N24 "Green Hell" Track Guide Part 2

ESCHBACH, BRÜNNCHEN, EISKURVE

1 -The Eschbach double left down to the famous spectator
point at Brünnchen is very attractive from a driver’s
point of view: you shoot into the braking zone at a
good speed on the right-hand side of the track, and the
rough, washerboard-like surface requires the driver’s attention
when braking. The incline tends to make deceleration
rather awkward in front-wheel cars in particular. A late
turn-in helps catch a perfect exit towards Brünnchen.
The double left is taken in a broad curve, keeping well
away from the inside of the inside curb of the first section.
The line should then tighten in the second section so that
the driver lands as precisely and straight as possible on the
far left-hand side near the inside curb and the cobblestones.
This is the only way to position yourself ideally for
braking and turning in at the first Brünnchen bend. The
new asphalt surface has significantly
increased the grip on this off-camber
turn, but many cars will still understeer
annoyingly. Beware: load
change should be avoided here so
always guide the car on constant
throttle around the small hill. Caution
in the wet: the braking zone is
horribly slippery!

2 -The first Brünnchen bend is not easy – starting with
the fact that many are distracted by the many spectators
positioned there. You will generally take this righthand
bend in fourth gear and fail to see the braking and
turn-in point at the last moment: the left-hand corner before
it goes around a promontory and also heads steeply
downhill. There is also heavy
off-camber from the
turn-in point to past the
apex, with a radius which is
slightly tighter than the
previous bends, so errors
are common. Be careful
when turning in just after
the cobblestone rumble
strip on the left-hand side:
be sure to get back on the
throttle since load changes
are not uncritical here due
to the tilting track. From
the turn-point, frontwheel
drive cars understeer
irritatingly and detours
into the dirt at the
bend exit will be met with
much ooh-ing and aah-ing
from the friendly spectators.
Lap times are not particularly
helped by such stunts
either.

3 -On the second Brünnchen bend, the track goes up
steeply like a ramp and should be taken with plenty
of impetus and not much power – which is difficult because
you can’t see the exit and you tend to misjudge the entry
speed. Generally, the driver brakes hard coming into
this third-gear right-hander so as to be prepared for a
slightly tightening exit. Understeer is just what you don’t
want, though cars do just this from the apex because the
load on the front wheels is lost on the crest. The driver
needs to be sensitive to find optimum traction when accelerating
out – you literally wait for the right moment to
apply your right root. If you handle things correctly here,
you will be on the cobblestone rumble strip or on the flat
curbs at the exit – not a problem as long as it is not raining!
In the wet, try to vary the line by keeping left of the
ideal line, there is a lot more grip there!

4 - The passage around the so-called Eiskurve is an oddity from the history of racetrack
construction. It has an awe-inspiring layout: off-camber track, ramp-like
incline and a crest at the exit which makes you feel you are speeding straight into the
sky. Coming into the Eiskurve from Brünnchen, change from the left to the right of
the track and brake hard and short into the third-gear bend. Be careful in the afternoon
as the glare from a low sun is horrendous! It is a good idea to turn in late and
hard, unwind the steering early and gradually accelerate since the uphill climb is
steep. On the left-hand bend, get away from the inside curb early near the apex and
head directly for the apex of the following right-hand bend. This second part of the
left-right combination is not a real bend but more a right-hand border to the lefthand
bend. However, don’t underestimate the exit: if you throw yourself into Eiskurve
too quickly, you will be punished by understeer and land on the not exactly flat
curbs of the subsequent right. The name Eiskurve (= ‘ice bend’) refers more to the
fact that the moisture there freezes over more quickly than elsewhere, but the principle
can easily be applied to the characteristics of the bend in rain, too: the entry
really is as slippery as ice, heavy understeer can cause the car to take a hard ride
across the curbs at the exit. In rain, remember to reduce the turn-in speed and accelerate
sensitively!

