LOR Trackguide Nuerburgring Brünnchen
Contents
First Corner (Up-hill, right hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 122 mph [197 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 70 mph [113 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 5 minutes 38.41 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 4.66 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 5 minutes 43.07 seconds
The key to this uphill right hander is to brake gently. If you brake too hard you'll bottom out and slide off the track. You come into the braking zone relatively quickly and there is a tendency to want to brake hard, but resist this as it will cause you to lose control. If the car is always bottoming out, don't look to raise the ride height right away. First make sure you aren't braking too hard. Remember the turn goes uphill quite steeply. Use this to your advantage to help slow the car.
You should be able to get up to third gear before reaching the turn. Keep the car on the left side of the track as you accelerate towards the corner. Just after the racing groove darkens, brake gently. Continue for a moment before downshifting to second gear. Then turn in while maintaining the same brake pressure. You won't need to lift off the brakes to turn as you are nowhere near the limit. This corner isn't about threshold braking, but rather using the hill to control your speed.
You'll be aiming for a late apex. As you near the mid point of the turn, get off the brakes and balance the car on the power. The apex comes just before the top of the hill. Once there, add some more power and let the car drift out to the left slightly. The crest of the hill is still to come, so don't go crazy with too much power or you'll be sliding all over the place on the exit. Gently increase the power as much as possible as you near the left edge of the track. Between this turn and the next one, the track is never straight, and you need to bring the car over to the right for the following turn. So as you exit concentrate more on your line than on your acceleration. You'll probably never reach full acceleration as the elevation changes and bends of the track don't really allow you to do so in a controlled manner.
Second Corner (Downhill, double left hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 100 mph [161 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 70 mph [113 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 5 minutes 45.06 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 6.11 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 5 minutes 51.17 seconds
This downhill double left hander has a tricky entrance. You need to be near the right side of the track to get a good line through the turn. However the approach isn't straight, but bends slightly to the left. So if you aim for the right side of the track, you'll be creating an incredibly tight turn-in radius. In fact you'll probably drive straight off the track as you try to enter the corner. So try to bring the car towards the right side of the track as carefully as you can, while still keeping it pointing mostly straight ahead. As soon as you exit the previous turn start concentrating on getting towards the right side of the track carefully and smoothly.
You'll still be in second gear as you near the braking point. Just before the white line appears on your left start to brake gently. The track descends throughout this entire turn, and braking too hard will lock the front wheels up and you'll just go straight. Bring the car into the apex just before the midpoint of the turn. Ease off the brakes as you reach the apex and balance the car on the power. As you near the end of the first left hand bend add some more power. This will help you gain a little extra speed as well as push you out from the corner a little, ensuring a good line into the next bend.
The final bend requires a late apex. If you moved out from the previous bend enough by using some extra power you should have no problems. As you come into the apex, back off the power a little, but not too much as you still need a decent amount of power on to help keep the car under you as the track falls away. The turn is basically over as soon as you pass the apex. The last thing to do is maintain a constant throttle and bring the car towards the middle of the track and go over the slight bump in a straight line.
Third Corner (Downhill, right hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 85 mph [137 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 60 mph [97 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 5 minutes 51.61 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 4.46 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 5 minutes 56.07 seconds
This downhill right hander ends the trio of corners that started with the uphill right hander. A steady right foot is needed to get through here without sliding the rear out wide. As soon as you go over the bump in the track get on the brakes gently. Stay in second gear and bring the car into the apex quite soon, and hold it there. Once at the apex gently ease off the brakes, making sure you are completely off them by the time you reach the middle of the turn. Then start to add a little bit of power. Be very careful that you don't add too much as the car will slide out very fast if you do. As the track begins to straight out in front of you unwind the wheel and add some more power.
There is a significant bump in the track just after the exit of this turn. Make sure you are going straight when you cross this. Add as much power as you can, while still maintaining traction at the rear, before you reach this bump. Then back off for a moment as you cross it. Once clear of this bump get back get back on the power hard as you go down the hill into the following turn.
