The last trip in the MX-5, and the last trip of the year ...
My last trip of the year is usually in October, but as there were no full weekends this time, I opted for two September trips instead. (I had toyed with the idea of entering the GLP in October, but after the incredibly slippery conditions the previous trip, I decided that October weather, a competitive event and a new car with an extra 100hp was probably a very bad idea.)
As it seems to be the law that there must be some last-minute glitch to resolve on each trip, I suppose I shouldn't have been greatly surprised when the cigarette lighter socket declined to dispense any power. Which left me with no GPS, speedtrap detector or carcam system! The car handbook talks about three separate fuseboxes, only two of which I have ever managed to find, and the third one was the one containing the fuse to the cigarette-lighter socket. One to resolve later.
Euan was again cadging a lift over, so I picked him up on the A20 and headed on down to Dover. With Jon's ferry deal and Euan's generous contribution to costs, these trips are real bargains. Oh, and I also saved myself some currency costs by buying some spare DMs from someone at Cadwell the previous weekend (where I did two wet days on my ZX6R, with masses more grip than I had on four wheels at the Ring the weekend before!). Picking up some batteries en-route at least gave me back my GPS (although I know the way, Belgian motorways are slightly less tedious when you have the psychological benefit of seeing the miles tick down.)
It was a gorgeous day, and the skies remained clear in Belgium, so we got more optimistic about the Ring weather as we got closer. It was still completely clear skies on arrival in Nürburg.
We headed to the Pistenklause to eat, and spotted Anders & gang. Anders told me that a biker had turned into him in Pflanzgarten 2, thankfully the biker staying upright, but putting a large dent in the drivers door. To make it worse, there was a slight dent in the panel behind the door too. But at least relatively minor compared to other possible outcomes.
Actually managed an 8am start (give or take 10 minutes), rewarded with clear skies and dry tarmac. :-) Managed to locate the elusive fusebox, and confirm that the cigarette lighter fuse had blown. Stupidly didn't have any spares on me, but the Mazda dealer in Adenau gave me a couple free of charge. The fuse replaced, the video system was once again back in action.
Learning my lesson from last time (the daunting task of sorting through masses of video tape to find material for frame-grabs), this time I used the in-car frame-grabber to get them immediately after the relevant lap. Incidentally, if you're wondering what the arch at the top is, the camera is inside my spoiler, and that's the top part of it:
A Ducati overtaking into Eschbach
Using the kerb on the way into Adenauer-Forst
If you've ever wondered why the Karussell is so bumpy, here's what the surface looks like close up:
The track was almost totally dry, and was 100% so within two or three laps. It always takes me several laps to get back into the groove, this time including a somewhat unorthodox line through Angstkurve. I really must remember to drink more coffee in the morning.
Tor had arrived in his hire-car Audi TT. He was upset because he'd ordered the 180bhp coupe and had been given the 150bhp cabriolet. He hadn't realised it was a cabriolet, though, until he arrived - he was driving it with the hood up! I pointed out that driving a cabriolet with the hood up is a serious criminal offense and between Euan and I, we worked out how to correct the problem. Went for a lap with him later. It was indeed a bit underpowered for the Ring, but handled extremely well, loads of grip, and Tor had the ability to make the most of it - a very enjoyable lap.
We saw a couple of incidents on the way round, the first a coming together at T13:
And the second was the RingMini parked up between Kallenhard and Miss-Hit-Miss, so one was tempted to suspect a bit of over-exhuberance on the exit from Kallenhard ...
The next couple of hours passed in a blur of fun laps, again with a variety of passengers. Things which stand out were a guy who decided to overtake me on the right as I was turning in towards the apex of the second right-hander in Brünnchen, and another who did exactly the same thing at the entry to Flugplatz! I was able to give the first one some room by adjusting my line, but there was no way I was going to risk destabilising the car at Flugplatz speeds, so I held my line and left him to sort out his own mess. He just squeezed through, but it got my vote for most stupid overtake of the month.
Christian, a Ferrari 355 Spyder owner, had emailed me to say he'd be here with various friends, one with a 550 Maranello, and could I give them some guidance? As the 355 Spyder is my dream car, I selflessly agreed to come out for a passenger lap or two with him ... :-) I first took him out for a lap in the MX-5, then it was time for the 355 lap.
Damn! Correct side of the car, but no steering-wheel
Just trying it on for size ...
Just the sound of the engine was enough to make the experience worthwhile, together with the admiring looks it attracted as we negotiated the now-busy car-park. Christian was very sensibly taking it easy, but even a gentle early lap was tremendously enjoyable in that thing. There was obviously ten times as much grip for the asking, and the acceleration was a delight. Prior to this lap I really, really wanted a 355 Spyder. After it, I really, really need one. At which point I need to break for a brief word from our sponsor ...
