Ricciardo: Nordschleife 'scare' means no interest in 24H outing
Daniel Ricciardo says another 'scare’ when driving the Nurburgring Nordschleife recently has put him off the idea of ever wanting to race there.
The Australian used the opportunity of the Eifel Grand Prix earlier this month to put in some laps around the famous Nordschleife in a Renault Megane RS as part of an event with his team.
However, he admitted that after a wild moment early in the lap, he was left pretty nervous about driving around there – having also nearly had a crash back in 2008 when he went there is his own car.
So he says anyone can forget trying to tempt him in the future to take part in a race like the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
“I scared myself, let's say that,” explained Ricciardo about his latest Nordschleife experience. “We did it with the team with Renault on Thursday evening, and it was pretty greasy.
“I don't know the track. I don't play it on gaming or anything, so I don't know it off the top of my head. But I scared myself in the first 500 metres, and that set the tone for the next 22 kilometres or whatever. I was timid, let's say that.
“But it's beautiful, it's fun. Would I race there for 24 hours with 180 cars on track? I'm good, thanks. Call me old, but I'm fine where I am!”
Ricciardo revealed that his first ever attempt to drive around there was before he got to F1, when he ventured out in his own vehicle.
“I drove it in 2008, in my own car at the time, which was a Fiat Punto,” he said. “And believe it or not, I still went off the track in the Fiat.
“There was one part of the track, I remember it was a little bit of a blind left uphill. The corner really tightened, and I wasn’t prepared. So I understeered off and went over the kerb and cut across the grass. Fortunately, I stayed out of the barriers.
“But it’s an amazing track. I know now to race F1 there, it’s slightly unrealistic, but just to drive anything around there, it’s narrow, it’s old-school. It’s different types of tarmac throughout the track, patches where they’re resurfaced. The Karussell is pretty iconic too.”
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