Miced feelings for me. In 2018 and my two sons drove all the way to the Ring, only to be limited to driving a solitary lap because a bellend biker binned it and they had to close the track while they airlifted him to hospital.
Whether or not I fancy riding it again is immaterial: I don’t think right and wrong based on if it solely suits me. Sad and bad day that people don’t have the choice to ride what is a worldwide motorsport icon much during the year. The fact they are doing kind of trackdays will depend then if they are follow-me California Superbike horror laps or do your own thing. If it’s still a road, track bikes won’t be able to surely? Unless classification changes for those days? And how will this stop accidents: they happen because over the size of the lap there is a lot to learn, a lot of blind crests into corners, and very changing conditions. While it’s odd to have cars out with you, especially when they overtake you, how many bike accidents are car related vs own related? Sad day for many.
I was planning to go back with a few mates at some point, I've done it on a ZX12R and twice on a ZZR1400 maybe 10 laps all told never any issues. I am sad it changing but not surprised.
Although insurance may not cover the 'ring, surrounding roads seemed to suffer a poor accident record, if you know what I mean? When we left, I always expected to see many. many bike wrecks on the roads around the 'ring, whereas crashes on the 'ring were virtually unknown. Funny ole World!!!
I read a news story, earlier, that spoils the fun . . . . Bikes are NOT being banned from the 'ring. Only mixed laps with cars and you have to do a tuition lap with an instructor first. Boring I know - and another trash story hits the bin!
well they're only allowing those 4 bike only tuition days - which exist already (and are great) - so in effect banned for the remaining 361 days.......unless I've read that wrong
I don't know, nor care, but I would guess that if the demand is there, they will do more bike days. Although part of the fun when I used to go was seeing the insane cars that used to show up!
Are bikers banned from general days, which is the vast majority? Yes. Are they being allowed 4 goes a year? Yes.
Correct. Normally the Motorrad and Doc Scholl days are sold out anyway. Motorrad often only have one dedicated English speaking instructor. Doc Scholl has about 4 so any brits that want to get on the courses are catered for but as said numbers are limited on either course. Sadly it is of no use to the people touring through the region or even some heading there on dedicated trips to the Eifel that want to put in a lap or two just to tick the box. having worked there for 12 years as an instructor I have my personal views on this whole thing. They have not wanted bikes for a good few years, they have tolerated the situation until they made the decision. The decision was I believe made last season. The last dedicated bike parking area was ripped out and replaced with car spaces immediately last season came to an end in early November. I have also heard from a contact that confirms this, so why wait till a few weeks before season starts to announce it is beyond me. But having worked with them I am not surprised! I also have a suspicion that there was also another factor in the decision to ban bikes. This I suspect was that the new Ai safety lights/warning system does not recognise bikes sufficiently to work. Also the cameras employed on this Ai system are all front of vehicle facing, so if there is an element of anpr then it’s useless. Either that or it needs to pick up the silhouette of the vehicle and a bike is easily lost amongst the sea of cars. among the biker fraternity out there and pretty much elsewhere it was acknowledged that this ban was only a matter of time, but it’s the zero consultation and lack of alternative that galls people. Safety from now on in tf will not improve as they still push way too many cars on track. Which in itself is a recipe for enhanced incidents. Yes bikes could on some occasions create a long closure through either investigation or medical needs, but this is no different to the car world. I’ve worked on days there where there have been in excess of 6 hours of downtime on tf and also trackdays when there have been zero bikes present or involved. People still die in cars whether as driver or passengers. Statistics are non existent to the public but I personally believe that cutting out the bikes will whittle their own stats down a bit but as most people acknowledge “no one dies on the ring” they die in helicopter, icu’s and medical centres. I’ve known both 2 & 4 wheel friends and colleagues who have died there. Sadly this will continue irrespective of there being no bikes. so at some point they are going to have to reduce car numbers and there’s a few ways they can do this, many will not be happy but it will come OR tf will be shut down due to either political or environmental reasons. nurburgring could replace all tf car sessions with a trackday format. There is nothing to stop them setting up a division to do this to mirror what 3rd party operators do at present. If tf disappeared all the tech and infrastructure would still be critical for racing, testing, industry, and trackdays.
Loved riding it many times but it was a bit mental, cursory checks on bikes condition. Pay & go...the fines that got handed out were eye-watering for crash clean up. I'm sort of glad that things are changing but not in a specifically good direction.
Agreed, it was always chaos and was only getting worse. I just don't think the way they handled it is the right way, at all! It's a giant middle finger to bike riders rather than a compromise such as alternating days (5 day week, 4 days for cars and 1 for bikes as an example). But instead, they've just cowered away from the issue for so long that they were left with only one option... The middle finger to bikers. It's left an INCREDIBLY sour taste in the mouth and I'll not be going to the Ring again which was a regular occurrence for me.
It is a place that I have often thought about going to, but, never serious enough to actually go, I know people who have been there, done that, and lived to rell the tale, as far as I am aware, none of my friends/ acquaintances have been involved in any accidents there, which,his surprising considering how some of them drive/ride on the public roads I suppose i will just have to settle for a sticker then
