Miercuri,28 octombrie.O zi superba in clasa 8c.

Astăzi ne-am inceput ziua cu o minunata ora de engleză,unde am luat nişte note bune de aruncat la coşul de gunoi.Dupa un astfel de inceput,nu putea urma decat o continuare pe măsură.La ora de religie am dat lucrare ca să ne mai inviorăm un pic.Ziua a continuat tot atat de frumos,cu pauzele in care ne-am plimbat de colo-colo,unii dupa alţii,am apelat din nou la aparatul foto si am inceput să ne facem poze cu maimuţa,cu cimpanzeul şi toate celalalte animale specifice nouă.La ora de fizică,eu impreună cu Th,Sebi şi Aşu,normal ca am intarziat.Astfel cand am ajuns in clasa am gasit clasa goală.Dintr-un motiv care ramane anonim eu,Th si Sebi(pe Aşu probabil l-am pierdut pe drum.),am inceput să ne imaginam fel si fel de chestii care ar fi putut produce acest ciudat fenomen prin care disparuseră cu toţii pâna cand intr-un fericit final ni s-au aprins si noua beculetele si am realizat ca toti ceilalti erau in laborator.După ce ne-am linistit,apare Aşu -facând pe SuperAşu-dupa care ramane si el dezamagit ca nu eram decat noi acolo.Momentul a fost stricat de D-na Dirigintă care a venit la noi ,nervoasă,spunându-ne sa trecem imediat la laborator si sa nu mai pierdem vremea degeaba.După vreo 30 de minute,ne-am calmat si noi,si ne-am tinut gurile(asta bineinteles,pana se mai trezea vreunu sa spuna ceva,iar toti ceilalti incepeam sa radem-indiferent daca era amuzant sau nu-).Dupa ora de fizica ,am avut ora de desen.Ora noastra preferata-oarecum-.La ora de desen ,dupa ce am scris toata tabla si am ascuns buretele,ne-am asezat in banci si am inceput sa ne dam drumul imaginatiei-care nu prea exista la noi,dar asta nu conteaza-.In timpul orei ,bineinteles se auzeau numai tipete si toti ne plimbam de la o banca la alta,incercand sa desenam ceva ce nimeni nu a mai vazut.La sfarsitul orei s-au facut remarcate desenul lui Sebi,care era un submarin-vapor-dinozaur-om,sau desenul lui Ana-care reprezenta inchisoarea de la Alcatraz,si multe astfel de creatii.Ultima ora a fost cea de tehnologie.Aceasta ora a inceput foarte bine,cand eu ,Th si Daiana ne-am dus sa gasim burete sa stergem tabla.Bineinteles ca nu am venit cu burete,asta dupa ce ne-am plimbat de la o clasa la alta,dupa ce am facut cam 5 drumuri pana la baie si inapoi .

Astfel decurge o zi linistita,calma si relaxanta la clasa 8c.

Cei care vor sa ne viziteze,ii rugam sa ne anunte cu ceva timp inainte pentru a le procura un bilet.(p.s.floricelele si sucurile nu sunt incluse in pretul platit pentru bilet).Va multumim si va asteptam cu frenezie ! Noapte buna si craciun fericit !

Post by Viky

O Suíço Axel Marx encontrou esta 2300 RIO (uma das Alfas made in Brazil exportadas para a Alemanha no fim da década de 80) com pouco mais de 1.000km, sem nunca ter sido licenciada. Foi restaurada totalmente e incorporou à sua coleção de magníficas Alfas.

Olha só onde a metida está estacionada!! Do lado da mais nova e badalada prima: uma 8C Competizione. Fala sério!!!!

O mais engraçado é que, se pra gente é uma supresa uma familiar 2300 enfileirada com uma intergaláctica 8C e uma rara Montreal branca (!), lá é a 2300 que deve fazer alto sucesso e surpreender a todos, pois foi um modelo exclusivamente Brasileiro e as exportações foram um fracasso, portanto no mundo civilizado poucos sabem desta verdadeira Alfa Romeo fabricada numa república de bananas.

Motivo de orgulho do Alfa Romeo BR, sua placa de registro levando nosso grupo para fora do Brasil. O link dela no site: http://www.alfaromeobr.com.br/showmember.php?id=364&numero=73

Haha theres so much good music out there nowadays, I wanted to clue some of the people who live on the computer and wouldnt know in xD Heres a couple of my recent favorite songs!

