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      07-18-2012, 12:30 PM   #53
Alpina_B3_Lux
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaArtist View Post
I disagree that the track is perfectly safe. I'm not sure on what basis you can even make that claim considering that the track has about a dozen fatalities a year.
It's perfectly safe for race driving. To my knowledge the fatalities occur almost exclusively during the Touristenfahrten when you have unexperienced drivers overestimating their own abilities. And fatalities are almost all bikers which in my opinion don't belong there anyway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaArtist View Post
I also disagree that it's unavoidable because of "human nature". I've been on numerous raceways including Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sears Point, and the 'Ring itself, and BY FAR, the Ring is the most poorly designed when it comes to safety.
It's much more dangerous than others - which in turn makes it much more interesting and fascinating to drive. There's much, much more driving skill involved in this track than in any other; and the modern Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit is very boring in comparison. No risk, no fun. If you want safety, stay on the couch.

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Originally Posted by MediaArtist View Post
When I was there in 2002, I probably witnessed at least 3-4 close calls over a 2 hour time span. In 2007, I saw an E46 M3 (looked track prepped) go wide into the railing because of oil on the track, which is a common occurrence actually. I mean seriously, how much time have you spent on the 'Ring? I have a hard time believing someone who has actually driven on it considers it a "perfectly safe" track.
I'm living 70 minutes away from the 'Ring, so I think you can safely assume that I've driven on it a lot, and certainly substantially more than yourself. I've seen lots of accidents myself - but then if you want to eliminate all risk, simply don't drive. This risk aversion and always-fully-insured mentality is something I cannot quite comprehend.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaArtist View Post
It's completely unforgiving, you miss a turn, there's no run-off, you're going to crash. You add the fact that 90% of these bends are blind, with some happening over elevation changes, and you have dramatically increased your chances for a second accident. You combine these conditions, then you add wetness which reduces grip considerably, then you add the pressure of reducing lap times, and it's a recipe for disaster. Seriously, spend some time on a modern race track, and then compare your experience to the 'Ring, it's night and day. When you strip away the glamour, and nostalgia, the 'Ring is a dangerous, old, not very well maintained, track.
I disagree. It also seems to me you haven't really been to the Nordschleife very often and certainly not recently. You can't compare today's track to how it was 10 years ago. Yes, it's dangerous and you can crash easily if you do something wrong. But that's just what it makes it so unique and I'm all for keeping it that way. If you personally don't want to drive there, that's your prerogative. But don't substitute your own risk aversity for other people's.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MediaArtist View Post
Like I said, there's a reason why major motorsport orgs started looking away from the 'Ring as a place to hold major races. It's dangerous, and it's bad publicity having a driver get killed. You may think it has "nothing to do" with the recent financial problems, but I disagree. The financial problems with the 'Ring started a long time ago, before they began taking loans to revamp the site.
Previous financial problems of the 'Ring were insignificant with the scope of the current financial disaster. If you want to prohibit anything that may potentially get someone killed, you can start with prohibiting driving a car at all. So much for that logic.

Alpina_B3_Lux
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