On May 18 at 2:30 a.m. Eastern (4:00 p.m. local time), the green flag for one of the most grueling endurance races on the planet drops, and we’ll be there to capture the action.
Follow this thread for live updates from the 2023 ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring–the highs, the lows and (perhaps most importantly) all the wonderful trackside eats.
Between …
Hi gang!
I'll be hitting the road (well, the air) Sunday, and as you may have seen in the other thread, my week is booked solid with motorsports adventures. In addition to the licensing class I'm doing Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll also be hooking up with reps from Falken Tire and getting an inside look at their logistics and engineering operation, and of course I'll have backstage access to the Hyundai TCR effort, which I'll bring you along on. If anyone has any specific questions or wants a better look at something, just drop suggestions in this thread.
I'm also hanging around an extra day to Spend some time with Dale Lomas at Rent4Ring and checkout their operation. Monday is also a tourist lapping day at the 'Ring, and I have a friend traveling in the area who's going to try and work it into his schedule to to get to the track for a bit. So I might get to take someone for their fist ever lap of a racetrack... on the Nurburgring. That's basically like taking someone to their first concert and it's Black Sabbath at Madison Square Garden in 1974.
I'll check in again from the airport Sunday.
Hey look who's at the airport!
flight leaves ATL at 6:30 and I'll wake up in Frankfurt, where I'll pick up a [redacted extremely cool euro-market car. You'll see tomorrow]. Monday is kind of a day off to chill and time-acclimate, then Tuesday I clock in.
Let's play "guess the mystery press car"
Something French?
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
vw?
O hai
that's the VW Arteon R Shooting Brake. Golf R running gear in a wagon body.
yes, it's awesome.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I just discovered a void in my life that can only be filled by an Arteon R Shooting Brake.
A few pedants on Facebook were complianing that "It's not a real shooting brake" and I'm like "Whatever." The world needs more dope-ass wagons and I'll take them however I can get them.
Jumping all over the place here, but it looks like I might get some sit down time with Albert Biermann Friday or Saturday. Biermann was the guy poached from BMW M that pretty much put Hyundai N on the map. He's now "officially" retired but still part of Hyundai as a "special consultant."
What do you want me to ask him?
JG Pasterjak said:Jumping all over the place here, but it looks like I might get some sit down time with Albert Biermann Friday or Saturday. Biermann was the guy poached from BMW M that pretty much put Hyundai N on the map. He's now "officially" retired but still part of Hyundai as a "special consultant."
What do you want me to ask him?
Will the Hyundai "N"achos be making a comeback this year?
Today I officially clock in, with four hours of classroom for the Nurburgring competition permit. That will be followed by four hours on track tomorrow.
Yesterday was a rest and time-acclimation day, and of course whenever I come to Frankfurt I have to visit Vogelburg. Vogelburg is a parrot refuge that's built to look like an old castle ruin, and there's birds there we've been visiting for a decade or more.
Emma here is pretty much the general manager of the place. She's a goffin's cocoaktoo, and enjoys looking at pictures of our goffins, and we even had a FaceTime call with her and one of our birds one time.
Okay, with that I'm out the door to head to the track. See you in class.
All checked in to the Motorsport-Akademie Classroom in the media center, which I've seen plenty in my time, but never empty. Got my numbers, an amazing guidebook a transponder and a wristband. It's nice to know that the worldwide code for being official is a Tyvek wristband of the proper hue.
Interestingly, this transponder is just for sound. If you blow sound here they apparently do unspeakable things to you. The good news is the sound limit is 128db, so unless you're driving a Neil Young concert you should be fine.
Thanks for posting a picture of the marshalling points. For years I've heard the announcers reference various places like "Tiergarten," "Dottinger Hohe" and "they're heading down the Fuchsrohre" (Fox Hole?) now I know where they're at. 
JG Pasterjak said:Jumping all over the place here, but it looks like I might get some sit down time with Albert Biermann Friday or Saturday. Biermann was the guy poached from BMW M that pretty much put Hyundai N on the map. He's now "officially" retired but still part of Hyundai as a "special consultant."
What do you want me to ask him?
Ask? I'd like you to thank him on my behalf for bringing well-sorted enthusiast vehicles to the market that don't cost a kidney or two.
One question, what does the N brand have in store for the inevitably electrified future?
In less than 36 hours this corner of the media center will be full of the most mediocre food in all of Motorsports journalism.
ConiglioRampante said:Thanks for posting a picture of the marshalling points. For years I've heard the announcers reference various places like "Tiergarten," "Dottinger Hohe" and "they're heading down the Fuchsrohre" (Fox Hole?) now I know where they're at.
Don't feel bad. I've competed here and I don't know most of the names. But that's mostly because I have my own names in my head for them like "kinda like Road Atlanta 10a/b" or "weird little white shed. Is that a toilet? Pump house? What the hell do they keep in there?" The Germans probably have a single word for that.
JG Pasterjak said:Jumping all over the place here, but it looks like I might get some sit down time with Albert Biermann Friday or Saturday. Biermann was the guy poached from BMW M that pretty much put Hyundai N on the map. He's now "officially" retired but still part of Hyundai as a "special consultant."
What do you want me to ask him?
I asked a buddy who's into Hyundai's if he had anything, this came back:
"Actually, yeah - will there be a Kona EV N, or is that going to be the hopefully upcoming smaller IONIQ 3 or 4?"
there was also this one that got me curious about the skipping vowels...
"Is the next performance-related letter you plan to conquer 'O' based on your previous two? Or do you skip vowels?"
Track walk time.
You're not hardcore unless you apex on the porta-let.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Wishing you all the best at this fantastic opportunity. If you don't mind and get the chance could you ask him if Hyundai will continue their "grassroots" N motor events and will the N performance pieces, lightweight wheels, track brake pads they made for the Veloster N ever be available in the United States via dealers.
Scheisser's full.
JG Pasterjak said:You're not hardcore unless you apex on the porta-let.
Wait, is there seriously a place for humans to flag/poop/whatever on the apex of a curb?!
Tom Suddard said:JG Pasterjak said:You're not hardcore unless you apex on the porta-let.
Wait, is there seriously a place for humans to flag/poop/whatever on the apex of a curb?!
There's still girders and bolts inside, so I'm assuming the Lowe's truck just dropped it there in advance of it being installed in a safer location.
No idea whether it will be done before our school laps tomorrow, though. Guess I'll find out.
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