Nurburgring Marathon 2007

Blasting down the straight at the North Ring, photo by FCF iNFERNO

Someone once told me that testing cars and writing reviews can be a lot of work. Boy, were they right.

A back log of cars, a site restructure, a community project, and a flurry of new releases every week make it seem like we never get time to race. So I was jumping at the chance to get some downtime, forget the restructure, get as far away from the desk as possible.

"Call on line 12"... Oh great, I thought. I'm behind enough already as it is. I have to fix this file structure and the wife is already angry...

"What's up?" is all I heard on the line...

"BK... man, I'm way behind on this stuff and you need to check the forums out, some people aren't getting their activation emails, AintRite can't even register!"

"Forget that, man. I'll take care of AintRite.... We have bigger things to worry about... There are a ton of cars coming out, and word on the street is they are Nurburgring tunes... Fast ones."

"Are you serious?" I asked. "Man, paperwork is everywhere, we're buying cars left and right, and the site links don't work... What makes you think I can hop a plane to Germany?"

"Slacker has the tickets and the camera. Grab the tuning notebook and meet me at the airport, we have 48 hours before the cars leave the port. One Ferrari came in last week but it's having trouble clearing customs. Time is of the essence!"

Oh man... I need a vacation. Wait. What better vacation is there for a car guy than a Nurburgring Marathon? I'll be back before the forum guys even miss me. Now which pile are my keys in...



byost's Ferrari 330 P4, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
I had my apprehensions about adding Byost's Ferrari to the test. The classics are great cars, and usually brutish around the track. They don't typically turn well, but make up their time on the straights. Since this is the 'Ring, after all, I included it for variety if nothing else. It surprised us on the first day of testing with excellent feel. The car had great steering and traction at speed. It is a much better race car than the other classics I've driven, and was in my top 3 the first day. Race this one cautiously and it's one heck of a competitor!

DJSlackerjr:
This car is a bit weird, Day 1 practice I loved this car and it was doing exactly what I wanted to on the track. This was a top 5, maybe top 3 car after day 1. Then a strange thing happened on the way to the track on day 2, I found myself fighting the car all around the track. Later I went back to take pictures of the car and found that the car was back to acting the way I wanted it to. At high speeds you can turn this car with ease, and for the first half of the track you can get some good times out of it. Where it drops off is when you slow up in the second half of the track. I found myself braking much earlier and waiting for the car to straighten out before mashing the gas again. Overall I would drive this car, but not in a race.

FCF Bad Karma:
This car looks and sounds great. For your average driver, it's a bit much to handle and still keep it on the track through a tough track. Definitely would want one in my garage to break out and show off in a random multiplayer game.

Slacker ran the fastest, a 7:37.992 with this car. We'd also like to mention that byost has taken this car to 7:11.944 during testing.

This car may still be available. Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested.


Gearbox Toyota 2000GT, photo by DJSlackerjr

DJSlackerjr:
There are very few cars in forza that you can laugh and drive at the same time, this is one of those cars. As you start and attempt to get your car back under you the car begins to pick up speed and fast, this car can hit 230 on the straight on this track, but at that speed you can forget about turning the car. iNFERNO and I couldn't stop laughing while driving this car, it is fun. If you go into buying this car with the right attitude you could enjoy it a lot, after some practice you may even keep it on the track. Sadly this was one car that hasn't made it a complete lap without some damage to it somewhere. But a power slide at 170mph is a sight to behold.

FCF Bad Karma:
Totally agree with Slacker. I couldn't have said it better.

FCF iNFERNO:
Definitely an expert's car. It easily breaks 230mph on the first half of last straight, but then doesn't make the little turn for the second part. A super fast lap has been turned by this car, but not by us. Very careful point and shoot for me, about what you'd expect from a 900hp, 2200lb car... Ridiculously fast is the way to describe this land-to-land cruise missle. Oh, and the old-school paint is awesome.

We'd like to note that Tank has taken this car to 7:08.312 during testing, or roughly our combined penalty time for one lap.

This car may still be available. Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. If you spend the time to understand it, you may be unbeatable in this one.


Tank's Porsche 997T, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Another expert-level car, this one was very loose for me. Somewhat difficult to save once it gets out of shape for someone of my talent level. Still, a very fast, great sounding car for the Porsche fans out there. I will be taking some more laps in this one at a later date.

