufacturers use it to test their cars before they go into production - in fact, practically every major manufacturer tests its sports cars at the Ring.
he track is located in Germany, midway between Cologne and Düsseldorf. And only in Germany - a country that still has large sections of unrestricted Autobahns - can a track such as the Nurburgring officially be designated a toll road where anyone with a car (or caravan even) pay a few Euros to drive around and test their mettle. Technically, it’s a one-way public toll road with no speed limit, but certain rules do apply. It costs less than 20 Euros a lap, depending on how many laps your ticket allows you to complete.
The track is open to the public on most weekends, and you see a wide range of cars in the paddock ranging from supercars to diesel station wagons. Large rental car agencies don’t allow their cars to be driven on the track, so if you’re visiting the best thing to do is to rent a car from one of the local establishments that have cars meant specifically for the Ring - referred to as Ring Tools.
Needless to say, it’s not for the faint of heart. The Ring has everything you could ask for in a track, or even a mountain road - an endless barrage of unforgiving dips, crests, bumps and blind corners that are unrelenting for the entire 14 miles.
If you feel driving around the track yourself may prove to be a little too adventurous, perhaps you’d fancy a drive around in a taxi. Not just an ordinary taxi though, Ring Taxis are BMW M5’s driven by professional drivers - you can be rest assured that it’ll be the ride of your life.
Try and soak in a little of the history while you’re holding on for dear life, as the track has been the scene of some of the greatest races of all time, where only legends of the sport have prevailed.
As you drive into Maranello, it appears very much like any other industrial town in this part of Italy. Yet, you can’t help but think to yourself, it houses some of the most skilled craftsman, engineers and technicians in the world.
Then you hear the shriek of an engine in the distance, being tested to its full potential at the Fiorano circuit - the Ferrari test track in
Maranello itself. You get a sense that you’re arriving somewhere very special indeed. And then, with almost no warning at all, you come across the hallowed gates of the Ferrari factory itself. You pause for a moment, reflect, and pay your respects - it hits you that this is anything but an ordinary place. Within those gates, which have stayed largely the same for many decades, the most beautiful, coveted and exquisite creations known to man are conceived and then crafted.
The Nordscheliefe, at 14 miles in length with 173 tricky corners per lap, is the ultimate driving challenge. The track is so diverse in the nature of challenges it presents that a number of manufacturers use it to test their cars before they go into production - in fact, practically every major manufacturer tests its sports cars at the Ring.
he track is located in Germany, midway between Cologne and Düsseldorf. And only in Germany - a country that still has large sections of unrestricted Autobahns - can a track such as the Nurburgring officially be designated a toll road where anyone with a car (or caravan even) pay a few Euros to drive around and test their mettle. Technically, it’s a one-way public toll road with no speed limit, but certain rules do apply. It costs less than 20 Euros a lap, depending on how many laps your ticket allows you to complete.
The track is open to the public on most weekends, and you see a wide range of cars in the paddock ranging from supercars to diesel station wagons. Large rental car agencies don’t allow their cars to be driven on the track, so if you’re visiting the best thing to do is to rent a car from one of the local establishments that have cars meant specifically for the Ring - referred to as Ring Tools.
Needless to say, it’s not for the faint of heart. The Ring has everything you could ask for in a track, or even a mountain road - an endless barrage of unforgiving dips, crests, bumps and blind corners that are unrelenting for the entire 14 miles.
If you feel driving around the track yourself may prove to be a little too adventurous, perhaps you’d fancy a drive around in a taxi. Not just an ordinary taxi though, Ring Taxis are BMW M5’s driven by professional drivers - you can be rest assured that it’ll be the ride of your life.
Try and soak in a little of the history while you’re holding on for dear life, as the track has been the scene of some of the greatest races of all time, where only legends of the sport have prevailed.
As you drive into Maranello, it appears very much like any other industrial town in this part of Italy. Yet, you can’t help but think to yourself, it houses some of the most skilled craftsman, engineers and technicians in the world.
Then you hear the shriek of an engine in the distance, being tested to its full potential at the Fiorano circuit - the Ferrari test track in
Maranello itself. You get a sense that you’re arriving somewhere very special indeed. And then, with almost no warning at all, you come across the hallowed gates of the Ferrari factory itself. You pause for a moment, reflect, and pay your respects - it hits you that this is anything but an ordinary place. Within those gates, which have stayed largely the same for many decades, the most beautiful, coveted and exquisite creations known to man are conceived and then crafted.
