carrering

I got a definitive answer from the Nurburgring pr office today. not good.

text follows:


----------------------------------------------

Hello,



The “Temporary Registration Plates” and the “Zollkennzeichen” are two different kinds of plates that are not allowed to drive on the track.

Only if your car has got a “normal” plate, you can drive on the track with it.



Kind Regards.



Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Nürburgring GmbH
i. A. Manuel Becker

Larry Cable

Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo!

any chance of them explaining "why" this is the case?

what e-mail address did you use to contact them, I will ask ...

Thanks

- Larry

p.s
has anyone driven the ring with US plates on their car????

Alan Smithee

That blows HARD! Hardly makes the ~$4k European Delivery premium worthwhile now.

What a bummer.

SrfCity

As someone stated earlier I'm sure that you stand a chance of getting on but that's a long way to go just for a chance. Some yahoo's have crashed probably and that's spoiled it for others. Just because the "official word" says no doesn't mean that's totally the case. I'm sure there's a way if you research it enough. At the very least, just coincide with a private track day. There's probably one weekly.

carrering

I agree, just good to get the word out so we can plan accordingly. As for myself, I already have 3 private track days with 2 clubs set up for my euro delivery so I'm all set!

carrering

email pr@nuerburgring.de and ask them. I asked that and got the reply i posted above. no explanation, just a black and white rule.

Nordschleife

This is the most stupid advice that I have read here.

All that will do is is antagonise the people in the office.

Many Germans sound as if they are speaking quite good English. Outside the professional classes it is quite rare to encounter people who write good English. If you read the rules, in German, and the exerpts from Herr Becker's letters, you will see he is contradicting himself.

The Germans do have a sense of humour (note spelling), frankly I'm enjoying the joke.

If you can make the people at the track feel comfortable about the idea of you driving on the circuit, they will let you on - be nice to them - your suggestion about bombarding the organisation with emails suggests that this is a step too far for you.

If you want something from somebody, give them a reason to like you, not to dislike you.

R+C

carrering

okay, maybe a poor choice of words, but i don't think it will be taken that way. I meant if enough people ask why the policy changed maybe that will get their attention and their new policy should be re-examined. the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I think that works in germany as well.

RR

I agree 100% with RC. Wholly sh*t, Carreraring, no offense, but telling everyone to email the track is the stupidest effing idea Ive heard. It's not the US. German's are very finicking with their rules. A rule is a rule and they will stick to it ESPECIALLY if they get bombarded with emails from "stupid American's". Just drop it. Show up to the ring and basically as RC said once before, try to look as un-american as possible. Although German's themsevles can be arrogant, American arrogance isn't going to win you a battle, just instigate a Mexican Stand off - and you'd be on the losing end. Just drop it.
Your going to ruin it for everyone of us now, your bringing too much light to the subject.

Nordschleife

What you are suggesting will be taken in the worse possible way. If you send me your passport number, I will advise the Bundesgrenzpolizei and they will speed your passage through immigration and back onto the next flight out of the country.

A few facts:

German vehicle licencing and registration is complicated
Germans apply regulations in the strictest possible way
Germans apply regulations with great subtleness
There is no conflict in the previous two statements
You are assuming that what Herr Becker has written is the same thing as he understands

Have you checked that your driving licence is acceptable in Germany? Not all States have negotiated treaties with the Federal German Government.

A small accident at the 'Ring can end up costing you thousands of dollars, you pay for damage to the armco, track closure, track clearance, vehicle recovery, medevac, hospital fees, crash repairs, prosecution costs, driving fines, legal representation, court fines, the list goes on. When you have an accident, the police attend the scene of the crash and write it up, an absence of skill is an offence in Germany.

You might be safer in Key West.

R+C

MHC2S

Nordschleife is correct. An accident on the Ring can cost you thousands of dollars. Just ask these 2 idiot BMW instructors from US.

The year was 1998 I attended the BMW International drivers school. It was a 3 day event. After the last day they opended the track to the public that night. This is when the accident took place. The BMW 5 series you see in these pics was driven by 2 BMW instructors from the US. This happend along the Kesselchen section of the Nordschleife. I was the first car on the scene and was shocked to see this overturned car in the middle of the track. The driver and passenger climbed out of the rear. The passenger was fine, but the driver's head was bleeding bad and I ran to my car got the first aid kit out of the trunk and began applying pressure to the open wound on his head. A German motorcyclist stopped and I told him to go get help. He took off like a bat out hell and within 15 minutes the police, fire trucks, and ambulance arrived. The police treated this as an accident on public roads. They shut down the entire track, wrote a report and YES the driver did have to pay for the damages he inflicted to the guard rail. The car ofcourse was a total write off. I would say this was a very very expensive day for this guy. It was on that day I learned as a student that NOT all instructors are good instructors. A word of advice about the Nordschleife,make sure you are a good driver first and then worry about what car you drive later.

Sorry for the dark pic's, but I did not own a digital camera in 1998.

Larry Cable

I have mailed the ring to politely ask for an explaination of the change in policy, I will post whatever I get back.

I have also contacted the PCNA euro delivery co-ordinator to see if she can contact Porsche AG to do something about this also ...

RR

Thanks alot Larry.
What the f*ck is Porsche going to do about this?
Just leave it alone.
The only thing your relenting nagging is going to do is ensure that American Idiots are not allowed on the track.
And to be honest, I don't blame them. The "have gun, will travel motto" isn't going to work this time.

It's their track - Porsche isn;t going to give a f*ck and neither is the ring. American sentiment is horribly low in Europe and your friendly reminder to them isn't going to change that.
The last thing the 'Ring needs is a Disney-fication of the track, and further they don't want smart-*** American lawyers trying to sue the eff out of them when one of his ignorant clients bashes his car up at the track and lays the blame on the track for not warning them that traveling at speed is dangerous.
It isn't a ride at a Six Flags amusement park.

Larry Cable

1) I dont expect Porsche to do anything, it's a longshot, but both they and BMW are partners in the 'industry testing pool', a consortium of car companies that pay the ring a lot of money for track
access, so they do have some swing with them as customer

2) I see nothing wrong in politely (something you personally are clearly in need of a reminder of) asking the management for an explaination of this change in the rules, it would certainly help me
deal with the dissapointment of not being able to visit the ring (again) to drive it in my new car.

3) I have no idea "have gun will travel" even means in this context, nor do I really care to cummunicate with you any further, because frankly I find your tone, impolite, unecessary, rude, disrespectful, inappropriate and lacking any argument of any worth.

By the way, no thanks are necessary but are certainly appreciated; if nothing else is achieved, knowing how you feel makes it all seem worthwhile.

Thanks for your comments.

Larry

BC

I think we can shorten this:

Germans are complicated
Germans are regulated
Germans are Subtle, more than many understand.

Just look at the European Union, which is run by the germans and the french. Reminds me of the Tshirt I loved in College:

If Heaven is where:

* The police are British
* The cooks are French
* The engineers are German
* The lovers are Italian

And its all organized by the Swiss.

The HELL is where:
* The police are German
* The cooks are British
* The engineers are French
* The lovers are Swiss

and its all organized by the Italians.