DJSlackerjr:
This is a Jekyll and Hyde story for me personally. I have recently found myself liking the Porsche 997T, on another car. And off the heals of my success with that car I was eagerly waiting to run this one. The whining of the engine as it progresses through the gears and the look of the Porsche, I was like a kid in a candy store. The car however didn't stick to the track as well as I had hoped and found myself over braking to compensate for not feeling comfortable around the turns, thus killing my lap times.

FCF Bad Karma:
This was my favorite looking car in the group. The engine and exhaust sounds are brilliant as well. It was very loose for me unfortunately. Every corner was a power slide, whether you wanted it to or not. Extremely fast car through the straighter sections.

Slacker had the fastest lap with this one, a 7:57.685 with 17 seconds of penalty. Tank has a 7:13.1 (from a standing start Automatic, no TCS or ABS) in one lap! We left a lot on the table with this one, mostly due to lack of confidence in the high speed stuff.

This car may still be available. Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested.


Gearbox 350GT, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Knowing the potential of the Skyline 350GT, I had high hopes for this one. Finished in deep green metallic, this one is simple but elegant. Upon taking it out of the garage, my inability to drive it was quickly apparent. I struggled to keep this one on track, as the north ring reminded me why it is so difficult to master. A lot of top speed equaled a lot of penalty time for me. Slacker seemed to enjoy the intense speed, BK couldn't come to grips with it, and I was somewhere in the middle. On track the car was incredibly fast, but that just got me into more trouble. Did I mention it was fast? Amateurs like myself need not apply.

FCF Bad Karma:
Pushes into corners, loose out of them. Didn't fit my driving style one bit. Sophisticated looking car, great paint job.

DJSlackerjr:
A funny thing happened to me with this car. I like it, now it takes some working on the drivers part, which I didn't mind. The brake pressure was something that I needed to warm up to. Once I got the first lap under me I could understand what to expect from this car. BK mentioned that he likes a car that is a little loose and allows you to throw it around the track. That describes the 350GT well. I can't say whether or not I can hot lap with this car but I can drive it and enjoy it.

We'd also like to note that Tank has taken this car to an unofficial 7:08.6 during testing.

This car may still be available. Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested.


Abyssium's R34, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Typical AWD feel for me. Easy enough to drive, I ran a 7:48.850 with penalty time. 220k CR? Worth every penny of that. This car is probably great on other tracks.

FCF Bad Karma:
The car was very average for me. To be honest, It didn't make much of an impression on me considering the other cars.

DJSlackerjr:
With 2 Nissan R34s in the field and having finished the first one, expectations where high for this car. I found the car didn't corner as well as Wicked's Nur but it wasn't breaking loose on me. This is a solid car and tune. With some practice in the car I can see getting some respectable times on the scoreboard, but not top of the scoreboards.

Slacker managed a 7:48.324 in this one, only a half-second faster than FCF iNFERNO. He also had a fair amount of penalty time. Additionally, we would like to point out that this was originally tuned for Motegi, and will be tested on that track as well. At 220k CR, this is possibly the most bang-for-the-buck in this test.

This car may still be available. Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. Again, at 220k, this car is a bargain.


BravoXXX's SW2 Jaguar XJ220, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:

Excellent car, this one was in my top 3 on the first day of testing. It is a big, fast rear-wheel-drive BEAST! It is very stable at speed and steers perfectly. Keep it on the track and its as planted as any all-wheel-drive car I've driven! BK mentioned this one every time in his top 3, and Slacker and I both had it on the bubble. It's really nice and I'd pick one up for sure.

DJSlackerjr:
As one of two supercars in the group it had little competition as far as grip and being able to jump into it and start turning laps. The car sounds great as it rolls through the hills but I keep wanting the car to go fast. I couldn't improve much on my lap times from lap to lap.

FCF Bad Karma:
I wanted to put this car in my top three really bad but just couldn't quite justify it. Accelerates well, handles like a dream for a rear wheel drive super car. Sounds and looks amazing. The Jaguar was by far one of the most fun to drive for me. Just couldn't post the lap times to keep up with the other top cars in the test.

We really liked this tune for the most part, and it definitely surprised us during testing. SwiftWolf ran a 7:08.823 with this one. Die Nudel and staring contest put the car in the 7 minute 5 second range. Outstanding results.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested or to see the lap times, contest, or limited edition.


