B4T 'Ring Trip - October 2012

Yep, I just can't help myself, I'm going again this year

So as I was looking into doing an October trip, Stu asked if I could pop a thread up on here to get some interest.

After a mid November trip last year, I'm keen to a more 'off season' date again this year, the benefit being a quieter track than the August / September rush but still a fair chance of decent weather. There's also potential to get cheap laps on Ebay before they run out at the end of the year.

Having looked at the calendar and ferry prices, I propose a Sunday to Sunday as follows:

Sunday 14th - Drive to Dover for 4pm ferry to arrive in Dunkerque for 7pm. Check in to F1 Hotel. Evening in Dunkerque town.
Monday 15th - Drive to Adenau via Spa. NS open 12:30 - 7pm.
Tuesday 16th - Day to explore local area. NS open 5:30 - 7pm.
Wednesday 17th - Day to explore local area. GP circuit open 6 - 7pm.
Thursday 18th - Visit Cologne / Dusseldorf / Stuttgart / go karting. NS closed.
Friday 19th - NS open 2:30 - 7pm.
Saturday 20th - NS open all day.
Sunday 21st - Drive to Dunkerque for 4pm ferry to arrive in Dover for 5pm. Drive home.

We will be staying in the Hotel an der Norschleife in Adenau, on the trackside. Breakfast (all you can eat) is included in the price. Room prices vary but will be between £30 and £40 per night per person. We will split the total between us.

Ferry cost is £58 return per car.

Total costs (going by 30mpg in the S2000 including the UK driving, plus extra for the track!)
Fuel = £280/car
Hotels = £230/person
Ferry = £58/car
Laps x4 / GP Circuit pass = £140/car
Food / spending money = £200ish/person

1 person in a car alone = £900
2 people in a car (splitting fuel/ferry/laps) = £670 each

This is an optimistic estimate, it could be a fair bit less depending on your fuel economy or how much you spend!

As I've done before, I'll give a deadline to book a ferry and once these are booked I'll take a £50 deposit for the hotel rooms.

As such, I'll give you til the end of May to decide if you want to come, start booking ferries in June and give until the end of July for hotel deposit.

I'll also have a passenger seat going spare in the S2000

Add your names...

1. James + Tom - S2000
2. Stu + ? - Golf
3. Ed C + ? - DC2?
4. Rich - MX-5
5. Matt - MX-5
6. Ed A - Megane?
7. Adam - MR2
8. Sam
9. Josh

I'm so in it hurts a little. Passenger seat with me too

1. James + ? - S2000
2. Norledge + ? - Golf (Maybe a little optimistic)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

James you know im in! Im going to get packing now lol.

Need to make sure I can afford to, before I commit. But I very much want to

Come on James, more updates!

1. James + ? - S2000
2. Norledge + ? - Golf (Maybe a little optimistic)
3. Ed + ? - DC2 (please god, please)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I should have a DC2 by this time (if i dont im actually going to break down and cry) so ill be coming in that Failing that its shotgun in the MX5 lol!

Also have to mention the sunday that we leave (14th) is my 22nd birthday

Reechard wrote:

Come on James, more updates!

No more updates needed really, everything is laid out above. At the end of May, whoever's on this list can start booking ferries

Garaculas wrote:

Also have to mention the sunday that we leave (14th) is my 22nd birthday

Birthday night out in Dunkerque for you then Ed

1. James + Tom Parker? - S2000
2. Norledge + ? - Golf (Maybe a little optimistic)
3. Ed + ? - DC2 (please god, please)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Rallye James wrote:

No more updates needed really, everything is laid out above. At the end of May, whoever's on this list can start booking ferries

I know was just a kick up the arse so people would remember this thread.

1. James + Tom Parker? - S2000
2. Norledge + ? - Golf (Maybe a little optimistic)
3. Ed + ? - DC2 (please god, please)
4 .Reechard - mx5
5.
6.
7.
8.

