Tag: Nordschleife

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Porsche

Porsche 911 GT2 RS coming soon

Porsche 911 GT2 RS

More news emerged last week on the next Porsche 911 GT2 model. It now appears the next GT2 will also be bestowed with the RS badge. However, it is understood there will be no “lesser” model bearing just the GT2 nameplate. It’s GT2 RS or bust, it would seem.

With an expected power rating of 600bhp 620bhp from its 3.8 litre twin-turbo engine the GT2 RS should hit 100km/h in the low-mid 3 seconds range. Torque should be out of this world, offering blistering in-gear acceleration, as well.

The GT2 RS shares many components with the GT3 RS. So there’s a wider track up front and centre-lock alloys will also be used on the GT2 RS. Of course, it’s a GT2, so that means rear-wheel drive only. Best keep that right foot in check.

Official details on the GT2 RS are expected from Porsche soon. Perhaps as soon as the car laps the Nürburgring Nordschleife in its target lap time of 7 minute 22 second. Finally, then, Porsche will have a Nissan GT-R beater.

More pics over at the Car magazine website, and there’s also a brief video available below.

[Source: Car]

UPDATE: Over at the teamspeed.com it has been revealed the GT2 RS was previewed at an exclusive function in Leipzig last week. According to the info posted the GT2 RS will be 90kg lighter than the current 997.1 GT2. The new RS version will be limited to 300 cars and official details could be revealed by Porsche later this week. An extra image of the GT2 RS from the preview event can be seen below.

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BMW Ferrari Porsche

Ferrari 599XX v BMW Z4 GT3 v Porsche 956

Ferrari 599XXBMW Z4 GT3Porsche 956

So, Ferrari say their 599XX was the first “production-derived” sportscar to break the 7 minute barrier around the 20.832km Nürburgring Nordschleife. But, what does that term “production-derived” actually mean?

Who cares if the car is based off the 599 GTB Fiorano, the 599XX cannot be driven on public roads and it comes delivered with racing slicks. It’s a racing car, who is Ferrari kidding? Hang on a sec, don’t Ferrari say the 599XX cannot be entered in any sanctioned race events. So, what is it then?

Well, semantics aside, it’s pretty clear the 599XX holds a closer relationship to a racing car than it does a road car, despite it’s road-car origins. So, then, for no other reason than to watch three superb pieces of in-car Nürburgring footage lets compare the 599XX to two other racing cars. The first, new and production-derived, the BMW Z4 GT3, and the other, an all time motor racing legend from the early 1980s, the Porsche 956.

Sure the 956 never had any pretensions to road use—Vern Schuppan’s 962CR side-project aside—but we’re talking the peak of sportscar racing more than 25 years ago. Surely the Ferrari can hold off the great Derek Bell with its latest electronic and mechanical masterpiece.

After the jump are three clips to help us find out. Now, I must stress this is not a very scientific comparison, all three clips start from a different part of the track. In fact, the Derek Bell lap was filmed in 1983, the year before the current Nürburgring GP track was built. He starts his lap from the old pit area, which is now the T13 complex.

The lap with the BMW does include the GP track and, oddly, the footage starts at the Pflantzgarten jump and finishes just before. That means we need to take out around 2 minutes for the GP track, then add a few seconds for the T13 section and again at the end to reach the original starting point. As I said, it’s not terribly scientific or deadly accurate.

Just take this comparo for what it is, an appreciation of three cracking cars getting thrashed around one of the world’s most demanding pieces of tarmac.

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Motorsports Porsche

Injury forces Walter Röhrl out of Nürburgring 24 hour

Walter Rohrl

Last last year it was announced that German motorsport legend Walter Röhrl would be making his return to the Nürburgring 24 hour race after a 17 year absence. However, a back injury has forced the 63-year-old to withdraw from the event.

Simon Patrick will replace Röhrl in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. He will share driving duties with Chris Harris (EVO magazine), Roland Asch and Horst von Saurma.

