The XR4Register - European Ford Event, Holland Weekender

Day 2 - The Nurburgring Experience (Saturday 9th Sept)

Wakey Wakey !..... We all Gathered in the Hotel reception around 11.20am Euro time. We certainly needed that lie after the night before and the hang over some people had, perhaps missing breakfast wasn't such a bad thing !

Whilst Pikey & Jaffa went to meet up with Chris D, to get everyone's tickets for the Show on Sunday, we contemplated as to what the plan of action was going to be for today. It was obviously a tad too light for Mr Hyde so he went back to his room and had a bit of a kip ! Ahhh poor Gengis !

The Nurburgring is only open to 'race on' mostly a few hours in the evening and full days every now and then. Sat 9th Sept, it was only open between 17.15pm and 19.30pm. It was open all day on the Sunday but sadly we were going to be at the XR-RS show. Some of us were going back on Monday so that day was out. As we had came here as a crew, we all just had to go the Nurburgring together. It was to be the Nurburgring today or not at all.

Decision made. Just a small problem of all the bunting and flag poles in some of our cars. Someone did suggest setting up a stand in the car park of the Nurburgring ring but Bhav said we had no Gazebo ! We managed to wangle it so the hotel gave us their 'games' room and we emptied the cars. We woke up Gengis and offloaded all his trophies and ramps too. He was looking a bit better after we mentioned where we were going. By the time Jaffa and Pikey got back with the tickets, PD had already read the maps and made some notes as to how to get there. As we were not far form the German border, we estimated that 2 hours would be time enough to get infamous Toll Road ! We all checked the water and oils in the cars and decided to get to the BP Services local to us to fill up with Fuel.

Euro Rescue ? - As the water and oil were getting topped up, Bhav noticed that there was a water stain around the XR8's engine bay. Strange bering in mind it wasn't there not more than 4 miles ago ! Running the engine confirmed that it was a split coolant bypass hose from the head. Bhav decided that he would nurse it back to the hotel and worry about fixing it on sunday as there would surely be some traders selling suitable hoses at the show. Everyone was determined that the XR8 just had to go to the 'ring'. With all the tools in the world in the back of the XR8, not a suitable 90deg hose. However, Pikey had a full set of hoses for his Merkur. Nothing suitable but one of the hoses had a 90deg angle and could just work ! A cut and a few trims later we forced it on the outlets. Couple of jublee clips c/o John Mc, system topped up, bled and ok'd by John B! 'Vorsprung derk technik as they say in Germany!

Drop the hammer! - It took around 20 mins of our time and ALL of us were back on the road. It was time to wear the lead boots as we were on a mission! Pete 'Doh' comes across as a 'shy' lad but trust us he aint ! He certainly wasnt shy of putting his foot down the German Motorways. We all took it in turns to 'tease' the local cars and do a few power runs too ! Gengis's refined TT just whistles along with those twin turbos but John Mc's Nessy Monster (ZX300 powered) XR4i sounds like a beast from then pre-historic era !

The idyllic locations along the route echoed at times with the sounds from various XRs in all shapes and sizes aswell as the TVR ! There was no chance of road rage along these scenic routes. 2 words summed it up 'Grand Touring' !.

With Pete 'Doh' leading the way and Pikey riding 'shotgun' at the rear, The 2 way radios were certainly coming in handy. Everyone was conversing with everyone except Gengis (aka Mr Hyde) who only yelled the odd abusive word when asked how his head was ! Pikey was a tad quiet too as he was obviously too busy txting, again ! We did loose John Mc with his heavy Scottish accent but Glenn translated a bit ! It was nice to have the 'free' comms between the cars. Relaying messages like 'That looks like a nice place for a spot of Dinner' or 'thats a good place for a few beers' and also... 'I need a leak !' As we had spotted the sign to the Nurburgring, we knew we wasn't far. A nice lay-by was found for a 'rest' and the obligatory photoshot !

Medical Cover ? - Not content with a 'normal' picture, Bhav decided to risk life & limb and cross the country lane and dodging the BM3s and Porsche RS4's and climb an embankment over 100ft and get a 'Bats' eye view ! He yelled and waved at the 'small' people below to stand next to their cars. A few moments and other hand signals later and hey presto ! Obviously the 2 way radio would have came in handy if he took it with him, not only to tell everyone 'say cheese' but also to radio for help ! The embankment was obviously steeper than he thought as on the way back down, he slipped ! Luckily he regained balance and control or else he would have rolled down like some drift weed rolling along the serngeti to be struck by some Porsche ! What a way to go !! !

Once everyone had, had their laugh, it was time to hit the road again ! The distance numbers were getting smaller and we knew we were on the right track as serious track cars were going past us and others were obviously returning home having been there. Our main worry was: 1) Will we have get there in time and have enough time to get round the near 13 mile track being that there would be a lot of cars there in such a short space of time. If we didn't try then we would never know. We were going whether we got our cars on the track or not. A message went out through our radios: 'Fuel Check' Being that this wasn't going to be a 15 min stint round Silverstone, we decided to pull up and fill. Simple mathematics said: 4 laps would equate to around 50 miles ! If at thrash speed your car did 15mpg then it was going to be 4 gallons to be on the safe side. One final stop and we were on our way again. You can just tell that you was getting closer to the infamous track. The signs confirmed it and after a few minutes, we managed to find the way to the 'toll road.'