I Must Be Dreaming- The Maine

Weightless- All Time Low

Damned If I do Ya- All Time Low

Love Drunk- Boys Like Girls

Bulletproof- La Roux

Fearless-Taylor Swift

Stuttering- The Friday Night Boys

Obsessed- Mariah Carey

Ignorance-Paramore

Before the Storm-Jonas Brothers feat. Miley Cyrus

Thats all for now, if you want to know more, simply go to my playlist….

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/15009325323

Ttfn :]

-amy wuz hurr-

p.s- I got cluster 8C in school, same as Nick -.-, Jesseth, Leigh, Chelsie McF, Justin, Jessie B, Sarah, and…idk, theres more obviously xD

Info:

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione  Spider

The 8C Competizione was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The lines of the twin seater are meant to echo the styling of Alfas of the 1930s and 1940s, and the “Competizione” name is a reference to the 1948 6C 2500 Competizione, which competed in the 1949 and 1950 Mille Miglia race and came third both times. It was in the latter of these two races that the car was driven by Juan-Manuel Fangio and Augusto Zanardi. It won the 1950 Targa Florio. A 3.0 litre prototype was built but not produced. These 6C 2500 models were among the last vehicles with links to the pre-war cars.

Powertrain

The car uses a modified Maserati platform and powertrain (Maserati 4200, GranTurismo) and features a Ferrari/Maserati derived 90 degree cross-plane dry-sump lubricated 4.7-litre V8 assembled by Ferrari. The top engine performance figures may be summarized as a maximum power of 331 kilowatts (450 PS) at 7000 revolutions per minute, a peak torque of 480 newton metres (354 lbf·ft) at 4750 rpm (80% at 2500 rpm) with an engine redline of 7500 rpm and rev limiter of 7600 rpm. The V8 engine has variable timing in intake valves and compression ratio of 11.3.

The six–speed transaxle gearbox has computerized gear selection by means of levers behind the steering wheel and may be used in Manual-Normal; Manual-Sport; Automatic-Normal; Automatic-Sport and Wet modes. The gearbox can shift in 175 milliseconds when using Sport mode. The 8C also has a limited slip differential.

Performance

It is fitted with specially developed 20 inch tyres: 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear, fitted on perforated rims in fluid moulded aluminium. The 8C brakes have been called “phenomenal” by Road & Track magazine, with a stopping distance of 32 metres (105.0 ft), when travelling at an initial speed of 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph). The official top speed is announced to be 292 kilometres per hour (181 mph) but it might be higher, with estimations that it could be around 306 kilometres per hour (190 mph) according to the Road & Track magazine. An Alfa Romeo engineer also stated that it is faster than the announced top speed.

A wise man once told me that to truly have a love of cars you must at one point own an Alfa Romeo, Just recently i am beginning to understand why.
My love of cars started from a very young age, my cousin had an old Alfa and at the time i couldnt help think that it was an ugly looking beast that i would never want to own. As i have got older my tastes have developed and i can now see why everyone should own an Alfa, at least once.

Just one look at this car and you fall in love, the common Alfa styling of the front grill is still present. The car has been produced with a Maserati 4.7 litre v8 engine which throws you from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

At £174k its likely to make you wonder ” do i still want this Ferrari?”

So I’ve been hearing a lot about this car for sometime and I really love it so naturally, I’m compelled to talk about it with you. This will be the first time since 1995 that this automaker will be selling their brand in North America. Anyone know who this long standing automaker is? If not, I bet you’re all pretty curious by now. Okay, I’ll give it up, it would be the Italian automaker; Alfa Romeo. These guys have a great reputation for their cars but personally I’ve never been a fan of anything they have made. Luckily, there’s a first time for everything. The 8C is Alfa Romeo’s take on a true exotic sports car and what a take it is.

Before we discuss what’s under it’s hood, why don’t we pretend that the 8C is sitting in our garage because it would be oh so nice to own one of these. So when you walk downstairs and into your garage you see this beauty and inside this beauty sits a powerful 4.7L V8 engine which can satisfy your adrenaline addiction with 450hp, hitting the 100km/h mark in about 4.5 seconds. Anyone who isn’t a fan of convertibles, no need to worry the coupe carries the same statistics. To help the car reach those very nice numbers we just discussed, it is completely outfitted with Carbon Fiber panels. You’re also set with suspension with a front and rear double wishbone design.

