I'm trying very hard not to sound like a broken record... honest!
so...after a hectic week, including travelling to luxembourg + back overnight on tuesday (900km round trip, getting back 9hrs after we left, including the return journey taking 4.5 hours, and spending 1.5hrs there.).... and some crazy stuff (Joost just went to 1.0 beta), I got permission to work remotely on Friday, and so decided to leave for nurburg after work on Thursday.
Only problem is... I couldn't leave the office until about 9pm.. no problem... thank you germany... was there for 23:30.
Had a couple of beers with Ed, and went to sleep.
Got up relatively early, and went off to Schirmer's to move the E36, then headed off to Tiergarten for brunch, and to use their wireless to do some work for the rest of the day...
Finished work at 17:30... just in time for the evening session, so I picked up Ed, and grabbed our lids, and went down to the track... was going to take Ed out for a lap, but he saw a new 335i on german export plates, so he popped out to see where they were from (lots of americans take european delivery of their cars). Sure enough it was a car belonging to a couple - Diana + Todd - so Todd jumped in instead of Ed, we were just driving up to the barrier when the track closed... it didn't reopen.
In the meantime Ed had found another american couple - so we headed off to the Lindenhof for dinner, and a few beers, before wandering down to the pistenklaus for a couple more beers, before bed.
Awoke on Saturday morning to a little fog which cleared quickly, we had breakfast, wandered up to see the RCN cars getting ready to race, and then headed into Adenau, to pick up a datacard, and a dv video for todd's video camera, and then watched some of the BMW driver training go by
After being shouted at by various marshalls for being too close to track we decided to head off to brunchen, and wander up to karusell in time for the RCN race.
As the race went on we walked slowly back to the car, I took photos as we walked..
as always for nurburg there was a whole variety of machinery in use
The race finished, and i headed off to meet up with a friend who needed brakes, so took him to Schirmer, where he got a set of PFC-01 pads.
Got back to the 'ring just in time for it to open... took Diana out for my sighting lap (~8:30) which was fun and smooth, and the track was in perfect condition, so I took Todd out for my 2nd lap.
Was flying, the CSL was on top form, got to Adenau Forst, I caught up with a pair of bikers.... got passed one through Metzgefeld, but held off from the other, at Kallenhard incase he hadn't seen me.
By the time I got to briedscheid I was sure he'd seen me, as he'd been looking round... so I took the inside line, too pass him, to have him cut in front of me, forcing me on the brakes.
hmm. oh well he'll know I'm there now... except going up ex muhle, as soona s he got the bike straight, he floored it, and wheelied up the straight.... then slowing down, blocking me in bergwerk...
up kesselchen, I tried to pass him again, to have him cut over in front of me, before doing some more wheelies.... beginnign to get a bit frustrated by now..
so I hung back, and got a great line out of steilstreike, and passed him legitmately before karusell, to have him come round the outside, diving down in front of me, and brake testing me.
Todd at this point said something to the effect of "he's got a death wish".
I decided at this point to back off, as I didn't want to get tangled up with some pyschopath.. only or the biker to slow down too, and continue blocking me in every single corner.
so I passed him through Pflanzgarten, and pushed as hard as I dared to get some space between me and him... by Schwalbanshwanz i couldn't even see him in my mirrors.
Came in at the end of the lap, there was a big queue to get off the track so he caught up with me, we exchanged a few words. He then rode off and came back with a Marshall trying to get me banned. After I explained the scenario the marshall, the marshall shrugged his shoulders, and walked off.
Did another lap to let off steam, came through Schwalbanshwanz, to see blue lights, and flags being waved at galgenkopf... biker had gone in hard, and over the armco... that shook me up a bit, as what if it had been the psyco who was blocking me who had done that....
Dinner @ PK ensued.
Up early on Sunday, waking first at 6 to see a star filled sky, dozing until 7 to see some clouds, getting up at 7:30 to see blue skies.
Had a quick breakfast, then was down to the track for 8am... it opened on time, got one lap in, which was fun, but a bit slippery (it had frozen in places, still 2.5 degrees for most of the lap... car kept beeping at me to let me know it was cold). Came in and met up with Todd who had left diana sleeping, so took him out for two laps, much smoother, calmer than the one the previous night, but not quick, as it was pretty slippery still.
