Very purposeful look. It’s amazing you get no rubbing. I expect it’s in the thread somewhere but what springs and shocks are you using?
KW V3, I can’t remember off the top of my head the spring rates, but they aren't super stiff. I think the fact they don't catch is I've maxed the top mounts out to get as much castor as possible, this is really beneficial as it adds dynamic camber, so the more steering input the more negative camber I get.
Just caught up on the thread as I haven't been on here much. Wow, loads has been done since last year, fair play! Love the suspension mods you have done to car and the effort you put in to calculate bump steer etc. And that photo you have of you and your 2 mates (1 unknown photoshopped out) is class. Keep em coming!
Nurburgring 2023 It’s that time again, the big one, the Nurburgring. This year was slightly different, the usual bunch of lads who come along all had other life commitments and couldn’t make it. I was going out there at the same time as Nige (Pinderwagen) and I would be travelling out with Warren who also has a mk2. Warren has been rebuilding his car for a while and as the time got closer, it was looking less and less likely he would make it, after having the car fully reshelled. I got a call the day before we were due to set off with some bad news, his car wasn’t going to make it. So this year I was out there on my own, or at least travelling and staying on my own. This was a real shame, but I didn’t let it hamper my spirits, I just needed to make sure I had packed extra everything, in case of breakdown/failures etc – yes I did pack a spare gearbox again… First success, I’d made it to the ferry They really pack you in! Its always nerve racking when they park you so close and people have to squeeze past with luggage. Every year it seems to be decent weather when the ferry leaves, which is nice. Arrived in Rotterdam the next day, the weather had turned slightly… I was on the motorway doing around 60mph and I was changing a full lane without wanting to! AR1’s and standing water are terrifying! Although I felt sorrier for this lad in his drop top Lotus… Driving through Holland, their motorway have these large concrete slabs which dip and dive, a bit like waves. With the car being full to the brim the passenger rear tyre was catching on the rear arch… less than ideal. So I pulled over at the services, picked up some obligatory snacks and had a think. I had a quick look and there were no marks on the tyre so the arch only needed massaging a mm or so. I could have carried on driving but my thinking was, going through the foxhole in the big compression it might have a chance of catching there too. It was still torrential rain outside, so whatever I did needed to be fast. Jack handle to the ready! Wedging it between the arch and the tyre I managed to get the purchase I needed. Back out onto the motorway and the issue was sorted result. Getting closer to the Ring, it starts to feels very special, every year. Off the motorways and winding down these roads is a great feeling. I arrived early afternoon and met up with Nige, checked in at the house. The next 2 days was the DN Event trackday, I was just doing TF again this year, so I joined Nige for a day of passengering and helping out where needed. Saturday was total write off as the weather way awful. I did get out with Nige and also Al in his 996, It was really interesting seeing someone use the wet line properly, but it did make me feel a little queasy. That night a load of us went out for some food, which was really nice. The next morning was much better weather, again I wasn’t on this track day so I went to support Nige and get some passenger laps in. It didn’t disappoint! We had a couple of laps, sat behind loads of 911’s, GT2RS’ you name it! After lap 1 lap Nige engaged the “high boost” mode – hell fire, this was another level now. I still can’t get my head around how a brick shapped mk2 golf can be so savage ontrack. Fortunately I was also onboard for this… The golf did its highest ever top speed down the Dottinger Hohe straight… 174.9mph. GPS. Just have a moment to think about that… it’s pretty mind blowing! Unfortunately, it did go a little south at this point, as the car hit the compression in the track, it starved the bottom end of oil and spun a bearing. I wont say too much as Nige might want to publish an update at some point. But we made it to the top of Flugplatz, and pulled off behind the barrier. (concerned face!) We then spent the rest of the day trying to sort it. Nige had the spares but all our conventional and unconventional attempts to fix it didn’t work and the lack of oil pressure had damaged the crank, so there was not much we could do. That evening the track was open for tourist driving, so I got my helmet on for a first steady lap on my own. (I’m still waiting for some images to be sent through so excuse the watermarks) I must sound like a broken record now, but… God the Golf feels good, it really, really feels amazing to drive, so direct and a crazy amount of grip from the new rubber. While I was over there I met Tim and Bex, who were also there for the DN event. Tim had never been round the track before so I was delighted to take him out as a passenger. We had some great evenings with Nige, Lou, Tim and Bex and I’m really grateful they let me tag along. The next day Nige came out with me for a lap, helping me brush up on lines etc. Its great to see him enjoying himself! I’m really glad I clearanced those arches! As you can tell we both had a great time! I went back to the house and checked the car over. Thankfully, no leaks, everything was tight, all good to go for the next day That night, we all went out for some food and everyone was high on Nurburgring spirit. I’d been chatting to a few people and they were telling me tales of crashes, repair bills, how dangerous TF is, the usual. Now… I know the risks, we all do. But something was different this time, I still don’t fully know what it was, I think being here “on my own” had a lot to do with it, usually you are with your mates 24/7, there’s moral support, banter and people to look out for you. I was the only one doing TF, Nige and his group were leaving the following day and I’d be completely on my own for the next 6 days or so. Just to clarify, I’m a grown man, and I’m completely happy and comfortable in my own company (I do quite enjoy that a lot of the time) but tourist days on the Nurburgring are no joke, essentially if you crash or drop fluids, there’s a high chance you’d end up bankrupt - I mean that in the literal sense. Having said all that I didn’t come here to drive round at 30mph, I came here to enjoy what is the greatest race track in the world and drive as fast as possible. The next day I had a couple of warm up laps, driving at 80% or so, to get my confidence back and mentally get myself in the place I needed to be. What’s weird, any nerves you have in the TF car park vanish as soon as you pass that gantry. I had a couple of great laps, catching faster cars and generally just having a bloody good time! Below is a little battle I had with an E36 325i, I don’t think he was too happy with me getting past, but I was faster in the twisties. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-HdLiEgMWbk Every lap there had been a few yellow flags, so no laps times yet. Not that that really mattered because I was having a blast. But I could tell the golf was quick this year, and I was I knew I’d be close to the ever-elusive sub 9 min lap time. I’d also been watching my videos back trying to see where I could gain some time, Id tried holding the car at redline in 4th up the Kesselchen straight instead of going into 5th, despite the car still dropping in revs at the top of the hill I’d determined that to be a second or 2 faster. I went out again that evening, it was a week night and the traffic was a lot quieter. The Golf was going well and I knew if there were no yellow flag and no major hold ups I’d right up there. Luckily there were no yellow flags, but unfortunately there was traffic, some costing me valuable time. I got to the end of that lap with a big grin! It was a good lap, but I didn’t think it was a sub 9 due to the hold ups. I parked the Golf up to cool down in the usual lay-by, close to the track. I don’t use any type of laptimer on track, so I checked back over my video footage. an 8:58 BTG… no way… all those hold ups!? double check 8:58 BTG. We’d done it! The mighty little 8v, going sub 9 at the ring. Without sounding link I’m blowing smoke up my trumpet that’s some going for a car with sub 125hp. After watching the footage back I recon there was AT LEAST 15 seconds of hold ups… I think an 8:40/8:45 would be doable on a clear run. That is mega! I drove over to Brunchen to watch the last of the TF cars before closure and sat down with a currywurst and a coke. That was it, that was the moment, nothing like it. While I was there I met 2 lads from Holland, they had a lovely mk2 with an ABF. I drove back to the house that night, very happy indeed. I was meant to be out there for another 5 days, but unlike me I decided to call the trip short, I was going to travel back to the UK the next day. I rang my wife that night and explained I’d be back home early, she did make me second guess my decision and was telling me to stay and just enjoy myself, which was nice to hear. She knows how much work and dedication I put in year round for this trip, and how much it means to me. But I know myself, I trust my judgement and I knew, deep down, I’d be chasing that time, I’d want that 8:4X and that’s not what TF is about. It’s a dangerous game I can’t afford to play. I was happy, very happy. The car was in one piece, the gearbox hadn’t exploded, smiles all round! So that was that. Who’d have thought all those years ago… We’ve both come along way! That’s not it for the Nurburgring, I will be back Until the next one, cheers.
What a lovely story! A lot of respect for you to travel alone to the Ring. I can imagine your feelings being there alone! If anything happens, there is literally no backup around to help you, with anything. Nice pictures too! Somehow they hardly capture my cars in good-looking angles
Great report James, I've not been over for about 10 years now, do miss it but the risks involved in TF are too much sadly.
It looks like great fun and your car looks great. Sub 9 minutes is awesome What is TF? Im guessing Tourist something? I know you have to pay for armco if you hit it but how much do they charge for that and what are the other potential costs?
thanks guys TF means Touristenfahrten in German, essentially “tourist drives” in other words, not a track day, its a public toll road, so German road rules apply (2 lane highway, over take on the left) The barrier costs do rack up, but its the 3rd party liability that gets you, and as a UK car there are no insurance policies that will cover you in any fashion on TF days. As an example lets say you drive around at steady 50mph, just enjoying the track, and your top rad hose splits or pops off, and you drop coolant. Its a busy Sunday, you stop immediately but theres coolant on the track, some cars hit your coolant and crash, you are liable to pay for the damages of those cars and the people inside. Now imagine those cars are new M3s, GT3RS’ etc… thats a bad day at the office. Oh and did I mention you are also liable to the cost of track closure and loss of earning, and the air ambulance. I’ve heard stories of bills being in the millions of euros. Thats why i spend so long trying to make sure everything is perfect, new hoses, rad, clips, flanges, use water wetter not coolant… but ultimately its a 35 year old car and all the prep in the world isnt going to stop the unexpected happening… on a brighter note, its the best track in the world and there really is nowhere like it!
Interesting, hadn’t realised all that. No wonder all policies specifically state not covered at the Nurburgring.
Brilliant update mate, I take my hat off to you, your little Mk2 has certainly earned its keep over the years!
I never took my Golf to TF, in my opinion it isn't worth the risk. It has become so much more crowded over the years, let alone the ticket costs. It's a dangerous track, and therefore also really beautiful, but if you go off without it being your fault, you have a problem. And what James said, if you or others go off by your fault you really are going to be unhappy. A M3 or GT3 is expensive (although they drive like they get em for free somewhere) but what if there are personal damages, that's even worse. I did do some laps with the daily when I was around, in the morning when the track was close to empty. If I would go (it'd be fantastic obviously), I'd only do a trackday and only with one of my racing friends as co-driver.
I'm up for it if my car is ready for it! I've never actually been to knockhill before so would be good to spectate either way, let me know what dates you're thinking! I'm about 2-2.5 hours drive away from it