Your reason for being here ? - As we approached the mini island near the entrance, it was clear to see that people had got here a lot earlier than us with the same idea; get there early to get on the most of out of the time. We managed to park up in the overflow carpark and walked past all the queuing cars to the ticket office and buy our passes. 16 euro per lap or 56 euro for 4 laps. Some opted for the 4 laps whilst some opted for the single one to say that they drove the 'ring' in their own car ! Whatever the reason you come here for, one thing is for sure: You just cannot describe the atmosphere or this place in words. With the adrenaline pumping, we snatched our tickets and headed back to our cars to join the queue.

Point of no return - It was surprising how quickly we made it to the point of no return. This is the barrier where you insert your pass and its all systems go. We were all virtually together for around the first mile of the track and we all kept well to the right hand side to let the more experienced drivers pass us by like we were standing still ! So many superlatives have been said and as may words have been printed and whether you are a professional driver or just a sunday driver, you just have to visit this place to experience the stunning visual beauty surrounding the beast of a track. With around 73 bends along its approx. 13 miles length, its so easy to get distracted by the natural beauty. So much so that, if you are not careful you could quiet easily end up moving into the path of a BM or Porsche as they come through like a speeding bullet! One eye on the track and the other in your rear view mirror is recommended! This track is made up of many meandering corners, steep hills, lots of blind bends and crests not to mention the different track surfaces along its route ! Luckily on the day we visited, the weather was very nice across the whole area but its not surprising to find different conditions in different places

Physic ? We didn't think so ! - The first lap seemed to take an eternity and as you go through the second lap, you begin to recall some familiar sights of the corners. But unless you have a photographic memory and you happen to be a physic, you cannot see what's over that blind crest or the blind corner ! We think it would take around 12 laps at least before you can even get to know the track ! Bhav on his second lap didn't have much of the traffic in his rear view mirror to worry about so opened up the XR8. With Jot hanging on to everything inside the car and trying to take pictures too, she was getting a tad disoriented ! Much to Bhav's surprise, the brakes & suspension on the 22 year old XR8 was certainly coping with the demands of this unforgiving track. However his tyres were screeching like something out of a Starsky and Hutch movie around every bend ! Its a good job it wasn't wet as its running on standard wheels and tyres ! Jot was turning green and opened the window fully, its only then that you realise how throaty the V8 sounds as the noise reflects off the barriers on either side. It was time to come in as you get charged to clear up any fluid spillage and as Jot was getting greener by the minute, it was a wise move !! Jot promptly disembarked as we came through the start finish gate. As Pikey was now spectating, Bhav asked him to hop into the co-driver seat to get a passengers perspective !

Air cooled - Time for Bhavs 3rd lap and with a bit more confidence in the car and a bit on the track too, he once again opened the throttle of the Holley carb ! With screeching of the tyres in one ear and a Pikey cheeky laughter in the other, Bhav obviously had more distractions to cope with than normal ! Half way round the 3rd lap, some water was seen creeping across the screen of the XR8. At first it looked like washer fluid but once the car started misfiring and running on 6 or 7 cylinders, it was time to slow down ! The temp indicator was around half way and some steam was seen from the front. Could it be the head gasket or a burst radiator ? Bhavs worst fear was being towed off the track due to a breakdown and being charged for the privilege! With some 5 miles to go, no matter what, the XR8 just had no choice but to make it back to the start finish compound. The loss of power was now even more evident and the misfire was getting more frequent. As we tootled down the last straight, it seemed to take forever and that's when you realise the scale of this track ! Just as we made it to the end and slowed down to walking pace, the engine stopped ! Yep, it wouldn't start either ! Thanks to a few 'Brits' giving us a hand by pushing it in to the restaurant carpark out of the way. There was no way that the XR8 was going round for the last lap so Bhav gave his pass to Pikey to take his Merkur round again.

Mostly everyone did their laps and came to see what was up with the XR8. Water all over the place and even in the aircleaner! The top of the engine was very hot so it was left to cool down. A visual inspection confirmed that it was a heater matrix hose split and was chucking a spray of water not just around the engine bay but through the aircleaner and down the carb too! Bhav in his wisdom had packed his 2 or 3 unique hoses for this trip so once the engine cooled down, the hose was fitted. Now the only thing left to confirm was if the head gasket had gone or not. System bled and it all seemed to be ok.

Left its Mark - Everyone had their reason for coming to the Nurburgring and they all took away a memory that will never fade. The track almost took something from us with the XR8 blowing a hose and lets not forget Gengis shredding his front tyre on the arch as he forgot to stiffen his 'Adjustable' shocks ! We forgive him as he certainly wasn't him self the night before ! This is the only track that will leave a mark within you !

One more thing - It was now 20.45 and we were loosing daylight and there was still 1 thing left to do. Yes, a group picture ! Time to say farewell to the Nurburgring and head back to a quaint Restaurant-bar we had seen on route here.

Card Tricks ? - We managed to get at the restaurant around 20.50ish at the and finally got our meals at around 22.00 ! The time in-between was spent analysing the experience of the track. Others spent doing card tricks and some just rested ! We still had another couple of hours to travel so everyone knew that it was going to be around midnight before we got back to the hotel room.

A hearty meal later and we all set off to into the darkness for the hotel. We decided that it was best to fill up at the motorway services saving us time in the morning as it was going to be an early start for the XR-RS show the next day. A quick stop and a few of us fuelled up and we arrived at our Hotel around midnite-ish.

Insomniacs - There was more analysis of the days videos on Bhav's laptop at the 'pimp my room' party with a few glasses Beer ! A few people retired as it going to be an early start. The die-hards stopped up till the early hours in the morning.... yet again !

Click this link to see a Video of John Mc ZXR4i mastering the curves of the Nurburgring