Police operation at the Nürburgring - or why progress is not always better
Despite the icy cold, the numerous fans at Brünnchen and Pflanzgarten were treated to plenty of action at the 6-hour qualifying race at the Nürburgring last Sunday. As always, every place on the Nordschleife was fought for.
The VLN cars showed their very best side, drifting, bouncing and flying between the barriers.
Unfortunately, for once it wasn't just the track that was an experience, but the rude awakening came in the nearby parking lots, where many of the fans' cars were emptied during the race. Once again, we can say with a clear conscience: things used to be better. There was always theft, but the risk of being caught trying to break into a locked car with wire and other tools was certainly much higher in the midst of many fans than it is today.
The police, who rightly checked me and my BMW closely, explained that the remote controls had been tampered with using jammers. The car, which was then left open, was then emptied without hesitation as soon as the people were far enough away from the car. As complete vehicles also disappeared, I had to show my ignition key and its functions.
But the VLN race was won by the Audi R8 LMS privately entered by Phoenix-Motorsport, without a key and equipped only with a starter button. Mike Rockenfeller, Dennis Busch and Nicolaj Möller-Madsen were the lucky winning trio.
The fast and visually attractive Glickenhaus (fastest race lap in 8:16), which has been part of the action since 2011, retired in the lead with brake problems in the Aremberg corner.
The many lead changes even put the Bentley Continental GT3 in the lead for a few laps
The qualifying race for the 24-hour classic was history after 6 hours, but the aftermath of the emptied cars will probably keep the police and insurance companies busy for some time to come.
This makes me wonder whether it might not be better to go back to the tried and tested key with a bit and the corresponding lock. Tampering with a parked vehicle would definitely cause more of a stir than opening the door or the trunk completely inconspicuously.
