TCL am 'Ring 2012: Tourist Drive Pics

[NoDubJustYet]

Well... the weekend was awesome. Hopefully you already saw the pics from the VLN Race ( http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...il-14-VLN-Race ). The weather on Saturday was sunny and in the high 40's. The race ran from noon to 4pm and then they began cleaning the track up. The tourist drive started around 6pm. We hung out in the lot and checked the cars. As always there were extremely rare, extremely expensive cars being used for their intended purpose! Saturday night was pretty crowded on the track, unfortunately.

Saturday night we ate at Sabine Schmitz's family's restaurant with atomicalex and her son. When we met her that afternoon she suggested the Argentinian filet served on a hot stone - it was awesome. There are a couple shots from dinner thrown in the mix.

Sunday morning was extremely foggy and quite cold (mid to high 30s)... Fortunately the track was completely dry. I only did one lap Saturday night because it was crowded, so I had three more to go. The track wasn't very crowded so you could really focus on your line and hitting the apexes. It was a blast. This is my third time driving the 'Ring (I now have nine whole laps under my belt) and I've become more and more comfortable each time. I really wish I lived closer, but that's okay - I could see lots of added expenses to the car!

The Car Lounge get-together kind of fell apart. I really only hung out with atomicalex... The rest of the gang came up from various USAF/USA facilities late Sunday morning it seemed, so we didn't hookup unfortunately. Next year we need to plan the meeting point a little better!

The best part of the tourist drive was that we were driving the VLN course which includes the normal 20km Nordschleife coupled with a part of the Grand Prix course! It was awesome tearing down the straight and going around the Castrol-S!

I hope you guys enjoy the pics.


Saturday after the race

Our trusty steeds


Morgan +4?


Porsche 928... That I passed!


911 GT2 - quite commonplace


E46 M3 CSL - there were at least two others in the lot


991 911


Opel Speedster - by Lotus


Renault Clio Sport V6 - I've only seen one of these in real life once before - really cool stuff


GTR


Gallardo and Murcielago


The 'Ring


One lap down, three to go! Daily driver is still in one piece!


Dinner at the Schmitz Family's Pistenklause


ErikGTI drinking wine out of the decanter... classy. That's atomicalex to the left...


Früh Kölsch - one of Sabine Schmitz team's sponsors


RIP


More of the restaurant


The next day

Our very own beer truck


458 Italia


911 GT3 RS 4.0


F10 Ring Taxi


atomicalex's MkIII Golf variant


E30 wagon


Me driving down Brünnchen


And up to Planzgarten


993 Turbo and Ring Taxi


1M


GT3


GTR


E30 M3


911 GT2 RS (there was at least one other there... with NORWEGIAN plates!!)


RS3


Rent4Ring Swift that my colleague rented - surprisingly quick and nimble - lots of fun!


My buddy in the Swift... beating a Porsche!


Or not!


Sacred Disorder's badass MINI Clubman S


TT-S


Gallardo vert

[dubjager]

Wow. Thank you so much for the pictures... Really wish I could get out there one of these days when I am in Europe. I have a Renault 4 that could DEFINITELY make the trip

Just a question Nodubjustyet... what kind of suspension do you have on your GTI? And what tires? Perfect sport height in my opinion!

I am also surprised the steak was edible, when my dad has tried to make his Uruguayan barbeque with beef in europe it has come out like shoe sole... For some odd reason...

[NoDubJustYet]

Wow. Thank you so much for the pictures... Really wish I could get out there one of these days when I am in Europe. I have a Renault 4 that could DEFINITELY make the trip

Just a question Nodubjustyet... what kind of suspension do you have on your GTI? And what tires? Perfect sport height in my opinion!

I am also surprised the steak was edible, when my dad has tried to make his Uruguayan barbeque with beef in europe it has come out like shoe sole... For some odd reason...

No problem, glad you like the pics.

It's a 2006 with an Eibach Pro Kit, which I found on Tire Rack of all places. It's actually Eibach springs with Sachs struts/shocks. I'm really happy with it, especially for the price. The tires are BF Goodrich KDW Sports on the OEM 17" ClassiX wheels. I'm quite happy with the combo- it's sporty enough when it needs to be and doesn't rattle my teeth out when driving on cobblestones.

