Wednesday 27th June.
Checking the weather showed there was rain forecast for the following days. Josip and I decided that we should take advantage of the dry day and set off for the track. This was our plan for his Kawasaki, to go the Nürburgring race track and complete a few laps of the famous long circuit, called the Nordschleife. This 20km circuit is famous for its twisting path through the hills of the Eifel
region south-west of Cologne. Josip and I left Cologne after lunch in the van and drove the 1 hour journey up into the hills. We stopped on the way to fill-up with extra petrol for the bike, which was strapped down in the back of the van. At the circuit we joined the waiting group of cars and bikes for the days open track session. You pay in advance for the number of laps you want and get a magnetic ticket which enables you to enter the track for each lap. We prepared the bike and Josip was first out, well it’s his bike! I took some pictures of the waiting area and the cars there. The lap time record for a bike is just less than 8 min. For un-accustomed novices like us, it takes about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on traffic. Josip returned from his first lap full of enthusiasm and surprised by the complexity of the circuit. The track is so twisting and un-predictable for a new comer. He went out on his second lap and I got ready to do 2 laps. When he came in I got on and set off on my first lap. It’s the first time I had ridden his Kawasaki on the track and it took a while to get used to the position and setup the mirrors. With all the porches and bikes on the track at the same time, it seemed pretty important to see what was coming up fast from behind. The track’s pretty daunting compared with the circuits I’ve been on in Sweden. 
The corners take every possible form, on hills up and down and every possible combination of camber and shape. With only a few laps to try it out, it’s not possible to remember all the turns and so much was again unexpected on my second lap. Anyway I did the 2 laps and it was good to have experienced the track that so many want to tryout. The session ended early because of an accident involving some bikes, so we had to settle for 2 laps each. But we were pleased to have had the chance to test the Nordschleife circuit. We packed the bike into the van and drove back to Cologne. Caroline was waiting for us and we cooked dinner and ate in the flat, chatted and then went to bed in good time as we were all tired.
Checking the weather showed there was rain forecast for the following days. Josip and I decided that we should take advantage of the dry day and set off for the track. This was our plan for his Kawasaki, to go the Nürburgring race track and complete a few laps of the famous long circuit, called the Nordschleife. This 20km circuit is famous for its twisting path through the hills of the Eifel
region south-west of Cologne. Josip and I left Cologne after lunch in the van and drove the 1 hour journey up into the hills. We stopped on the way to fill-up with extra petrol for the bike, which was strapped down in the back of the van. At the circuit we joined the waiting group of cars and bikes for the days open track session. You pay in advance for the number of laps you want and get a magnetic ticket which enables you to enter the track for each lap. We prepared the bike and Josip was first out, well it’s his bike! I took some pictures of the waiting area and the cars there. The lap time record for a bike is just less than 8 min. For un-accustomed novices like us, it takes about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on traffic. Josip returned from his first lap full of enthusiasm and surprised by the complexity of the circuit. The track is so twisting and un-predictable for a new comer. He went out on his second lap and I got ready to do 2 laps. When he came in I got on and set off on my first lap. It’s the first time I had ridden his Kawasaki on the track and it took a while to get used to the position and setup the mirrors. With all the porches and bikes on the track at the same time, it seemed pretty important to see what was coming up fast from behind. The track’s pretty daunting compared with the circuits I’ve been on in Sweden. 
The corners take every possible form, on hills up and down and every possible combination of camber and shape. With only a few laps to try it out, it’s not possible to remember all the turns and so much was again unexpected on my second lap. Anyway I did the 2 laps and it was good to have experienced the track that so many want to tryout. The session ended early because of an accident involving some bikes, so we had to settle for 2 laps each. But we were pleased to have had the chance to test the Nordschleife circuit. We packed the bike into the van and drove back to Cologne. Caroline was waiting for us and we cooked dinner and ate in the flat, chatted and then went to bed in good time as we were all tired.
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