Re: Audi factory visit info

["Dan Bocek" <dan@di.com>]

> A recent (past year) European Car mag had a nice article on the Nurbegring (sp)
> track.  According to them, it is open to the public and for a fee you can
> drive on some real history.  What kind of car are you renting? ;) 

It's true!  Last summer me and a friend of mine heard about this, so we
managed to make it over to Europe and check it out.  We rented a brand new
red 911 C2 from the Kolon airport Budget a Car (it had less than 20 KM on
the clock!) and had an absolute blast on the " 'Gring".  Call them up in
advance to make sure the track is open the day you're planning on being
there (a lot of companies rent the track for testing, and they do hold
the occasional German Touring Car / Porche Cup / etc race there).  If it's
free that day, all you do (and I'm not kidding here) is drive straight up
to the pit exit, and there'll be a real cool old lookin' german dude
standing there with a money bag over one hip, a ticket bag on the other,
and a hole punch in his hand.  Give him your money, he gives you a ticket,
and you're on your way!  There's no safetey inspection, no signing of
any insurance waivers... heck, you don't even need to wear a helmet.
It only costs the equivalent of around five bucks a lap, and what a lap
it is: the track is around 12 (14?) miles long, with steep elevation
changes, tricky chicanes, a huge straightaway (got the C2 up to 160 mph
here), and this one turn (called the Karusell (sp?)) which is more or less
a tight 180 which is banked at about 45 degrees, so you you can pretty
much go through it as fast as you want, but hold on to your stomach if
you take it over 50 mph or so - the G-force pulling you into your seat
is truly amazing and quite an unusual sensation to experience in an
automobile.

If you don't do anything else while you're in Germany, go to the 
Nurbergring - you'll remember it for the rest of your life.
-- 
                                                   
                                                    Dan Bocek
                                                    dan@di.com