Now if you really do want this exotic car in your garage you better get ready to fight for it because, of the 500 being available worldwide, a small 35 will be available to you in the U.S. and make sure your wallet can hold some serious cash because it’ll be running you around $300,000.

My Thoughts: Love it, love it, love it!! I could do with a quicker 0-100km/h time but it’s a beautiful car and I’d be happy to make a place for it in my huge garage which doesn’t exist!

Thumbs up! You’ve seduced me Alfa Romeo!

Here is a clip of the 8C Spider on the beloved show Top Gear. I love the song in this clip!

Oh and if you wanted to know, the song is called 11,12, &13 by David Holmes.

Apontado por muitos como um dos melhores veículos feitos pela Alfa Romeo nas últimas décadas, o 8C Competizione teve sua gama ampliada nos EUA. Chega à terra do Tio Sam o conversível 8C Spider, que será o modelo mais caro da marca italiana vendido naquele mercado. Ele custará nada menos que 300 mil dólares.

O preço equivale à exclusividade do modelo. Apenas 500 unidades do conversível estão programadas, sendo 35 delas destinadas ao mercado norte-americano. A estratégia é reforçar a imagem da Alfa Romeo nos Estados Unidos para o relançamento de seus veículos “civis” por lá.

GALERIA

Today’s car comes from Chrysler’s holding partner Fiat. The 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider is powered by a 4.7 liter V8 producing 450 HP, matched to a 6 speed robotic gearbox. It follows on the foots steps of the highly sought after 8C Competizione. The Alfa 8C Spider is truly beautiful, powerful and rock solid car that showcases gracious lines and dimensions typical of Alfa Romeo engineering and drive-ability.

Courtesy of seriouswheels.com

Doamne,cei patru ani gimnaziali au trecut atât de repede,încât n-am realizat că s-a terminat!Adio copilărie,adio gimnaziu,adio colegi!

Îmi va fi aşa de dor!! Dor de toţi!Am fost un colectiv!Nu ne ajutam noi prea mult,nu ne împacam,nu ne respectam unii pe alţii,dar ne numeam 8C,şi aşa ne vom numi pentru totdeauna!

Îmi amintesc de pauzele în care fiecare încerca să iasă în evidenţă,unii în clasă,alţii pe holul Colegiului..

Ne simţeam bine împreună,când ne adunam într-un colţ şi cântam diverse prostii,pe care noi le găseam interesante şi amuzante.

Ţin minte câte conflicte am avut,uneori îţi primeai margarină în faţă,alteori ieşeai învingător.(Cei slabi mereu pierdeau în faţa celor cu influenţă,dar se găseau mereu aparători pentru ei.)

Vreau ieşirile acelea în parc,unde ne fugăream pe lângă fântâna artezienă şi ne trăgeam de codiţe,râzând,după o zi obositoare de şcoală.

Vreau să mai chiulim;Vreau să ne mai ajutăm la teste;Vreau să mai stricăm scaune doar ca să scăpăm de ore;Vreau să mai râdem de profi;Vreau să mai avem Laptele şi Cornul;Vreau să răsune în cancelarie”8C-ul e de vină!!”; VREAU SĂ NU MĂ DESPART DE 8C!!!

Voi scrie câte o scurtă prezentare pentru toţi colegii mei!Pentru 8C!!

Antonie Martiniana: Un singur cuvânt: GENIALĂ! :*

Balaur Alina: Fata care ştie să copie (de la mine) la teze,dar care-mi dă mereu la testele de la bio!

Baltariu Daniel: Colegul de copiat la chimie! 8->

Balmuş Răzvan: În ciuda celor întâmplate,el este innocent.E băiat bun!

Bîrleanu Andra: Una bombonică dă fată!:x Blonda noastră! >:D<

Bordianu Bianca: Şefa clasei!Mai trebuie prezentări? ;;)

Botez Alexandra: Alice face breakdance. :>

Călin Alexandra: Mereu binevoitoare,este fata care-mi dădea lămâie la banchet!