This was the best steak I've had in Europe... The downfall to steak here would be the beef, it's AWFUL - this dish was made using Argentinian beef, a dash of salt/pepper and a super hot stone. There's not much to screw up!

[ErikGTI]

Here are some of my pics from the Tourist Drive.

All I have to say about the decanter is that I already had had a few beers and there weren't any wine glasses left at our table. No one else wanted it and I wasn't going to let it go to waste .
1M

Focus RS

R32. I think this may be someone from TCl.

A 350Z with a ridiculous wing.

This McLaren was being taken off the track shortly before it was opened to the public after the VLN race.

Very heavily modified GT3RS. The interior was pretty much stripped out, with a beefier rollcage, removable steering wheel, carbon fiber doors etc. Why? Because race car.

I feel like this is something someone from TCl would do.

Yes, it went on the track.

This Passat blew by us coming out of a corner when we were riding in a tuned STI, we weren't going slow either.

It's too bad the next time I saw this GTI it was turned around the wrong way with it's front end crumpled...

Not my first choice for a car to bring on the 'Ring but I bet it was comfortable.

Save the Ring as seen on the Hotel am Tiergarten.

964 Carrera RS in the HaT parking lot! Oh, and a Boxster Spyder, nothing special...


Beautiful E34 Alpina bi-Turbo.


Erik

[NoDubJustYet]

Thanks for adding those...


That MkII (and the Audi behind it) are from all the way the hell up here - that must have been a long train ride home.

I might have to swing back through Nuerburg on the way to Rallye Germany in Trier.

[JonLott]

Thanks for the pics man!! I saw the Swift but never saw your car, the STI, or AtomicAlex. We are definately gonna have to actually set a meeting time/place next time we all go down!!

[NoDubJustYet]

Thanks for the pics man!! I saw the Swift but never saw your car, the STI, or AtomicAlex. We are definately gonna have to actually set a meeting time/place next time we all go down!!

I guess after seeing how disorganized we where this time around I need to make a more conscious effort to organize the meetup. I wasn't expecting it to be quite so crowded... especially when taking the weather into account.

[feels_road]

ErikGTI drinking wine out of the decanter... classy. That's atomicalex to the left...

That's all it takes to make Kathy smile and laugh like that?

Anyway, sounds like a lot of fun. I wonder, though, how do you estimate safe curve entrance speeds as a n00b? I bet there are lots of folks on poor chassis that somewhat blindly follow cars with a better set-up (worse, you can't even tell) and get in trouble for that.

[NoDubJustYet]

That's all it takes to make Kathy smile and laugh like that?

I don't think she stops...

Anyway, sounds like a lot of fun. I wonder, though, how do you estimate safe curve entrance speeds as a n00b? I bet there are lots of folks on poor chassis that somewhat blindly follow cars with a better set-up (worse, you can't even tell) and get in trouble for that.

It's all about GT5... I really credit the game with teaching me the racing line and the apexes - past that it's not all that helpful.

What you've brought up really makes things interesting. You really need to know the limits of your vehicle and don't forget to stay to the right so the faster cars can overtake you. Respecting the track and the other cars goes a long way. As a n00b it behooves you to take it slow and steady.

I am quite the novice (I have done 9 laps, which to be fair, is ~110 miles ), but I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of what's coming up next and plan accordingly... I really don't know how to explain it any better.

For anyone that really wants to have a proper experience my best suggestion is this: DON'T go in the Summer time. It is entirely too crowded and you will spend more time checking your 6 making sure you're not in the way than actually driving. Weather permitting, go in March or April - get out there early when there aren't that many cars. You've also got the late Fall, which should be pretty similar.

[ErikGTI]

Here's a vid with the Jag that I posted earlier.




Erik

[feels_road]

I don't think she stops...

Are you talking about the smiling, now, or the liquid stuff delivered by Schmitz trucks?

It's all about GT5... I really credit the game with teaching me the racing line and the apexes - past that it's not all that helpful.

What you've brought up really makes things interesting. You really need to know the limits of your vehicle and don't forget to stay to the right so the faster cars can overtake you. Respecting the track and the other cars goes a long way. As a n00b it behooves you to take it slow and steady.