5 -Some people might be wondering why this light downhill left-hand bend before Pflanzgarten
deserves special mention in our little Nordschleife guide. People shooting round
the Ring in a 100-bhp car will not doubt that this bend can be taken at full tilt. Drivers of 200
bhp may still agree, but they will secretly be a little mystified at the boast. With 300 or 500
bhp, full speed is no longer a consideration. This cheeky curve becomes a real corner the more
power you have and the higher your approach speed – and not a bad corner at that. Once
the driver has put the car into 4th gear after the Eiskurve and thrown himself blind over the
subsequent crest, the track heads just as fast downhill, pushing up the speedo considerably.
You could be travelling at least 180 km/h when you come into this nameless left-hand bend,
depending on power. At the moment you want to turn in, the track off-cambers slightly. This
can cause sudden oversteer in rear-wheel drive cars, front-wheel drive vehicles tend to understeer
in reaction to the topographical layout here. The bend doesn’t really tighten, but
the exit is bordered by a high curb which follows a slight right-hand arc. If you are not
out to try some flight stunts before the Pflanzgarten crest, you are advised to keep well
away from this curb. Things get very tight here in heavy traffic since only one car fits
through this narrow passage. The latent tendency to understeer or oversteer at the
entry to the left-hand curve is intensified when the track is wet: 100-bhp drivers will notice
that full throttle has no effect at all here.


PFLANZGARTEN-PASSAGE

1 -The Nordschleife is famous for its
big jumps, such as those in the
Pflanzgarten area. The double right
starts with a rough hop – right in the braking
zone of course. But even the approach
should be treated with care. You
come rushing down the hill in fourth gear
and a long dip in the initial right curve
causes a catapult-like vertical movement
just before the braking point – which can
reduce the load quite dramatically. The
braking is in two stages: an initial short
and powerful stab just before the jump, then harder and a little longer
after the landing. Beware: be sure to take the crest straight and
avoid any hectic steering movements! In particular in vehicles fitted
with ABS, take painstaking care not to hit the brakes on the crest
when the weight has been transferred away from the wheels.
Otherwise you will trundle right down into the dip without any
braking power to speak of! On a dry track with road tyres, the
main problem at Pflanzgarten is understeer: if you enter too
fast, it is impossible to keep a tight line along the right-hand
curb – but this line is very important if you are to get a perfect
exit to the left-hand bend. There are two fixed points at Pflanzgarten:
when turning into the bend, keep close to the curb of
the first right bend, then move away from the inside edge so as to
be able to work your way along the curbs on the far right at the
exit. If you are well practised on this line, there is very little steering
on this section. Important: always stabilise the car with the throttle!
Be careful in rain: the entry in particular is very slippery, and very sudden
oversteer is common due to a lack of grip and excessive turn-in
speed!

2 -If you think the worst is over, you’ve got another thing coming: after Pflanzgarten,
there is an enormous ridge embedded in a fast left-hand curve whose
exit is completely hidden from the driver’s view. If you hit this exit left too fast
and don’t notice your error until after the crest, craning your neck, you will induce
a fatal load change with a lift at a speed of some 150 km/h. This is why the lefthander
after Pflanzgarten is a good example of the old rule of the ideal driving line:
when you have two successive bends, the ideal line of the second bend
determines the ideal line of the first bend. In other words: in order to make a
good job of the left going over the crest, you have to make compromises coming
out of Pflanzgarten. The ideal turn-in point for this left-hand curve would theoretically
be to the far right of the track – but even the best intentions won’t get
you out there. So try to get as far right as you can. Depending on car and grip,
the driver will have to release the throttle briefly for the left-hand bend with
road tyres. This minimum speed reduction should be taken care of before turning
in so as to be back on the accelerator when you go over the crest to stabilise
the car. Coming out of
the left-hand curve, the professional
will run well over to
the right. If you overdo it, you will
tend to land on the rough cobblestones
– which is exactly what you
should avoid, as some cars tend to
react sensitively in their steering
and suddenly displace. Be careful
in rain: always apply the throttle
round this left-hand bend.

3 -The big jump after Pflanzgarten is legendary: it was here that
Stefan Bellof destroyed his Group C Porsche, while Harald Grohs
always went over the inner curb intentionally to give the photographers
a big, spectacular jump. An urgent plea: avoid stunts like these
because speeds are high and the exit zones very tight! The big jump
also involves a slight left curve which doesn’t exactly make things easier.
Cars with tight suspension tend to bounce after landing, those
with soft suspension will trundle far over to the right after the crest.
The Pflanzgarten jump is a test for the chassis. Depending on gear ratio,
you arrive here in fourth or fifth gear, turn in just after the marshal
observation point on the right and pull the car with throttle over
the mighty ridge. It often depends on the driver whether the car unsettles
or not. For example, if you fly over the crest of the hill at full
throttle you can be sure of unsettling after landing. So it is better to
give three-quarters throttle and avoid difficult steering manoeuvres.
Everything must be light and gentle, then the car will remain calm
and stable. Unwind the steering a little on the crest so as to keep as
straight as possible. On the steep downhill passage after the jump,
pull the car over to the left of the track again so as to position yourself
for the following super-fast right-left-right combination. A gentle,
rounded driving style is required in the dry, but sensitivity is required
in the wet here too.

