Not just the Nordschleife

Turf at the Nürburgring: Porsche schöner Götterfunken

(Bild: Rossen Gargolov)

A man must have planted a tree, built a house and fathered a child once in his life, according to reformer Martin Luther. In the case of petrolheads, there's something else to add to this: to speed through the Green Hell once. But it takes more than a strong faith to avoid flying straight into purgatory on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife.

Wehrseifen, Hatzenbach, Kesselchen, Döttinger Höhe, Bergwerk - these are all cathedrals, so to speak, in the promised land of car enthusiasts. They make a pilgrimage here from all over the world to burn their creed into the asphalt. And to experience paradise.

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Sure, anyone can buy a ticket for 30 euros as part of the so-called tourist trips. But beware: the good Lord forgives a lot, the Nordschleife nothing. A mistake is often punished faster than you can shout "holy sh...". However, not by being expelled from the Garden of Eden, but at least with a fender bender or even a total loss. See countless crash compilations on YouTube. It's better to treat yourself to the grace of an instructor, for example as part of sports car perfection training or at another driving event - it may cost money, but it pays off in terms of fun and is always cheaper than having the riot act read to you in the garage. And it doesn't hurt.

For tourist rides, a lap costs from 30 euros, an annual pass costs 3000 euros.

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

Perfection training is one thing above all: perfect
Timo Kluck drives in front of me, he in a Porsche 911 GT3, I in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, with the almost identical engine(click here for the driving report!). Timo is not only a development driver at Porsche and an experienced instructor, but is actually at home at the Nürburgring, in a neighboring village very close by. Sometimes I think the crash barriers sparkle at him in greeting. On the first few laps, he not only tells me over the radio how to accelerate, brake and turn in, but also the names of the sections of the track we are driving through. Airfield, Schwedenkreuz, Fuchsröhre, etc. I only understand half of it because the four-liter boxer behind me and the airbox right next to my ears are roaring like a hurricane at the Last Judgement, but at least I know in good time whether to turn left or right after the next crest.

Around 200 participants share the route without getting in each other's way. The vehicles are all sporty to very sporty.

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about any of the car's quirks - the Porsche does exactly what it's told and the steering gives me the feeling that I always know exactly what's going on in the communication between the car and the road. I soon feel confident enough to make full use of the track. For example, at Metzgesfeld, where Timo explicitly warns me not to hit the wet grass on the right when braking - a nasty spin could be the result. But the Cayman repays the trust placed in it time and time again.

The rules of success
But first you have to be able to trust yourself, in the sense of: Don't get cocky! "You must never lose respect and must remain focused at all times," warns Timo Kluck. The "racing priest" may not have ten commandments, but he does have a few that you should internalize. These include starting cautiously and slowly increasing your speed. In other words, first learn the right line, then get faster. "If you try to do it the other way around, you'll soon be swinging a hammer. But not because he's so good, but because he has to dent the sheet metal."

Timo Kluck refueling. On race track days, the car is the only thing that needs to be drunk - in this case around 30 l/100 km of fuel and half a liter of oil per 1000 km.

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

There's something else he points out during a break: "People get better with the number of laps, but the brakes and tires wear out, so you often start to overdrive the car. You have to take it easy." At some point, you overdrive your car and overtax the material.

In the case of the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, there's no danger of that at our speed, but I force myself to be extra patient, even if I think to myself at some point during the 25 laps that we speed around the Nordschleife in formation, that I could actually go faster. That may be true in many places, but here a lap has almost 21 kilometers, 33 left turns and 40 right turns, and after one or two of the 290 meters of elevation gain, Timo knows what to do next, but my guardian angel doesn't yet. A normal race course that is five or six kilometers long is easier to remember.

Probably not only the longest and most difficult, but also the most idyllic race course in the world

(Bild: Rossen Gargolov)

People learn overnight
How good that the perfection training is scheduled over two days! On the evening of the first day, wet and sweaty and happy, I realized that around 500 kilometers of concentrated driving on the Nordschleife does take its toll on stamina and concentration. Thanks, Timo, for slowing me down.

In the morning of day two, the car and I are equally fresh. Overnight, my brain has obviously internalized what I've learned, and the track immediately feels familiar. That's a good thing, because as a special treat today we drive the entire Nürburgring, i.e. the Nordschleife plus the Grand Prix circuit, in one go. That's a total of 26 kilometers and another five kilometers to learn. An experience that is not available to many. The entire route is rarely available.

After lunch, I set off on the route alone. Again, I start off cautiously, as I now have to find my own line, braking and turning points. I can still concentrate fully on driving, the car sits like a board, brakes like an anchor and steers exactly on the line I want it to, without understeering. And it does so precisely and at such a speed that I'm always surprised at how much more I could do.

Keep your eyes open when choosing tires!

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

I'm gaining confidence and I'm starting to know how the track is going. I enjoy standing on the gas in Breidscheid and letting myself be pressed against the right side of the carbon bucket seat. I really get to grips with the mine and then let go through the boiler, not seeing the throttle and steering, but knowing where to go next.

"Just don't get cocky," I hear Timo Kluck say. The Nordschleife has it all. The circuit is so extensive that you can unexpectedly find yourself on a wet track because it suddenly rains. Typical Eifel weather. What's more, many racing drivers consider it more dangerous now that the humped track has been removed. Apart from Caracciola-Karussell & Co.

(Bild: Rossen Gargolov)

(Bild: Rossen Gargolov)

How fast was I? I have no idea. Definitely slower than works driver Jörg Bergmeister, who only needed 7:09.300 minutes for the 20.832 kilometers on his record drive with this car. Next time, I'll definitely be a little closer to him.