Question about travel to Germany

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kevin m

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A good friend of mine, English, is marrying a lovely German girl in June of 2008 and my wife and I have been invited to their wedding in Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, which is near Bremen.

I'm already debating which camera to bring, and whether or not I'll shoot any pics for them at the wedding, or simply enjoy myself and be a guest. Also, my wife has family in Hanover whom I have yet to meet, so I know we'll be taking a detour to visit them.

My question isn't about cameras, though, it's about rental cars. We plan on renting a car once we leave the wedding not just to see her family, but because we both want to drive on the Nurburgring. So I have two questions: 1. Is it legally possible to drive a rental car on the Ring, and, 2. Are we crazy for considering it? :D
 
Thanks for the link!

I see that they recommend putting the track emergency number in your cell phone. Fair warning, eh? :D
 
As long as you don't crash the car and with it yourselves it certainly would be possible to drive on the Nordschleife during its opening hours.

But you better ask the car rental agency before. :D
 
I drove the Autobahn in a rented VW Van...foot to the floor and only hit 95 MPH...Was passed by a few really nice Italian sportscars...you might want to give it a try...
 
If you've got an itch, scratch it! Be warned though, once you've done it, be prepared for a major change in your outlook - The 'Ring and thinking about the 'Ring! I go every year for a week, bikes in the back of a rental van.
My advice is to drive/ride at 75%, that leaves you 25% to deal with any incident and to use your mirrors very frequently. Make sure you'll do plenty of miles afterwards to get your tyres looking something like normal again (if you haven't wrecked them and the brakes completely!).
Make no mistake, riding the 'Ring is a total buzz and VERY addictive - passing Porsches etc at 170mph+ is deeply satisfying:>)
 
I believe that even your own private car insurance does not cover you if you were to take your own car on the Ring (or any track). There are typically racing and track clauses that exlude coverage in such situations. (Some people like to argue the wording here: saying that they are not racing, which is clearly excluded, but who has the time, money or desire to go to court with an insurance company in the event of an accident.) You should also know that racing can also void the terms of many life and mortgage insurance policies.

I can imagine, in fact it's safe to say, that you will void the terms of your rental contract and be fully liable for all damage, without insurance, on the track. That liablility extends btw beyond the car, to other driver's cars and their persons.
 
BNF said:
I believe that even your own private car insurance does not cover you if you were to take your own car on the Ring (or any track). There are typically racing and track clauses that exlude coverage in such situations. (Some people like to argue the wording here: saying that they are not racing, which is clearly excluded, but who has the time, money or desire to go to court with an insurance company in the event of an accident.) You should also know that racing can also void the terms of many life and mortgage insurance policies.

I can imagine, in fact it's safe to say, that you will void the terms of your rental contract and be fully liable for all damage, without insurance, on the track. That liablility extends btw beyond the car, to other driver's cars and their persons.
Click to expand...
Many rental car agreements also refuse liability for the use of the vehicle in 'speed trials' and other forms of fast driving on tracks and courses, so I'd heartily second your warning.

Cheers,

R.
 
normal insurances won't cover anything close to that and I'm almost certain car hiring company do exclude "abuse" of their vehicles. Their terms and conditions are worth checking and are only a phone call or a mouse click away. Don't use your rental car in any type of racing situation. You're asking for trouble.

Just my two cents
 
Point of information; the 'Ring is classed as a TOLL ROAD, not a track, not racing, not speed trials. In fact I had a big crash there and a friend of mine did as well. Both of us were able to claim for our bikes, leathers etc and payment for the damage to the armco/road surface and recovery of the bikes. This was a few years ago and things may have changed and I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at the attitude of vehicle hire companies. There is a lot of alarmist talk about the 'Ring, it's a one-way road, that's all. Keep your wits about you, ride within your limits and you'll have a great time. Incidents happen when people push beyond their limits. If you're hesitant about taking yourself round, go with Sabine in the taxi - it'll be quicker than tha vast majority of punters:>)
 
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