Questions about Nurburgring track
 

I would appreciate information about riding on the Nurburgring with a professional driver.

On the Nurburgring website I have asked for advance notice for 2012 dates already. I'm wondering if when May dates become available will I have only a few choices or are the Ring Taxi rides offerred several times every day of the week?

Do those dates/times disappear quickly so I have to book as soon as the dates become available?

Thank you for any information you can provide. Deborah

Topping for Deborah...unfortunately I can't be of much help since I haven't done the Ring Taxi myself. It was always my impression that there are quite a few times available. I almost always saw them running, both weekdays and weekends. What I don't know is whether they get booked up in advance.

A couple years ago, I toured the Nurburg Castle and attended the Recaro Days tuner event at Nurburgring in June.

At this event, there were drag races and drifting competitions, as well as a lot of vendors. American muscle cars were well-represented with a Coronet, a Duster and a Challenger.

On the Saturday I was there, there were several cars running as "taxis." We did not have a reservation and, apparently, none was needed.

For the taxi, first, you fork over a lot of money and sign your life away. Then go stand in line. If you had a backpack, as I did, you will have to leave it at the check-in desk at trackside; no "luggage" is allowed in the car, although I was able to get my camera on board.

During the wait in the line, I was able to scout the available taxis. A race-prepared BMW and a Porsche Carrera Cup GT3 were my top picks. As a former BMW owner, I decided the GT3 was for me and I tried to explain this to the person assigning us to the cars. Finally, after some awkward exchanges, I was able to get on-board and strapped in the Porsche.

The whole process took about 2 hours, but the laps around a historic track were one of those unique experiences I compared to flying in a B-17, but a lot cheaper. Highly recommended!

Hausfrau and volcrew, thank you for the information. I've also done a google search and while I haven't found the specific information regarding the bookings for the Ring Taxi I did take the time to read the website Nurburgring for Dummies ;;) I did not realize how dangerous this track could be but now I'm even more convinced we will not do a self drive on it!! Thanks again, Deborah

The day I was at Nurburgring, there was a club drive. It is not a problem at the right speeds.

Glad you are doing your homework, Deborah!

"Right speeds" being the key words, VolCrew. On a normal day at the Nuerburgring, the only thing that is within your control is your OWN speed, and many people find that very difficult to manage once they've caught Ring Fever. Then there's all the other guys (and yeah, it's about 99.9% guys) out there, with THEIR rabid cases of Ring fever. It adds up to a potentially deadly combination. The most recent fatality that I know of was caused by a sudden construction-induced slowdown that resulted in a multi-car pileup. The authorities naturally blamed it on "excessive speeds."