I am quite the novice (I have done 9 laps, which to be fair, is ~110 miles ), but I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of what's coming up next and plan accordingly... I really don't know how to explain it any better.

I wouldn't know about GT5 (is that a driving school? ), but I have driven my daily uphill run in the twisties here about 2,000 times. I still encounter unexpected scenarios and misjudge some turns and elevation changes enough to wake me up. Driving the Nürburgring the first few times would give me dragonflies - let alone butterflies - and I have driven the Autobahn at 160+km/h plenty of times, to the regret of my wallet.

[NoDubJustYet]

Are you talking about the smiling, now, or the liquid stuff delivered by Schmitz trucks?

The smiling... she was quite well behaved.

I wouldn't know about GT5 (is that a driving school? ), but I have driven my daily uphill run in the twisties here about 2,000 times. I still encounter unexpected scenarios and misjudge some turns and elevation changes enough to wake me up. Driving the Nürburgring the first few times would give me dragonflies - let alone butterflies - and I have driven the Autobahn at 160+km/h plenty of times, to the regret of my wallet.

I know what you mean... You've just got to be ready I guess.

[feels_road]

I know what you mean... You've just got to be ready I guess.

Sometimes you think you are ready, and then it just hits you.

[dubjager]

No problem, glad you like the pics.

It's a 2006 with an Eibach Pro Kit, which I found on Tire Rack of all places. It's actually Eibach springs with Sachs struts/shocks. I'm really happy with it, especially for the price. The tires are BF Goodrich KDW Sports on the OEM 17" ClassiX wheels. I'm quite happy with the combo- it's sporty enough when it needs to be and doesn't rattle my teeth out when driving on cobblestones.

This was the best steak I've had in Europe... The downfall to steak here would be the beef, it's AWFUL - this dish was made using Argentinian beef, a dash of salt/pepper and a super hot stone. There's not much to screw up!

You know, I just put a bilstein/neuspeed set up in my gti and I have to say I am very, very happy with it. Your car looks sharp!

Ah, now it all makes sense, I never understood why beef in Europe is so tough... anyone got any ideas?

Thanks for posting all these pictures! I was in Germany a couple of years ago and just couldn't fit the ring into my trip... oh well! next time!

[Seki]

[dubjager]

Here are some of my pics from the Tourist Drive.

All I have to say about the decanter is that I already had had a few beers and there weren't any wine glasses left at our table. No one else wanted it and I wasn't going to let it go to waste .

R32. I think this may be someone from TCl.



Erik

Hey, sometimes you have to improvise...

That R32 looks amazing... I don't know why, since it looks to be pretty stock on the outside...

[NoDubJustYet]

Sometimes you think you are ready, and then it just hits you.

Yep and we've all seen the videos!

You know, I just put a bilstein/neuspeed set up in my gti and I have to say I am very, very happy with it. Your car looks sharp!

Thanks, I'm quite happy with it.

Ah, now it all makes sense, I never understood why beef in Europe is so tough... anyone got any ideas?

I think it's a different breed of cattle as well as what they are fed. US Angus beef commands a premium here actually...

Thanks for posting all these pictures! I was in Germany a couple of years ago and just couldn't fit the ring into my trip... oh well! next time!

You've got to do it. I would highly recommend renting a prepped car from one of the local rental garages. Don't scoff, but that Swift was fantastic. My buddy rented a Stage 1 Swift for 160€. That was one hour with the car, insurance, fuel and two laps (52€ value alone). It's a great deal overall.

Hey, sometimes you have to improvise...

That's right!

That R32 looks amazing... I don't know why, since it looks to be pretty stock on the outside...

It sounded great driving by... Gotta love the VR6!

[ErikGTI]

Hey, sometimes you have to improvise...

That R32 looks amazing... I don't know why, since it looks to be pretty stock on the outside...

That's right lol.

I knew it was a VR6 before I even knew it was a R32. I was standing there freezing my ass off and I heard a familiar noise and I'm like "VR6? That's got to be a VR6." And I was right lol.

Erik

[seadoo2006]

That's right lol.

