Having been on both ends of a coolant spill, several times, they’re one of my biggest fears on the Nürburgring. And thanks to Daniel’s onboard video, you can see for yourself how scary it is.
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It’s a bit of a chaotic lap, but the spill I’m talking about is visible at 6m30s.
Only seconds later you can see the hapless Mitsubishi that’s still driving along…
Fluid leaks are a fact of life at the Nürburgring. If you do enough laps, you’re going to find one.
Two times my own car has dropped fluids on the Nordschleife, and a couple more times than that, I’ve headed for the grass at speed as soon as I could because I thought I was dropping fluid.
I’ve crashed on coolant too, on a motorcycle. And I’ve nearly crashed the car twice.
So what should you do?
- Check your car for leaks every day that you drive the ‘Ring. Don’t be irresponsible. If it’s leaking, don’t lap it. Fluid leaks can kill on the Nordschleife.
- If you think you’re leaking, SLOW DOWN and get on to the grass as soon as possible. Remember an ORANGE fence shows a safe parking spot behind the barrier.
- Phone the Nordschleife office AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and tell them you’ve dropped fluid and where you are (marshall post numbers are the best way to explain your location, black numbers on white boards): 0800 0302 112.
They should turn on the YELLOW LIGHTS immediately - Finally, staying on the SAFE side of the fence, move down the track, towards the traffic, and try to slow people down with your yellow flag/wavingarms/tshirt/psychic powers