Tuner Project Corrado, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Great collaboration tune, top shelf paint, great engine sound. This one was one of my favorites for sure. My test notes had this one in the finals until the end of testing. More practice is needed with this one.

DJSlackerjr:
With Neil's Corrado being the only VW in the field and one of a kind I must say I was very curious to drive this car. I really liked the look of this car as well. When starting I found that acceleration wasn't like the Evo's nor did I expect it to be. This car sounds great as it reaches through the gears. I found myself uncomfortable with the brakes for the most part, and during the first lap I was not cured of this ailment. This is another car that I will practice with because it is fun to drive and I just love hearing the engine hum down the straights.

FCF Bad Karma:
I wanted to make this car competitive so bad it hurt. To be able to bring out a completely non-traditional car in a multiplayer race and kick everybody's ass would be fantastic. After trying a couple laps my initial thought was that the pit crew had forgotten to put brake pads on the calipers. This car is fast as hell but cant get stopped in time to save it from running off into the grass in a lot of corners. I really think this car would be right at the top of the group with better brakes!

We all liked the look and sound of this one. We tried a number of different brake pressures and assists, but could not get as comfortable as we would have liked.

I'm fairly certain this VW is out of production. Feel free to correct me in the forums and post a link.


DJSpeed's VIS Integra, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Fantastic multiplayer car! This VIS Integra is very forgiving. We were all amazed that after 10 minutes of racing, we could still see each other on the track. This one is excellent for the everyday racer. Unfortunately, the Spoon Sports paint is a little overdone for my tastes.

FCF Bad Karma:
By far the best overall car for the average driver.

DJSlackerjr:
There are many good things I can say about this car, it handles well, brakes good, and when you make a mistake on the track you never feel out of control. In fact a few slides on the grass and I was back onto the tarmac with little loss of time. This is a great car for the average drivers, and I could see me pulling this car out in a race.

We all thought this car was a hit from the very beginning of testing. Slacker has a 07:42.857, iNFERNO has a 7:39.775 compared to the tuner DJSpeed who has a 7:12:338 with .800 penalty time with this car.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested in getting this fantastic car.


Wicked's R34 Nur, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
This car was the fastest on the first day of testing, as I had set a personal best with it 4 days earlier. I expected a lot out of this one and it certainly delivered. I have read complaints about the understeer from some of the Nurburgring specialists, and I'd agree with that, but it translated into user-friendly grip for my average skill-set. Slacker and I both raved about this car during testing.

FCF Bad Karma:
Awesome amounts of grip, a bit too stiff for my tastes. Oversteers after breaking hard and jumping back on the gas. Conservative drivers will love this car!

DJSlackerjr:
This car is my day one personal best time at the Ring. After driving a few cars with little or no grip then jumping into this one, it felt like I couldn't go wrong. The speeds and acceleration are comparable to the Evo's in the test which I was pleased with. There isn't much I can say bad about it, I would pick it in a race. I've run a few other tune R34 Nur and this is by far the best I've been in.

Slacker posted a 7:33.053, and iNFERNO posted a 7:47.058. Four days earlier, iNFERNO had posted a 7:39.408 with penalty time. Wicked posted a 7:27.528 with penalty according to the press release.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. This car is superb!


Junismo's Tuning AG Evolution Ringmaster, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
Typical Junismo tuning quality. Very fast. In my top 3 for much of testing, this one only suffered due to the competition of the other cars. Similar to the Tsukuba car, this one is slightly less forgiving for the average skill drivers. I have this car in a test track tune and hold many personal bests with it. The paint is tied for my favorite in this test, and is simply fantastic work by DepthC0RE.

DJSlackerjr:
This unfortunately suffered from being the first car on the track for day 1 testing. With it I fought tooth and nail trying to keep it on the track and was surprised considering it was an Evo. My first day with this car wasn't great. But on day 2 this changed... I felt I could do no wrong with this car. I was taking corners and getting good acceleration off them as well. The brakes felt better and this was a case of a car being a lot better the 2nd time around.

FCF Bad Karma:
A great Mitsubishi Evolution... Need we say more?

This car was excellent, and was knocked out of the top 3 at the very end of testing. iNFERNO clocked this one at 7:49.981 due to excessive penalty time, Slacker had it at 07:32.589. AG test drivers have a 7:07.959.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. This car is a must-own.


