While sifting through some La Carrera videos last night, I came across this video from last Fall of Markus Winkelhock rolling a MINI at the Nordschleife track. This must have been one hell of a ride!

It seems we’ve hit a popular topic with the combination of Manfred Winklehock and the BMW M1. West Coast contributor, Gary Faules spent some time poking around Youtube last night and came up with a few choice vids of the man and one of his steeds in action.

First up, we have the super scary crash where Manfred’s Formula 2 car takes flight off a rise at the old Nurburgring. Remember that once the car begins to roll, it’s going through fencing. To give you an idea of how close this could have been, watch the visor on his helmet as he exits the car. He obviously caught the fence in his face.

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Since getting the new camera, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the wonder that is Flickr and in the process I’ve come across some pretty incredible photographers. Today I found Jim Culp of ProRallyPix. Jim’s got an incredible body of work, spanning 4 decades and ranging from road racing to rally and vintage footage.

The shot above is a Ferrari 512 S shared by Ignazio Giunti and Arturo Merzario in the 1970 Nurburgring 1000 race.

You can see more of Jim’s work on his Flickr page or ProRallyPix.com

Amidst all the wondering about Michael Schumacher’s future, who would have thought that he would become a road car tester? Well, it makes sense. Buy one of Maranello’s newest steeds and know that your new Johnson extension was tuned based on recommendations of Ferrari’s best son.

Autocar caught the great one lapping the Nurburgring in a new Ferrari 599 GTB and has posted a bunch of images.

It’s not so long ago that Sabine Schmidt came oh so close to besting a Jaguar while lapping the famed Nurburgring. Yesterday, Ford released the very limited edition Transit Sportvan. In homage to that trip around The Green Hell, the cover was pulled off by non other than Ms. Schmidt.

While aimed at tradesmen in the UK, there is little question that this machine would be a sure hit over on this side of the pond. Come on Ford, bring this work van to North America, diesel and all.

Full details from the Ford press release after the break
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Ah the Nurburgring, home of Hans and Sabine those masterful Ring leaders. Watch as wannabe ringmeisters flog their beetles, beemers, Simcas and god knows what else, with no safety equipment. Watch for the freak who gets tossed from his beetle who no doubt kept right on lapping.

It’s been a tough week for Racer Journalists, as two prominent writers have been injured in heavy car crashes.

Firstly, the legendary Paul Frere sustained serious injuries in a heavy collision in a Honda Civic R while testing near the Nurburgring. A former Formula 1 and sports car racer, Frere has a talent for turning the automotive experience into words. As a contributing editor to Road and Track, the 89 year old has delighted enthusiasts the world over with his reviews of some of the world’s most exotic machinery. Reports are that the prognosis looks good for Frere to return home soon.

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The old adage “Win on sunday, sell on Monday” is being put to use by Aston Martin following the 2006 Nurburgring 24 hour race. While the Vantage V8 finished 24th overall, even finishing a 24 hour race is really a win, especially when the car has very few alterations from what is sold on the showroom floor. To be built in limited numbers, the car will be identical to the factory race car, meaning that well heeled club types will be able to drive their toy to the track, just like the factory boys did.

Cool catch from Autoblog