ciscrack
Posted 4/26/2007 9:37:03 AM
DAMN!!! Tupacrulez bringin' the storytellin' back to the
diary. Very nice.
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"Another brilliant comeback by Ciscrack"-DRZ_PERSON praising the genius
that is me.
wanderingmuse22
Posted 4/26/2007 6:56:48 PM
Yes~! Very nice indeed~!
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For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so
will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/26/2007 7:37:50 PM
it is enjoyable.
Anyway:
we woke up after a not so early start of 10 am...went to the track, and
found it closed for the day.apparently, a Cerbera, in all of TVR's
reliability, had had major brake failure, coming up the hill to Adenauer
Forst, has gone nearly straight into the armco, and nearly through
it....the driver was being airlifted as we arrived. the passenger's
condition was unknown. a stop watch was still running in the
wreckage.....more evidence that lap timing is bad.
so we sufficed by playing a little of the video games in the hotel.
Project Gotham racing and Gran turismo 4 both faithfully recreate the
track. though there claim of being total "simulators" is a little
overstretched....they work when the track is closed. we were told the
track would be open tomorrow, as the wreckage would take most of the day
to clear.
One plus, is that since the car hit the armco as straight on as was
possible with the driver cranking the wheel over once he realized his
brakes had failed, the armco bill was going to be as little as possible,
the little condolence that will be if he dies.
*this was included to remind people that the track isn't as forgiving in
real life as it is in the game. you crash you can die*
When the track open tomorrow, we will hopefully get out there again....its
calling.
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/26/2007 11:11:44 PM
After yesterday's dampening of spirits, I have to say, the
track was sullen at best.....
However, people still went out, if driving a little more carefully,
thankfully. Some days it really can get to be a pain at the Ring,
apparently, when people don't think of it as an unforgiving track....but a
Sunday drive along the autobahn....
Anyway, being a little rattled by the day before, and feeling a little
more conscious about my lack of experience, and not wishing to risk my
nice new blue jaggy, I hopped into Jochen's *Friend of mine* BMW 2002
turbo. Outwardly the most unlikely thing on the ring, looking positively
grocery getter in the midst of the eye candy. plain white, no visible
outward modifications, no a spoiler, no even a new set of rims....
However, when we got in, and he offered the drivers seat after my
inexperienced criticism, I was taken aback. The car was fantastic. though
not as glued to the road as the caterham, it was well done to say the
least.
Aremburg, which i had far to heavily braked for last time, was easily
taken in 2nd gear, if it was a little loud, as i road the rumble strip on
the inside, and then swept outside to do the same. he told me it was a
decent use of track width, even if a little ragged. The car's suspension
was a set of H&R "Nurburgring" springs. They seem to make an entire line
of suspension setups precisely for the ring. Subsequently, the car bounced
a fair bit less than that of the caterham. which was a welcome change, as
last time if i hadn't had a helmet on, I would have likely ripped open my
head on the cage.
Adenauer Forst, the site of my last offroad excursion, was almost the site
of another, as it again tricked me, and i barely stayed on the road.
however, the set of Brembo ceramic brakes and cross drilled vented disc's
saved my day, as i stayed on track, and managed the chicane decently.
Jochen noted to me that i seemed a little self conscious....and reminded
me that just because i wasn't setting lap records for the car didn't mean
it wasn't a good drive. This put me into the "clean and smooth" mindset a
little ore, and Wehrseifen and Bergwerk were much better than they were
last time, with better throws and steadier driving. i was beginning to
enjoy this. :-)
Around Karussel, i managed to kick the back out a little on purpose, and
the car willingly obliged. i slid around just a bit, pointed the car back
to the proper line and away i went. as we came out of the corner, i asked
Jochen what tires were on, he answered a set of medium gripped and decent
life sporty's from Ring Racing.
Cont'd
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/26/2007 11:14:04 PM
triple post FTW!
