I have SO many photos to go through, I will try to update the old posts with the appropriate pictures, but feel free to visit the flickr album as well

Click here for Flickr album of 24hr Rennen Nürburgring 2011

Here are some pictures taken during the MINI Challenge Qualifying laps and some other misc.

out of focus, Jörg Weidinger, my boss driving the Team BOCK Sport MINI Challenge Car

My boss and I

Calm before the storm. It was a quiet morning, took the opportunity to walk along the legendary race track at 6:30 in the morning.

Some from the drive home, and some examples of how beautiful south Germany is:

All good things must come to an end

Sunday


We woke up, made breakfast and quickly broke down camp. We packed all our belongings into the car and cleaned the campsite better than we found it. I tallied up what everyone owed and spent for groceries, cars and gas so we could split the cost (i kept all recipts). Then we split up and a group of us went to Nürburg. The other went straight to the Grand Prix circuit to watch the last 3 hours of the race.


Burg Nürburg is a castle built in the middle ages and stands on the second highest hill in Eifel. It is a major landmark of the area next to the Nürburgring itself and is visible from many spots on the east side of the track. It cost about 2,50€ to get in to the ruins with student I.D. It was an absolutely beautiful view. The spiral staircase to the top of the main tower was dark and cooler than the outside temperature. Once to the top however, there were so many flies, bees and other bugs! We were running around flailing, barely could take a picture. It was a grand view of the beautiful landscape which is by far one of the best I've seen in Germany so far (other than the mountains down south of course).


We head back to the Grand Prix track and I set off to meet up with, once again, Mrs. Hürtgen. But alas, no one could tell me where I could find her, and the team mates at the Paddocks were very very busy. I called Jörg and he was kind enough to meet up with me again so I headed over to the Dörr Motorsport tent.


He invited me in and I asked him if he could take the map [which he himself had signed] and ask for Claudia's autograph the next time he saw her (following monday or tuesday). I saw another BMW colleague, Frank Weishar, whom I met from BMW Driver Training a couple weeks ago, and asked for his autograph. He was also a driver of the 1-series Diesel (#195) that Jörg was also piloting. After that two more colleagues of theres, other established drivers, just wandered in and they got them to sign the map as well! I was getting a lot more than I was expecting. Hanging out in the Dörr Motorsport tent was really neat; there was a Z4 GT3 and a pallete with an M3 motor on it. Next to the pallete was a brand new white e92 M3....without a motor. Where they using this brandy new car as a parts car?  the world may never know  ;)
Unforunately, the 1 series diesel that was being driven encountered catastrophic failure on the rear axle so they were forced to retire.


After I said my goodbyes to the racers, I headed back to the Stands to see the last hour of the race. It was a clear beautiful day, a treat after the 3 days of drizzle and constant weather changes. The race ended with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (#18) winning first, BMW M3 GT2 (#1) winning second, and an Audi R8 LMS winning third. However, really everyone who finished claimed a victory for a successful 24hour race which challenged the drivers, the cars and the teams to work harder and longer encountering all types of weather conditions. It was a great race.... I was glad to have the opportunity to view it in person.


 Dörr Motorsport tent with drivers Jörg Weidinger and Frank Weishar

Motor sitting from donor e92 M3

Visiting Burg Nürburg

Final hour of the 24H Race

1st place, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

2nd place car, BMW Motorsport M3 GT3

ferrari

Mini Coupe

this puppy supports Porsche

Click here for Flickr album for 24Hr Rennen Nürburgring 2011

Slippery when wet

Saturday

I woke up at 6:30am. It was quiet, no music, no fireworks, everyone was resting up for the big day; the day the 24hr Race at Nürburgring started. In this silence, I took a walk on the track itself from Schwalbenschwanz through Sprunghügel and into Pflanzgarten. There is a lot of history on this course. It is the longest and most challenging course known in Motorsports. I heard it takes 1000 hours of driving to understand and almost master it; but the Grüne Hölle is unforgiving and always has it's surprises; one can almost experience three seasons worth of road conditions in a single lap around the ring. One has to be able to adapt their driving style, knowing when to take it slow can be the difference between a fast time, and ending up in a wall.

People have left their mark on the track with paint. Messages ranging from advertisements, names, simple hello to parents and memorials in places people have died when driving on the track. I wish I had some paint to leave my impression. The stillness in the air with the sun casting an orange-white glow made the legendary track seem surreal.

We head out to Wehrseifen which is a very sharp left hairpin coming off a downhill followed by an uphill right-hander. We setup and it starts to rain (re-occuring theme). I fashioned a rainjacket for my camera by putting a hole in a plastic bag for the lens. I was able to catch the tail end of the MINI Challenge and saw Jörg drive by... but I wasn't able to take any pictures in time. Jörg placed 4th overall during the race due to some complications. But he did place 2nd in qualifying which is also an achievement in of itself. I hope there will be more successes in the future.

