This is the main paddock at the Ring. Automotive porn is an understatement for this lot.
Part 6: A Lap On The Nürburgring In Jon Herman's Sti
It's not often you find somebody with enough brass to let you rip on their painstakingly built (and rebuilt) track car, especially when that ripping takes place at the most demanding and dangerous circuit in the world. But Jon Herman has brass aplenty, having spent more than his fair share of time turning terrorists into a little extra Iraqi desert sand. Listening to a few of Jon's war stories is enough to make an average man's attachments shrivel in humility, so it should come as no surprise that he seemed cool as a cucumber while serving as navigator during my lap of the Ring in his highly modified '04 STI.
After swiping our four-lap card at the electronic gate that controls entry to the Nordschleife, we tiptoed through the cones that limit entry speed for the first few hundred feet and then laid into the throttle.
Km 1: We pass under the bridge that indicates the start of the lap and blast downhill toward the Hohenrain chicane and the fast but technical Hatzenbach turns. I remember this part of the track well from Forza2, so Jon remains quiet as I find my way without too much difficulty. The short gearing of the STI's transmission is an excellent match for the tight, twisty bits of Hatzenbach II and III, the TEIN Flex coilovers and Nitto NT05 rubber providing enough confidence-inspiring grip that we've already passed a few cars and motorcycles.
Km 4: Climbing steeply up into Flugplatz, the car feels light for a moment as we crest the hill and Jon calmly barks out, "Deceivingly fast double righthander." Although it should be treated as a single radius turn with a late apex, I hold too tight a line coming in and have to scrub some speed off mid-corner as a result. No matter, a quick downshift and we're powering out onto the long stretch that leads to the extremely fast downhill lefthander known as Schwedenkreuz (could easily mean "Pucker Factor" in German).
RSR Nürburg is an excellent place to rent a ride for the Ring. We tried to trade our EVO X
Km 7: Another set of extremely fast downhill esses lead into Adenauer Forst, a turn Jon warned me about while strapping into the driver seat. This slow reducing radius lefthander catches a lot of people out, and even with Jon yelling, "Slow left, SLOW LEFT!" I overcook the entry and understeer off the line. Momentum lost but no damage done, I downshift and power out of the tight righthander that follows.Km 8: Metzgesfeld, Kallenhard and Wehrseifen make up some of the most technical turns on the entire Ring. Unfortunately, we're stuck behind a smoke-puking Audi TT with enough horsepower to match us down the straights but nowhere near as much cornering power, so we follow patiently and look for a good passing opportunity.
Km 8: Metzgesfeld, Kallenhard and Wehrseifen make up some of the most technical turns on the entire Ring. Unfortunately, we're stuck behind a smoke-puking Audi TT with enough horsepower to match us down the straights but nowhere near as much cornering power, so we follow patiently and look for a good passing opportunity.
Km 10: We finally get the inside line on the Audi through a very fast righthand sweeper that leads into Breidsheid, a reducing radius lefthander over a bridge that marks the lowest point on the track.
Km 13: Here it comes. The Karussell. Following the twin Porsche GT3s that just passed us going into Steilstrecke, we drop down into the steeply banked turn that looks and feels more like a concrete berm than a racetrack. Adding gas in pursuit of the Porsches, I can feel the STI's suspension compress.
Km 16: After climbing steeply to Hohe Acht, the highest point on the track, I'm totally disoriented coming down into Wipperman, but Jon senses my hesitation and barks, "Left/right combo leading into a fast righthander." Back on the gas, the GT30 turbo spools up and my grip tightens slightly around the Sparco steering wheel as the left tires jump up onto the cobblestone curbing on the outside of Brünnchen curve.