"Please ... take a moment to consider those less fortunate than yourself. Difficult as it may be to believe in this day and age, there are still some people born with no 355 Spyder. These unfortunates are destined to a life of moderate horsepower and traction without your assistance. Remember: as little as £1,000 a month can make a real difference in the lives of the 355-less. A donation of £3,500 can pay for a year's insurance. Just £40,000 will fund one 355 Spyder for one Ben Lovejoy. Please - give generously. Call 0800-355-SPYDER now. Thank you."
Where was I? Oh yes, next up was the 550. Also a totally fabulous car. The 355 is it for me, but I could slum it in one of these if I really had to.
Towards lunchtime, the track was starting to get busier, and the usual problem of bikes overtaking me on the straights to hold me up through the bends. The attrition rate was also rising:
A crash at Schwedenkreuz
A 'ghost crash' at Brünnchen - marks & mud but no car
The advice in the safety leaflet to stop well clear of crashes is clearly badly needed - this was not the only incident we saw where bikers had stopped alongside their mate:
Stopped right where someone locking up their brakes at Bergwerk
would hit
There were a couple of closures. One was just an accumulation of vehicles to recover from minor incidents, but we later learned from Sabine that the other involved the helicopter ambulance at Kallenhard (Sabine saw it land while out riding her horse), and I have heard since that this was a fatal bike crash. :-(
During one of the closures, I was told that Heather - a bike tour organiser who had exchanged some emails with me - was looking for me, so I wandered over to their spacious awning to say hello. Had an enjoyable chat with her and Simon, and the visit turned out to be excellent timing as I was stood under cover drinking their tea when the heavens opened and the forecast rain arrived with a vengeance.
Heather & Simon's comfortable arrangements (pic taken in
better weather!)
I was heading out for my first wet lap of the day when Anders spotted me and jumped in. He pleaded for a slow lap and I assured him he'd be getting exactly that given how horrible it was in the rain last time. He expressed a little reservation over me putting the hood down, but I promised him it was dry so long as we didn't slow below 50mph ...
The track wasn't quite as slippery as last time, but nearly so. The vultures were really out in force at Hocheichen, a great crowd of spectators, several with camcorders: we tiptoed round. Down Fuchsröhre, Anders showed me where he'd had his incident in the rain.
I decided that as the ad for the MX-5 is now in AutoTrader, it might be circumspect to park the MX-5 and blag a few passenger laps. After a smooth lap in Matt's BMW with a cute traction-control light to tell you that you had just started sliding - Doh! - I made a beeline for an Evo I'd spotted earlier. The driver had had the car only three weeks, and done only a dozen laps at the Ring, so I gave him pace notes. Niek wasted no time in blagging a back seat, but Euan was just a little too slow to get the other one.
The Evo really was the wet weather Ring car par excellence. It offered astonishing levels of grip, and even when it did let go, it did so with no drama and then neatly collected itself together again. Persuaded the driver to go for a second lap - excellent fun. You might find it lacks a little challenge in the dry, but I wouldn't mind one of these to dive into when the heavens open.
Finally it was time for the karting challenge! The plan was for Niek and Euan to have a race while M3 John, Tor and myself essentially spectated from backmarker positions. Things didn't go entirely to plan as John blasted past everybody at great speed and set by far the fastest lap. In terms of the competition between Euan and Niek, the difference was just 3/100ths of a second, but the winner was ... Euan. He thus added two free beers to the four that Espen already owed him and was in for a good night. :-)
Niek is so tall it looks like he beat Euan, but 3/100ths of a
second say otherwise
I'd booked a table for 20 at Fuchsröhre, including five spaces for last-minute additions, and that worked out fine. The usual excellent evening was had, with absolutely no lewd comments from anyone about any of the waitresses.
Sabine and two of her staff insisted on joining us (leastways, that's how I remember it) ...
Sabine watched the video of Niek spinning at Brünnchen (I think everyone has to do one of those at some point) and to chat. We picked her brains for lines round a few problem bends (including a very interesting wet line through Eschbach and the first part of Brünnchen - scanned diagrams to follow) and asked her the same question as we'd asked Helmut Dähne: bikes or cars, which is capable of the faster lap? Interestingly, Helmut said 'car' and Sabine said 'bike'. :-) Sabine also said that Helmut was so fast because while everyone else left a couple of bike widths to spare, Helmut ran within a hair's breadth of the grass.
I asked Sabine if she would come out for passenger laps and offer feedback. She said gladly, but unfortunately she was fully-booked with Ring Taxi trips the next day, so that will have to wait until next time.
