Reply With QuoteOuch
Had to laugh at the guy who pulled over on the left, "i'll be ok here" he said
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Ouch
Had to laugh at the guy who pulled over on the left, "i'll be ok here" he said
Is it me or most of those cars had bad breaks ? I'm assuming that they are configured for racing and such but surely the breaks have to work as well right ?
and i was thinking of going next year too , PASS !
Hopefully no one was seriously injured, other than that hilarious, a bunch of folk that believe in their driving ability coming undone.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Originally Posted by ordo
There might have been oil on the track.
The guy did the right thing by stopping and trying to warn other drivers, shame he parked on the outside of the bend.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Was thinking the same myself, something along the lines of ‘clever guy, he’s obviously seen this type of thing before’ then BANG....
I think this may only be the second time we've agreed on something,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
That was my thinking, most cars seemed to be going fairly slowly as they passed the camera (one or two exceptions, notably the Porsche that stacked the parked car), but still couldn't stop.
More than a degree of schadenfreude, though, in finding this funny. Would you be chuckling if some berk in a Porsche totalled your car?
M
What's great about this crash is it happened in the right place.
A closed track is the perfect place to get your speed thrills and show off your lack of talent not a public road.
Looks expensive too, can you even get insurance for track day type events?
Think its about 100 Euro's for 4 laps... bargain (if you don't smash your car)!
No special configuration required. You turn up, pay your money and drive the circiut. The brakes would have been fine, it's that drivers reactions times, ability, speed, and track condtions that led to the pile-up.
it's mental I'm sure you have to have special insurance to use the race track as your normal insurance would not cover it
I did it a few years back in my 300 Bhp TVR Griffith.... Pouring with rain and the place is full of folk whom just go crazy...
I put a tick in a box, but I wouldn't go again..
Thanks for the video Eddie - Nurburgring now removed from my bucket list.
So clever my foot fell off.
2 drivers were injured, one of them having to be flown out by helicopter
Never fancied it myself (I know I'm a 'very' average driver), and quite shocking to see how things can escalate so quickly. Didn't find it funny in the slightest.
This is now no longer on my list, either.
At least at a shorter track, there's a chance to get up to speed within a day after learning it.
This would take time to learn and in the interim, I'd be a mobile chicane for all those who do know it well.
Spa instead, I think. The track I mean.
I'd love to drive around the 'ring and Spa, but I'd agree with the comment about the risk of being a 'mobile chicane' for the more experienced, whilst learning these tracks.
Incidents like this put me off doing it, though, as it seems those who had the brains/skill to stop suffered as much as the idiots...
M.
If this is the incident that I think it is 15 cars were involved starting with a 911 dropping coolant. It was right at the end of a session and it was suspected that a marshall left their post early, notice the lack of warning flags upstream of the incident.
Nasty stuff. It's incidents like this, plus insurance implications, that put me off visiting.
Are you sure?
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Pirbright baths?
Liz loved that hat, Niv.
When I drove around there, back in 2008, on the day we arrived there was a fatality in the morning (biker).
Me and my friends all said let's keep it steady, we want to drive our cars home... we drove with the fatality fresh in our minds....
It seemed at the time that we were the only ones. I was actually passed by a UK registered Range Rover on a blind corner and he was going so fast he was drifting across the track..
Wow. They need some sort of warning light system round that track.
Drove round the Ring in 1960, then it was the old circuit, even tougher then the new track. However this was in an MG TD, top speed about 85, so plenty of time for appreciating the scenery. Best memory is Stirling Moss trouncing the mighty Mercedes in the rain a year after in Rob Walkers privately entered Lotus. Think it might have been His last GP race.
Last edited by BrianT; 15th November 2017 at 13:55.
I don't know if it was a car only session but I saw no bikes, suggesting the track might have been wet; that combined with the low sun and glare off the tarmac might have contributed to, if not caused, the chaos.
Nurburgring is off my bucket list - been there, done it. It's a pretty intimidating track, not least when you consider the cost of breaking down/crashing there.
No, he didn’t. He did absolutely the wrong thing.
He should have stayed in his car, driven slowly past the accident and continued. He should have left the marshalling to the marshals.
Leaving his car where it was exposed both him and others to additional risk (as he ably demonstrated when someone drove into his car, not the armco). His arm waving was also ignored by most of the other drivers. A waved yellow or red flag would have had a very different effect.
Some old guidance notes from Jackie.
The track has changed but it's interesting how much thought goes into a lap.
The marshals are very much part-time, and can't cover the whole circuit at once. It's a public road, remember. You don't get a marshal when there's a bump on the M27 do you?
I saw this video a few days ago. The mistake the chap makes is parking his car before the accident. Park it somewhere actually safe, there are refuges all over the place, then walk back with a flag or hi-vis to warn people. I used to go 4-5 times a year when I was younger, it certainly looks a lot busier there now than it ever was.
That was a superb clip and fills me with great admiration for what these racing drivers face.
Thanks for sharing!
When I went there, I was on the 3rd day of a 2 week European touring holiday. I wanted to drive round myself but the number of accidents I heard about whilst wandering round on arrival put me off especially as I was in a classic car layden with luggage and the prospect of continuing the journey in a rental car, if at all, didn't appeal.
The circuit barely went 20-30 minutes in the few hours I was there without track time being stopped for recovery vehicles, some serious injuries too, the one that sticks in my head involved a motorbike going into the back of a BMW M Coupe driven by an experienced disabled driver who needed to be cut out of his car, the biker was in a bad way too.