Chirvasă Teodor: Înafara faptului că este var-miu şi cel mai bun prieten,este păpuşel!Este atât de frumuşel încât trebuie pus în vitrină!! :x

Ciubotariu Teodora: În ciuda celor spuse,ea nu este CLARA,ci este o slugă prietenă bună,care se va duce la magazin să-ţi cumpere ceva,ori de câte ori va fi nevoie!:D

Corneanu Ciprian: Cel mai dereglat copchil cu cel mai dezvoltat chef de distracţie!Hai în 4fun!:>

Dămoc Daniel: Un şoricel care m-a întrecut şi la înalţime, şi la ani!:O

Dominte Gabriel: Rupe saxofonu’.Zi-le Gabyyy!!:> 

Gîfei Bogdan: Coleg la maxxim!:x

Grigoraş Cosmina: Una bucată fată de gaşcă!:D

Harbuz Adelina: Ce pot spune..Este prietena Mădălinei!:)

Ignat Florentina: Colega pe care n-o observai niciodată,cu toate că se machia foarte strident.:)

Iordache Marian: Coleeeeeeeeeee!!!!:x:x:x

Neagu Maria: Cea mai bună la făcut graffuri!:x

Oancea Iuliana: Fata cu minute pe Cosmote!:>

Oprică Ştefan: Rapper,să-mi bag pula!

Prepeliţă Diana: Ce faci,pisi?:> O prietenă şi o confidentă foarte bună!:*

Prisecaru Petru: Frateloo care se alegea mereu cu o urmă sclipicioasă pe obraz,de la gloss.Poli-iaşistul cu care mănânc seminţe şi joc cărţi la engleză!:x

Răileanu Adelina: Colega de teatru!:>

Roca Leonard: Un caterincos cu care-mi petrec timpul in mall!:>

Rusu Cristian: Fostul prieten al Ramonicăi!Băiatul care face c-walk!;))

Simionescu Alexandra: Simpăticuţă şi mereu veselă!:x

Talpeş Mădălina: Ex colega de bancă;îi plac COVRIGii.

Ungureanu Emanuel: Colegul de bancă!:x

Ursache Ramona: Îmi trebuie un post separat să scriu despre ea!;)

My second to last project in drawing this quarter was a photorealism colored pencil assignment. We were required to compose a small collage of black and white images and convert them to color. We had to pick 2 different hues of the same color and those hues had to be present in every value of the drawing. Here’s what I came up with.

If some of you are confused at what you’re seeing, let me break it down. In the top right corner, the taillights and rear spoiler of the McLaren F1 LM. In the top left corner, the front end of the Alfa-Romeo 8C Competitzione. Finally on the bottom, the front fender and wheel of the Ferrari 333SP. Overall for the amount of time I put into this assignment, I’m not super pleased with the final result. I think you can really see lots of the errors when you get a hi-res picture (like this) on the computer.

É fantástico. Possivelmente a melhor produção de sempre da Alfa Romeo. Um exclusivo que vale 170.000 Euros.

É dos carros mais belos do século.

Muitos de nós nunca veremos um na vida.

Foto de Michi1308 (Flickr / CC)

Foto de alex0700 (Flickr / CC)

Foto de leorolim (Flickr / CC)

По просьбам трудящихся, попробую вкратце показать, что было представлено на автошоу в Женеве. Вообще говоря, машин там было показано много, а автожурналы о некоторых из них умолчали, так что если что-то я пропустил, не обессудьте.

Alfa Romeo показала несколько новых автомобилей, из которых, на мой взгляд, интерес (чисто теоретический) представляет только семейство 8C.  Оно состоит из двух машин – 8C Spider и 8C Competizione. Внешне они различаются крышей (тент у первой и металл у второй). Ну и ценой тоже.

Вот так выглядит “простая” 8С Spider:

Модель: Alfa Romeo 8C Spider
Платформа:8C
Класс: спортивный
Двигатели: 4.7л V8 (450 л.с)
0-100 км\ч:нет данных
Макс. скорость: нет данных
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £135,000
Конкуренты: Ferrari California, Aston Martin Vantage
Начало продаж в UK: 2010 год
Шансы: На мой взгляд, надо быть очень большим фанатом бренда, чтобы выложить такие деньги за Alfa Romeo, но я не сомневаюсь, что такие найдутся, тем более, что всего будет выпущено только 500 таких машин.

Модель: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Платформа:8C
Класс: спортивный
Двигатели: 4.7л V8 (450 л.с)
0-100 км\ч:нет данных
Макс. скорость: нет данных
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £150,000
Конкуренты: Ferrari California, Aston Martin Vantage
Начало продаж в UK: 2010 год
Шансы: Те же, что и у собрата Spider.

