Ring 18-20 Sept.

choke-full of brits here... parked next to a red VXR, thought it was Ben, but no, this unknown guy show up, does not even peek at my red VX next to his, and drives away, along with his mate on an exige S2.... ...was hoping to a thrilling Exige-VXS-VXR match, but no luck.... ...maybe tomorrow...

Look forward to your report / pics.

You should see both the VXT and Exige S2 off without much trouble unless they really know their stuff.

If this 'charger of yours holds up, I may yet have to take this route: D-M (for road legality) then Hi-Tec to sort (illegally ) though it is financially totally ruinous and impossible to rationally justify

Have fun

forgot the camera, .....but got the video.... surprised how much better is doing now, I set the spax at max...

choke-full of brits here...
parked next to a red VXR, thought it was Ben, but no, this unknown guy show up, does not even peek at my red VX next to his, and drives away, along with his mate on an exige S2....
...was hoping to a thrilling Exige-VXS-VXR match, but no luck.... ...maybe tomorrow...

What you mean he didn't even say hello or anything??

Might pop up if wifey doesn't complain too much

Sorry Ricky,Tony et al.... Looked out the window at 8am this morning and weather looked shite As I had to work at 2pm today I decided it was pointless driving up there if the weather was going to be sh*t and all we ended up doing was sitting in the cafe having a coffee , I only had about 2 hours to spare anyway as the round trip is 3.5 hours Hope the weather picked up after lunchtime for you all ? Ricky - I take it this is your last trip over this year? John.

wet and cloudy as usual this morning, but by 11 dried up....and sun ever since... unfortunately for me, I cooked a rear toe link yesterday, cornering at some insane speed at brunnchen 2.... ...I managed to barely graze the armco, enough to touch the rear rim and bend the toe arm.... ....all this with Ben+Jo following me and enjoying all the mayor sideway- action....... now the car is waiting for a link replacement for tomorrow morning, so hopefully I might be able to hit the track for monday aft, what I was really looking after, since this weekend was HORRIBLY crowded....something like I´ve never seen before, being in line to get out of the Ring for almost the whole final straight.... ...a funny note.... J Clarkson was here all day testing off the typeS jags, the R and the TDI..... (of course Ben on his VXR was flying off him easily... )....so here I am waiting for ben to get out at Breidsheid, and here comes this clattering jag TDI, with all the monitors and careras installed...Clarkson at the wheel, cursing up loud and POUNDING the wheelrim... ...so he´s obviously confused, the car is sounding like an ´80 diesel, he tries to get out the track from the wrong (entry) lane, I signal him to stop and back up, he follows..., he gets out.....J C. I suppose... he immediately shake hands, quite annoyed by the breakdown....I tell him...this car sounds like a diesel...he goes... it IS a diesel for crissake, but a bad one!! ....and Jag WONT be happy about this report.... ..he then calls the mobile, starts the car back and feels that it might be able to finish the lap at a crawl....so he takes off and reaches the main exit.... he was so slow on track, almost embarassing, but maybe it was due to the heavy barges he was driving....even got the first laps shown by sabine....can´t believe he never got to drive here before... did a couple of laps with Ben, he´s really hammering the thing, prolly one of the faster car of the whole weekend..... VXR in his skilled hands shows great, sicere handling, excellent brakes, very progressive at the limit and easy to contol when oversteering... and fast enough to annhilate anything else..... the reassuring thing was that I was just as fast if not a bit more, but with no pax onboard.... tomorrow, IF I get it fixed, will tell how good the VXS is.... ...sure enough Ben ón the VXR is RRREALLY fast...and getting faster by the lap, while me passengering...

Edited by Ricky2772, 19 September 2004 - 04:18 PM.

You don't have a lot of luck there do you Ricky?! Hope you get it repaired quickly!

You don't have a lot of luck there do you Ricky?!
Hope you get it repaired quickly!

...its part of the deal really.... u get to drive the best track on earth, u wanna go fast, take some risks, and get bitten off sometimes....what is important is not to total or crash the car badly, a bit of "letting go" is allright, if the damage can be limited to the minimum....
fúnnily, I grazed at the same exact spot where I crashed (much worse) the first time in 2002....but according to the damage list and car control, I´ve learned the lesson VERY well....

Glad you can laugh about it! I could never take the mindset towards a car, unless it was extremely cheap!