The Porsche World Cup started with a driver parade (like all the other races) where all 100 cars from 25 different countries drove through putting on a display before they battled eachother and the elements. Once the race was underway, in the FIRST lap, there were so many crashes and cars spinning out due to the wet weather conditions. It was such an amazing race, one could see the drivers taking different lines through the corner. Some were more experienced than others, and it showed.

We moved location to Brünnchen and waited for the 24hr Rennen Nürburgring to start. During the wait there were several parades and events taking place. They set up a large ramp and 3 motorcyclists jumped and did tricks while a cold and wet crowd cheered and clapped. There was a lap of small kids in what seemed like hundreds of go-karts driving around the track in a large group. It was really fun to watch. Next came a parade of Audi R8's, then there was Volkswagens XL1 concept car.

Finally it was time for the 24hr Rennen Parade. The cars drive around in groupings and people cheered, waved flags enthusiastically, and blasted airhorns for their favorite drivers, cars and teams. The cars, sometimes weaving to warm up tires responded with engine revs, and waves from drivers. The race was underway, and the fastest pack screamed through the large sweeping right and up-hill at Brünnchen.

After a while, I walked along the track to get a different vantage point. I took pictures and video at the Caraciolla-Carousel, Klostertal, Mutkurve and walked through a path in the woods along the second fastest straight at Kesselchen (where cars achieve up to 256km/h). Finally, after 8 km of wandering I arrived near Wehrseifen again. I took a shuttle-bus to Flugplatz where the others were. Flugplatz is a fast portion of track with an area that cars sometimes jump over a crest. It's really neat to see high powered race cars leap into the air at 230km/h.

I took the bus back to the welcome center/grand prix circuit to try to catch Claudia Hürtgen again. She was already gone for the day, but it's understandable, there was a LOT going on. Jörg was driving at the time, so I ended up going back to the camp site. BBQ, and more socializing with cars screaming around corners in the background. It was a pleasant evening!

Click here for Flickr of 24hr Rennen Nürburgring

Claudia Hürtgen

Germans are some of the friendliest people I've ever met.

Friday

First thing in the morning was the Classics Race. Many old vintage cars were present and was even a [very very loud] BMW M1! It was interesting to see all these old cars having a go around the Nordschleife as if re-living their hay-day in motorsports. It never ceases to amaze me how many coveted BMW e30 M3(1986-1992) were being used for racing. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to find spare parts (body or otherwise) if one were to crash. But the same goes for any of these classic vehicles. After the Classics Race, there were more qualifying rounds for the MINI Challenge, 24hr and Porsche World Cup.

We visited the Paddocks (Fahrerlager) by teh Grand Prix circuit and welcome center. We saw many of the cars being worked on, tuned and lots of merchandise. I made my way through the different staging areas and met up with Jörg Weidinger as he was coming back from qualifying in the MINI Challenge. He placed 2nd! I had a map of the Nürburgring and I was finally able to ask him for his autograph, not as my boss, but as a racecar driver. I asked him to sign by his favorite curve/corner/place on the ring. He is quite awesome and enthusiastic about motorsports, I introduced my friends to him and they were all excited to talk to him. I took his picture, and asked him where I could find Claudia Hürtgen, whom I picked up a couple weeks ago from the airport. Claudia Hürtgen is a very skilled and respected driver of the Schubert Motorsport Z4 GT3. I got the Paddock/Garage numbers and headed off to try to catch her before the 24hr qualifying run. I spotted her shortly in the booth but she was off to the staging area and I couldn't pass through the massive crowd in time to catch up with her. She was quite busy anyhow, so I will try again the next day.

There were some really high end race cars and some oddballs as well. The Artega GT was a strange looking car no one could initially identify. The Ferrari's were loud and very fast. There was a Lamborgini and a Dodge Viper. Sprinkle many Volkswagens, Renault, MINI, Peugot, Audi, BMW and Porsches into the mix and there is a well rounded grouping of cars. It rained a little bit more and there was so much slippery mud, it was as though you risk your shoe being stuck with every step.

There was a massive party at Campground Brünnchen, we were told good thing we didn't stay there if we wanted to sleep. I contemplated going, but I had a headache and was quite tired from catching less than 5 hours of sleep for the day. We sat around a fire and talked to friendly Germans about everything under the sun. Making jokes, laughing about cultural differences, and comparing life and travel in different countries. The people there were so friendly and open, we all felt like old friends even though we may have only met eachother the day, hour or minute before. It was epic.

Photos from Fahrerlager:

Porsche World Cup Paddocks

Click here for the Flickr Album for Nürburgring

The scent of lingering race fuel in the air is intoxicating

Thursday

After going to bed at 4am, I woke up at 9am to the sound of engines screaming through Schwalbenschwanz as they entered the “Small Carousel.” Today there was mostly Qualifying Rounds for the Classics Race, MINI Challenge, 24hours and other series. It was nice seeing all the cars of all makes and models. The most distinguishing sound came from the Mercedes SLS. We grilled and talked with our camp neighbors and I explored a bit of the track. The weather was strange, switching intermittently between rain and sun.  It started to get muddy, but it didn’t matter. The lingering smell of race fuel was in the air, and it was oh so sweet.