4 -There is nothing more awe-inspiring on the Nordschleife than
the nameless right-left combination after the big Pflanzgarten
jump: doing almost 180 km/h you dive into a long, blind right-hand
curve from out of the dip – and suddenly a curb suddenly extends into
the middle of the track from the left. You shudder to think what
might happen if you were to arrive here at the wrong angle. The description
of the driving line does not reflect the drama of this passage
in any way: you turn in gently in the dip, guide the car precisely
round the inside curb up the hill, move away from the right-hand side
of the track late, straighten up the car and literally fly over the asphalt
notch which marks the transition from the right-hand to the
left-hand curve – almost exactly at the level of the main service point.
The section is very narrow, only one car fits through. It is ultra-fast,
but precision work is required as there is no room for error. Heavy
traffic here is precarious. When wet, the new asphalt covering slightly
reduces the risk.

5 -It has already been indicated many times that in this small curve area of the Nordschleife, the
character of your engine capacity is dramatically changed with added weight. This also applies
to the section behind the large volatile hills in Pflanzgarten, but is especially important for
your exit here: the driver is lucky when he passes the main post, and then he reaches a long drawn
right bend. With 100 or 200 PS, one can breeze through it. With 300 or 400 PS, it suddenly becomes
very risky, at least with street tyres. The reason for this: the long right curve veers you on the winding
exit towards the right, thereby limiting the approach on the following cautious left curve.
Yet, what is cautious of speeds clearly over 200 km/h? If there is any struggle in this area of the
right exit, as there nearly always is -- something that definitely has do with this, is the lack of respect
many drivers have of this passage. Meaning that the changes on the attempted speed has
not only to do with the car, but also has something directly to do with the driver. If he passes the
beginning of the main post with 160 km/h and increases his speed later to 180 km/h, he also raises
the speed in the following stretch. It has been nurmerously recommended, and reiterated just as
much, that the driver bear in mind the section from the large volatile hills until the aformentioned
right bend. The one turning point for the right bend yields itself after the car passes the main post.
There is not much moving room here, and many come in mediocre conditions, cornering sharp on
the right bend and steering in. Be careful on the cobblestones at the exit: many cars stiffly hook
themselves in and in the blink of an eye end up on the far right. In rain, deep puddles lurk at the
exit – despite the setting up of new drains!


SCHWALBENSCHWANZ TO DÖTTINGER HÖHE

1 - After the ultra-fast passage
following Pflanzgarten, the
driver can expect a highly technical
section before moving into the
grand finale on the Döttinger
Höhe. The S-shaped combination
before Schwalbenschwanz is not
easy, particularly the right curve at
entry: the first task is to locate the
correct braking point as you shoot
into the braking zone at well over
200 km/h – and what is more, it
happens to be hidden behind a
bumpy ridge. This ridge also curves
gently to the left, so many amateur
drivers end up here craning their
necks and looking puzzled. The
white marshal’s point on the right-hand side of the track offers initial orientation: you should
start braking just across from here – which will result in the car getting very jumpy due to the
undulations in the track surface and therefore difficult to control. Still at a very high speed
and in fourth gear, there is then a fast right curve, with a large bump near the inside curb once
again causing the vehicle to unsettle. In theory, the driver should approach the subsequent
left-hand bend from the far right-hand side – but in practice, it is rarely possible because
the long drawn-out right-hander will tend to dump him in the middle of the
track. In damp weather conditions, braking in cars equipped with ABS is particularly
tricky.

2 - The ingredients of the left-hand bend before
Schwalbenschwanz taste like well-spiced chili –
extra hot: hard change of speed, blind bend over a crest
and danger of glare from the sunsetting. All this provides
a pleasing challenge to the specialist and alarms the
newcomer. The turn-in point for this third-gear passage
is the key to success: since you usually approach the previous
right-hander centrally and brake hard, the key
question is “Where do I turn in?” The confusion is exacerbated
by your position on the track – in a kind of noman’s-
land. There is no standard formula for orientation
here, but if you trundle through the bend a metre or
so beyond the apex, at least you know that you have
turned in too late again. The penalty is felt at the exit,
which has a slightly decreasing radius. If the driver is too
fast, he has to release throttle at the exit and either loses
a lot of speed or slams up on the curb – or else the
car ends up on the little gravel area as a result of load
change.

