"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
08/18/2019 at 20:52 • Filed to: None
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"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
08/18/2019 at 20:52 • Filed to: None | 13
| 18 |
And it was terrifying.
I had wanted a RWD manual, but it turns out such a thing is hard to find these days. A lot of the RWD cars are DSGs, unless you spend the kind of money I don’t wanna pay for the kind of performance that wouldn’t be safe for an inexperienced track driver.
So I ended up with the RHD (just like home, good for me), manual, Megane 3 RS. Not bad I thought, faster than my car at home, but just a FWD hatch after all. The safe choice.
I was wrong. I forgot that a minor evolution of this car held the FWD record on this very track not so long ago. And I certainly hadn’t factored in how terrifying this track is. Suddenly the car felt overpowered. I was scared to use it all. The humble Megane felt big and intimidating and worthy of respect.
I’ll rewind a little. So I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that I hired a Fiesta, this is why - it’s the best way to get to Nürburg for this drive I had booked. I travelled solo, staying at a quaint little hotel for two nights. I spent my time walking around the town and the trails alongside the track itself, it was a great experience.
Nürburg itself is like a small town that’s mad about cars. Given the track literally runs through it, the town is all about track cars and car renting companies, and track or otherwise sporty cars are about the only thing you’ll see.
I had always sort of wondered what was inside the Nürburgring, video games never show it you know. Turns out, lots of forest, some rolling hills, and a few other towns. There are a bunch of bridges around the track for roads and paths that you don’t really see when you’re driving on it in game or otherwise.
I got to visit a heap of famous corners on foot, mostly documented in the pics below. It was almost a religious experience to see all this stuff I’ve only ever seen on a screen, and you get a good sense of how the track is always twisting or rising or falling.
Of course, you get a better sense of this when you drive the thing.
I did four laps during touristenfahrten, the first with an instructor next to me. It was all pretty chill and normal, waiting in line to join the session, chatting cars with the instructor, surrounded by X-bows and all manner of track prepared cars. Roll up, touch your card, drive through the boom gate, merge from 3 lanes to 1, restrain yourself through the cone section, and off you go.
Instantly it becomes so real. You’re going down the end of the main straight, into those last few corners before where the finish line would be. You’ve got cars in front and behind you, some fast, some slow. You’ve got a whole span of track to use and you’re meant to be accelerating. If feels like you’ve got infinite decisions to make compared to the normal road, and the ever present pressure of safely passing cars while not holding anyone up. And all the while you’re trying to process that this is really happening, you’re doing this track in real life.
It only gets worse. You go through T13 and it’s all down hill, twisting and turning. Your instructor is trying to set you up for your future laps - “move left, start braking at that sign, brake harder, turn in at the start of that grey concrete, follow the road out to the left, move right for that Porsche, brake hard at that graffiti”. You’re trying to follow his advice but there’s so much going on. You’re nowhere near the limits of the car, the limit is your mushy ape brain. You’re just trying to stay safe-ish and hold a decent pace.
I did pretty well. Not speed wise, not at all. But I was good at watching for traffic - the motorbikes and some cars seem to materialise out of nowhere, you’ve gotta be ready. I didn’t want to crash the car I guess, very expensive mistake. I wasn’t braking hard enough which I think is common when you’re used to road driving.
I couldn’t suppress the awe of being on the actual track. There’s a set of three corners they call “miss, hit, miss”, they’re all right handers and you’re meant to join them up by only hitting the apex of the middle one, missing the other two. I liked that. I think I actually said “amazing” to the instructor as he was telling me to drop into the Karoussel.
Even on four laps you see things. I saw a Golf race car turned around in the marbles, lucky him didn’t hit anything. I got overtaken by a very old Fiesta who then locked up hard in front of me at the entrance to Karoussel, smoke everywhere but he made it. I saw a 1 series get sideways on a very fast corner, I’m pretty sure one of those Focus MPV ST things did a slide in front of me. I went to overtake a slower car and nearly got hit by an M5 ring taxi. I overtook a Porsche. No crashes during the session though.
By the end of the last lap I felt sick. The undulations really get you. The twists are one thing, you’re constantly battling not just to find the apex, but to find a straight line in which to brake properly. But the hills are something else.
One section is fox hole, fuchsröhre. It’s this twisty section down hill where you can just set the car in the middle and let the road twist around you. So naturally you can go extremely fast if you’re brave enough. But at the end you need to take a left and brake hard for an uphill corner. With traffic it’s tricky, but without its a nightmare. The faster you go, the more trouble you’re gonna be in when it’s time to brake.
There are a few sections with steep down hills followed by harsh compressions. One was combined with a braking area, something about braking in the compression, you feel it in your gut. Another section has a drop in the braking area where the car goes light. You need to brake early, lift off for the drop, then brake again. Very tricky.
A few of those drops feel like roller-coasters for a split second when you’re at the top. But a roller-coaster where you control the speed, and slow is not an option.
It was a fantastic experience and I’d recommend it to anyone who knows the track.
Opel speedster! How about that!
In line for ring entry
Such a weird car. It really is a 2 door sports car, just with a hatchy style bum. It has big long doors, an economy car it is not
Audi gantry, big long straight
Saturn Sky! In Europe! Never seen one
Brunnchen, otherwise known as YouTube corner. Saw a few people almost lose it as it tightens. Was very cautious there myself. A crowd was ready and waiting.
