Doing a lap in the Ring Taxi is something everybody should do at least once in their lives. This video was taken on 7 July 2002, using a digital video camera mounted to the windshield with a suction mount. The passengers are Euan, who's doing the filming and interviewing from the front seat, while Francis and I are getting tossed around in the back.

Note: this video was filmed before Nürburgring GmbH banned filming during tourist hours.

If you want to download this video, please take a minute to read a short description of another event that took place the same day: the fatal accident of Jørund Seim crashing on an oil spill a few hours later. The explanation and the video are available from this page.

At Hatzenbach Sabine demonstrates how to use up a set of tyres in 10 laps ... if she takes care.

Up Flugplatz this Porsche Boxster was a bit surprised by the speed margin with which he was about to be overtaken...

On the approach to Aremberg Sabine casually remarks that the ABS is broken. Euan wants to know if that's good or bad for her. The answer is a succinct "Shit". :-))

On the uphill stretch of Fuchsröhre a crash had happened. As Sabine put it after coming back: "Es hat gut geknallt." Sabine had already put on the brakes and picked a safe line through when we encountered the energetically waved arms of the guy on the left, eliciting a beautiful "Jaaaaaaaa!" from Sabine.

Between Metzgesfeld and Kallenhard our interviewer Euan picks up the line of questioning, wanting to know if Sabine likes her job or not. She hasn't had breakfast yet, so ...

Up Ex-Mühle Jørund overtook us, doing a big wheelie before disappearing from sight at Bergwerk.

On the way to Karussell there was a discussion about the Jeremy Clarkson program "Visiting the Neighbours". Sabine explained that some bits had been edited out...

When approaching Hohe Acht I decided to help our interviewer a bit, and asked Sabine if she'd ever driven the Ring backwards. She answered that she'd only done sections of the Ring backwards and that it was too dangerous... She then proceeded to jump the kerb at Wippermann just a tiny bit :-)

Sabine put the M5 in a nice big slide for the audience at Brünnchen while berating it at the same time: "Bloody heavy car you!" Francis then dryly remarked that he believed they'd been faster through that section. Yeah right... At Eiskurve the camera mount decided it had put up with all the G-forces long enough and decided to drop off the windshield. This resulted in some artsy shots of the track at an angle, the trees on the left (!) side of the track, the sky, and a useful closeup of the dash.

All this was of course accompanied by lots of laughter and some interesting body-language from Sabine and some swearing by Euan. I didn't see the problem, as this would provide us with a good excuse to do another lap with Sabine in the future :-)

Fortunately, Euan managed to get the camera under control again before the big jump at Pflanzgarten III.

On the approach to Galgenkopf divine inspiration struck him: he pointed the camera at Sabine saying "Sabine at work". Sabine immediately slouched in the seat, flirted with the camera and started whistling (all the while doing a 200km/h 4-wheel drift). I think she was having as much fun as her passengers.

At the end of the lap she congratulated us on still being alive. Francis made sure we had our priorities straight: "You should guard that video with your life". Amen. As a precaution several copies have already been made. One of those was done in the carpark with the help of Simon. That copy was given to Sabine (along with a bottle of Blue Nun) as a thank-you for a brilliant ride. She's been playing the tape for her customers at the Fuchsröhre, so you might have seen it there.