One does not appreciate the technical difficulty of a track until you see it with your own eyes. Tracking the cars as they come around bends and what you think is a straight away, offers a switching camber shifting the cars right and left; ultimately making some lose their line or even snuffing it into the grass. The hills were extremely steep. You cannot appreciate the gradient by merely playing video games. The "Small Carousel" is a tight hairpin turn with a steep bank. A lot of cars scrape as they dip in, and one can often see sparks of parts of the underbody being ripped off the car. It was very difficult taking pictures as there were fences everywhere, albeit for good safety reasons.

The Camp

The only Subaru!

Claudia Hürtgen!

Click here for the Flickr Album for Nürburgring

We set off for the Green Hell

Wednesday

I worked a half day so we could pick up the rental car (BMW 118d) and headed off to Kaufering to pick up all the camping gear. We packed full, bought groceries and hit the road (a bit later than scheduled). There was an unbelievable sense of freedom driving on the autobahn. Not so much because of unrestricted speed limits in some areas, but the visual scenery that one cannot get by simply sitting on the train. I experienced some of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen in Germany, driving into the horizon. It has left a great impression in my mind of the German country side and only strengthens the appreciation and beauty this country has to offer. By the way, the 118d is restricted to 220km/h, but it was still a great drive.

We arrived at the Nürburgring around 1am. The first two camping grounds, Brünnchen and Planzgarten, were completely full. Imagine Woodstock with a lot of tents, scaffolding, campers, bond fires, a lot of loud music, small fireworks and people wandering about this is after midnight btw. We end up at Schwalbenschwanz which was just as festive, but they had some open spots. We searched around for a while until we finally found a small plot. We ask three gentlemen nearby if it’s available. Jokingly they asked, “Are you guys going to be loud?” We said no and they welcomed us to park. Welcome is an understatement. As soon as we got out of the car, they handed each of us a beer, and then proceeded to help us setup camp. We talked and joked around with them until 4am. This was not your stereotypical camping. This was a festival.

In the realm of fanatics and sports enthusiasts, one can imagine riots by both angry and celebratory fans. This was something else. The atmosphere was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Here were thousands of people, united under a common interest regardless of who won or lost. While everyone had their brand loyalties, this was a festival to celebrate the love of Motorsport. We met so many people out of random, and the dispensing/offer of beer was more common than a handshake.

This past week has been a blur. A lot of planning and work was done. I am now waiting for some student colleagues to arrive in München and then we are picking up our rental car (BMW 1er diesel, naturally). Tonight we will be camping at the Nürburgring and preparing for the festivities, races, and other events at the "Grüne Hölle."


My boss is racing in the MINI Challenge series, and is also racing a 135d for the 24hr Rennen Nürburgring. I can't wait to go, this is any motorsports enthusiasts goal; to visit the Nürburgring at least once in their lifetime. I will be back in August however for RingTaxi (a lap around the Nürburgring itself, driven by my boss), and the DTM race on the following day.


So excited!!!!  


Ill try to post after Sunday, but there will be a LOT of pictures to sort through. Stay tuned  :)

Tonight I am going to go to the  Bayerische Volkssternwarte München (an Observatory). Hopefully the clouds will stay away and I can view the Total Lunar Eclipse  :) 


I cannot believe it's already Wednesday; I suppose it was made possible by the holiday on Monday. This weekend a friend from our International Partner Project - Braunschweig is visiting. There are many planned festivities this weekend as it's Munich's birthday! (Stadtgründungsfest)


Looking forward to the pictures to come.




edit:

The moon was fairly low on the horizon and was covered by haze and alps. It poked through the clouds as it was filling back out and I was able to grab the picture above (using my new lens and cropping to 100%). The observatory was a lot of fun. They set up one of the large telescopes fixed on Saturn. It looked so small in the viewfinder, but all the rings were clearly visible. It was definitely humbling looking at the cosmos, and realizing just how small we are. The International Space Station streaked overhead, and we also saw an Iridium Flare (communications satelites whose panels reflect sunlight as they pass).

I love stargazing.

Saturday:
Anthony arrived safely and Nick came over so we all had dinner at my place. We talked and talked and finally we called it a night at 2am. We weren't going to wake up in time for the train to Salzburg.... but it's alright.

Sunday:
Anthony was only in for a day and half, so we walked all around München. Marienplatz, Englischer Garten, then headed to BMW Museum and Welt. We checked pricing on the Olympiaturm and it's only 4,50euro to go up. Open most days until 11:30pm! We didn't go this time around because we were really hungry and it was quite busy (there were many people in Olympiaplatz for the Bon Jovi concert). We had PizzaHut which was better than I was expecting.... then WALKED all the way back to Marienplatz to go to Hofbräuhaus. It was a long day.

Monday:
We went on a historic Steam Train ride around München. It was so much fun! The smoke of coals burning, the whistles and the chugging along the tracks. Definitely a fun hour spent on a holiday.