OT - Nurburgring, Anyone driven it? Options

[GeorgeRud]

Though this is somewhat off-topic, I am trying to find out if anyone has had the opportunity to drive (or be driven) around the Nurburgring in Germany. My wife and I may be able to take a trip to Germany in September, and besides doing some car museums, Oktoberfest, and visiting castles, driving or riding around the Nurburgring has always been on my "bucketlist". I know that driving a rental car on the Ring is a very bad idea, but has anyone been there or has any advice they could offer me. Buying a new, European delivery Porsche to drive in Europe is not an option (unless the lottery ticket is the right one - not very likely). The BMW Ring-Taxi doesn't have any tickets or dates available until April, so I can't really count on that as an option.

Thanks for any advice.

[snakemain]

Drove it in 07 in my 02 M3. Definitely worth the cost of admission (20ish euro/lap). Got passed by almost everything and the clutch and brakes were pretty much shot by the 4th lap, but fun for sure. Know your limits and your car's limits, because insurance won't cover you, and you have to pay for towing and additional costs for lost track revenues if you shut it. But if you're careful, it's still a blast. There were a few places to rent cars, but didn't check the prices. People were pretty courteous drivers, so I wouldn't be overly worried about the a deductible as long as you're careful. We left the traction control on, but were still able to get 100+ and seriously shorten the life of a set of Michelin Pilot Sports. There was also a Viper and the notorious M5 Ring Taxi that you could get a ride in. Honestly, it's worth the trip just to see the cars there.