Jfiler's GEARBOX Evolution, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
This car was completely undriveable for me first day of testing. On the second day... well... It was the only car to beat my personal best. It raced well the 2nd day as the first car to complete a lap with no penalty time for me or Slacker! Raudi's paint is beautiful as well. A new personal best means this one gets in my top 3.

FCF Bad Karma:
A great car with tons of grip. I wouldn't hesitate to take this into a multiplayer battle.

DJSlackerjr:
This Evo came on day one after Junismo's Evo, and I couldn't control this any better either. On day two we revisited this car, and with a fresh set of eyes and to be honest this car moved up into my top 3. It gripped better and I could throw it into a corner and get it back without losing too much of the back end. This car was one of the few cars we got around the whole track without any penalty time. When your flying around the track you look down at the speedometer and wonder why your not going faster. This feels wicked and is one of the top cars I ran in the test.

We wondered why the Evo was so hard to drive on the first day, but were completely amazed with it during the second session. Slacker posted a 7:32.589, and iNFERNO posted a 7:32.222. During testing, a 7:08.892 was posted by Die Nudel.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. This car is superb!


DepthC0RE's Edo Competition Ferrari Enzo NUR Spec, photo by DJSlackerjr

FCF iNFERNO:
This car was delivered in the final hour. We were in the middle of testing each of our top 3's in a head-to-head battle. As a highly anticipated Nurburgring tune, we felt compelled to back up and include the car in testing. As tired as we were, the thought of testing another car made me want to turn off my xbox. I'm sure DepthC0RE could tell by the sound of my voice that I was less than enthusiastic. He assured me I would enjoy the car, and sent it over for review. I have to say that I am glad he did. It steers great, has incredible acceleration, and sounds like an F1 car. Beautiful paint completes the package.

FCF Bad Karma:
Nice looking, awesome driving car.

DJSlackerjr:
As a late edition I was glad to see this added to the mix. Since seeing the thread a few days ago this is one slick looking car, and with the AG name on it well let's say I was happy. This car did not disappoint at all. After my first run I really liked the car but my lap times didn't reflect this fact. So I sat down with this car and gave it a few more go around and set a new personal best knocking 5/10s of my lap time, I know I left a few more seconds on the track. One of the most trying things about running hot laps at the ring starts with the uphill climb at 170mph, deciding on whether to chance it and see if the car will stick before the last left hander or let of the gas and let the car slow down. After having 4+ minutes of clean racing behind you its hard to push your car here. This car allows for it but if you get a wheel off the track you will pay for it. This is one of my favorite cars from the test.

This car was incredible to drive, and will surely see many laps of the ring with us in the future. The NUR spec holds a 6:59:8xx on the ring according to the press release, and I don't doubt it for a second.

Check the "for sale" thread if you're interested. Good luck getting this one!




Conclusion

As we settled in to the seats on the flight back, I felt a sense of relief. BK said to count him in for the next Nurburgring Comparo, titled "Nurburgring Shootout 2009"... Slacker and I laughed out loud, be he was right. Two days on the North Ring and we were exhausted. Cars were crashed at high speeds, but noone was hurt. Wow. I grabbed my pillow and turned off the overhead light...

"I wish we could sleep on the flight but we have to start writing now." Slacker said. "C'mon man, we've been testing for days!" I protested. "Don't I know it, man. I've been working on that other review, too, but think about how far behind you'll be if you don't knock this out now."

Gah. He was right. Or I was delirious. Or both. I had to finish the review so I could move on with other projects. So here we go...


DJSlackerjr:

4th (Honorable Mention)
Wicked's R34 Nür

I was really surprised by this car and after day one this was in my top 5. It never slid lower than 3rd until I drove the final car. This car is forgiving, and most people will be able to jump in and drive this car without too many issues. I look forward to more of Wicked's tune in the future.

3rd
DepthC0RE's Edo Competition Enzo - NUR spec

This car moved up my list fast with a slick paint, great tune, and the AG name behind it doesn't hurt either. I set my current personal best with this car. I like the way it moves around the track and the sound of the engine. After a couple of laps my times got better and I gained more courage flying through some turns. The only time this car will bite you is if you put a wheel onto the grass. With the speeds you will be running, the wall will come up fast and hard. I look forward to bettering my time with this car.

2nd
Jfiler's Gearbox Evolution IX GT

After suffering a total overlooking on day one this car came from out of nowhere on day two. After driver cars with less grip getting back into this car you could fly around the track. This car flies around the corners with reckless abandon and it can drive you crazy if your being too conservative as I learned. With Raudi lending a great paint job to the car make this a must have for any collector.

