Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Deckertring: Impressive Isn't It?

(This article was originally published in 2005)

The Deckertring.
Impressive.
Even the name strikes a certain cord in the lexicon of race fans.


Starting on the main straight you fly past the pits and the timing line and carry the speed into the wide turn one righthander.


There is a short straightaway and you need that to scrub off speed for hitting the brakes a little harder than you think you would need to as you turn in for turn #2 otherwise known as

"the learning curve." Carry too much speed into the turn or hit the gas too soon and you hit a very hard wall that will jar the spine of an elephant.

Coming out of the learning curve you enter the forrested area of the track as you go through a valley with hills covered with pine trees and spectators. This straight ends in a sharp right-left-right chicane.


If you have a car with a lot of mechanical grip you might be able to carry most of your speed through it.

Coming out of the chicane is another right hand turn, only this one is blind as it runs right next a hill. A short straight is all you get to get the car settled as you immediately turn right again and accelerate

to top gear on the second longest straight as you enter the infield of the track. At the end of this straight is the stadium section.


A sharp right-left kink acts as the entrance to a double apex 180 degree loop which takes you behind the pit garages.



The next turn is a left kink into a right hand turn. There is a short straight here. If the car has good aero and
mechanical grip you can punch the accelerator for the final right hand turn back onto the long main straight and carry all the speed past the pits and the timing line.



Fewer tracks are more fun for a driver or spectator.
If you go to a race at the Deckertring I suggest trying the cheese.

Steve The Wrench Ratchett