Got to Adenau at about 2.30pm and dropped off our stuff and made our way up to the car park to see who was about. Met up with Ian and Jude in the Audi S3, John Reeves who was in a very lightweight, but held-together-with-cable-ties RX7, Mark in his Impreza and Pete Rallye and friends in his ultra-lightweight Peugeot 306. Pete was showing off his new modifications, i.e. the cut-out door linings and Perspex back windscreen. Very hardcore indeed!

After a few wet laps for both myself and Dave, we drove up to Adenauer Forst to do some viewing in the wet and found Bren and John up there also getting very wet. Unfortunately the track was shut and we didn’t see much. We later found out that a BMW, only a few cars behind us on one of the laps, had gone into the Armco at Fuchrohre. Jude and Ian were at Adenauer Forst at the time and described the sound of the crash as 2 gunshots. The driver was fine, but his car wasn’t and the Armco bill will be huge!

When the track reopened, a yellow Ferrari F40 chanced the slippery conditions and went out for a lap. Dave wondered if he could overtake, so we got in the car setting off behind him. We thought it would be a good idea to get pictures of this awesome car on the Ring, so Dave handed me the camera mid lap.

Apparently, this car is worth more than our house by about 3 times!

When the track did finally open, Dave went out for a couple of dry laps with me as a passenger. At Adenauer Forst, Tor Leif came up fast on the Clio and Dave let him pass after the second corner. What he didn’t see was that there was a Civic right up behind Tor Leif and it was only the tyre squealing which gave away its position! An apology and we don’t think he was too upset, even though it got our hearts beating rather quickly for a moment.

I did a couple of very busy laps before deciding that it was lunch time and headed back to Adenau. On one of the laps, we came across yellow flags and people slowing us down at Metzgesfeld. Once I’d got to Miss-Hit-Miss and there was no accident, I laughed and thought how they’d kick themselves later because they were flagging nothing!

The heavens opened again and we went to meet Claire and the girls at the Imbiss at Breidscheid. Hollie was having so much fun, she wasn’t really bothered that we’d turned up, so we went back to the track and waited for it to dry again. A dry line did appear thankfully and we both got a few more laps in between chatting in the car park.

Evening arrived and it was back to Adenau for a brilliant dinner and more beer. They seem to appear from nowhere!

Sunday 28th May

Dave got up to do some early laps and Hollie, Kim and Karin wanted to join him so he obliged. It was a damp track, so he took it very easy before getting the breakfast rolls and came back to the house to pick me up. I wasn’t quite ready, so he went out again and came back at 10.30am.

Went to get on the track at Breidscheid and found it closed. Dave had seen an accident involving the Ring Taxi and a British Lotus at Tiergarten and apparently it was this that had closed the track. Lots of rumours and car park speculation ensued later about this one! While waiting at the Breidscheid entrance, we met up with Fabian. We’d heard his name a few times, but never met him. It’s always great to get to know the marshals and in a positive way, not like last summer when I had a telling off!

I did a couple of laps once the track was opened and exited at Breidscheid. It was amazing but Peter, the biker whose accident I was nearly involved in last time, had managed to track us down. In his mind, this was the first time he had met us as he still doesn’t remember a thing about the incident. He looked well and has suffered no ill-effects from the crash. We tried to find him later to see if he wanted a passenger lap in the Clio, but we couldn’t find him.

After getting petrol, Dave did a couple of laps and then back to the car park. Nigel and his family had arrived so we went to say hello. He had bought a friend and his family along who had a 2002 Skyline bought specifically for ring trips!

Dave had previously spoken to a few guys with GT3s on a new forum and they were coming to the ring before going onto Spa for a 2–day track day. He went over and introduced himself to them and managed to blag a lap with Glen in his bright yellow GT3. He’d already taken him out in the Clio and the ‘F’ word came out of Glen’s mouth a few times!! Dave was very impressed with the GT3 and its driver who had not done too many laps, but had some real potential in an amazing car.

While Dave was out in the GT3, I took Nigel’s wife Louise, his daughter Catherine and their friend’s daughter, Gemma out for a lap in the Clio. Louise said that whatever they’ve heard about women drivers, they should forget. Perhaps there’s a couple of future ‘Sabines’ there!

Dave and I decided it was lunchtime, so bought a couple of rolls and went to watch the start of the Grand Prix from Monaco. Another closure followed which was the result of a BMW off at Schwedenkreuz. It took an hour to sort that one out and luckily the track was still dry by the time it opened again, so I took Jude and Matthew, Nige’s son out for 2 laps. I thought they were quite good and both of my passengers enjoyed them. Meanwhile, Dave went out with Tor Helge in his 964 RS Club Sport – a car which Dave says he would love to own. He enthused about it for hours afterwards.

Dave took Gary, (GVK) out for a lap in the Clio and I went out with Nige in his Mazda. One more lap for me and then back to Adenau for dinner. Hollie was extremely tired after going swimming with Kim and Karin and had even jumped off the 1 metre diving board! She was very proud of herself.

Monday 29th May

The track wasn’t open in the morning, so we had some time to kill. I went German bashing with Claire – Aldi had a new special offer and boy, do the Germans get excited about a bargain! I managed to get some retail therapy and Hollie got some new clothes. Back for breakfast and then Dave and I went to get some beer to bring home. We bought 2 crates of Warsteiner and one of Bitburger. Apparently, if you buy a crate of Warsteiner, you get a lovely World Cup glass to drink it out of. Claire said that I should ask for them, which I did. The German bint behind the cash desk refused to give me them saying that there were no free glasses. When we came back, we told Claire and she went back to the supermarket and we managed to get them no problem. Apparently they have a problem with tourists there, which is funny seeing as they make so much money from us!!

It was bright sunshine all morning, but at 12.15pm, the heavens opened and I mean, opened. It lashed it down. Dave got depressed and started to swear quite a lot. I thought it was a good idea not to wind him up about it…… We went to the car park anyway, Hollie in tow and met up with Ian and Jude, Nigel, Louise and family, Paul, (Nobleman), and Brian, (MG ZR). There were also a lot of other British cars in the car park, perhaps we’re the only nationality mad enough to keep lapping in the pouring rain!

Dave did a few wet laps before we thought it would be more entertaining to watch some drifts and spins at Adenauer Forst. Saw some excellent power slides performed by an English lad in his 3-series estate and a German guy in a SLK AMG. One British biker didn’t quite make the corner and took a detour across the grass and a Dutch BMW spun just as we were leaving.