1st
DJSpeed Spoon Integra

This car is for just about everyone. This is one of the few cars that you can get in and drive with ease. For about the first full lap in this car all three drivers were about 250 meter within each other, and no further than 500 meters or so at the end of the second. This car drove into corners well, accelerated fast, and allowed you to hit the grass and not slam into the wall. For those reason this was the best all around car.

FCF Bad Karma:

4th (Honorable Mention)
AG Ringmaster Evo

Quite comparable to Jfilers Evo, but significantly more stiff. Almost impossible to break the rear end loose. Rolls through the high speed corners of the track extremely well.

3rd
DepthC0RE's Edo Competition Enzo - NUR spec

Nice looking, quick acceleration. Awesome car on the track, scary off of it. Drop a tire and you're done for! Has plenty of grip and is very stable.

2nd
Jfiler's Evo

It was a real battle in my book between the Spoon Integra and Jfilers Evo. If I could have had 1 and 1a, I would have. The Evo is a little quicker off the line but lacks some of the top end the Integra has. A little more fun to drive but a little looser in a good way. Very controllable and a blast to whip around the track. Great grip through the corners.

1st
DJSpeed Spoon Integra

By far the best overall car for the average driver. Anybody should be able to pick up this car and compete on The Ring. It may not be the quickest, fastest or best in the corners, but as a complete package this car has it all. Best of all, it recovers superbly. 13 miles of track around Nurburgring and there is plenty of places to drop a tire (or four!) off of the track. In some cars, this means instant doom and plenty of penalty time. Not with the Spoon. This car is amazingly easy to drive and still quite competitive.

FCF iNFERNO:

4th (Honorable Mention)
Junismo's Tuning AG Ringmaster Evolution IX GT

This car drives very similarly to Jfiler's, with a little less traction. Excellent balance allows this car to eat up the track. I don't know when I will be back to the Ring, but when I do, I'll see what she can do. In the meantime... I will use this car on other tracks, as I hold many personal bests with the TT version. I also think the DepthC0RE paint on this one is better than his own entry. This car would be in my top 3 if not for another Evo in the test. A few botched laps set this car, unfairly in my mind, in 4th. place. To quote Will Ferrell... "Glooooorious!"

3rd
DepthC0RE's Edo Competition Enzo - NUR spec

As mentioned earlier, this car arrived fashionably late to the party. Luckily, it brought enough muscle to help us return the keg. Blazing fast speed, high levels of grip considering the tires, and an obscene sound attract almost as much attention as the paint. If the car wasn't so easy to drive, it would have been on the outside looking in. As it is, its a great Nurburgring weapon.

2nd
DJSpeed Spoon Integra

By far the best multiplayer car for the masses, this is the one to pick if you dread running the Nurburgring. The little Integra can be driven even if your mind is not on the race. It forgives and forgets mistakes and sketchy lines, and makes virtual racer heroes of anyone on the track. Almost impossible to pass unless you are racing with those higher than "Pro" status. In the three way testing, whoever had this car won. For that alone, I could have named it my number one. That spot, however was reserved for another car.

1st
Jfiler's Gearbox Evolution IX GT

When I first saw this car, I knew I had to have it, based on the paint alone. Jfiler's cars typically lean a little more towards speed and a little less towards grip, so I approached it carefully. My inexperience with the 'Ring really showed during the 1st testing session as I labeled the car undriveable. After driving the other cars and returning to this one, I realized how big a mistake I had made. It has excellent feel, excellent grip, and excellent speed. It is slightly more balanced than every other car in this test, even though it is not quite as forgiving as the Integra. My first-ever penalty-free lap plus my personal best time make this my number one Nurburgring car.

The All-Around Winner:
By virtue of two 1st place votes and a 2nd place vote, the DJSpeed VIS Integra is the best all-around car. It may sound controversial, but in reality it isn't. The Integra suits almost every driving type and skill level. It may not be the outright fastest, but with a claimed time of 7:12 it is pretty close. We also considered the fact that we came within 20 seconds of the advertised time meant we were getting the most out of it compared to the others. Drink a few beverages and grab this one for multiplayer battle, it won't disappoint!


DJSpeed's VIS Integra, photo by FCF iNFERNO


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