Nurburgring 2010

7pm this evening and the cars were on the track for a 5 hour qualifying session. Race rules state that each team must log a minimum one lap of qualifying at night out of the top 2 qualifying laps before the race so the track was heavy with traffic from all classes. Conditions were extremely foggy and very damp with parts of the track in rain and many parts in drizzle and dew.

The 2 Honda's were massaged around the wet course with many drivers coming unstuck, in particular on corner one. Practice laps to date have all been with dry track conditions and relatively easier traffic flows. A dry driveline began to develop but this was enjoyed for only a short time until the weather folded again.

The Audi RS4 was particularly effective in the conditions helped by the all wheel drive setup, and found the traction was not hard to find, and the drivers made some significant gains on some of the much faster 2 wheel drive vehicles. Stepping out from the vehicle first time Audi driver Ali Taylor had a grin from ear to ear and was pleased that he had stepped up to the Audi from the Honda's of previous years with the weather the way it was.

Big Ben driver Andy Booth put the RS4 in the top 20 qualifying times for a brief period of time until the track dried sufficiently for the quicker cars to slowly pull back places and we dropped to 38th overall at the end of Andy's laps. Gotz suggested a slight adjustment to the car setup nearing the 930PM mark and Andy went back out on the track, once all drivers had completed qualifying, with the new setup to try and improve on our current ranking. By this stage heavy fog had set in and after half a lap of the Grand Prix circuit decided safety was compromised too much and we pulled the car back in to the pits and shut up shop for the day.

10:00AM: Today's weather patterns have followed suit from the previous 3 days in the region with temperatures reaching a maximum of 7 degrees. The forecast today is to reach 10 but is still currently 4 degrees with light rain falling. The conditions are less the favourable, but are a good opportunity for all drivers to get a feel for the conditions in their respective cars. Audi drivers are a little more comfortable knowing they've got all four wheels connected to the drivetrain with the greasy conditions.

Practice laps begin from 1PM local time this afternoon, and Kiwi Team Nurburgring are sending all 3 vehicles out for testing and practice. The first round of qualifying begins tonight at 7PM and every team is required to log at least 1 lap in the night for qualifying. 2 qualifying laps must be completed between tonights round of qualifying and tomorrow's daytime session, but it is the teams decision whether they do both laps tonight or one tonight and one tomorrow.

4:00 PM - First practice laps were a great success! Each driver had one full flying lap and all reported a comfortable feeling car, and a very wet track. Temperatures have not improved across the day, and the drizzle has been steady keeping the area very damp. There is a distinct driving line drying the track out which is making the drive a little easier if the drivers ensure they're sticking to the dry line, and not the paint on the track!

Car 71, the Gotz prepared Audi ran some casual times as the drivers readjusted themselves for their first drives in the vehicle since last year. Andy Booth, Stu Owers and Lewis Scott all were very happy with the state of the RS4 and first time Audi driver Alistair Taylor had a grin from ear to ear as he came in from his very first lap in the monster V8.

Honda Car 244 driven by Brian McGovern, Nick Chester, Matt Noonan and Greg Spark had a faultless 4 laps and the drivers and mechanics were all very pleased with the way the car was handling in the conditions. Car 243 with Rod Hicks, Mark Corbett, David Glasson and Peter Millener had a first lap problem when the car spun out and stalled. After restarting the vehicle it returned to the pits for a check over of the electrical systems and off it went.

Full Practice lap pictures available on Facebook.

Hellman Logistics delivered the Kiwi Team Nurburgring container to the track yesterday with all of the team gear accounted for. We opened the doors with eager anticipation to get our two Honda Civics out of the dark and in to the brisk German morning. All hands were on deck to help build the tents, empty the container, and setup what will be our home for the next 7 days.

Gotz Motorsport arrived mid morning and unloaded the Audi RS4 and again the V8 roar attracted a lot of attention as it rolled off the transporter.

By half past 2 this afternoon the temperature had reached a high of 8 degrees, 4 more than what was predicted. The rain has stayed away thankfully and the fog has lifted to low cloud, and unfortunately no sign of any sun just yet. The weather forecast for tomorrow has a high of 5 degrees, and similar outlook to today with very light winds and the possibility of drizzle. You can see local weather reports at the track weather website.

As we return to the ring for another year of racing we are again in awe of the machinery which is up at the track for the public open days. Lamborghini's, Ferrari's, top end Porsches are all here to satisfy every car enthusiasts dreams!

There has been plenty of "oohing and aahing" for the last few days as Kiwi Team Nurburgring drivers arrive in town and take leisurely trips up to the track to see what's on offer.

Ring legend Sabine Schmitz was even spotted in her ring taxi. Check out all of our pics from practice days on the Kiwi Team Nurburgring Facebook Fan Page.