Imagine driving flat out over the winding, 14-mile Nordschleife circuit. Fog, rain and darkness are just a few of the hazards to face as your Z duels with other cars.

Not sure if anyone caught it, but Nissan Sport Magazine has exclusive coverage from last weekend's 24 hour race at the Nurburgring in Germany. Three 350Z teams challenged a huge field and Kevin McGlone, Nissan Sport's European photographer, was there to give his report in pictures and on his blogsite.

For links to both, go to: www.nissansportmag.com and look for the links!

David Muramoto
Senior Editor
Nissan Sport Magazine

 

Sweet!

That track is scary enough driving a rental Bemmer. In a Z it would be awesome!

 

And these are not "normal" Zs either. Full race prep with pretty liberal aero and performance rules. Check out the serious roll cage installation in the close-up of the driver. Awesome indeed!

 

Probably a repost...

The definitive lap around the ring with the Master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q8ZNkhxT04

Unfortunately You Tube has pulled the full lap sequence but this one gives you an idea...

 

Wow.

 

That bmw videos tight

 

How did the Z's finish?

 

daaaaaaamn.. that looks crazy fun

 

After I drove the 'Ring two years ago in a rental BMW Z4, I was aching to take my Z there - it would have done very well...

 

The VLN series (the full acronym is published in the summer edition of Nissan Sport, but it's looong) has entries of 150+ cars. Can you imagine driving a Z and negotiating such a tough circuit WHILE passing slower cars and letting faster ones by? At night? In the rain? Fog?

While we all agree the 'Ring is a great track, possibly the most challenging in the world, but there's a reason the FIA won't sanction any further races there. Safety. But the lure of such a race would be too great even for my safety-concious noggin. I want to race there too!

 

The majority of the race tracks here in the US don't get a FIA sanction either. FIA circuit regulations are in Appendix O and are available here:

http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...pendix_O_a.pdf

 

I'll be going there in a couple of weeks. I'm sure that there will be more to the eye than my playstation is showing me. The track is like nothing I have ever done here on the west coast. Can't wait.

 

Lucky, bloody you! At over 14 miles, the Ring would be like connecting Laguna Seca, Road America, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen and perhaps Lime Rock into one long circuit. Gotta be incredible!

 

That really puts it in perspective....I think the longest track is VIR in the States at least thats waht I remember reading in C&D...

 

Sorry- if you read that in C&D, they're wrong! VIR's full course length is an impressive 3.27 miles. But Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI remains the king (IMHO) of U.S. road courses at 4.0 miles. It's 14 turns are like racing through a big forest, so like the 'Ring, there's times where it can be raining on one part of the track and totally dry in another! They'll soon be running the SCCA June Sprints there in a few weeks and I'm sad to be missing it.

 

is there any way we can get a vid of these Zs in action. There has to be some vid that we can see, i wish these were televised in the states?

 

Ahh, but VIR GRAND is over 4 miles: I think it is 4.2 miles.

 

The full configuration of Miller Motorsports Park in Utah is 4.5 miles, and I believe that one of the tracks in Nevada (Reno/Fernley or Pahrump) has a new configuration that's over 6 miles long.

It would take me forever to learn a track that long!

 

SWEET!!! Gonna check it out when I get home.

 

Yep..Thats the one they ran the Lightening lap test where the 350z beat the EVO9 by 1 second....Tehy said its twists and turns are the closest to the Nurburgring of any track in the US if memory serves...