I knew it was a VR6 before I even knew it was a R32. I was standing there freezing my ass off and I heard a familiar noise and I'm like "VR6? That's got to be a VR6." And I was right lol.

Erik

Nice ... so, I can't remember if we ever would've met up in Athens ... are you a recent Bobcat or one of old ... I was there from 2006-2010 ...

[John Y]

Ah, now it all makes sense, I never understood why beef in Europe is so tough... anyone got any ideas?

Because they don't really do aging.

[ErikGTI]

Nice ... so, I can't remember if we ever would've met up in Athens ... are you a recent Bobcat or one of old ... I was there from 2006-2010 ...

I'm a newer Bobcat, a junior right now. Started at the regional campus in Pickerington back in '09.


Erik

[seadoo2006]

I'm a newer Bobcat, a junior right now. Started at the regional campus in Pickerington back in '09.

Erik

Ah, okay ... there was a pretty sizable VW community down there when I was at school ...

[atomicalex]

I'll be renting next time. I think the poor Golf suffered too much, I'm leaning toward head gasket right now...

Pics when I get my head above water from work....

[NoDubJustYet]

One video that I took... SLS coming down through Brünnchen. Man, that thing sounds great!

[Shomegrown]

I'll be renting next time. I think the poor Golf suffered too much, I'm leaning toward head gasket right now...

Pics when I get my head above water from work....

I hope it turns out for the best.

[Stereodude]

I would highly recommend renting a prepped car from one of the local rental garages. Don't scoff, but that Swift was fantastic. My buddy rented a Stage 1 Swift for 160€. That was one hour with the car, insurance, fuel and two laps (52€ value alone). It's a great deal overall.

Nonsense! No TCL'er would do that.



Credit to Shomegrown for posting this before.

[atomicalex]

I hope it turns out for the best.

Thank you. This car has already exceeded my wildest dreams - lots of emotional baggage associated with Mk3 wagons for me. I may need to consult with you on the TÜV, though. I would really like to get it though in October, otherwise it might be Twingo time. Or cross your fingers, McD's is giving away Swifts right now; I already have approval to drop it at Rent4Ring for conversion if I win one!

Awesome video

That cracked me up. Considering how much better a Swift is than my dear little Golf!

[Shomegrown]

Thank you. This car has already exceeded my wildest dreams - lots of emotional baggage associated with Mk3 wagons for me. I may need to consult with you on the TÜV, though. I would really like to get it though in October, otherwise it might be Twingo time. Or cross your fingers, McD's is giving away Swifts right now; I already have approval to drop it at Rent4Ring for conversion if I win one!

I know a shop in Köln that can get you through TüV with no problems - though I'm not positive a Düsseldorfer can get an inspection in another city like that, you'll have to clarify.

PM me if you need a recommendation.

[Shomegrown]

Nonsense! No TCL'er would do that.



Credit to Shomegrown for posting this before.

I love that video.

(Oh man, imagine if we could get TCL as a whole out to the 'ring. Talk about entertainment!)

[dieselraver]

fantastic post!

[NoDubJustYet]

I love that video.

(Oh man, imagine if we could get TCL as a whole out to the 'ring. Talk about entertainment!)

Count me out!

[Shomegrown]

Count me out!

Pffft. C'mon. We'll get a cooler full of Wursts and a keg of Kölsch and hike up to the top of the Adenauer Forst and enjoy the carnage.

[NoDubJustYet]

Pffft. C'mon. We'll get a cooler full of Wursts and a keg of Kölsch and hike up to the top of the Adenauer Forst and enjoy the carnage.

Fine... I'm there!

[atomicalex]

I'm in for that. I'll bring my Riesling and a batch of warm, homemade Laugenbretzeln.

We had a bit of a preview of it - insert live-axle Mustang discussion here - and that was funny enough. I couldn't roll my eyes far enough back into my head.

The video reminds me of a co-worker who took his GT3 out, and was promptly scared into hardly driving it again. His wife is now its main driver...

[Stereodude]

Oh man, imagine if we could get TCL as a whole out to the 'ring. Talk about entertainment!

Are you kidding!?!?!? There'd be so many records* broken that day.
























*Record numbers of car wrecks.