TLDR....
kidding of course! read each word, looked at each pic and watched every second... two things i noted.. that banked corner before the lotus blew past you.. sounded really harsh... that due to the suspension set up or is the road actually that uneven on that? the other was at 5:30... what noise was that? as you said, the car didn't like it!
awesome read (and watch) congrats on the wedding/trip.
what made you choose the suzuki? just curious. seems like a fun little rig.
thanks for putting all that up.. great to ride along!
Thanks!
First, the banked corner you're referring to is called the Karussel and it's composed of a series of concrete slabs which don't line up properly. While the car is definitely stiffly sprung, the road is extremely rough and rattles just about anything. Key point here: pick the banking or go high on the tarmac. The banking is so steep that if you "break-over" mid-corner, it will tear something out under the car. You have to commit early and get it right.
As for the car I chose, I stuck with the age-old adage of "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." You can rent any number of crazy things, including race-prepped BMW 128s, VW Sciroccos, and Subaru BRZs at Rent4Ring. That said, they're double the price or more to rent, and only the Suzuki/BRZ were manuals (a must for me). On top of this, the damage waiver just gets bigger every step up the ladder. It's 6,000 Euro for the aforementioned faster machinery, and 8,000 Euro minimum at RSR Nurburg across the road. Even with all this extra money/risk, I don't think I'd have been any faster in the corners or had any more fun for my first time out.
When it came down to it, I figured I'd be able to get closer to the Suzuki's limits in the six laps than I would in a BRZ on R-comps. With the R-comps, race suspension, track-ready brakes, and stripped/caged interior, the Suzuki was an absolute riot. It had superb balance and extremely accurate/communicative steering, always carrying momentum well thanks to the light weight.
I'm positive I made the right choice.
EDIT: Missed one part; the noise the car made in that hairpin was the ESC having a seizure. It didn't like the combination of high lateral load and steep downhill angle.
