Squaddie, Kevin Sharpe writes:

Hello: I'd just like to share, my experiences on the Nurburgring race circuit, in my 1974 Austin Maxi, with other members. For those who don't know me, my name is Kev Sharp. I'm a British soldier, based in Germany, whose choice of daily driver (since October 1995), is a modified 1974 Austin Maxi 1750 HL.

The cars current spec is as follows:
1750 engine, running Twin Weber, 40 DCNF carbs (courtesy of an early MG Maestro 1600), through a pipercross filter.
EBC greenstuff brake pads, with Goodridge braided brake hoses.
Jetex back box.
Cobra supaslot wheels, with 175/70 x 13 Pirrelli winter tyres.

The cars current power output is 97 bhp / 112 lb-ft of torque. For those, who think this is disappointing, considering the carburation (myself included), it's still running the standard  1750 cam. I haven't got round to fitting the HL spec cam yet . The choice of winter tyres, is a requirement of a newly introduced German Law.

Anyway  to recap: The Nurburgring circuit is approximately 170 miles from Paderborn, where  I'm based, which is mainly motorway, until the last 30 miles or so, when it becomes a twisty mountain road. The last part, is actually a nice drive in the daylight, unless as what happened to me, you get get stuck behind a small convoy of dithering sunday drivers, who seem to object to doing over 40 km per hour. Upon entering Adenau village you can see a section of the track and you can also enter there, which is approximately half way round the circuit, from the official entrance. The cost for four laps is 64 euros (approximately £GB40). My previous experience of the Nurburgring (like a great many other people), consisted solely of playing "Gran Turismo 4" on my Playstation 2. So with the joyous news that the circuit was to open again this year, I decided to head down there on Sunday the 4th of February. The section where I entered, is just after a sharp 90 degree left hand bend, which crosses a bridge over the public road and then climbs sharply to the right. For those who have only ever done the PS2/ xbox version of the track, let me assure you it doesn't do the  course justice (namely the gradients of the slopes). I know now, why when playing the game, the cars seem to crawl out of some  of the bends. As it happened on the day I went, there were not too many other cars, so I wasn't hassled by 911's and E36 beemers flashing by at warp speed. Nevertheless as a track day virgin, it was still astonishing how fast the course seemed. It's one thing to do 70 mph on a motorway, quite another to be doing it round a blind bend, on a seemingly narrow track. The official entrance is along the main straight, which is coned off, so you have to enter the paddock, drive to the ticket machine, insert your ticket and re-enter the track. In the paddock area, as you can imagine, I drew quite a few glances, probably not helped by the sandglow door on my black car, courtesy of a recent RTA, whilst back in England. The weapon of choice among the locals, seems to be caged and lowered mk 2 Golfs, although a former RAF member who lives locally and instructs part time at the track, tells me that hire cars tend to be the fastest, (can't think why).

So how did the Maxi behave? Rather well, if I do say so myself. The winter tyres, which is a seasonal requirement of German law, are designed to work best under 7 degrees celsius, so after a few corners, grip was not exactly neck snapping, but apart from that the car performed impressively.

In typical Lucas/ B.L. tradition one of the headlamps wasn't working, which I traced to a broken wire behind the headlamp bowl and was fixed for the last lap and journey home. On the last lap the clutch began to slip badly and is now on the list of things which need to be replaced, but I did manage to attain an indicated max speed of 100mph on a speedometer known to under-read by approximately 7-10% (the speedo comes from a Metro G.T.I. which fits perfectly in the MG Maestro binnacle in the dashboard). On the way back I passed a garage, which appears to specialise in old Minis and in the yard was a white L.H.D. Maxi with a car trailer attached. The general appearance of the Maxi suggests it is the work hack. Hopefully I will try to visit the garage when it is open and garner more info.

To summarise, get to the Nurburgring, it's well worth it, you will be surprised how well your Maxi (or other bit of B.L. tin) handles the track. I intend to make it, a once a month activity, from now on, hopefully I will see some of you there.