New fastest production car lap of Nurburgring Nordschleife

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SCSA champion Michael Vergers has unofficially become the first driver to go faster than seven minutes in a road legal car round the Nurburgring Nordschleife. He set a time of 6m 55s in a Radical SR8. The lap was arranged and timed by German magazine Sport Auto and Radical Germany.
Source: Autosport UK.

I hope this is the right place to post this and I apologise if it has already been posted (I did search but found nothing).
 
It's been mentioned very briefly in the middle of some other thread but no topic until now. I heared about it a couple of days ago, it's a hell of a fast car that SR8.
 
Great car..But I still don't see how this can be considered "production car"...but oh well..Kinda ruins it for other companies world wide.....

Radical
One the world’s most prestigious production car records was obliterated yesterday (28/9/05) by Michael Vergers in Radical’s extraordinary SR8. In road legal trim and riding on Dunlop Direnza tyres he lapped the infamous 13-mile Nordschleife circuit in just 6 minutes 55 seconds, knocking a massive 20 seconds off the previous best!

Radical have held the record before when Phil Bennett scorched around the loop in a Radical SR3 Turbo back in 2003, but such is the importance of the record, it soon came under attack from Europe’s biggest manufacturers and engine tuners. However none have got close the magic seven minute barrier. Until now, that is.

A suitably delighted Michael Vergers exclaimed that he still felt there was more to come. “We didn’t have a great deal of time to set the car up for the run and due to the weather closing, in I only really had one crack at it,” he said. “Even on that lap I had to drive around the outside of a Mercedes coming onto the main straight, so there’s plenty more to come. The car is awesome, carrying unbelievable speed through the high speed turns - if we had fitted slick tyres we could knocked more than 30 seconds off this time.”

The Radical SR8 is powered by a 2.6-litre high-revving V8 engine, built in-house by Powertec, developing 360bhp. It generates enough downforce to be able to theoretically drive upside down and holds the outright lap record at Cadwell Park (the UK’s mini-Nurburgring) and has been winning sportscar races around the world since the launch in January this year. For 2006, the SR8 will be the star of the all-new 'Great & British' Motorsport Festivals, visiting all the best UK circuits.

The Nordschleife is like no track on earth; 73 corners (many of them blind and all lined with unyielding Armco) mixed with massive elevation changes, bumps, jumps, compressions and flat out blasts as the 12.9 mile ribbon of tarmac winds its way up and down the forested Eifel valleys. It is the circuit described by Jackie Stewart as ‘the ultimate driver challenge’ and nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’

By way of comparison, Clay Regazoni posted the fastest ever Formula One race lap in the 1975 Grand Prix at 7 minutes 5 seconds, a £323,000 Porsche Carrera GT has lapped in 7 minutes 32 seconds and a Caterham R500 in 7 minutes 56 seconds.

The on-board footage of this amazing lap can be downloaded from www.radicalsportscars.com where more information can be found on the SR8 and the rest of the Radical range.

Circuit stats
Length: 20.8km
Corners: 33 left-handers, 40 right-handers
Steepest climb: 17%
Steepest drop: 11%
Highest point: 620m above sea level (start/finish straight)
Lowest point: 320m asl (Breidscheid)

Race lap records over the years
1927 Christian Werner 15:51.6
1932 Tazio Nuvolari 10:49.4
1936 Bernd Rosemeyer 9:56.6
1958 Stirling Moss 9:09.2
1969 Jacky Ickx 7:43.8
1975 Clay Regazzoni 7:06.4
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nord_06_55.jpg

nordschleife00508502.jpg


Really at this point the only companies with a chance, are
A: Dauer
B: Ultima
C: Westfield(if they get their act together)..

other than that....We can pretty much say goodbye to nice "real cars" setting nurburgring records
 
*A Radical SR8 pulls off of the track, and parks in a spot near the Gruene Hoelle. 37 seconds later, a Porsche Carrera GT pulls up and parks next to the Radical. The Porsche driver steps out of his car, and walks over to the Radical driver, who is standing next to his car, rubbing his sore bum.*

"That's a really fast car you've got there!" the Porsche driver exclaims.

