The Nurburgring Experience:
How To Tour Germany At High-Speed

So what was my first lap of the Ring like? Honestly, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Having seen it a million times on YouTube and played it countless times in video games, to finally be out there in a car as special as the Evo X MR was just pure motoring bliss. I was following Jon in his STI, and since he’d done tons of laps here, we were going way faster than I ever would have been able to without a lead car. This made the experience even more special, since instead of being overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the place or by the constant rise and fall of the circuit, I could relax a bit and enjoy the drive.

For lunch we drove over to Audenau, the largest of the 5 towns in and around the Ring. After some killer calzones and a brief look around town, we walked up to a well known spectating vantage point.

Here we got some great snaps of the action, as well as a closeup look at the graffiti the track’s covered with. Notice the oh so subtle male fertility symbol?

With a couple of accidents closing the track for prolonged periods, I decided to take my turn in the STI as soon as it reopened. This way, we were out in front of the adrenalized tourists who couldn’t seem to keep off the guard rails. Jon rode shotgun and basically operated like a rally co-driver, calling out turns and danger zones as they approached. We got into a great little scrap with a heavily modified Audi TT, which walked away from us in a straight line but didn’t have our cornering speed or braking performance. After being held up for a few kilometers, a group of seriously fast 911 GT3s flew by and I tucked in behind them and got a tow passed the pesky Audi. From there it was all gravy, and Jon confirmed we finished the ‘Bridge to Gantry’ lap in well under 9-minutes. I could go home and tell my racing buddies I lapped the Ring under this landmark time, even if I cheated a little (or a lot) by doing it with an experienced co-driver and in a car built specifically for the job.

After a completely fulfilling day on the Nordschleife, each taking turns driving the Evo and STI, we checked into a charming little B&B in the town of Nurburg with a view of its famous castle ruins.

For this we opted for the Hotel am Tiergarten just a few blocks from our B&B, owned and operated by the family of famed German Ringmeister Sabine Schmitz (whose notoriety also stems in part from BBC Top Gear featuring her in an episode where she attempted to break the 9-minute mark around the Ring in a cargo van). The food, beer and service were all exceptional, and the company wasn’t half bad either. That’s RSR Nurburg driving instructor “Lotus Dave” between Mike and Stephen, who gave us some great driving tips and pointed out the best spots for photography.

Lotus Dave recommended the ‘steak on a stone’, which I think we all went for. The stone is heated up so that it literally cooks the steak for you, giving you control over how well done you’d like it. Maybe it was the euphoria of having just ripped a bunch of laps around the Ring, but it was quite possibly the best steak of my life. The beer was great too, but Jon still had to finish mine for me.

The ambiance of Tiergarten’s restaurant is pure Ring awesomeness. The walls are covered with racing memorabilia and photos of all the legends who’ve raced here. Many of the photos are signed by the drivers themselves, others preferring to leave a note of thanks right on the wall. The whole place just oozes with the history of motorsport, and as a racer and race fan it felt a bit like we were dining amongst the gods of racing.

Our booth had a photo signed by F1 greats Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard and a note on the wall from a 24h Nurburgring team. So cool.

What an experience. What a trip. Probably a once in a lifetime adventure for most of us, though we all swore we’d go back to the Ring as often as we possibly could. Peter’s been back once to test KW Suspension’s Toyota GT86, which you can get a taste of in the video above. The rest of us haven’t been so lucky as far as I know, but it’s definitely a place I’d buy a summer home if I ever won the lottery, because it’s literally my favourite place on Earth. If you haven’t been there yourself, start saving your pennies, do some research online about the best places to stay and rent cars from, and make it happen.