Came in from the 2nd lap to find it closed, so Todd headed back for breakfast, and I stayed around and chatted to friends in the carpark. Met up with some of Ed's friends over from america, and Morten (600bhp 993 Turbo), with his brother in law, Ryan and some others, and watched bits of the grandprix from the Grune Hoelle cafe.
Diana + Todd called by on their way back (they were heading back to Munich to drop their car off before flying back to San Diego), and then they reopened the track.
Got a couple of nice laps in
This mini was very quick (GP works thingy), equal paced to the CSL in the down hill stuff
I took Ryan out for a couple of laps, chasing down the EDO 993, traffic compromised me on the 2nd lap, preventing me from having a good run up Bergwerk, but caught back up again by Schwalbanshwnaz.
Then took another friend of Ed's out - Richard who also had picked a car (335ci) up through european delivery, which he really enjoyed -came in from the 2nd lap, and he said 'can we go again'.... best thing was on the 2nd lap we caught up with the ring taxi, who was in a blocking mood, so I sat behind it for a lap, having fun, waving at the cameras...
bought some photos from Jochen showing me behind it in the Karusell, will post them when i get them.
At the end of the lap, pulled alongside the ring taxi, and got a wave from the driver, and a thumbs up from the occupants!
Then had lunch as another closure, followed by taking another friend of Ed's out for a lap, who unfortunatley I unsettled slightly, as when passing two cars up kesselchen, one of those cars decided to overtake the other, without seeing me, so I had to put half the car on the grass, to get through without contact. I knew the grass was pretty firm as had been walking around there the previous day, but I guess my passenger didn't. Oh well, all well!
Got in to find another closure, so chilled for a bit, and then when it reopend was about to head out, when I saw the engine management light on. Doh! So off to Schirmer's for the diagnosis... it was just the flap for the airbox sticking, meaning not enough air could get in, so it was running rich.
However whilst checking this, I noticed my left front tyre was throgh to the canvas on the inside... probably as well I didn't go out!
Had dinner Lindenhof, beers at PK, and then to bed.
Credits to: Racepicture.de, nordschleifenfotos.de, and bridgetogantry.com for photos of me.
so...after a hectic week, including travelling to luxembourg + back overnight on tuesday (900km round trip, getting back 9hrs after we left, including the return journey taking 4.5 hours, and spending 1.5hrs there.).... and some crazy stuff (Joost just went to 1.0 beta), I got permission to work remotely on Friday, and so decided to leave for nurburg after work on Thursday.
Only problem is... I couldn't leave the office until about 9pm.. no problem... thank you germany... was there for 23:30.
Had a couple of beers with Ed, and went to sleep.
Got up relatively early, and went off to Schirmer's to move the E36, then headed off to Tiergarten for brunch, and to use their wireless to do some work for the rest of the day...
Finished work at 17:30... just in time for the evening session, so I picked up Ed, and grabbed our lids, and went down to the track... was going to take Ed out for a lap, but he saw a new 335i on german export plates, so he popped out to see where they were from (lots of americans take european delivery of their cars). Sure enough it was a car belonging to a couple - Diana + Todd - so Todd jumped in instead of Ed, we were just driving up to the barrier when the track closed... it didn't reopen.
In the meantime Ed had found another american couple - so we headed off to the Lindenhof for dinner, and a few beers, before wandering down to the pistenklaus for a couple more beers, before bed.
Awoke on Saturday morning to a little fog which cleared quickly, we had breakfast, wandered up to see the RCN cars getting ready to race, and then headed into Adenau, to pick up a datacard, and a dv video for todd's video camera, and then watched some of the BMW driver training go by
After being shouted at by various marshalls for being too close to track we decided to head off to brunchen, and wander up to karusell in time for the RCN race.
As the race went on we walked slowly back to the car, I took photos as we walked..
as always for nurburg there was a whole variety of machinery in use
The race finished, and i headed off to meet up with a friend who needed brakes, so took him to Schirmer, where he got a set of PFC-01 pads.
Got back to the 'ring just in time for it to open... took Diana out for my sighting lap (~8:30) which was fun and smooth, and the track was in perfect condition, so I took Todd out for my 2nd lap.