This is the section with the drop off and double braking area
Manufacturer testing consisted of almost entirely SUVs. This world has lost its mind
The road that runs parallel to that final straight. Visible on the right
Casually towing your X-bow. He saw me take a pic and said hi. Everyone in Nürburg said hi. Lovely
Was at my accommodation and I saw him in line for the track. Rare I think
The dreaded fox hole is down there
This is inside the track
T13. The first corner in most video games
Every car in town is for track use
My Fiesta with a Clio I saw on track. He was at my accomm
dogisbadob
> Nauraushaun
08/18/2019 at 21:02 |
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Nissan should sell that Megane as the Sentra. The Megane RS would be the Sentra SE-R
Steve in Manhattan
> dogisbadob
08/18/2019 at 21:14 |
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Test drove an SE-R in ‘91, then bought a ‘91 CRX Si ... did I do the right thing?
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Nauraushaun
08/18/2019 at 21:48 |
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Definitely an experience I want to have some day! I am envious!
Also, NOT a Saturn Sky! Well....it is and it isn’t! That particular one is technically not a Sky but the exact same car was sold in Europe as the Opel GT, so that is what that one is! :)
Nick Has an Exocet
> Nauraushaun
08/18/2019 at 23:36 |
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Great write- up. I did this a couple years ago (also used RSR) and rented a Scirocco GTS. It was great and about as much power as I’d want a first trip (217hp if I remember correctly). It was also the last weekend of the season and the track had wet leaves in some spots. The best idea I had was to take RSR up on the offer of a cheap instructor for my first of 4 laps.
Skip to 2:55 for my good lap (even with the slow start as I waited for the 2 cars in front to speed up and let up with the brakes feeling VERY soft ).
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Nauraushaun
> Nick Has an Exocet
08/19/2019 at 03:55 |
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Thanks!
That sounds excellent, except the leaves. Miraculously it rained the day before and after my drive, but was warm and dry on the day itself. The RSR guys made it quite clear that the track is actually dangerous in the wet.
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Nauraushaun
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/19/2019 at 03:57 |
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Oh thank you. I had a suspicion it was badged elsewise but couldn’t see a badge and didn’t really bother.
Either way. I think it's a cool car. Little and rwd iirc
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RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Nauraushaun
08/19/2019 at 07:38 |
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I’ve always liked em! The are a
sibling to the Pontiac Solstice as well!
duurtlang
> Nauraushaun
08/19/2019 at 10:02 |
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Quite a common ‘mistake’ for a novice to hire a car as capable as the Megane. Honesty, rent a base Fiesta (not an ST) or maybe a Suzuki Swift Sport. You, as a novice, can wring those out a lot further than a powerhouse like the Megane.
Thomas Donohue
> Nauraushaun
08/19/2019 at 11:51 |
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Totally jealous....I’m hoping this fall or next year I can make the same trip.
And yes — hard (and late) braking is the one thing I struggled with on a few DE/track days....especially when I’m in my own car. Street brakes don’t last long with constant hard braking on a track.
I’m much better at it when driving a manufacturer-provided car.
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Nauraushaun
> Thomas Donohue
08/19/2019 at 14:07 |
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I hope you can. It’s just excellent.
Yejs I had the power of course to ab use the hell out of that thing if I wanted. Was trying to stay alive though ;)
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Nauraushaun
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/19/2019 at 14:14 |
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Oh shit. Somewhere in there I knew that.
Low key that was one of the cooler cars at the time. Tiny, rwd, even available with a v8 if you're lucky. Never to be repeated
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RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Nauraushaun
08/19/2019 at 16:02 |
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Yup...Solstices are more common here, but the Sky is around once and awhile! A fellow here in town has one in black with a tan top!
BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> Nauraushaun
08/20/2019 at 00:51 |
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Can confirm! I drove the track twice, once in the dry, where the Twingo was clearly near the limit, and once in the wet, where the track was totally undrivable. To make it worse this was on raceday, just after a 4hr VLN race, meaning their also was plenty of rubber and oil on the track. All I did was understeer under braking, and wheelspin under acceleration (quite a feat with 75hp). A guy in our group apparently even spun his BRZ 360 degrees that day!
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Nauraushaun
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
08/21/2019 at 03:25 |
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Wow. Just wow. So the guys weren't exaggerating. That's terrifying. As if it's not tricky enough in ideal conditions
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> Nauraushaun
08/21/2019 at 03:42 |
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Yeah, ideal situations are tricky enough for my liking, especially when it is busy . That evening most of us said that they were never going to drive the ring in the wet again.
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Nauraushaun
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
08/22/2019 at 05:07 |
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Such a pain when you've booked and paid to do it, to have the experience soiled like that. Can't just choose to wait a few days for the rain to stop
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> Nauraushaun
08/22/2019 at 05:10 |
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Yeah definitely! For me the it’s only a few hundered km away, so not such a big problem. But I felt for gmporschenut, who had booked a Suzuki Swift Sport for the following morning, but decided to cancel it due to the weather.
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Nauraushaun
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
08/27/2019 at 04:22 |
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Cancelled it! That is very sad.