A White-Bearded Santa, a Genesis G70, and 150 MPH at the Nürburgring

After a decade of writing about cars and chasing press invites, I finally made my pilgrimage to the Nürburgring this summer. I’d heard the hype for years but stayed skeptical, until I found myself riding shotgun in a Genesis G70 Ring Taxi on a Saturday so hot the tarmac hit 107 degrees.

The place was packed, the air was thick, and my driver, a fit older man with a white beard and yellow-tinted glasses, looked like he’d stepped out of a holiday card. He didn’t say a word as the boom gate lifted. We hit 135 mph on the Döttinger Höhe straight before the first corner.

3 Sport Prestige RWD, 368 horsepower, 376 lb-ft of torque, and massive Brembo brakes that we’d need. ” I admitted I’d only driven the track in video games. ” Then he kept going flat out. The car felt alive, the A/C struggled, and I got shoved side to side until I nearly reached for the sick baggies Genesis had thoughtfully placed in the door pockets.

When the lap ended, I felt both relief and disappointment. My driver had been racing the ‘Ring for 15 years, including the 24-hour endurance race, and on busy days he’d do 35 to 40 laps. The USB drive with onboard footage turned out to be faulty, so no video here, just iPhone clips.

But that’s fine; YouTube has plenty of ‘Ring laps. Later I drove a Polo GTI and a Mini JCW race car around the same circuit. The Mini was a blast. If you’ve never been, the Nürburgring is exactly what car people say it is: a must-do. Genesis still offers the Ring Taxi for anyone brave enough to book a ride.