Was flying, the CSL was on top form, got to Adenau Forst, I caught up with a pair of bikers.... got passed one through Metzgefeld, but held off from the other, at Kallenhard incase he hadn't seen me.
By the time I got to briedscheid I was sure he'd seen me, as he'd been looking round... so I took the inside line, too pass him, to have him cut in front of me, forcing me on the brakes.
hmm. oh well he'll know I'm there now... except going up ex muhle, as soona s he got the bike straight, he floored it, and wheelied up the straight.... then slowing down, blocking me in bergwerk...
up kesselchen, I tried to pass him again, to have him cut over in front of me, before doing some more wheelies.... beginnign to get a bit frustrated by now..
so I hung back, and got a great line out of steilstreike, and passed him legitmately before karusell, to have him come round the outside, diving down in front of me, and brake testing me.
Todd at this point said something to the effect of "he's got a death wish".
I decided at this point to back off, as I didn't want to get tangled up with some pyschopath.. only or the biker to slow down too, and continue blocking me in every single corner.
so I passed him through Pflanzgarten, and pushed as hard as I dared to get some space between me and him... by Schwalbanshwanz i couldn't even see him in my mirrors.
Came in at the end of the lap, there was a big queue to get off the track so he caught up with me, we exchanged a few words. He then rode off and came back with a Marshall trying to get me banned. After I explained the scenario the marshall, the marshall shrugged his shoulders, and walked off.
Did another lap to let off steam, came through Schwalbanshwanz, to see blue lights, and flags being waved at galgenkopf... biker had gone in hard, and over the armco... that shook me up a bit, as what if it had been the psyco who was blocking me who had done that....
Dinner @ PK ensued.
Up early on Sunday, waking first at 6 to see a star filled sky, dozing until 7 to see some clouds, getting up at 7:30 to see blue skies.
Had a quick breakfast, then was down to the track for 8am... it opened on time, got one lap in, which was fun, but a bit slippery (it had frozen in places, still 2.5 degrees for most of the lap... car kept beeping at me to let me know it was cold). Came in and met up with Todd who had left diana sleeping, so took him out for two laps, much smoother, calmer than the one the previous night, but not quick, as it was pretty slippery still.
Came in from the 2nd lap to find it closed, so Todd headed back for breakfast, and I stayed around and chatted to friends in the carpark. Met up with some of Ed's friends over from america, and Morten (600bhp 993 Turbo), with his brother in law, Ryan and some others, and watched bits of the grandprix from the Grune Hoelle cafe.
Diana + Todd called by on their way back (they were heading back to Munich to drop their car off before flying back to San Diego), and then they reopened the track.
Got a couple of nice laps in
This mini was very quick (GP works thingy), equal paced to the CSL in the down hill stuff
I took Ryan out for a couple of laps, chasing down the EDO 993, traffic compromised me on the 2nd lap, preventing me from having a good run up Bergwerk, but caught back up again by Schwalbanshwnaz.
Then took another friend of Ed's out - Richard who also had picked a car (335ci) up through european delivery, which he really enjoyed -came in from the 2nd lap, and he said 'can we go again'.... best thing was on the 2nd lap we caught up with the ring taxi, who was in a blocking mood, so I sat behind it for a lap, having fun, waving at the cameras...
bought some photos from Jochen showing me behind it in the Karusell, will post them when i get them.
At the end of the lap, pulled alongside the ring taxi, and got a wave from the driver, and a thumbs up from the occupants!
Then had lunch as another closure, followed by taking another friend of Ed's out for a lap, who unfortunatley I unsettled slightly, as when passing two cars up kesselchen, one of those cars decided to overtake the other, without seeing me, so I had to put half the car on the grass, to get through without contact. I knew the grass was pretty firm as had been walking around there the previous day, but I guess my passenger didn't. Oh well, all well!
Got in to find another closure, so chilled for a bit, and then when it reopend was about to head out, when I saw the engine management light on. Doh! So off to Schirmer's for the diagnosis... it was just the flap for the airbox sticking, meaning not enough air could get in, so it was running rich.
However whilst checking this, I noticed my left front tyre was throgh to the canvas on the inside... probably as well I didn't go out!
Had dinner Lindenhof, beers at PK, and then to bed.
Credits to: Racepicture.de, nordschleifenfotos.de, and bridgetogantry.com for photos of me.
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