Euan asked Sabine what was her funniest moment driving the Ring Taxi. She said it was when two Japanese men booked a lap and both sat in the back. She said she could see worried expressions in her mirror, and in Hatzenbach there was an exclamation from the rear of the car and both men covered their faces and ducked below the seat backs. They then remained that way for the rest of the lap!
We were also pleased to find that Sabine is no better at identifying the track backwards than we are on the Ringers list. There's a photo in the bar from the mid-70s which she and others have been trying to identify for years. Niek reckoned the left-hander at the top of the hill out of Fuchsröhre, but to me there didn't seem a steep enough slope behind it. I'll get a photo of it next time.
Mindful of the planned early start the next day, I took my leave at about 00:30. While people gradually drifted away to get to bed, a few hardcore drinkers continued into the night. In particular, Euan was taking full advantage of the fact that he wasn't driving the next day:
The most recent forecast for Sunday promised sun, but there was no sign of it at 8am and the roads outside the B&B were still wet. Sent a text message to Euan suggesting a 10am breakfast and promptly turned over and went back to sleep.
M3 John appeared at about 10.15, reporting that he and Euan had finally hit the sack at 5am, explaining the total lack of response from Euan to text messages.
Euan finally emerged, and the three of us headed down to the track. On my first lap, the track was 80% dry, though still extremely wet in places like Fuchsröhre. Kallenhard was doing its best to catch people out: a dry entry and a wet exit!
The track was drying on every lap, and by about 11.30 it was in perfect condition. I was making the most of it, really enjoying myself and pausing my own laps long enough only for another passenger lap in the 355.
We saw the Ring Taxi parked outside the Karussell to check on a Scooby driver who had broken down:
At 1.30pm, a closure was announced, so I headed off for lunch. Olivier had arrived, so had lunch with him.
I was just heading back out for another lap when another closure was announced. Within a fairly short time, rumours were emerging that it was Brit bikers, then that it was Fred and Wendy, then that it was Tony and Vicky. I asked the office if they had any names or details: all they could tell me was that some British bikers were involved, and that one of those involved was dead, nationality unknown (now believed to be German). They had no details on the other casualties.
It was announced that the track would not re-open before 4pm, and as there was no further information available at that time, we ran a couple of errands and then Euan showed me where the track leading to Adenauer-Forst. We also stopped off at the abandoned hotel on the way back, found a way in and discovered that it was no longer abandoned: building work was underway. So that puts paid to our plans for a Ringers hotel ...
Euan tries out a room with a view
Met Matthew Truelove at Quiddlebacher-Höhe - he was on his bike on the track, having been at the accident site. He was heading back to the car-park to organise a van.
As we imagined all the mess would have been long cleared up, we decided to explore the track running up from Quiddlebacher-Höhe to Flugplatz and down to Schwedenkreuz, but as we got to Flugplatz saw lots of people still there. Including Tony and Vicky sat at the side of the track. Went over to check they were ok - thankfully they were. They confirmed that Fred had been injured, but was conscious, had full movement and was talking lucidly in the ambulance. Tony and Vicky were obviously both very shaken up by the crash. Knowing from personal experience how traumatic is is being at the scene of a fatal accident at the Ring, I can only imagine how much worse it is to have been caught up in it.
Tony explained what happened, but as the Porsche driver turned out to be a friend-of-a-friend (it's a small world at the Ring), I think it best simply to say that it was a tragic accident and it could have been even worse than it was.
Tony & Vicky said there was nothing they needed, and there wasn't time to get to Koblenz to check on Fred, so we made our way back to the car-park to pass on the relatively good news from the viewpoint of those in our extended Ring family, as it were, and to say our goodbyes.
The car-park filled-up rapidly during the closure
Oh, and one bike was attracting more attention than an MV:
Caption competition, anyone?
A trip back which started dry and got wetter & windier, though helped somewhat by getting an hour's sleep on the ferry, laid out on the comfy sofa with a Club Lounge courtesy pillow. :-) Ran into 'the other Mick Doohan' at the petrol station in Dover - he was the R1 rider who crashed on a previous trip and I'd given a lift home to. Engineering works meant Euan would miss the last train from Swanley, so dropped him off at Waterloo and got home at about 2am, grateful that I'd extended my holiday to the Monday to enable me to have a lie-in!
So now the long wait 'til Easter. :-( I've decided that we definitely need name-badges next year - I'm hopeless at names at the best of times, but when dozens and dozens of people come and introduce themselves to me each weekend, I don't stand a chance! There are also people I know well by name on the list and by face at the Ring but haven't necessarily married-up the two, so I'll do some Ringers name badges and try to persuade people to wear them!
Beer & video evening at my place on Saturday 10th November - email me if you'd like details.
Copyright © Ben Lovejoy 2001
Most photos Copyright © Euan Hendry 2001
Other photos & frame-grabs Copyright © Ben Lovejoy 2001