This is gonna be my third trip to the famous Nurburgring circuit (check out my pages for April and September 2003).

The Easter weekend is probably the busiest weekend in the Nurburgring calendar as the circuit is open to the public for the full 4 days over the Easter bank holiday.

Use the links below to position to a particular section.

Attendees
Itinerary
Accommodation
Ferry Details
Speeding
Costs
Additional Considerations

Attendees

A few of us from the GT4OC are making the trip again aswell as a large number of owners/club members from Europe including ...

From Europe

GTFOUR.CH club
Toyota Drivers Club - Switzerland
Dragon Power Switzerland

From the UK

Lincoln and Jo - Lotus V8.
Martin (me) and Jenny - ST205 WRC
Dan ST205
Ricky - heavily modified ST165
Mo

Itinerary

The intinerary is planned as follows ...

Thursday 18/4/2004

Leave work, get home and pack car.
Drive down to Dover forming a convoy on the way.

Friday 19/4/2004

Catch the 01:00 am Ferry from Dover to Calais.
Drive through France, Belgium and Germany to get to the Nurburgring at around 10:00 am.
Check into the Hotel and freshen up.
Do some laps - yeh.

Saturday 20/4/2004

Get up, have breakfast.
Possibly convoy somewhere for a rolling road session.
Do some more laps.

Sunday 21/4/2004

Get up, have breakfast.
Do even more laps.

Monday 22/4/204

Get up, have breakfast.
Perhaps do a last lap or two.
Drive back through Germany, Belgium and France to Calais.
Catch the 15:30 pm Ferry from Calais to Dover.
Disperse to all parts of the UK at normal speed.

Accommodation

We all intend to stay at a hotel bordering the circuit - more details to follow.

Ferry Details

You can book on-line on the P&O site. Alternatively you can use Ferry.co.uk who offer good booking facilities and the option to use their "don't ask - don't get" service where you can make an offer for the tickets you want. Check out their site for details.

Typical ferry costs are around 100 - 120 GBP for a standard car and two passengers. Crossing times with P&O are flexible so even if you book specific times you can generally turn up and cross at any times on the given days - subject to availability. Ferries tend to depart every 30 minutes and you need to be there at least 30 minutes before departure - you have been warned.

Speeding

Driving across Europe can be fun but also tiring. UK driving license holders don't get points for speeding offenses in Europe however fines can vary from country to country. Excessive speeding, especially over 125 MPH in France and Belgium, can lead to confiscation of your car. Speeds in excess of 100 MPH typically result in fines of upto £400. Best to stick to 99 MPH until you get to Germany - you have been warned.

Costs

The approximate cost breakdown is as follows ...

Ferry Trip - around £100 - £120 for the return trip including the car and two passengers.
Accommodation- typically around 75 Euros per night for a double room, 50 Euros for a single room.
Petrol - petrol is cheaper but you are likely to use a fair bit. I would budget for £150.
Lap Tickets- these cost around £10 per lap but there are discounts for multiple ticket purchase of 3 or 10 lap passes. Budget for around £100.

NOTE: It is best to think of this, and any Nurburgring trip, as a long weekend holiday. This way the costs are much easier to accept.

Additional Considerations

Don't forget the additional considerations such as ...

Medical Cover - form E1-11 from the post office will provide free European cover. Alternatively insureandgo offer good travel insurance for this and any other overseas trips you may have planned.
European Breakdown Cover - The GT4OC insurance cover provided by Dorset has a European breakdown cover option for around £40.
Track Day Cover - the GT4OC insurance cover provided by Dorset includes Track Day cover. This is essential - don't rely on the the fact that the Nurburgring is a public road as many insurance companies exclude the Nurburgring or any track, road or otherwise, in their small print.

For additional information about the Nurburgring and organising trips, check out this fabulous site maintained by Ben Lovejoy. This site is the 'bible' for Brits traveling over.