With a team of 14 we left London in an 11 plate Mercedes E250 Estate on 19’s and air ride (very comfortable for 4 x 6ft+ 14st+ portly squires), 03 Audi A4 3.0 Covertible (not so comfy for 4), MK1 TT 225 (very comfy for 2), big Citroen (carrying 2) and a very masculine looking Mini Cooper S (also carrying 2).
Driving in convoy and catching a 16:20 train to Calais on Friday 22nd July, via the Channel Tunnel, we stopped off in the Novotel Centrum in Bruges, Saturday in Koblenz (Hotel Haus Morjan on the river) and over to Nurburg Sunday am for the F1.
Even after the overhaul of Silverstone, a few of the guys commented on how organised everything was including nearly no traffic into or out of Nurburg. Map at the top outlines the Nurburgring and park zone B area 5 and 5a were excellent and free.
The days time was spent between the Info Centre, (where you have to buy cards to put money on before you can purchase food/drink – a bit annoying), gawping at the Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW M Power, Ferrari etc stands and then sitting in Tier 6 and later sneaking into 4.
Can’t believe how close you can sit to the track and everyone needed ear plugs. Awesome race to be at and so much suspence with Hamilton storming into the lead in the first corner (why can’t Webber ever start well?), constant battle for 1st place with Hamilton re-overtaking Webber after he broke too late. Webber and Alonso pushed Hamilton back into 3rd and with some good strategy and tyre choices by Mclaren, Hamilton took the chequered flag with only a few laps to go, incredible! Not so much luck for Button with hydraulic issues and Vettel was off the pace. This is a fantastic venue for the F1 and we did see a ‘Save the Nurburgring Brigade’, so hope it’s not the last. Ears are still bleeding but left the F1 at 17:00 and made a 21:20 train – took 7 hours from Silverstone to Guildford I hear.