3 -Although the banking at Schwalbenschwanz
is much less marked compared to
that at Karussell, caution is nonetheless required:
the left-hand bend over concrete slabs has
got many an expert into trouble. The two problem
zones are the entry and exit: as you brake
on the approach, you tend to be too late on the
brake, the car drifts slightly on the slightly sloping
track and a multitude of tiny undulations
make braking difficult. At the end of the curb you
move away from the right-hand side of the track and
allow the car to follow the positive camber, only using the
slanting lower concrete lane. At the exit, many try to show
off and move away from the dip too early only to leap in huge
hops over the concrete ridge towards the outside. This is
not a good idea: whether front-wheel or rear-wheel drive,
the drive shafts will not handle this kind of treatment for
long. So it is better to follow the obvious lane and exit the
concrete slabs centrally – this is kinder both on the hardware
and your nerves.

4 -The name says it all: at Galgenkopf (= ‘Gallows Head’) cars frequently get executed - though people thankfully
don’t any more, as in the Middle Ages. The following tips will help you go easy on your vehicle: approach
this blind right-hand bend well over to the left of the track, brake short and hard, then turn in gently
at the end of the left-hand curb – usually in fourth gear, occasionally even in third. Be careful as you turn in:
there is a recess which lightens the car somewhat, an effect which is repeated just after the apex when the car
goes over a crest. It is an elementary rule that no space should be wasted on the inside of the bend: so approach
the apex close to the curb then ride immediately towards the exit. You will see if you have done it right at the last
minute when the white track border marking appears in your field of vision. At Galgenkopf you need practice
and a good sense of speed: if you are too fast coming in, you will be mowing the lawn at the exit and a monumental
spin will take you onto the steep right-hand verge. If you enter the bend too carefully, you will lose a lot
of speed since this right-hander goes up quite a slope. In the wet, the lack of grip is alarming: both the entry and
the exit of the Galgenkopf bend are treacherous! Be sure to reduce turn-in speed, avoid hard load changes and
if necessary take the car down a gear for this passage.

5 -If a long straight follows on from a bend, you should pick up as much speed as possible – or so the theory goes. But the gods of racing put sweat before success: the last right-hand curve before the long
Döttinger Höhe is a real beast. After coming through Galgenkopf, the
driver speeds towards the next marshal’s point bearing the number
186, turns in when almost precisely level with this sign – and holds his
breath until the exit. He will only find out at the last moment whether
or not he has done everything right. What is more, bumps will shake his
faith in his own driving skill now and again, and the track has considerable
adverse camber on the turn-in. If you misjudge here, you will produce
stunt-like spins rather than top speed. On the subject of turn-in: in
a powerful car, you have to release throttle quite a way beforehand,
but be sure to be sensitive otherwise you will unsettle the car unnecessarily
in the turn-in phase. However much you practise, you will always
have the feeling at the exit that you could have taken the bend a little
faster. In the rain, a steady hand is required: turn-in oversteer at excessive
speed is particularly unpleasant!


DÖTTINGER HÖHE TO HOHENRAIN


1 -For all those who really have
some power under the bonnet,
the left-hand bend at Antoniusbuche
is a veritable nightmare:
the approach speed is so horrendously
high, depending on your car,
that you can hardly draw on experience.
If you have ever come flying
into this blind left-hand corner under
a prominent bridge in a 600 bhp
Porsche with road tyres and travelling
at about 300 km/h, you know
that at jumbo start speeds braking
is obligatory! What is more, rough
bumps to the right of the track centre
on the ideal line unsettle the chassis considerably, making it
extremely difficult to find the exact release point located in the
area of the rescue access road on the right-hand side of the
track. The turn-in phase is the critical point here, the rest almost
takes care of itself with a constant steering angle and a calm
hand. In heavy traffic, the drastic narrowing of the track as you
approach the dip can be worrying: what’s going on beyond the
bridge? Four small cars in a slipstream duel? Two of which are
just about to swerve out? With less power, the whole thing is
much more relaxed, you can even shift the turn-in point to the
left-hand side of the track and you still have enough space. This
passage is truly dramatic in a powerful car and heavy rain: you
start hesitantly, increase speed, get confident – then suddenly
you feel the front axle losing load minimally over the crest and
the car begins to understeer. The Nordschleife raises a warning
finger once again!