Now even more pissed off that I didn't make it up for a spin with you lot Would have loved to have gone out in the VXR and VXS for lap or 2 Oh and did the some of the German speedies turn up early this morning? and did you find out who the other VXR was and show him the error of his ways

take some risks, and get bitten off sometimes...
...a bit of "letting go" is allright, if the damage can be limited to the minimum...

You are a braver man than I, Gunga Din!

Hope you get it fixed for some more fun, just DON'T TOTAL IT!!!
Do try to bring it and yourself back in one piece...

Oh and did the some of the German speedies turn up early this morning?

and did you find out who the other VXR was and show him the error of his ways

I saw the usual folks, the green-yellow speedy, and a black turbo with front 205´s...forgot their names as usual...
the other VXR was a press car, Ben and me as pax pollowed him for the a whole lap, the guy (supposedly a pro driver) embarassingly slow at some point, keeping us behind the WHOLE lap, with us laughing up loud.... ...later in the evening they must´ve hit something, since I saw the front splitters+clam base torn away....
finally the driver told Ben...."you got better guts than me"...´nuf said...
sicey, got your SMS, just come along, Ben will be here and I might be driving along as well, if the toe link shows up in the morning as I was told.....(fingers crossed... )

Oh man, I'm so jealous! I've been to the ring three times in the last month and now I'm at home you're having all the fun!! Enjoy it. I hope Ben's getting some piccies if you aren't Ricky?

Oh man, I'm so jealous! I've been to the ring three times in the last month and now I'm at home you're having all the fun!!

Enjoy it. I hope Ben's getting some piccies if you aren't Ricky?

plenty of piccies being taken from allover, no prob....
...we might try a sneaky-video tomorrow....

it´s so awesome here, weather sooo good, sunny yet cool..... even a gorgeous VXR next an almost-new, lame blue NSX.....piccies will follow mr. K...

Must admit I am gutted that I didn't get up at all over the weekend, was hoping of getting up there for a couple of hours today and then being told I cant come in to work 2 hours late due to staff shortages After exchanging texts with Ricky and Ben and both of them telling how well their cars are running and Ricky saying Ben is one of the quickest cars over the whole weekend(even quicker than JC ) Would of been perfect as I guess it wasn't too busy at 1pm today to get some nice traffic free laps in Disappointed that I didn't get to sample a flying lap with Ben and VXR in action as I know he's getting rid of the car soon(1 careful owner, nicely run in ) and this was his last ring trip this year. Oh well will look forward to pass lap sometime in perhaps a new M5? when you get back after your work experience in Canada. Look forward to some pics and reports when everyones back home @Ricky - cant make next weekend as I'm heading back to UK for a couple weeks , will catch up another time as always

wet and cloudy as usual this morning, but by 11 dried up....and sun ever since...
unfortunately for me, I cooked a rear toe link yesterday, cornering at some insane speed at brunnchen 2.... ...I managed to barely graze the armco, enough to touch the rear rim and bend the toe arm.... ....all this with Ben+Jo following me and enjoying all the mayor sideway- action.......
now the car is waiting for a link replacement for tomorrow morning, so hopefully I might be able to hit the track for monday aft, what I was really looking after, since this weekend was HORRIBLY crowded....something like I´ve never seen before, being in line to get out of the Ring for almost the whole final straight....

...a funny note....
J Clarkson was here all day testing off the typeS jags, the R and the TDI..... (of course Ben on his VXR was flying off him easily... )....so here I am waiting for ben to get out at Breidsheid, and here comes this clattering jag TDI, with all the monitors and careras installed...Clarkson at the wheel, cursing up loud and POUNDING the wheelrim... ...so he´s obviously confused, the car is sounding like an ´80 diesel, he tries to get out the track from the wrong (entry) lane, I signal him to stop and back up, he follows..., he gets out.....J C. I suppose... he immediately shake hands, quite annoyed by the breakdown....I tell him...this car sounds like a diesel...he goes... it IS a diesel for crissake, but a bad one!! ....and Jag WONT be happy about this report.... ..he then calls the mobile, starts the car back and feels that it might be able to finish the lap at a crawl....so he takes off and reaches the main exit....
he was so slow on track, almost embarassing, but maybe it was due to the heavy barges he was driving....even got the first laps shown by sabine....can´t believe he never got to drive here before...

did a couple of laps with Ben, he´s really hammering the thing, prolly one of the faster car of the whole weekend.....
VXR in his skilled hands shows great, sicere handling, excellent brakes, very progressive at the limit and easy to contol when oversteering... and fast enough to annhilate anything else..... the reassuring thing was that I was just as fast if not a bit more, but with no pax onboard.... tomorrow, IF I get it fixed, will tell how good the VXS is.... ...sure enough Ben ón the VXR is RRREALLY fast...and getting faster by the lap, while me passengering...