----------------------------
Cont'd from previous
I knew it was coming, and it happened at eschlbach....we passed a set of
bikers off the road, motionless, with a safety car coming up behind us at
a pace I couldn't match, and as we pulled right, we saw the accident
closer....and saw why. both legs were at the oddest and most unnatural
angles, and one arm was bloodied. the faceplate of the helmet was
cracked...and there was a trail of coolant or oil along the track, with
skid marks leading from it. pulled over and off the track. Jochen went to
flag down the crash, whilst I watched the heli pull down and airlift a
stationary rider form the ground. the other being treated for much more
minor injuries. the bike had amazingly not hit the armco, skidding along
the grass after the rider was launched into it as he was thrown off a
sliding and bucking bike. the bike had apparently then righted itself, and
skidded along the grass. if it had hit the armco, it may have bounced off
and gone back into the rider...and a 400 pound plus bike is not what you
want hitting you.
when we were done, Jochen clambered back in, and asked if i was okay...i
told him yes, but he could see i was far from driving shape. he told me
that the first accident is the worst to witness, especially since you
can't do much. he asked if i had taken first aid and CPR training. i
answered yes. he told me that these things happen, and if we saw a slow
moving car leaking coolant, to copy down the number plates, color and
make&model.....i said that was fine.
As we got started again, i was so cautious i soon had people behind
me....embarrassed, i pulled right, and let them all pass, waving as some
looked, as they were passing a little slow unsure as to what i would
do.they got the hint i was new, and smiled and pointed forward, telling em
to focus. or most of them....one waved with only one finger....
anyway, going round Anfahrt, we spotted a Polo leaking fluid periodically
on the side, got the numbers, and the other info down. he was being smart
about it, or so he thought, and had figured out which side the fluid was
leaking from, and kept that side just on the grass, effectively, or to
him, hiding his crimes, and saving his pocket book for a tow....this
infuriated both Jochen and I...to know that someone might loose their life
do to a fools greediness is not something you wish to learn when driving
the Ring, and Jochen told me to lay off the gas.....
as we pulled into the car park for the break i evidently needed...we
reported the driver, and the marshals had a less than civil chat with him
in the middle of the park, where he was hastily trying to find the leak
before they found him. the language was at one point so bad a mother and
her children left... but i didn't mind. he was taken inside, and the
police showed up a little later. good on em.
Such is life,as i have learned, a the Ring. anyway, the BMW was a more
comfortable car than the caterham....and a better drive, now that i have
some sense of driving precautions.
Oh and i found a guy looking to buy an old school jag in decent condition
for triple the price i paid for mine. it seemed a damned shame, but my
dream car has always been a porsche, so i will see what i can do :-)
Until next time, drive safe, and watch yourself.
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Being that i know there is little to no chance of me ever getting to the
Ring in real life,a s I do live in Canada, i do like to think of what it
would be like.....thats why my "car reviews" are so very indepth as i can
get them, without sounding to anal.
wanderingmuse22
Posted 4/27/2007 9:59:57 PM
I apologize for interupting the proceedings, but this:
www.nurburgring.org.uk/trip_reports/trip50/index.html is Ben Lovejoy's most recent trip report. Not his best or worst, but for
newcomers to the 'Ring Diary is a great sample of what we Virtual 'Ringers
wish we could really do on weekends. I'm posting it here to say this:
Mr PInstripes, if you're lurking, there's a picture of a Ring going Alpine
in this report.
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For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so
will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/28/2007 11:03:58 AM
no prollem wandering.
anyway, I have read all of his trip reports....so yeah nothing new there.
But i want one of the BMW quads sooooo bad lol...looks mighty awesome.
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/29/2007 11:26:20 AM
The final day of my Ring trip is upon me....
Seeing that no one wished to sell an old school 911 to me :-( i had to
settle with a BMW m3 GTR, a hard car to find and buy as it is. This one
happened to be slightly used on the ring, having a decent suspension, and
impeccable tires. decent grip, with evidently some life running time,
however, do to the hot conditions, they heated up quickly, so i reduced
the pressures, and went out again, for a decent lap that wasn't sighting
and heating up the rubber.