2 -The second big dip on the Nordschleife is no less of a challenge than its famous brother Fuchsröhre: you shoot into
the deep dip at well over 200 km/h after Antoniusbuche, at the same time the track width narrows drastically.
Only one car can possibly fit through this fast left-right-left behind the dip. As you approach the dip, keep well over to
the right. Finding the braking point for the fast uphill left is tricky: with less power under the bonnet, the driver doesn’t
brake until after the dip, just going into the climb; in a powerful car he will have to brake more heavily in the dip.
The left-hand bend, still taken in top
gear, has an interesting element of
surprise: just at the apex there lurks
an extended dip which you literally fly
over at the limit – a real test for both
driver and chassis. The subsequent
bend up to the Hohenrain chicane offers
a phenomenon which is actually
rare for the Nordschleife: you can take
it faster than you think – the surface is
even and provides excellent grip. The
Tiergarten passage rewards an unruffled
driving style: if you avoid superfluous
steering movements and hectic
changes in throttle and load, you will
keep the car stable – keeping your line
through the left-right-combination as
straight as possible will also help here.
Be careful in heavy rain: between the
two Tiergarten bends, large rivulets
flow from right to left across the entire
width of the track!

3 -The approach to the Hohenrain chicane starts with a little short-cut: since a service road leads up
to the race track on the left, you aim exactly for the crash barrier which separates the service road
from the actual track. “Aim for” here means that there should be virtually no more than a hair’s
breadth between your outside mirror and the crash barrier. Since the surface in the braking zone has
many small undulations, particularly towards the end, drivers of ABS-equipped cars should exercise caution.
The ABS regulation will often set in just before turning in, unsettling the car’s response and extending
the braking distance unexpectedly. Here you brake in a straight line between the crash barrier
as your aim point and the entry to the third-gear right-hand bend towards the left of the track, turning
in late so as to gain height for the subsequent left-hander. It is a matter of taste as to whether or not
you clip the curb with your right-hand wheels: the red-and-white curb markings are low enough to allow
this. It is much more important not to approach the subsequent left too sharply: at this point, you
are at the beginning of a succession of three relatively tight bends and you should thus try to position
yourself ideally for each subsequent bend.

4 -The left-hand bend at the exit of the Hohenrain
chicane is important in two ways. If you are
doing the Nordschleife including the Grand Prix track,
the third-gear left-hand bend takes you back out onto
the start/finish straight. Since there is a slight uphill
climb here, be sure to pick up plenty of impetus here
and keep the steering as open as possible so as to make
use of the entire track width and accelerate quickly
and early. If you are keeping to the old Nordschleife,
you must change quickly to the left of the track
coming out of the left-hand bend so as to gain extra
space for the tight right-hander taking you back to
the start/finish straight of the old Ring. So the tactical
approach for the last three bends is to approach the
left-hand bend not too sharply but in a wide arc from
the right of the track, not running out to the right as
usual at the exit but calculating your radius so that
the turn-in point for the next bend is well over to the
left. Be careful as you take this bend: you come round
the left-hand bend fast under load, tighten the radius
so as to get over to the left again and then release the
throttle abruptly so as brake into the next bend. This
heavy load change can unsettle the car considerably.

5 -What is conventionally referred to as the last bend of
the Nordschleife is narrow and slow – fairly uninteresting
compared to many of the fast and furious corners the
Ring otherwise has to offer. But be careful: the list of the luckless
who have landed in the old pit walls to the derision of
others is suspiciously long. You see the exit of the right-hand
bend fairly late through the high crash barrier on the inside
of the bend – this makes it difficult to set the turn-in point
and judge the correct speed. Since the bend tightens slightly
and turn-in understeer gives most drivers a false sense of security,
the surprise comes at the exit. The situation can usually
be saved by slightly opening the steering and then unavoidably
running over the cobblestones on the outside edge of
the track – at least as long as conditions are dry. In the wet
and with sporty use of the accelerator in a rear-wheel drive
car, you turn suddenly towards the pit wall. Even front-wheel
drive cars respond to load change from throttle release with
abrupt understeering. Therefore to be on the safe side, the
classic rule for amateurs applies: enter slowly, exit fast.