Not quite sure on weather theyre both driving or not but Josh and Sam both said theyre up for this so chock up another 2

1. James + Tom Parker - S2000
2. Norledge + ? - Golf (Maybe a little optimistic)
3. Ed + ? - DC2 (please god, please)
4 .Reechard - mx5
5. Josh
6. Sam
7. Matt - MX-5
8.

There's a few more on the list now.

I'll email Eddy about booking some rooms in a couple of days time and see what deposit he wants.

I'd start thinking about who's going with who now, so we can book the ferries and everything

I'll also stick it on Facebook so that everyone can see what's going on as I've got one friend definite and another who I think is about 90% sure.

Whoops thought id already put my name down

Could you add me please James

No problem, I'll continue to keep you up to date on here as you're not on Facebook

Are you going to be going alone or with a passenger?

I'll probably be passenger free.

Whoo Ads coming too. Gunna be an epic b4t trip!

Can taste the steak!

Hotel now booked, this will be €219 for the week per person. We will have 3 twin rooms and one apartment for 4 (though I expect this will be the basement suite and will sleep 6 if we have any more coming).

Please can you let me have a £30 deposit towards this by the end of June, meaning you will need to take roughly £150 / €180 to pay the remainder.

Paypal is james AT topalwaysdown.co.uk

Quote :

james AT topalwaysdown.co.uk

How true lol. Deposit sent

Have you got a map of the route we'll be taking? If its a pain in the arse dont bother lol.

Cheers Adam, route will be this - Link

Out via Lille to avoid the Brussels traffic, then Spa and the back roads to Nurburg
Back through the Eifel forest via Monschau (I've not driven this yet but been told it's a good one) and then the quickest route via Brussels which should be quieter on the weekend.

Awesome, didnt actually know where in Germany the Ring was.

BOB SAGET!!, Would be so up for this but i start back at Uni then

Sam-screw uni come to the ring!

Mmmmmmmm shall I?

So yeah... Current Financial Constraints say I have to drop out...

You can use chocolate buttons for the ferry big man

jamesy wrote:

Mmmmmmmm shall I?

Well it'll give the sheep a week off

Adam86 wrote:

jamesy wrote:

Mmmmmmmm shall I?

Well it'll give the sheep a week off

Ahahahahaha

And Jamesy yes you do!

Are you a definite no now Stu? If so I'll offer someone else your place.

Currently have five deposits, including my own. I'll be emailing Eddy next week with final numbers, at this rate I'll be cancelling two of the rooms.

Looks like there's only four or five of us now, I'm going to confirm the numbers and rooms to Eddy tomorrow evening.

Adam, I've sent you a PM

Sorry mate didn't notice. Just replied.

1. James + Tom Parker - S2000
2. Ed + ? - DC2 (please god, please)
3 .Reechard - mx5
4. Josh
5. Sam
6. Matt - MX-5
7. Woz - MR2(Paid)

Hotel confirmed with Eddy this morning. We now have a twin and a triple room. Total cost is a couple of Euros less (€216) for the week now, including the deposit. Total left to pay on the hotel when we get there is around £143

Ferry bookings...

http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/

Outbound: Dover to Dunkerque 14/10/12 16:00 (arrives in France ~7pm local time)
Return: Dunkerque to Dover 21/10/12 16:01 (returns to UK ~5pm local time)

Total cost is £58 and if you choose Paypal on the options there's no card charges ;-)

Any queries, let me know!

Is Dunkerque dunkirt? I can find dover to dunkirt but not to Dunkerque.

Dunkirk, yeah, sorry! I'm just used to the French spelling!

Booked the ferry

Booked! Looking forward to this trip sooo much

booked mine earlier too, gonna be so cool!

Excellent, that's all of us booked (and I'm on the right ferry now... haha)

Only thing left to book in advance now is the F1 hotel in Dunkerque. They only do twin rooms or doubles with a bunk over the top, so unless two of you are particularly friendly enough to share a bed we're going to need three rooms at £20 each.