Going into T13 was interesting, as repairs were being done to the Armco on
the inside, and so were a little hard to place right away. This is why
sighting laps should always be done before going all out.
Coming out of Hocheichen, there was a beautiful Cizeta facing the wrong
way, on the wrong surface: grass, with the wrong part of the car touching
the ground. Yes the car had rolled. luckily, the car had been fitted with
a full cage, with reinforced roofing and framing, so there was little in
the way of damage that could not be undone. I learned later that the car
had previously bottomed out, on an earlier lap, damaging the steering.
When the driver went to steer out of the corner, the system gave way under
the higher speed stress, and the car had gone sideways, skidded across the
road, slowing down, and when it hit the different traction of the grass
and running boards, had rolled ontot he roof. The driver was not hurt.
----------
Cont'd, as i have to go.
Tupacrulez
Posted 4/30/2007 4:25:48 PM
never fear, i am here, keeping this failing topic ALIVE AND
WELL.
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Flugplatz, normally an easy corner, was today totally screwed up by a
lingering rain cloud that had decided to deposit a generous amount of
moisture on the entry, bend, and exit for a fair ways. this meant that
several cars had gone into the grass. No injuries from the look of things.
luckily not many bikers were there today, or else it would have been
closed to them.
This is another reason not to trust a weather forecast for the Ring areas.
it's rarely accurate.
The car was flawless with a little control through the wet however, and
when we got out into the dry again, it adjusted nicely. it did however,
feel a little loose through Aremburg. I almost lost the back end at one
point. Maybe it was because I was on the gas to early, as it was fine
through Adenauer, and Ex-Muhle.
The Car had a slight tendency to over power itself at first. so I had a
little time getting used to easing on the gas, as this was the most
powerful car I'd taken out yet.
Bergwerk was a near day wrecking, as i slid along the wet line from the
early morning drizzle, it was taking longer to dry than normal i was told
upon returning to the car park, and i very nearly lost the back end and
hit the Armco. Through some VERY careful throttle control and much cursing
at the prospect of ruining the car, I got through, if a little slower than
i would have liked.
Still having trouble discerning the fast from the slow line, Eschbach was
slower than i would have hoped. the only consolation was i flew around the
Karussel before hand. Pflanzgarten was more of the same, with half being
damp, and half being dry. no not the track, but the turn, the entry and
about 2/3's of the turn itself were damp, then it abruptly got dry.....Oh
well better that than Vice versa.
The track was closed for a while,and after getting in a few paxlaps, and
then a few more in my new BM, i stored her, and went back to the B&B....
my first trip was crashy, good weather, then questionable weather, a total
of probably 15+ laps, and a ton of fun. I am headed back to Canada
tomorrow, hopefully getting back to Germany in a few months....I've asked
a friend of mine that i made whilst here to turn the car over once or
twice every week, to keep things from seizing. i told him "that means
pumping the brakes....forget it, just take it out for a lap or two when
you can" I hope to find my baby in good condition when i come back. :-)
Till next time, get out there and DRIVE
viperinthegrass
Posted 4/30/2007 5:33:32 PM
Hey Tupalcrulez, nice work indeed ! Way to go.
It has been a week since I picked the WR, so hopefully everyone who wants
to try it has been able to find one. I do not have a story to offer but I
have driven the said car which to remind everyone is the -
Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex SS version ( Shuichi Shigeno) 2000
Did a few laps each with the Car stock ( aids off ) and with N2's fitted.
Best time stock ( S3's) - 8 ' 04 . 222 (should have a video upped by
tomorrow).
Best time N2's - 9 ' 01 . 274
On S3's Car was a bit too grippy to drift much, not that I wanted to
anyway. Mild understeer can be cured by moving ballast slider forward.
Move to rear if you want a bit more rear end action.
Car much looser obviously on N2's and quite a bit of fun to be had sliding
around, but not what i would call proper "Drifting". In fact I remain to
be convinced it is possible to drift properly anyway. Certainly difficult
with a DS2.
As Tupalcrulez seems to be in the groove I nominate you as the next WR™
picker.
Later.
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