"What?!" yells the sweaty, panting Radical driver.

"I said, that's a really fast car you've got there!" the Porsche driver yells back.

"Oh!! I can barely hear you, my ears are ringing!" replies the Radical driver.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm going to head home now, listening to my CDs while enjoying the back roads, kept cool by my air conditioner. Nice car." explains the Porsche driver.

*the Porsche driver waves as he returns to his car, and drives off.*

"Man, where the hell is Karl? He was supposed to be here with the truck at 4:30....I don't want to have to drive home again..." mutters the Radical driver.
 
I someone actully could say that that thing is a car then... okay. But it's not fair really to set the records with cars that weight practically nothing and that have the bhp/kg ratio over one. Seriously, those cars should have their own category for their own records.
 
Though it IS a fully road-legal car. It has headlights, indicators, brake lights, rear foglights/high intensity lights, a reverse light, an adequately-silenced exhaust, meets emissions regulations, was running on road tyres and, as you can see, is registered for road use in the United Kingdom (and therefore Europe too) - though if you run the registration plate through a cursory check, it appears they haven't declared the colour change, and their tax disk hasn't been displayed.

It even has two seats. I'd love to see them set a two-up record in it next... :D
 
The German car magazine Auto-Bild hold a small competition a few weeks ago. They put Walther Röhrl (former WRC champion and Porsche chief test driver), Tom Kristensen (seven times Le Mans winner and DTM driver), Klaus Ludwig (DTM driver and known as "king of the Nordschleife") and Prince Leopold of Bavaria (a rich german noble who loves racing) in five different cars and let the four men drive them around the ring.

The cars were:

Porsche Carrera (612 HP, 1455 KG)
Bentley Continental GT (560 HP, 2385 KG)
Mercedes CLK DTM AMG - street legal version (582 HP, 1748 KG)
Lamborghini Gallardo (520 HP, 1430 KG)
BMW M6 without speed limiter (570 HP, 1785 KG)

The cars were set up by mechanics of the factory race teams. Each team brought along two cars. From what I saw the second Gallardo was an SE. It had a black top.

The four drivers did three laps in each car. Here are the best laptimes:

1. Porsche Carrera: 7.39.49 min (by Walther Röhrl)
2. Mercedes CLK DTM AMG - street legal version: 7.56.50 min
3. Lamborghini Gallardo: 7.56.65 min
4. BMW M6 without speed limiter: 8.07.76 min
5. Bentley Continental GT: 8.40.30 min

Auto-Bild wanted Ferrari to participate in this competition, but Ferrari did not come. That is probably because the track is too bumpy for Ferraris. Walther Röhrl drove an F430 around the Nordschleife one week before the competition. He did a laptime of 8.18.00 min "with full speed and under risk of my life" he said. The other test driver did not even finish because the F430 "jumped around and understeered the whole time".
 
Surely if Caterham can increase the power ratings, they'd be in with a shout too.
 
perhas if caterham worked a little on the aerodynamics of its cars, it will increase there speed and stability?

and have you noticed the fastest of these little track day "road" cars have motorbike engines and gearboxes?
 
Never heard of a bike with a 2.6 litre V8 before...
 
Well...
I've watched the lap and seen the pictures. :rolleyes:

I suppose on technical levels the SR8 is a production street legal car.
However, I will never really recognize it as one. :lol:
I mean, on the tech level of course I will, but on an informal level I will still think of the SR8 as a watered-down racer.

With that in mind, can anyone tell me what the fastest lap is in one of the "normal" street cars?
The Koening maybe? (don't know the spelling on that name either :lol: )

Has the McLaren F1 ever been tested on the ring?
That would be an awesome lap to see. :eek:
 
The SR8 is as much of a street car as the Dauer 962 ever was if not more. The Dauer? A tweaked version of a Porsche Group C/IMSA GTP prototype. The Radical? A 7/8ths sized carbon copy of an old WSC car (from what I've seen of the suspension and bodywork, probably a Kudzu) that was built for the street.

Sheesh, Radical is only now entering prototype competition since they're building an LMP variant with the Powertec V8.

If lack of luxury/comfort is the divider between road car and race car, then the 1978 Chevy Chevette Scooter my father owned was pure freaking race car.
 