Fourth Corner (Up-hill, right hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 105 mph [169 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 65 mph [105 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 5 minutes 57.68 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 3.99 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 6 minutes 1.67 seconds
This uphill right hander is very similar to the first right hander at Brunnchen. Don't brake too hard and use the uphill climb to help slow the car down. You'll be in second gear under full acceleration as you approach the turn. The track continues downhill until just after the bridge. Just as the track transitions from downhill to uphill - right after the bridge - gently apply the brakes. Obviously you'll be on the left side of the track. Continue in a straight line for a moment, and then slowly start to bring the car into the apex. You need to brake all the way into the apex. This will make the rear quite light, so be prepared for it to slide out a bit. If you are getting lots of oversteer you may be braking too hard.
Hit the apex late in the turn. You should be completely off the brakes by the time you reach it. Then get back on the power to balance the car for a moment. The track starts to flatten out at the exit of the turn. Carefully add more power as you leave the apex, letting the car move towards the left side of the track. There is still a slight uphill climb to the track, coupled with a bend to the right as you are leaving the turn. This will make your rear wheels want to spin under heavy acceleration. Depending on your clutch setup you may get the right rear spinning while the left rear grips. I wouldn't change your setup for this one turn, just be aware that this may happen as you try to get back to full acceleration.
Fifth Corner (Left hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 108 mph [174 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 63 mph [101 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 6 minutes 4.75 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 4.51 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 6 minutes 9.26 seconds
This left hander is not too difficult. You need to start near the middle of the track and gradually bring the car in towards the corner so that you apex right at the end of the left hand turn. This will make the exit through the following right hand bend much easier.
You should have been able to get up to third gear after exiting the previous turn. Line the car up in the middle of the track. If you are too far to the right you'll be making the turn sharper than it needs to be. The track is going downhill slightly as you approach the turn, and then starts uphill just before the turn in point. At this transition, brake moderately and downshift to second gear.
The turn is one arc, but the track almost has two bends to it. Use the second bend as your apex point. Turn in and begin easing off the brakes as you reach the first bend. By the time you reach the second bend you should be off the brakes and right against the grass. Balance the car with the power until you leave the edge of the track. You'll only be against the edge of the track for a moment before starting to exit the turn. Let the car go across the track as you accelerate. Take a late apex at the following right hand bend and keep the car near the edge of the track on the right side as you accelerate towards the following left hander.
Sixth Corner (Left hander)
- Entrance speed: approximately 100 mph [161 kph]
- Speed through the corner: approximately 70 mph [113 kph]
- Arrival time at the corner: 6 minutes 10.92 seconds
- Time to negotiate the corner: 4.75 seconds
- Exit time of the corner: 6 minutes 15.67 seconds
[[File:LORnurburg216.jpg|left] The key to this left hander is to keep the car close to the inside edge at all times. The turn is very similar to the previous turn in this respect, except that the steep downhill exit makes it far more important to be near the inside. Taking a wider line will mean you have to make a tighter turn, which means more work for the rear wheels. Therefore, as you are trying to accelerate you may spin. So flatten the turn out as much as possible by staying to the inside at all times.
[[File:LORnurburg217.jpg|right] You should be able to get back to full acceleration before reaching this turn. With the car near the right side of the track brake heavily just before reaching the tree on your left. The tree on the right also works well, but then you are looking towards the right side of the track when you want to be heading towards the left side. So the tree on the left provides a slight advantage.
[[File:LORnurburg218.jpg|left] Only brake for a moment. As the track starts to go downhill get off the brakes and bring the car in towards the apex. You'll hit the apex very soon. Once there add some more power to steady the car. The track straightens out for a moment, so keep going in a straight line right next to the grass. As it begins to turn to the left some more, follow it around for a few cars lengths before starting across the track towards the right side, aiming for the grass at the right hand bend. You should be able to add more power as you leave the left side of the track, reaching full power about half way across the track. Be careful that you don't clip the grass at the right hand bend as it will make the car slide a little, upsetting the car down the following straight.
