{"id":179280,"date":"2016-08-03T19:52:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T17:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/?p=179280"},"modified":"2016-08-06T12:59:44","modified_gmt":"2016-08-06T10:59:44","slug":"a-weekend-with-porsche-at-the-wec-6-hours-of-nurburgring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/2016\/08\/03\/a-weekend-with-porsche-at-the-wec-6-hours-of-nurburgring\/","title":{"rendered":"A Weekend with Porsche at the WEC 6 Hours of N\u00fcrburgring"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I received an invitation from Porsche to join them at the famous N\u00fcrburgring for the WEC I RSVP\u2019d without hesitation. An action-packed raceweekend at the Ring to break the summer in half, what else could a car fanatic like me desire? That may seem a little over-enthusiastic to some of you, but in all fairness it would be my first \u2018official\u2019 raceweekend and above all my first ever time – no shame – at the notorious N\u00fcrburgring. <\/p>\n

\"Trucks<\/a>
Trucks of race times lined up at the N\u00fcrburgring. (c) Niels Stolte \/ GTspirit.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a hotel room in the Dorint Hotel right at the ring, balcony facing the circuit, action was guaranteed and the fun started right when I arrived. I couldn\u2019t help but ask myself what it would be like witnessing the 24 Hours of N\u00fcrburgring from the exact same hotel room. Either way, I was there to experience the WEC 6 Hours of N\u00fcrburgring and as I said the circuit was already bustling with activity upon my arrival. The last free practice had started and commenced in symphony with the numerous enthusiasts pushing their private cars to the max on the adjacent 22 kilometers long Nordschleife. <\/p>\n

I soon made my way to the center of the Ring and was introduced to the impressive Porsche Lounge in the characteristic T\u00dcV Rheintower that overlooks the famous N\u00fcrburgring. Comprising of two floors, enjoying that day\u2019s last rays of sunshine on the 6th floor roof terrace overlooking the entire scenic area was a real pleasure. It also made me understand where the nickname \u2018Green Hell\u2019 comes from. <\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View from the T\u00dcV Rheintower at WEC 6 Hours of N\u00fcrburgring 2016. (c) Niels Stolte \/ GTspirit.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having covered the last free practice and having been introduced to the famous German racing circuit, we headed into town for dinner which was concluded by a relaxed evening drink in none other than the \u2018Cockpit\u2019 bar at the Dorint Hotel. Having tried the local \u2018Eifelgeist\u2019 drink, it was time for bed as an early Saturday morning expected me viewing one of the Porsche pit-garages and get an all-around informative tour around the circuit.<\/p>\n

With the stacks of tires being heated up at a steady 80 degrees celsius, the continuous rainfall on Saturday made for a somewhat gloomy atmosphere at the Ring. The smell of rubber is something that I got used to very quickly, as I learned about all the different tires and FIA regulations regarding changes, heat, etc. The informative morning flew by and at the beginning of the afternoon we were invited for a hot lap in the passenger seat of a Porsche Cayman GT4. I gladly hopped in and soon found myself sitting next to none other than race driver Patrick Long, who took me for an impressive spin around a wet N\u00fcrburgring. <\/p>\n

To kill some time until the qualifying started, I was given a short tour around a rather impressive collection of historical Porsches from the Porsche museum, temporarily on display at the Ring Arena. From the legendary Porsche Carrera RSR 3.0 to the more recent Porsche 918 Spyder, the exact example that is the current record holder of the N\u00fcrburgring Nordschleife with a time of 6:57 minutes. <\/p>\n\r\n