Для менее имущей публики, которая, все же, хочет купить спортивный автомобиль, компания приготовила “заряженную” версию своего отвратительно продающегося лупоглазого хэтчбека MiTo, под названием GTA.

Модель: Alfa Romeo Mi.To GTA
Платформа:FIAT Punto
Класс: Супермини (класс B)
Двигатели: 1.75л (235 л.с)
0-100 км\ч: 6.0с (235л.с.)
Макс. скорость: 240 км\ч
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: от £18,500.
Конкуренты: Mini Cooper, RenaultSport Clio
Начало продаж в UK: 2010
Шансы: Понты, понты и ничего кроме понтов. Кто-нибудь да купит, но не думаю, что от желающих не будет отбоя.

Aston не стал мелочиться и представил три своих спорткара.
Модель: Aston Martin DBS Volante
Платформа:DB9
Класс: Спортивный
Двигатели: 6.0л V12 (510 л.с)
0-100 км\ч: 4.3с
Макс. скорость: 310 км\ч
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £135,000
Конкуренты: Ferrari California, Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Начало продаж в UK: осень 2009 года
Шансы: Aston Martin явно на подъеме своей карьеры. Тяжело судить о продажах в этом сегменте рынка,  но небольшие объемы выпуска, думаю, гарантируют то, что машина будет расходиться достаточно успешно.

Модель: Aston Vantage V12 RS
Платформа:нет данных
Класс: суперкар
Двигатели: 6.0л V12 (510 л.с.)
0-100 км\ч: 4.2с
Макс. скорость: 300 км\ч
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £170,000
Конкуренты: Porsche Carrera 911 GT2, Ferrari 430
Начало продаж в UK: осень 2009 года
Шансы:Aston Martin собирается выпускать всего таких 300 машин в год. Как мне кажется, это достаточно реалистичная цифра.

Модель: Aston One 77
Платформа:нет данных
Класс: суперкар
Двигатели: 7.3л V12 (720 л.с.)
0-100 км\ч: 3.5с
Макс. скорость: 350 км\ч
Средний расход топлива: нет данных
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £1,200,000
Конкуренты: Э… покрытый золотом Феррари? Семь Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren (разных цветов, по одному на каждый день недели)
Начало продаж в UK: сейчас
Шансы:Этих машин будет сделано всего 77 штук, причем, каждая будет изготовлена специально “под клиента”. Так что миллион двести тысяч – это начальная цена…

Уфф… после таких цифирей Audi как-то кажется простонародным автомобилем. Что, впрочем, неудивительно, если учесть, что ими как раз и владеет “Народный Автомобиль”, то бишь, Фольксваген (о том, что вся эта катавасия находится под каблуком у совсем непростонародного Порше, я скромно умолчу).
Модель: Audi A4 Allroad (Q3)
Платформа:Audi A4 Avant
Класс: Универсал повышенной проходимости
Двигатели: 2.0л TFSI (211 л.с), турбодизели 2.0л (170л.с.) и 3.0л V6 (240 л.с)
0-100 км\ч: от 6.4с (с турбодизелем 3.0л)
Макс. скорость: 230 км\ч (с турбодизелем 3.0л)
Средний расход топлива: 7.7л\100км (с турбодизелем 2.0л)
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £29,500
Конкуренты: Volvo XC70, Subaru Forester, Skoda Octavia Scout
Начало продаж в UK: лето 2009 года
Шансы: Конкурентов, в общем-то, немного, так что соревноваться особо не с кем. С другой стороны, продажи в этом сегменте тоже не особо радостные – народ смещается в сторону паркетников.

Модель: Audi TT RS
Платформа: VW Golf (PQ35)
Класс: Спортивный
Двигатели: 2.5 TFSI 340 л.с.
0-100 км\ч: 4.6с (купе), 4.7с (кабриолет)
Макс. скорость: 248 км\ч
Средний расход топлива: 11л\100км (купе), 11.5л\100км (кабриолет)
Выбросы СО2: нет данных
Цена: £45,000
Конкуренты: Peugeot 308 RC Z, Nissan 350Z, BMW Z4, Porsche Cayman
Начало продаж в UK: март 2009 года
Шансы: Самый мощный и навороченный вариант TT на сегодняшний момент. И парикмахеры с агентами по продаже недвижимости эту машину точно не купят, что несомненный плюс.

