The Run to the 'Ring: Drew and Coulter lap the Nurburgring

What a day!

Having covered Gamescom extensively the past two days, NFSDrew and NFSCoulter took a little detour to the legendary Nurburgring.

ROAD TRIP

Waking up early, we ate some breakfast at the hotel (I went for the bacon, Drew the coffee) and headed to pick up our rental car.

Within minutes of navigating the city and picking up some cameras, we were bolting down the Autobahn at 136mph. While some may scoff and claim faster speeds, please note that our rental BMW 3.20 diesel didn’t have much left at that point. That being said, 136mph is still pretty quick, yet nothing compared to the Ducati and…wait for it…Range Rover that flew past us with at least an extra 20-30mph of top end.

Through the dense fog we sped, and every time I saw a sign for the Nurburgring, I found the speedometer creeping up a little faster. After a little over an hour, we arrived.

NURBURGRING ARRIVAL

The Nurburgring is massive. Sitting in the midst of lush rolling hills, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why it’s called “The Green Hell.” For as long as I can remember, driving on the ‘Ring has been a dream of mine, and to finally have the opportunity present itself has been incredible.

I jumped out of the car and half-walked-half-ran to the entrance, taking pictures of everything in sight. Drew and I entered the building that runs along the Grand Prix circuit, making sure to take time to see the specialized shops of manufacturers like Ferrari, Aston Martin, Radical and Nissan.

TRACK TIME

After picking up the “rent a race car,” we headed to the gates of the Nordschleife. The car, a VW Scirocco R is one featured in Need for Speed The Run although it’s only available in Europe. To say it was the cream of the crop would be a lie. We were surrounded by Porsche GT3 RS’, BMW M3s, Corvette Z06s, and other high-end cars. As we all waited for the track to open, Drew and I were kids in a candy store.

It felt like every car I had ever dreamed about was right in front of me. I would be pointing at one $100,000 car, when Drew would grab me and point out a $200,000 exotic.

THE NORDSCHLEIFE

Having played numerous racing games that featured the ‘Ring, I had somewhat of a clue of the track layout beforehand, but nothing prepares you for the focus and concentration you need in order to keep all four wheels on the track.

For the first thirty seconds, everything was surreal. We were driving on the Nurburgring, just me, Drew, a VW Scirocco R and a camera. That is until a two Nissan GT-R's came flying past at dizzying speeds. All of a sudden, instinct and adrenaline kicked in: This wasn’t a Sunday drive, this was a fantasy I’d dreamed of living out, and I wasn’t going to waste it looking at the pretty graffiti on the road. I punched the accelerator.

Through lefts and rights, over the Flugplatz, and down long straights, we barreled along the track. The tires were squealing with joy on every corner, and so was I. Going around the Karussell nearly caused me to faint I was so giddy.

After one lap, we switched seats and Drew took the wheel. Having never driven with Drew I was a bit nervous. I had no idea what his skill set was, but within three turns I knew I was in good hands. Deftly weaving in and out of hairpins, I found myself relaxing more with every turn, and the advice I offered became less frequent. Drew has skills.

There was a scary moment at one point where the track marshalls were waving the yellow flag in front of us, and when we came around a corner, we saw an older BMW M3 with its front end completely totaled. Seeing something like that is always a reminder to stay within your own limits, and not get the “red mist” some drivers tend to have when they see others flying past.

Trading seats every lap, we got faster and faster. I set a personal goal for myself to get below 10 minutes. On my last lap I did 9:58 with Drew not far behind. While it certainly isn’t blazing, having never been to the ‘Ring and in a car that barely has over 200hp, it’s nice to satisfy a personal goal. I'd like to reiterate that by his last lap, Drew had lost all nervousness and was absolutely tearing around the track. It was really impressive to see his driving improve exponentially in such a small window!

However, that’s certainly overshadowed by the aura the Nurburgring Nordschleife casts upon everyone who drives it. Countless times we used words like “Unbeliveable,” “Incredible,” or simply, “Awesome.”

On the drive home we were so worn out that neither of us spoke. To have finally been around the ‘Ring, after years of dreaming about it, has been such a fantastic experience. I couldn’t be happier about the way our personal “Run to the ‘Ring” went.

It’s always a treat to get behind the wheel and not have a speed limit to hold you back, and we made sure to take full advantage at one of the best tracks in the world.