Ok, it's July. That means one thing only to me: NURBURGRING. Yes, the month has finally arrived when I shall cross the Channel from my home in Kent and drive across Europe until I get to the home of the 2011 German Grand Prix. As mentioned before, this will be the first F1 race I've ever seen in person. The decision to go wasn't much of a planned event, with savings and strategies, but rather a realisation that the event was affordable and a reward for me winning an award from the British Psychological Society for the highest A-level grade in the UK - see, studying does have its perks! I think we can do the whole trip for around £500, although I will, of course, be cluttering the Range Rover with momentos... Well, what else is a scholarship for?! As it's nearing the time of departure (the 20th of July at around 8 PM for those interested), I thought I'd best update on what's happened so far in terms of preparation.
The Rangey is very nearly ready for its epic journey. Dad's had some worries about the ABS working on the car, so in order to eliminate these worries the whole system's come off to give us normal brakes that shouldn't cause any problems (touch wood). The panels are all still lovely and straight owing to a lack of trialling lately. I also believe that Dad's going to put a winch on the car, as well as a snorkel, just so it looks more awesome and so it functions a little better off road. Although whether this gets done in the next 16 days is unclear. Just to be on the safe side, phone calls were made to our insurance company about European break down cover. This is one thing that we definitely needed more than anything else - driving a 21 year old car across Europe to a trip of a lifetime is a risky business, and we don't want anything going wrong. Luckily, our insurance company provided us with the necessary cover.
On that note, a word of caution to other classic car owners: many companies won't offer European break down cover to those of you who drive a car over 11 years old. Some companies, like the RAC, will charge an extra fee. We were offered a quote of £74 by the RAC, only to look in the terms and conditions to see that the total cost would be £174 because of the age of the car. Needless to say, we didn't take that deal.
In terms of other preparation for the trip, I got my damage deposit back from my university accommodation, as well as a scholarship payment. This is, of course, going to be spending money for the trip. I don't exactly know what I'm going to buy from the circuit, but without doubt most of the merchandise will be pricey so I'm preparing myself to spend a bit more than I'd perhaps like. However, seeing as this is something I've always wanted to do I'm not letting a mere matter of money get in the way. Expect to see photos of what I've bought when I return and blog about the trip.
A final note is that my Dad and I have filtered in a trip to Bruges on the way back from the Nurburgring. We saw the Belgian city on an episode of Coast, and it looked far too good to miss out on. As the ferry back isn't until 10 at night, we'd be mad not to go! I've been given instruction that whilst there I have to buy chocolates. How can I resist obeying those instructions?
So, in just over two weeks I'll be on my way to the Nurburgring. Until then, I'm going to be far too overexcited. Kids at Christmas won't have anything on my excitement levels for this trip. Here's hoping for a Red Bull win just to top the whole trip off!