Świat motoryzacji miał swój początek jeszcze w XIX wieku, jednak dopiero w latach 30. XX wieku wydał na świat piękne i szybkie maszyny, rozwijające prędkości powyżej 200 km/h.

Ponad stuletnia historia motoryzacji odsłoniła wiele kultowych i pięknych modeli. Jednym z nich była Alfa 33 Stradale. Piekielnie szybka, wręcz agresywna, miała sylwetkę która wyprzedzała epokę. Na jej bazie została stworzona Alfa 8C Competizione.

Sylwetka 8C Competizione przypomina najpiękniejszy świat sztuki, każda kreska jej szkicu to hybryda klasycznych kształtów i nowoczesności. Ta piękność została wyposażona w podzespoły: Maserati, Ferrari i Alfy Romeo. Silnik V8 pochodzi od siostrzeńca 8C, Maserati GranTurismo… to  prawdopodobnie najpiękniejszy dźwięk silnika na świecie, godny Mozarta. Niezwykłość tego modelu tworzą wielkie emocje i piękno wzornictwa.

Alfa 8C została wprowadzona na rynek w 500 egzemplarzach, które zostały sprzedane kilka miesięcy przed premierą tego cuda. W 2009 wyjedzie na drogę pierwsza Alfa 8C z otwartym dachem, model Spider.

W Polsce trudno będzie spotkać tą bestię na ulicach, podobno zostały sprzedane dwa egzemplarze do Polski…jednym ze szczęśliwych posiadaczy tego auta jest Michał Żebrowski, znany Polski aktor.

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            The town of Nurburg is named for a famous castle that sits on the edge of the town. And I don’t mean outskirts when I say edge, because it is literally within walking distance of the track and is one of the most visible structures around that area. You have to walk up a cobblestone path and past the ruins of a church. When you get there, there isn’t much to see, but you can walk around and go to the top of the tower, which was used by the original planners of the circuit to map out where they wanted the road to go. This town is literally overflowing with history, but there is only so much that can be covered in one day. We walked back down the path after not being able to see much because of the fog covering the area, and went back to the track.

            It had rained fairly heavily when I wasn’t on the track, and was starting to clear up as the day went along. I was happy to see the car was back from its other excursion that day, but our guide was out at the moment. That was fine because that would allow the track to continue to dry in places and give me a better run at the end of the day. Now, because this was probably going to be my only trip to this place, and because we had found the Brunnchen corner area to watch cars, I told my dad that it would be cool for him to take a picture of me driving around that corner. What a memory that would make! Before that could happen though, we were given the car and told to fill it up with gas. I drove the little VW down to the famous filling station and pulled in behind some other, much faster, machinery. We put in the premium fuel and were back on our way to the track. After my dad left for the corner, the guide told me that I was much a much better driver than the guy who had taken the car out after me. I was glad to hear this. He also went on to say that if I felt up to it, he would be comfortable with me taking the car out on my own. I didn’t want this to happen though, because I didn’t feel that comfortable.

            I set out on the third lap of the day, with my guide next to me eating potato chips and taking it easy. I was out to set the world on fire that lap and finally started to feel comfortable finding my way around the track. That was that first lap that I managed to pass another car! Sure it was filled to the brim with tourists, and was a station wagon, but it was still all mine. I overtook that car and felt great. The one corner that I haven’t mentioned driving through, so far, is the Karusell. Mostly this is because I wasn’t allowed to drive through it – or rather, I wasn’t allowed to go down on the concrete. This is for two reasons; the first being that it is extremely hard on the suspension. When I went out on the lap in the passenger seat, the guide drove through the Karusell on the concrete and I can say that it was bumpy, jarring, grating, harsh (choose your own adjective) and that it could easily break something. The second reason was that I was told not to by the guide, for the sake of the car overall. So we went around the top of Karusell, although, by going around the top, I was passed on the inside by an STi in full WRC regalia. It was one of those great memories that will always stick with me.

            From Karusell you blast your way up through the forest and then down through Wipperman and up and to the right toward Brunnchen, which is a left hander down a hill that turns right at the end and then goes back up to the right and into the forest again. I could see my father as I came down the hill and made a great turn through the apex and on for the rest of the lap. That was it! We had it…or so I thought. I was excited to see the picture and how it turned out, but it turns out that dad didn’t get the shot. Luckily, I had one lap left and sent him back out to make sure that he got it this time.