A preliminary entry list for the 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour race, including a highlighted list of Australian and New Zealand entrants, can be seen at AUSringers.com.

[Source: Sport1.de | Thanks to Obi for the tip]

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Porsche

Nico Hülkenberg makes Nürburgring debut in Porsche Hybrid

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid & Nico Hulkenberg

Williams F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg has driven the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid around the Nürburgring Nordschleife ahead of the third round in the VLN championship.

It was the first time “The Hulk” had driven around the Ring in a tin top racecar and speaking after his drive he said, “This circuit is unique—you can’t compare it to any other track in the world. This is certainly not the last time I’ll drive here. Surprisingly, in the slow corners, the 911 is not far off a Formula 1 car. The mechanical grip is impressive.”

Hülkenberg’s opportunity came about due to Williams Hybrid Power supplying the electromechanical flywheel system used in the GT3 R Hybrid. The unit provides energy recovery, storage and distribution found in the car.

More pics, video and Porsche press release after the jump.

[Thanks to Obi for the tip]

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Ferrari

Ferrari 599XX sets new Nürburgring Nordschleife record

Ferrari 599XX - 6:58.16

Ferrari have broken the 7 minute barrier around the Nordschleife with their limited 599XX hyper car. The time set was 6 minutes 58.16 seconds. At the wheel was long time Ferrari factory test driver Raffele De Simone.

Ferrari claim this is a new lap record for production-derived sports cars. That’s a wink and a nod to the Radical SR8LM, which set a lap time of 6 minutes 48 seconds in August last year.

The 599XX features a specially developed 6.0 litre V12 engine, producing around 540kW of power, and is a track-only car based on the 599 GTB Fiorano. The 599XX also inspired the recently launched 599 GTO.

Let’s leave the semantics over rights to be claiming records to one side for a moment and simply revel in what is a truly stunning lap. Doesn’t matter who makes them, what their daily capabilities are, anything that can lap the Ring in under 7 minutes is a very special car.

Video of the lap can be seen after the jump, along with extra pics, all accessible as wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images.

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Porsche

Porsche GT2 update spied during Nürburgring testing

Porsche GT2 update during testing

A pre-release Porsche 911 GT2 update has recently been spotted during testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. According to reports the next GT2 will use the same 390kW 3.8 litre flat six from the Turbo S. However the GT2 should weigh in a bit lighter than the Turbo S, so expect an improvement on the 0-100 time of 3.3 seconds. A small improvement, I guess.

You can see from the pic above that the front spoiler is changed over previous GT2 (see image below), with a more aggressive look, with rearranged LEDs allowing the car to gobble up more air. The GT2’s rear wing appears to be left untouched. With any luck we might see this car revealed, along with official details and specs, at the Paris Motor Show in October.

[Source: Autoblog]

UPDATE: More GT2 gossip over at Motor Trend. Thanks to Matt for the tip.

UPDATE #2: According to Dale over at Bridge to Gantry the GT2 will lose around 100kg to tip the scales 1300kg and have 600bhp, or more. Nice!

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Motorsports Peugeot

Peugeot RCZ to puff its way around the Ring

Peugeot RCZ

Peugeot will take part in its first Nürburgring 24 hour race next month. To help boost the launch of their RCZ coupé the French marque will enter two cars featuring 147kW 2.0 litre turbo diesel engines.

There will be one team of French drivers (car #200) and a team of German drivers (#201). The numbers represent Peugeot’s 200th anniversary.

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Subaru

Impreza STI sedan sighted at Nurburgring

Subaru Impreza STi sedan

One of the great things about living and working in Nürburg is getting to see what the manufacturers are up to during their test sessions at the famous Nordschleife. Dale from Bridge to Gantry, and also RSR Nürburg, doesn’t like to waste such opportunities. As well as his BMW ‘M1’ sighting, he also saw this Subaru Impreza STI sedan throwing its hat into the Ring, so to speak.

Apparently the driver was lapping with plenty of aggression, and interestingly, in the video clip below was also tailing an Audi TT RS. A coincidence, or something more?

