Many moons ago, in a time I look back to with great fondness, a friend asked me if I didn't want to visit the most mythical race track, the Nurburgring.
The day started at 6.00am in Sunningdale, where I lived, with my new bike that had just finished running in. It was my first big trip Northwards in Europe, I had only gone South before, and was very curious to see what Germany was like. But first there was the ferry to Calais. I dont have sailor's legs, always get sea sick even in the flattest of seas and 1 hour and a bit later came out the other side quizzie but on this side of gross!
Later on in my life I did that run of 450 kms Calais-Nurburgring dozens of times, so many I could do it almost with my eyes closed, but on that day everything was new and very exciting. Until we hit Belgium that is, where the driving standards were so annoyingly bad the real hooligan that I can be surfaced and the splitting traffic shenanigans I so loved reached record levels of insanity! Would not do it again, not like that, must have scared so many "Belgiums" going about their business all doing 90 across all lanes of the motorway and blocking the whole thing. One could say they deserved the brown pants I gave them, but... Not very civilized of me,
In great contrast with the peace felt as soon as we pass the sign welcoming us into Germany. Its pretty much immediately an unlimited Autobahn which they drive so, so well there is no stress and 200 kms/h feels like half that anywhere else. Good driving makes for a much easier life on the road.
I was very much ignorant of the place known as The Green Hell, a name apply given by Jackie Stuart due to its challenging everything really! From the corners, the barriers consisting of thorny bushes, the non existing protection, the mad weather and, of course the trees. Unmovable obstacles that claimed many lives around the racing laps at the time but give it that beautiful, deep, unmistakable green.
Like so, so many people I fell in love with that place the moment I arrived. The B&B room backed on to the track and at 7.55am the noise of engines and exhausts was like cocaine for someone like me that absolutely loves motorsport and even more, loves speed. Never had I experienced getting up, opening the window and see a Porsche speed down the track with the determination of a lioness chasing lunch! And the noise.... I was already dazzled with all the sportiness even before arriving at the car park where everyone gathered before going for a lap. Like a child in a candy shop, going from one special thing to the next, 2 or 4 wheels, and feeling the excitement descending and filling me with the nervous desire to ride the track. I was proper ignorant of the track and didn't really consider the size of the lap, 18, 19, 20 kms, who cares, lets just go!!
Initially followed my friend, he wanted to take care of me, but he was mega fast, on a K2 GSXR1000 and so eager to spark his titanium knee sliders, I waved him off after km 2 and was happy to enjoy the whole thing on my own. I am a different rider when I go at it alone and it was for sure better for me to do it with my favourite thing in the World at the time, just the 2 of us! The 19 kms went past like a blur of discovery, chaos, danger and sense of achievement. The second lap was even more fun, middle of a day in August, even in Germany, the tarmac gets hot and the tyres gripped enough to let me scrap foot pegs on both sides. Actually surprised me so much I thought I had broken the bike, but it was just the peg feelers loosing their virginity.
There were so many bikes, so many. Some so blistering quick they got air in a few places of the track and I was overtaken by one doing just that. I laughed so hard to myself thinking how can I describe to someone what it feels like to be passed by a flying bike! I also encountered a Bus, something very unique to the Tourist Laps at the Ring. That, I have to say, is not fun... Coming round a blind corner and getting up close and personal with the back end of a huge "Senior Tours" Mercedes Bus with three old boys at the window looking backwards amused with the near crashes happening bellow their view point! Still, I lived to tell the story and this was before ABS fitted bikes.
The last lap of the day was on the GSXR1000, but I didn't really enjoy going round there on someone else's bike and it felt very odd to my the sport bike thing because I like nakeds. It was already 18.00, the Sun was kissing the trees goodbye and the light was magical. Was so mesmerized with the views, the warmth of a Summer evening, the empty track, the feeling of excitement was replaced by a feeling of almost grace that I only felt 2 or 3 times since.
A few years later I was living there, but it didn't turn up to be the fairy tale I thought it was going to be. "When the Gods want to punish you, they give you what you asked for"
Around the Ring the landscape is stunning and 2 major rivers pass very close by. The most important is the Rhine, but the most beautiful is the Mosel. It winds its way through wineries and villages with Castles perched on top of hills overlooking the bends of the river and supplying the World with quality wine. Its a very pretty part of Europe really worth a good trip to experience relaxed wine tastings or a nice Kaffee und Kuchen on a terrace, seating under a wine pergola looking at the river and the slow moving barges.
