N24hr 2011

2011 Nurburgring 24hr race.
My weekend started off with renting a VW GTI something a little different from the $h!t box’s I normally rent. As I was attending a race event I wanted something nice to roll up in for once. Hitting the German autobahn on a dry track I was looking forward to seeing how this vee dub was going to run. Early morning on a Friday the autobahn was a little busy and I was sum what disappointed that I couldn’t get the GTI up to full speed due to traffic or running outa free space (speed limits)
Rolling up to Nurburg it was looking a little dark and gloomy, this only meaning that the place is wet, muddy and a $hit to walk through. Slipping and sliding along a mountain with camera gear in hand can be quiet a task and when your over it aint no fun.
I head’d straight up to Hohe Acht and took a walk down track to try and find some quiet spots.
Classics, coming up into Klostertal

Nothing much was around so I head’d back up track around the Karussel for a few shots and then onto Pflanzgarten.
Walking through the camps of people and all there crap is quiet a laugh, some of the crap people bring and do there is unbelievable, and the amount of empty beer cans lying around is crazy.
the locals

The CLASSICS were runnig around the ring at this time so I wasn’t to worried about photos. Stopping every now and then for a snap, I was more interested in the folkes of "the ring”. By the time I reached Kleines Karussell I was rooted, I head’d to a favourite spot of mine and sat there for about 15mins and the head’d back to Pflanzgarten. I was even more rooted by this time and decided to sit up on someones scaffolding and snap’d some shots of the Porsche cup.
Pflanzgarten and the sliding porsches
I’m not a fan of Porsches and they way every rich person has to have one and then never drives them like they are ment to be driven. But they way these were driven was impressing me. Track was a litle wet for the practice round but that didn’t matter the track soon dry’d and these things were flying through the Pflanzgarten pretty much on the edge, dropping off a small lip in the road scrapping the bottom and then sliding through the right hand corner was amazing.
For me this was the way a Porsche should be driven..
Whilst the porkers were still running around I decided to w head back to the car and wonder off down the road to the pavillion / pits area.
By the time I arrived there the qualifying laps were started for the big boys, so I decided to walk around the grand prix track and find something to shoot. This was proving to be hard as most of the time I was shooting into the afternoon sun. so I decided to settle for a straight the heads into a chicane.
Here I was just trying to go as slow as I can trying to hold a long shutter and retaining detail is an art form and I was trying my best..
After I a while I got sick of photographing blury cars so I had something to eat, watch‘d a few cars and waited for the drift show to start….
And waited
Waited some more…….
I found out that the drift show had been moved to the bottom end of the grand prix curcuit, which was quiet a walk away and well for me it was to much my legs were in pain as they were and walking about 2k’s down the track was a killer. Worste off wasn’t the walking - it was the drifting.
I think I was hoping for to much, I didn’t take any photos of this because I was way to far away and pretty much wasn’t worth the time and energy in walking there.
Sorry but I have nothing good to say about this drift show. (bring back Oran prak)
Qualifying was over and the cars were in the pits for the night I took a quick look around, this is by far one of the best times is to do this you can touch the cars and see how the crews work on them, walking through all the stables and onto the pit lane just getting a feel for the place and what “the ring” is all about.

One of my favourite cars on track,

And the noise of thses things is unreal,
After that I head’d off in the gti to find a quiet place to sleep, I was root’d and had to call it a night.
I start’d my day at 6.30am and didn’t fall asleep till about midnight.
This is my first post, I will post again when I get time and finish sorting through my Sat/ Race day photos.
All the best
Smithers.

Oh man, my photos are no where near as nice as yours, but what an epic weekend. Most of my shots were behind fences, I was with a good buddy of mine who is disabled, but was totally owning the mud in his crutches.

I spent 4 days at the Grüne Hölle camping and watching all the races and festivities. It was an amazing experience. It was a completely different atmosphere and would highly recommend anyone to take the hike out to do it. I'd love to go again even if I had to fly over from the states. A lot of pictures were taken behind fences so it's not the best quality, but there are some money shots im happy with.

Flickr Clutter for 24Hr Rennen Nürburgring: 24hr Race Nürburgring 2011 - a set on Flickr
I'm still uploading pictures, but i think i hit my cap on German DSL

Subaru STi TS test vehicle

these buggers were fast...




Calm before the storm

Hanging out in the Dörr Motorsport tent

The two depicted drove the Dörr Motorsport 135d, but encountered Motorschade in the 24Hr event. My boss is the one in the white shirt lol (he also drove in MINI Challenge; qualified 2nd place, but placed 4th overall)

Mini Coupe