This weekend the Nürburgring was busy. No, it was packed. Actually, it was SWARMING with holiday-happy visitors.
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Perfect weather, an epic VLN race on Saturday (Alzen Ford GT OMG-edition), and then a full day of TF on Sunday.
“What could possibly be better?!”
Unsurprisingly, that very same thought echoed around another few thousand heads too. As anybody who was there will tell you, the track was of course shut far longer than it was open. See the video below for a good demonstration of the reason why…
Holy shiiiiiiit, that was CLOSE! And how frickin’ busy?!
Before anybody starts with the “OMG, why is she flagging there?” comments, let me be clear:
TF is public driving, and the management (in their infinite wisdom) do not provide any permanent flags or warnings. Not because these would require yet more sensible, well-trained people in yellow vests to be employed each day (cost-cutting? not us!) but because they say it’s a public road, and shouldn’t require any extra signals. So that volunteer had parked her own pride and joy then ran down a bowling alley full of life-ending 1.5 ton monsters being thrown at her, and she was still running…
So, BULL and SH*T would be my response to the people who say NO to more signs and marshalls and race-track stuff. If you have a big tunnel with a large curve in it, OF COURSE you expect extra signals in it. Nice big dot-matrix signs that can tell the traffic “WOAH THERE PONIES! Slow down you crazy mother-lovers! There’s an accident ahead!”
Video overwatch, more lights, and another 20 marshalls on flag duty please. It works for the big sub-Alpine tunnels, right? And what is our beloved Nordschleife if not the craziest tunnel to Green Hell ever?!
Thought for today: If anybody want to organise a trackday of any size (even just for 1 to 10 very rich customers), the management will NOT allow you to drive on the Nordschleife without paying for the basic minimum 15-20 flag marshalls and an E-Unit safety team. So why does a busy Sunday with thousands of unbriefed public drivers NOT need any of these?
#justsaying