I don't know if two of you want to book rooms yourself or would you prefer if I booked all three and we split the cost between us (£12 each).

If so, any preference to twin or double and bunk rooms?

well after last year I think me, rich and ad are comfortable with our sexuality

I'm happy with whatever the others decide, let me know what to pay where and i'm happy lol.

I've just had a thought before I book the F1...

As it stands we arrive in Dunkerque at 7pm and will go straight to the F1 and have the evening to spend in the town. The next day we'll have four and a half hours driving plus a stop off at Spa. Depending when we leave the F1 we should arrive in Adenau around 4pm and there's a possibility that we can get a lap of two in the evening once we've emptied the cars.

Just considering staying in Belgium, somewhere like Charleroi. It would mean a two hour drive after the ferry so we'd arrive after 9pm. It would be about £11 each rather than £8 but would mean a two and a half hour drive the next day. We could stop at Spa in the morning and arrive at Adenau early afternoon comfortably in time for a couple of laps.

Pros: More lap time of the 'Ring, shorter drive on the Monday
Cons: Longer drive on the Sunday, no evening in Dunkerque, slightly more expensive

3 weeks

Whats the score with high octance fuel? Are shell garages as frequent as in the uk?

I knows its a pain but ill need fuel around every 200 miles...

Is that an 'only just' 200 miles, or a comfortable 200 miles? I've researched Shell garages in Belgium and found one on the way there about 200 miles from Dunkerque and the same on the way back. These should both sell 99 octane. There's no Shell anywhere close to Nürburg but there's two stations there that sell 98 or 99. Should be fine if you can definitely do 200 miles of motorway. In the UK we'll fill up in Folkestone at the Shell.

I put together a list of meeting places for the drive down which I'll post tomorrow as it's saved on the PC at work. I take it you and Woz will be coming round the M25 clockwise?

Quick list of essentials to take are:

Clothes bag
Wash bag
European travel kit
Headlight deflectors
Breathalyser
Trolley jack
Chargers
European plug adapter
Camera
V5 / MOT / insurance / driving licence
Ferry booking / passport
Euros
Oil / water / basic toolkit
Sat nav
Helmet

Yeh will be M25 clockwise mate.

I can drive in a manor to get a comfortable 200-220 miles yeh. It can also do alot less though lol. By the sounds of it shouldnt be a problem.

Clothes bag
Wash bag
European travel kit
Headlight deflectors
Breathalyser
Trolley jack
Chargers
European plug adapter
Camera
V5 / MOT / insurance / driving licence
Ferry booking / passport
Euros
Oil / water / basic toolkit
Sat nav
Helmet
JERRY CAN!

Lol! Should be fine but if you have got room for the jerry can it might be worth taking!

We'll be doing M25 anticlockwise so will meet you at Maidstone services on the M20. I'll put the timetable up tomorrow.

20 days to go! Maybe slightly early but I’ve been looking at the convoy for the Sunday morning. We need to be in Dover by 3:00pm. I’ll be leaving the house just after 9:30am (as soon as the Korean GP is finished!)

Matt – I’ll meet you at Leigh Delamere services on the M4 (first one past Bristol) at 11:00am
Rich – We’ll meet you at Clackett Lane services on the M25 at 13:15pm
Adam and Woz – We’ll meet you at Maidstone services on the M20 ( at Junction 8 ) at 13:50pm

We’ll convoy down to Junction 11 and stop at the Shell to fill up. It’s 205 miles from here to Spa where I’m aiming to reach to fill up again, though there’s another Shell 20 miles back in Liege if we need it.

We should then reach Dover for 3:00pm

Just downloaded germany onto my sat nav

Good idea, I assume you've got France and Belgium too?

Yep they was already on

Wish I was going with you boys