[Source: Bridge to Gantry]

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BMW

BMW ‘M1’ spotted during Nürburgring testing

BMW 'M1' spy shot

Another possible ‘M1’ prototype has been spotted in testing, this time at the Nürburgring. Devlopment of the widebody 1 Series seems well underway and this sighting follows last week’s ‘M1’ appearance.

The prototype captured in the images here were taken during an industry testing session at the Ring, so we can be fairly certain this is a BMW test mule, and not some crazy guy who has stuck a few bits of plastic on his car to be cool.

The fact the widebody kit only appears on the rear of the car tends to indicate BMW’s M engineers are developing the rear axle components, which are expected to be sourced from the current M3.

Apparently the test driver was pushing pretty hard and with thanks to Bridge to Gantry you can see another pic and brief video after the break.

[Source: Bridge to Gantry]

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Green Machines MINI

MINI E goes green around Green Hell

MINI E Race

A specially prepared 150kW electric powered MINI has just lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 10 minutes. The MINI E Race is based on the MINI E road car which was first announced in October 2008.

Modifications to the standard MINI E include the addition of a roll cage, KW Variant 3 suspension, MINI Challenge inspired front spoiler and rear valance, along with an optimised ECU program and race tuned ABS. As well as the add-on bits MINI was able to reduce the overall weight of the car by more than 200kg.

At the hands of racing driver Thomas Jäger the MINI E Race lapped the Ring in 9:51.45 achieving a top speed of 187km/h.

Jäger, the 2006 MINI Challenge champion said, “The power of the electric motor has an incredible effect, as you can access its full reserves of torque at all times. Another element of this fascinating experience is the lack of noise from the drivetrain. All in all, that was certainly the cleanest and quietest race lap I’ve ever driven.”

With the MINI E Race being a full electric vehicle this is the first car to complete a lap of the 20.8km Nordschleife circuit in race-like conditions with zero emissions. This is a great first from BMW, although there are currently no plans to enter the electric MINI in any competitive races just yet.

More pics and further detail after the break, including a brief promo video.

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Aston Martin

Rapide ready for Nurburgring 24 hour race

Aston Martin Rapide

Aston Martin’s new four-door saloon, the Rapide, will be racing at this year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race. As usual Aston’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez will be at the wheel of the Rapide for the race, despite having the choice of the Vantage V12 as well.

The Rapide will hit the track as close to production trim as possible and Dr Bez explains this is a great test for his machines, “This race represents the ultimate final engineering durability test for any sports car – it subjects the car to the toughest possible assessment under public scrutiny.”

Aston has a pretty handy record at the 24 hour race, winning out the SP8 class for the last two years. Good luck to them adding a new car to their honour board in 2010.

Full press release available after the jump.

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Lexus Motorsports

Lexus LF-A returns for Nürburgring 24 hour race

Lexus LF-A

Lexus, in partnership with Gazoo Racing, will return to the Nürburgring 24 hour race this year (13–16 May) with production versions of the LF-A supercar.

The cars will be driven by a mix of Japanese and German drivers, including Toyota master test driver Hiromu Naruse, Takayuki Kinoshita, Akira Ida, Juichi Wakisaka, Armin Hahne, Jochen Krumbach and Andre Lotterer. The driving talent has a great mix of GT racing and proven experience at the N24.

Powered by a 552hp V10 the LF-A certainly isn’t lacking for performance. Indeed, in road-going trim Lexus claim their supercar can reach 100km/h in 3.7 seconds, and is able to exceed 200mph (320km/h+).

Last year Gazoo Racing entered two pre-production models in the 24 hour enduro. They’ll be hoping for better success in 2010 with encouraging, if not spectacular, results achieved in the 2009 race. Only one of the LF-As finished the event, placing fourth in class (from five finishers) and 14th overall, some 41 laps behind the winning Manthey Racing Porsche 911 RSR. The second LF-A managed to complete 106 laps and almost 22 and a half hours of competition before withdrawing from the event.

More after the break.

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