Kent, do you mean Koenig, or Koenigsegg?

Two very different manufacturers, but I suspect Koenig might just be a tuner.
 
ultrabeat
Kent, do you mean Koenig, or Koenigsegg?

Two very different manufacturers, but I suspect Koenig might just be a tuner.
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All I know about Koenig is that they made tuned Testarossas...the Koenigsegg CCR either hasn't done an official lap yet, or didn't beat the Carrera GT...because all I've heard or seen is that the Carrera GT is the fastest.

I suspect the McLaren F1 wouldn't be all-conquering at the 'Ring...its cornering manners aren't the greatest...

@Layla's Keeper: Indeed, the Dauer 962 is a freaky street-legal car, but if it were to do a record lap around the 'ring, I wouldn't acknowledge it over a car like the Carrera GT. I do, however, have more respect for the 962 than the Radical, because the Dauer is a legitimate racecar that was turned into a roadcar, whereas the Radical is a show-off, "haha look we made a racecar that's just barely street-legal and it's faster than everything" sort of deal.
 
Wolfe2x7
the Koenigsegg CCR either hasn't done an official lap yet, or didn't beat the Carrera GT...because all I've heard or seen is that the Carrera GT is the fastest.
Click to expand...

Koenigsegg CC-R, 7'39.
 
I just love it how people hate a car because the company wants to go fast. I'll take Radical before any Carrera GT.

Radical LMP - ~175,000$
Porsche Carrera GT - ~440,000$

'nuff said.
 
eliseracer
I just love it how people hate a car because the company wants to go fast. I'll take Radical before any Carrera GT.

Radical LMP - ~175,000$
Porsche Carrera GT - ~440,000$

'nuff said.
Click to expand...

I dare you to look through my posts in this thread and quote me saying "I hate the Radical." :)

Also...

Kia Optima LX - ~$17,000
BMW 330Ci Convertible - ~$44,000

Obviously the cheaper one is better... :lol:

Nah, I'm just kidding you. :)

Anyway, Radicals are crazy impressive, the SR8 most of all, but when Porsche isn't far behind, with a "big," "heavy," A/C, stereo, windshield and roof-equipped supercar that can be lived with everyday (given that you're masochistic enough to tolerate the clutch :lol: ), the accomplishments of the very-dedicated Radicals aren't quite as lofty.

If I were a Porsche fanboy, I wouldn't drive and be obsessed with BMW's. ;) I'm simply playing devil's advocate, and supporting the point that the Radical isn't really a "production" car.

The Carrera GT is barely a production car itself, but considering that -- despite its price and relative exclusivity -- it was produced on an assembly line, just like all other Porsches, and it features a decent list of creature comforts, I'm willing to acknowledge its record. :)
 
I'd never take the Kia, there's a certain point where embarassment colides with decency.

Nice car, I'll soon be in the market for an e30 coupe. Not until I get a decent job, which isn't until the snow melts, which isn't until it start to snow, which isn't until November. Oh well.
 
Should be fun to take this thing around the tracks in PGR3 if it has some of its real life counter-part blood in it.
 
I've watched this vid a few times and i think it retains it's awesomeness . Mr Vergers launches the bantamweight Radical at the Rumble Strips and the ensuing sound is wxtra w/music . In fact , it's the sound of this record-breaking drive that keeps it in the hitlist . I don't knoe if anyone mentioned this , but the car also had a quite long sixth , he only used Fifth along the Adenauer...usw
 
DeLoreanBrown
I don't knoe if anyone mentioned this , but the car also had a quite long sixth , he only used Fifth along the Adenauer...usw
Click to expand...

This is also partly due to the (relative) lack of torque in the car. Not got enough pull to take 6th up the hill really...
 
Wolfe2x7
I'm simply playing devil's advocate, and supporting the point that the Radical isn't really a "production" car.
Click to expand...
Which is balls since it complies with every rule and regulation nessesary to qualify it as a production road car. Just because it has a lesser focus on comfort and a largerone on performance doesn't prevent it from being a production car.
 
Mid eights I think.

And the Radical V8 is TWO I4s welded together, not four.
 

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