How did you learn the Nordschleife?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Badgerous, Jun 9, 2020.

  1. Badgerous

    Badgerous Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2019
    Ratings:
    +223 / 0 / -0
    Like many here I've been sim racing since the days of TOCA etc, but I'm ashamed to say I've never bothered to learn the Nordschleife.. It just never used to appeal to me.

    But things change, and tech/immersion have more than gotten to the point where it suddenly feels like a good idea to get stuck in. I've driven around it a couple of times in a half-arsed way, but nothing sinks in.

    My typical way of learning a track just doesn't apply here. If they have shorter versions, I'll learn those individually before stitching them together, or if not, I'll do longer sighting laps before focusing on specific corners until I eventually build a good mental image of what's going on with the whole thing.

    ..So how did you learn it?
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  2. ravey1981

    ravey1981 Well-Known Member Beta tester

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2018
    Ratings:
    +873 / 0 / -0
    Gran turismo 5. You used to have to do a challenge where the track was split up into sections.

    Other than that just lots and lots of laps.

    Don't pick a fast car. Something you can learn the lines without it getting away on you.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. Christian G

    Christian G Topological Agitator Beta tester

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2015
    Ratings:
    +2,411 / 0 / -0
    Went to the real place a couple times... :cool:
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  4. keanos

    keanos Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2015
    Ratings:
    +136 / 0 / -0
    Use "small" low powered cars. In R3E the best for this are the M235i or the NSU TTS.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. Skybird

    Skybird Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2015
    Ratings:
    +803 / 0 / -0
    Log laps, and then log more, and drive them technically clean, not abusing options a sim offers. Drive it like you would dare to drive it in real life as well.

    True for every track, short or long. This way you learn the track quite fast.

    I see no point in being fast by abusing weaknesses in a sim's physics model or a track's layout. What I put into a sim attitude-wise, may it be flight or racing, is what the sim gives me back. Not more, and not less. In a way, the sim mirrors the way in which I approach it.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  6. anno900

    anno900 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2018
    Ratings:
    +47 / 0 / -0
    like ravey1981. I also had Gran Tourimo 5 and those challegens, which had th advantage that you haven't had to start from the beginning of a lap, helped a lot. later I had that NOS mod for rfactor and I was at the nordschleife several times for VLN races. So the fascination of nordschleife and VLN motivated me to get the Nordschleife running propperly. But in the end it is training, training.....
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2019
    Ratings:
    +352 / 0 / -0
    I know of this (very long) guide but I haven't watched it myself yet.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  8. TheOutdriver97

    TheOutdriver97 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 26, 2019
    Ratings:
    +47 / 0 / -0
    I learned on GT4 on the PS2 similar to @ravey1981 and @anno900. The Gran Turismo games had a lot of career races on the Nordschleife, some of the endurance events were a killer.

    I also agree with some of the points above on starting with something lower powered, GT4 or WTCR would be my suggestion as you can afford to push them a bit more and scramble out of mistakes easier.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. Olaf Hülse

    Olaf Hülse Well-Known Member Beta tester

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2019
    Ratings:
    +505 / 0 / -0



    If you're German, this was my go to when learning the line and braking points with GT3 cars.
    Greetings
     
    • Like Like x 1
  10. Badgerous

    Badgerous Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2019
    Ratings:
    +223 / 0 / -0
    Thanks for the tips.

    Good shout on Gran Turismo.. I have GT:S, and believe that does a similar breakdown which could work nicely. - That also means I can relax on the beanbag. ;)
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  11. sergeich

    sergeich Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2019
    Ratings:
    +26 / 0 / -0
    NS - not typical track. If you want drive NS ok - practice Lakeview Hillclimb with non-easy cars (PORSCHE CARRERA CUP CLASSIC, PORSCHE CARRERA CUP DEUTSCHLAND 2019). Try to handle them at Lakeview with GetReal mode and you will drive NS better :)
    Try it and you will understand what about I talking :)
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  12. Beastux

    Beastux Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2015
    Ratings:
    +281 / 0 / -0
    In Grand Prix Legends, 20 years ago!
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  13. anno900

    anno900 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2018
    Ratings:
    +47 / 0 / -0
    Never got a good lap on NOS at GPL....
     
  14. Beastux

    Beastux Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2015
    Ratings:
    +281 / 0 / -0
    I was happy with a 8.20 lap and not too much time spent on the grass...
     
  15. Nico Kunze

    Nico Kunze Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2018
    Ratings:
    +395 / 0 / -0
    Dont think i had a specific approach. I just kept driving until i started to recognize some corners, eventually those corners turned into bigger sections that i could remember and even later those sections connected and i knew the general layout of the track. From there on i could start pushing more and finding the limit (although i was already going fast enough to regularly crash from the very beginning of my nordschleife driving :D)
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  16. Lixma

    Lixma Honorary QA

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2017
    Ratings:
    +174 / 0 / -0
    Ha! Same.

    I'd never even heard of it prior to GPL.
     
  17. ibporsche85

    ibporsche85 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2018
    Ratings:
    +4 / 0 / -0
    When you become somewhat familiar with a track, look at it in Google Earth or similar aerial view (or a detailed track map if available). Oftentimes what I perceive (on my single, flat screen) as a 90 degree corner is actually a tighter turn (or vice versa).
    Example: Aremberg (the turn before you pass under the bridge). For the longest time, I thought that was a quick 90 degrees, only to find out from viewing imagery that it closer to 60 degrees!
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. CrimsonEminence

    CrimsonEminence Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2019
    Ratings:
    +102 / 0 / -0
    Drive it, drive it again, drive it again.... (for me it was in GTR2)
    Don't hotlap, don't push, enjoy the lap, it has many fun sections..
    When you think, you know the layout, then start refinement:

    Best trackguide.
     
  19. TobiSp1981

    TobiSp1981 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2020
    Ratings:
    +2 / 0 / -0
    I learn the Green Hell by driving every day;););)
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. ozcanuck55

    ozcanuck55 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2015
    Ratings:
    +145 / 0 / -0
    I know the first half ( and the armco) quite well......after about 5 years I'm starting to get to the end without hitting anything......
     
    • Funny Funny x 1