Set in the Eifel Forest in Germany meant taking the car on a trailer through the UK, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. We set off after work on Thursday evening and got to Dover in time for one of Sea France’s evening sailings. The car was starting to attract a lot of attention and soon after we were pulling up at an overnight stay in a Campanile just into France.
The next day, we headed off across Northern Europe to meet our good friends Tim and Agnes who live an hour away from the famous circuit. Agnes competed in Formula Woman a few years ago (in Caterhams) and Tim is a Motorbike obsessive. His Yamaha R1 came along for a trip out, too... I couldn’t wait.
Saturday, 14th August 2010 - we made our way to the single-most disorganised part of Germany. Famed for its efficiency, trying to get on the Nordschleife was refreshingly frustrating! The process is simple: you pay by the lap, in advance, at a booth (€22 per lap); they give you a credit-card with your pre-determined number of laps saved on it; you drive up to a barrier, wave your card at a machine and the barrier opens. That’s it...
The circuit should have opened at 11am and as the time approached, hundreds of cars made for the entrance. The access road is wholly inadequate to handle the volume of cars, bikes, buses, vans etc (they’re all allowed on the circuit at the same time!!) that want to be there so it just got jammed up. Sitting in the car, with my race-gear on it was getting very hot. Tim sat in the passenger seat (he acted as guide for the first couple of laps) and we chuckled at how poorly the staff were coping with the volume of cars around me. More attention for my car – it was a surprise to me but my home-built Caterham Academy car was being photographed as much (or more) as any Porsche or BMW.
Eventually, I was able to approach the barrier, Tim swiped my card and we fed through the cones onto the circuit – 20km of the greatest driving I’ve ever had followed. Tim shouted LEFT, RIGHT, SHARP or STRAIGHT for the first few kilometres without any reply from me. Concentration is absolute. A ‘moment’ at this place could result in several-thousands’ pounds worth of damage to the car and circuit – or worse... At about 7km, Tim shouted, ‘Can you hear me? You haven’t said anything!’ My reply was specific, ‘F*cking yes! Keep it up!’
At the end of the lap, we queued for another trip round. It is an amazing place – I can’t do it justice by trying to describe it here.
By the end of the day, I’d done 6 laps. Four were on my own (with Tim on his R1 close by) and I had the most amazing day of driving I’d ever had.
My car was looked at, photographed, talked about and sat in (!) during the day and made me really proud amongst the Audi R8s, Nissan GTRs, Astons, Lambos, Porsches etc. In fact, I helped a chap who had a problem with his very nice R8 (it wouldn’t select a gear after 2 laps...). His friend had a Nissan GTR (which wouldn’t go any further after just one lap). I suggested he’d have been better off with a Caterham which he took in good humour!
I earned a new sticker for the car today and would love to return for another go at the circuit. That will have to wait while I get the racing season finished...
Yet another thank you to Claire who waited around all day for me – thankfully the weather was excellent and there were plenty of cars and people to watch – but I couldn’t have had the chance without her.
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