This Is What It Really Means To Be A Petrolhead

The Nurburgring has long been on the bucket list of petrolheads the world over. It’s pretty obvious why: it’s a ridiculously long, incredibly challenging track that twists and turns and jumps its way through some of the most epic scenery Germany has to offer. It’s played host to some of the greatest drivers this planet has ever seen, and has taken the life of many who attempted to race there.

Over the weekend I headed to Germany to watch the World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Nurburgring race, and naturally, while I was there, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what was going on at the Nordschleife. I was expecting to just rock up, have a look at some cool cars, do a lap, then head back to the hotel, but in reality the Green Hell was actually automotive heaven that kept me hooked for hours, curtailed only by my media commitments during the race. But best of all, the Nordschleife is a showcase of everything that makes being a petrolhead so awesome.

My guide for the day was Misha from Ring Garage, who you guys will know better for his hilarious alter ego, Boosted Boris. We took advantage of an uncharacteristic quiet moment on the track to get my lap done - more on that tomorrow - but it was what happened after that warmed my car guy bones.

Beside the Ring’s entrance are a few car parks, and naturally some incredible cars are parked up. There really was something for everyone, from a battered, stripped-out E36 3-series to a mint Lamborghini Diablo; a pair of bewinged Mitsubishi Evolutions parked beside a classic Ford Escort Mexico. People were mingling, walking from car to car, taking pictures, and just generally admiring other people’s rides.

The great thing about humans is that we’re all very different, and you only had to check out the variety of cars on display in that car park to see this fact in all its awesome glory - the car scene is a fantastically eclectic place, and that is a very good thing. Once we’d taken enough terrible photos to keep our Instagram accounts busy for a few weeks, we headed over to RSR Nurburg to see the Ring Banana.

The famous yellow Mazda was sat to one side of RSR’s amaing workshop, and after admiring its ‘unique’ appearance we headed inside to chat to the guy’s responsible for it. It’s mostly the work of Kostas and Gabriele, who gleefully chatted about their relationship with the car. For them, the enjoyment comes from working together to keep the rickety Mazda running, then tearing around the Nordschleife to extract every ounce of performance from its underpowered engine.

It was also great to see another MX-5 at the ‘shop, which Gabriele was explaining is owned by another mechanic who is absolutely meticulous about everything. The car has to be perfect, and his enjoyment comes from making his car the best possible example it can be. Gabriele doesn’t care about that, and gets his enjoyment purely from driving his car, getting the best possible lap time he can get, and improving his own driving ability. The same basic car and the same basic hobby, manifesting itself in two completely different ways. And both are just as brilliant as the other.

Personally, my enjoyment of cars comes purely from driving them, and improving my ability as a driver. I find the technical side fascinating, but I don’t really care about getting under the bonnet. But it’s these differences that bring us all together. This weekend I met loads of like-minded people, all unique in their own way, and it reminded me what’s so great about this hobby of ours. The only thing better than cars are car people, and that’s a fact.