Still not put off, I figured a passenger ride was the best option, but the ring taxis were full as were many of the sensibly priced passenger ride companies. The only one left was a race prepped Viper, driven by a professional driver. At the time I thought it was hugely expensive for one lap (about £150 IIRC), but the experience was insane, we passed Sabine Schmitz' M5 ring taxi with ease and were by far the fastest car out there, by the time I got back I thought it was money well spent.
Clean fast laps are very rewarding on any track, but the stakes are very high if anything goes wrong, especially on this circuit which is very difficult to learn due to its length, changing surface material, even weather conditions from one end of the circuit to the other. The added factor is that the track is open to people of varying abilities at the same time, some of whom think they have more talent than they clearly do. I guess you could say the same about the cars too with the closing speed differences being massive in some cases.
Balls of tungsten.
Yes, they arrive in their 4x4s and close a 10 mile stretch while they move you to the hard shoulder...
If someone throws a bit of liquid off a bridge, they close the M3 for 12 hours!
M.
My view remains the driver did exactly the right thing at the Ring, bu getting out of the car, getting over the barrier and trying to slow ongoing cars.
The Ring is about 13miles long with over 200 corners. There are very few marshals other than those around the car park. The only rules are pretty much.
Pay for your lap
Make sure your vehicle is safe and will not break down
keep your eyes open for other vehicles especially on corners
if you have an accident expect to pay for the damage to your car, the damage to the track (including the armco, any loses if they have to close the track, and the cost of recovering your vehicle.
Never race other cars (only the clock if you feel the need).
Plus, Drive within your talent, be extra careful coming out of carousel, give it full beans on the start finish straight and stay wide on the corners if there are lots of bikes around.
Shit happens and has been happening since The Ring was opened to the public and will continue to happen for as long as it remains open (which personally I hope will be forever). The vast majority of those who drive it recognise and accept the risks.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I've done around 150-200 laps (I never kept count, but a LOT), and the closest I've come to a crash was clipping a wing mirror on the Armco due to understeer at stupid speeds around Kallenhard. Yes, I was timing myself. And no, I never timed myself again!
All racing is strictly prohibited, be it other cars or against the clock. There's currently a big push to make track users aware of this, bans are handed out to those that don't comply.
How would they know though? Every bit of in-car I've seen has a clock running...
M
There is some great footage on the YouTube thing of folks going around in the 70s. Cars rolling, people and chattels being thrown from open door and windows, quite scary really.
I've been twice - once in a Citroen C3 diesel* en route to the Frankfurt motor show and again in a 911 rented from Frankfurt airport for 24 hours - and would only go back in something a) lightweight and b) cheap like an MX-5. That's lightweight for fuel economy and tyre/brake wear and cheap, well, just in case. I'd also do an RMA or similar two-day event where they hire the whole circuit. Would have to spend some time on a computer game first and then spend ages getting up to speed though. I'd honestly rather go to Brands or Donington.
*I had a choice of cars but thought it would be funny to take the C3. It was too. Top speed of 103mph or similar, I have a photo of the speedo showing 117 after an epic run up and slipstream. I'd been trying for miles and people kept getting in the way etc. Could only do about 170mph in the 911 due to traffic.
"A man of little significance"
Braking distance is around 1/4 mile when travelling at 150 mph
If you think it's scary in a car try it on a bike - when there's cars going around too. Not a good mix and especially so given the tunnel vision/lack of mirror usage of the drivers...
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
You're specifically told NOT to stop if it's possible.
I instinctively stopped to help a biker who had hit the armco hard.
Stupid really, I almost got killed by a procession of cars.
Scary place to bin a bike
I’ve been a few times (in cars) on public days and seen numerous accidents. I’ve said before that having cars and bikes out at the same time is very bad news. On 2 occasions that I’ve been there bikers have died.
I’d not ride it, but I would like to do couple of full private days with a good TDO. Not cheap though!
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
If they're posting laps on YT with timers within line of site that's one way to catch them, all be it after the actual event.
Look up bridgetogantry.com, plenty of info on there about daily life at the circuit.
This immediately brought to mind PJ O'Rourke's observation which went along the lines that the fastest car in the world is a rental car.
For those who had it on their bucket list, the best alternative is to take a "Ring Taxi" i did a few years back - about 60 euro for the lap, driven by an expert driver in a modified BMW M5.
Utterly mind blowing.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I’ve done two track days there and it really isn’t as bad as a lot of armchair drivers make it out to be.
That said I wouldn’t fancy a tourist day session with all the snotters and tools who haven’t much to lose.
It looked like they were breaking rather well.
"A man of little significance"
Not with me driving it wasn't. For a start it was brand new and uninsured...
That reminds me, many years ago I met Frank Stippler, got on really well with him and he promised me a flying lap of the 'Ring. I suspect he's completely forgotten but that would be a pretty cool thing to do.
"A man of little significance"
From what I've seen of Summer TF sessions these days, it's like the M25 in rush hour, but with a minimum speed of 70, rather than a maximum. I was last there about 5 years ago (long weekends away with the lads are few and far between since we all got married, had kids, and swapped our stupid track cars for family wagons) but even then it was just getting too busy at weekend TF. Weekday evenings were still great though, so I'd recommend that for anyone who hasn't done it.
And yes, don't be put off by the "you'll crash if you're not an expert" drivers who have only done it on a PlayStation. There are plenty of tourists who just do a lap so they can proudly display their sticker. I've overtaken full size coaches, motorhomes (I think these are banned now, though?) and families 5 up in a diesel Vectra who wave and point at all the fast cars going past.
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