            The day was coming to a close for my last lap, and the track had had time to dry off a little more. This was the lap that I would really start to go for it. Of course I made a few mistakes along the way, but overall, I was extremely pleased with my final lap and the progress I had made in just one day.

            Right from the start I was on it. Down under the bridge at Tiergarten and up toward the Grand Prix circuit I flew. The car was beautiful and there was a drying line for me to follow. I tried to focus all my concentration on the task ahead instead of the amazing scenery for this lap (which is particularly hard), but it all came together. I could feel the tires biting through Hatzenbach and tore through Quiddelbacher-Hohe. Off the gas and ready for the bump at Flugplatz then straight back on the gas and down around Schwedenkreuz. Fuchsrohre is a hairy, downhill slightly curving straight that leads into a corner that many people get wrong; Adenauer-Forst. But I got it right. A quick stab down a gear and then a very fast and tight left right is what is needed to get through this corner. 7 kms down and 14 to go then.

            Things start to get tricky around Metzgesfeld and Kallenhard because the track is predominantly downhill until you get to Ex-Muhle and the bridge over the town of Adenau. From there it is uphill past the curve that catches many Porsches out because of their ability to oversteer – and in fact, there was a nice yellow one in the wall when I went past. Then it is up through the forest and down the extremely fast straight that leads through Bergwerk, past the infamous spot where Niki Lauda had his big accident, and then past Kesselchen and Klostertal (where you need to lift off slightly to get round the corner) and then around the tight right-hander that widens out for the run up to Karussell.

            After the 180, you continue up a steep hill that leads to Hohe Acht and my favorite part of the track. From Hohe Acht through Brunnchen, the road is constantly moving and there are some great uphill and downhill corners that really test what you are made of. One wrong move through any of them, and you will probably end up writing off your car (not to mention paying for all the expensive guardrails and turf that needs to be repaired).

            If you remember, I had sent my dad out again to try and get a picture of me coming down from Eschbach and down through Brunnchen. As I came down the hill I could see him again and really flung the car into the bend. The wheels screeched and squealed and I flew around the corner and up over the next hill a little too fast. Luckily for me, the little car was so easy to balance, that a quick application of some opposite lock saw me catch the slide, and get a nice compliment on that from the guide. Whew! From there, you venture down into Pflanzgarten and catch a little air before dabbing the brakes and turning right to head up a small hill and enter the mini Karussell. The car when through without a hitch and then all that was left of my lap was the long right-hander through Schwalbenschwnaz and then under the bridge at Dottinger Hohe.

            If you are wondering how fast I went and if I kept track of the time, the answers are: 100 mph+ on the straights (really not too bad for a car with only 88 bhp and me and another person to carry around) and no, I didn’t keep track of my time. But I will say that no matter how slow you go around the track, it is over way to quickly and you want to do it again and again. It’s sort of like the motoring equivelant of crack – or so I’ve heard.

            We arrived back at the pits and started chatting while waiting for my dad. He arrived and joy of joys he had a picture of me! And you can even tell it’s me and everything! On the ‘Ring! Woot for that! Then, because we still had some time left – obviously I was much faster than I thought – I tried to convince my dad to drive around the track at least once, but he wasn’t up for it. Our guide was nice enough to take him around the track one more time and so I wandered through the car park again…only to find that a not to well disguised pre-production Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was ready to take a lap or two around the track. I was close enough to take a bunch of pictures and some video and even get a peek inside the car. Man, that thing has some tail pipes on it that really make a great noise. Plus it was red.

            That night, we stayed at the hotel where we rented our car from. Like I mentioned earlier, the place lies just a few hundred feet up the road from the ‘Ring and was once used by the Mercedes Benz racing team back in the 1930s. Some very famous racing drivers of years past like Rudolph Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch were on the premises and probably even stayed in the room I did (or at the very least walked past it). There is such a rich tradition and history at play in this town that you don’t even realize most of it until you start reading up on it.

            That was the end of my Nurburgring driving experience, but not the last at the ‘Ring itself, because my father and I would travel on through Europe, but return later in the week for one last visit.

Voor 315.000 euro en dat in een tijd dat autofabrikanten niet verder kunnen zonder staatssteun. Apart is-ie wel en natuurlijk héél erg mooi. U vindt een serie foto’s in de Alfa Romeo Kiosk. Wie op zoek is naar een fraaie wallpaper van deze witte Spider gaat ‘m vinden!!