heyhey
Back from Beetlemania, nyuknyuknyuk

Great to meet you and Jo in person Ben, thanks much for the ride! Wish I could have done more, savoring the VXR instead of trying to keep the camcorder pointed roughly at the track.
Ricky - the VXS is clearly too much car for you, I recommend a Beetle cabrio

my pics here (check out the one of JC - I went up to his window and said "Hi Sabine! Hi Jeremy!", she smiled and waved, he just winked and scowled, read below for why )
Will send the full sized ones of the VXRs to you two, just shoot an email to kedelbach@yahoo.com so I have yours (again)

NS 18/9/04

The topgear cameramen loved the sight of the beetle, with 4 passengers, a toothbrush in the flower vase, and rap music pumping, so we should be making an appearance when the episode airs


a description of a local's run-in with Clarkson posted on the Ringers list:

OK, here's the deal. We spot Mr Clarkson in the carpark and take a wander over to see what it's all about. Turns out that Sabine is to coach him so that he can get below 10 minutes before the day is over. It's for an episode of Top Gear and there were various technicians taping loads of cameras to the chase car.

As the time for them to go out neared, I went to the Golf, Ed to the Clio and Jeppe to the Civic. The first lap was to be Sabine driving and Jeremy in the passenger seat being followed by the camera car. We waited after the cones like buzzing hornets and then Sabine appeared. All three of us took off and managed to get in between both the Jags, I was giggling like a small child at our behaviour, it was fecking hilarious :-)

After I had had my fun through Hatzenbach, Jeppe and Ed took up the chase after Hocheichen, it was very entertaining to watch! After Adenauer Forst, we came up behind an old Kadett Coupe, the Jags, then Ed & Jeppe went passed but I got stuck behind him. Going into Breidscheid he lost the back end and ended up with the rear facing the wall and staring at me bearing down on him with four locked wheels, lots of smoke and 1000kg of Wolfsburgs finest heading for his drivers door at, *cough 50kph *cough*. I managed to come to a stop about 1cm from his door, we looked at each other, I smiled, he farted, and off we went :-) Needless to say I had lost the little convoy :-(

Back at the gates, it was Mr. Clarksons turn to drive, with Sabine in the passengers seat. Kim jumped into my passenger seat for the fun and Ed was already waiting at the cones ;-) We tore off after the Jag and overtook him rather quickly, so quickly in fact, that both Ed & I pulled off at Breidscheid and then overtook him again :-) Kim & I did this for two laps running until Mr Clarkson had had enough and pulled off.

I couldn't resist the temptation and wandered over to tell him that I thought he did quite well for his first laps, "what were you driving?" he asked, "the old red Golf" I replied, "which one? there were two", "no there weren't Jeremy, I pulled off and then overtook you again." He was not amused, I nearly wet myself, again, so did Sabine :-)

Karl.

Great pics Kurt, never ceases to amaze me at the machinery that turns up every weekend Love the clarkson writeup Hey who's the lucky fella that has the Enzo and every other Ferrari, that is some garage Must admit that Exige looks nice

hey Sicey The jammy bastard is a neighbor of a co-worker over on the Western Side of Germany. Middle class neighborhod, modest house, walk through the electronic fence, behind the house, to wonderland... Made his money by starting a small mobile crane company right when east and west joined and building boomed. Sold it a few years later for 60mil. Last year Ferrari asked him if he would like to own Enzo #10, and he said sure. He used to have a 90's Ferrari F1 car, until his full time mechanic wrecked it. Have a 2 page trip report written up if you're interested, one of the most fun trips ever, in the slowest car I've brought Kurt

Just back. Knackered. 1600 miles total. 900 to and from the track so you can see how many laps the BEST CAR IN THE WORLD did! Ricky - great to see you you again. Kurt - get your write up posted! John - next time! Ben - we will meet there one day! Keith - You would love it. Monday was empty. I did dozens of laps including 3 without even seeing another car or bike!

Nice pic of you here Ben

http://www.nordschleifen-fotos.de.vu/

@Kurt - As you said Jammy Bastard

Oh and on the Speedster forum talking about 2 speedsters with a bit of tail out action and a defective car(Ricky?)? but not impressed by it apparently

http://forum.opel-sp...?showtopic=4113