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The Nürburgring (Nordschleife) in Germany, with its remaining 20.8 km (12.9 mi) long old section dating from 1927, is used by various motoring media outlets and vehicle manufacturers for testing. Manufacturers publish times for promotional purposes while automotive media outlets usually publish times for comparison and reporting purposes.

Timing by media

The German magazine sport auto publishes its "Supertest" of cars, in which the lap time (usually driven by editor-in-chief Horst von Saurma) at the Nordschleife is the most discussed result. The magazine also runs a challenge for the fastest lap time driven with a car that is road legal (TÜV) and registered in Germany. The road legality rule also applies for the tires.

British motorcycle magazine Performance Bikes Magazine began testing their bikes in a regular feature at the Nordschleife in March 2007 and finished in December 2007. Bikes were tested by Dale Lomas and a character named only as The Baron. As with sport auto, all machines tested are road-legal (albeit in the UK) and shod with road-legal Bridgestone BT002 Pro Race tires. To date there are 28 lap times published in the regular feature. As motorcycles are forbidden to participate in industry pool sessions and after-hours test sessions, Performance Bikes were forced to test during quiet mid-week tourist sessions, where speed limits apply in some sections. This means their lap times are measured from bridge to gantry (see below) and are approximately 22 seconds shorter than a full 20.832 km (12.944 mi) Nordschleife lap.

Track lengths and timing

Not all of the following lap times are comparable. A full lap of the Nordschleife, bypassing the modern GP track, is 20.832 km (12.944 mi) long. Most laps are completed 200 metres (656 ft) shorter for safety reasons. Full uninterrupted flying laps can only be done in closed sessions and race events like Castrol-Haugg-Cup.

During the industry testing sessions in which sport auto records its "Supertest", the track can not be traveled at full speed past "Tribüne 13" (T13, grandstand 13) in order to allow safe access from the old exit/entrance there. Thus, sport auto Supertests cover only about 20.6 km (12.8 mi), which in average yields a 7 s shorter lap time compared to a full lap.

There are 5 sections on the 20,600 m (67,600 ft) long Supertest-Nordschleife:

• The first is 3,850 m (2.4 mi)
• The second is 4,235 m (2.6 mi)
• The third is 4,825 m (3.0 mi)
• The fourth is 4,846 m (3.0 mi)
• The fifth is 2,844 m (1.8 mi)
• The total is 20,600 m (12.800 mi)

Some lap times are even claimed to have been done during tourist driving sessions. Because it is forbidden to race on tourist days as it is very dangerous to drive fast among the general traffic one should not try to measure the lap time on a tourist day. As the full main straight cannot be driven at speed due to the modern exit/entrance there, these laps are usually timed "bridge to gantry", which is only 19.1 km (11.9 mi) and thus about 30 seconds shorter. Additionally, there are two speed limits (one in Breitscheid, and one on "Doettinger Hoehe") on tourist days, which also impacts the lap time.

Lap times

Production vehicles

Non-series/road-legal vehicles

Competition

General Note: International motorsport sanctioning bodies used the 20.832 km Nordschleife variant in 1983 only.

Qualifying

Racing

F1

On 28 April 2007, Nick Heidfeld drove a BMW Sauber F1.06 Formula One car around the Nordschleife, on a BMW publicity day in combination with a VLN 4h endurance race. For safety reasons, BMW announced that the car was slowed with hard demonstration tires, maximum ride height, and 275 km/h top speed limited by the transmission. Heidfeld drove three laps on the combined Nordschleife and short GP-track, as used in VLN races, with a track length of 24.433 km (so comparison with older records is difficult).

The official lap time released by BMW Sauber was declared to be 8:34 (thus ca. 30 secs slower than the fastest Porsche 996 turbo in VLN). The German press duly reported this lap time, yet criticized BMW. In each lap, Heidfeld slowed down once to pose for a slow video truck, at Schwedenkreuz on the first lap 1, Kesselchen in lap 2, and Döttinger Höhe in the last lap. The two time spans in between the three passes of Heidfeld were clocked by some fans around the track, first Wehrseifen to Wehrseifen in about 7:28, then 7:22 from Klostertal to Klostertal, which is over 50 secs quicker than the fastest current Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in VLN. This translates to an average of about 200 km/h (120 mph), similar to Bellof's record, but considering the slow GP section, Heidfeld probably was faster on the Nordschleife, close to 6 minutes. Fans who respect the official record of the late Stefan Bellof settle for an "estimated 6:12".

Road & Track magazine reported Heidfeld's lap was a 5:57 or 5:58 (for the Nordschleife only), breaking the track's six-minute barrier for the first time in history. However, their times were done by measuring the speed in some corners, and then calculating a lap time, and not timing a full lap. Heidfeld has since expressed his desire to repeat the experience with less restriction.

According to F1 Racing magazine of June 2006, BMW engineers had estimated that a BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap in under 5:15.8 which equals to an average of 237 km/h (147 mph).

Motorcycles

Racing

Unofficial

In public sessions, it is not possible to do full laps as it is required to pass the ticket gates. Enthusiasts time themselves from the first Bridge to the last Gantry. These are about 1720 m apart on the main straight, and depending on top speed of the vehicle, this Gantry-to-Bridge section could be covered in under 30 seconds.

References

1. Report
2. donkervoort.de
3. Juechter, Tadge (2008-06-27). "Ripping the 'Ring: Stock ZR1 Laps Nürburgring in 7:26.4" (HTML). GMnext. General Motors. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
4. "The Ultimate Hot Lap" (HTML). GMnext. General Motors. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
5. Lavrinc, Damon (2008-06-27). "Gauntlet thrown: Corvette ZR1 laps the 'Ring in 7:26.4" (HTML). Autoblog. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
6. NISSAN Press release
7. Best Motoring 07/08
8. Motor Authority
9. sportauto - Supertest (03/2006)
10. sportauto - Supertest (02/2008)
11. sport auto 07/08
12. sportauto - Supertest (01/2004)
13. Motor Trend
14. Sport Auto
15. "Ask Dave Hill, December Edition". crossedflags.com. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
16. Cadillac Drivers' Log - 2009 CTS- V Blisters Nurburgring
19. Top Gear - Series 5, Episode 5: Bridge to Gantry
20. Top Gear - Series 5, Episode 5: Bridge to Gantry
21. Source 1
22. Source 2
23. Lauda had set 7:00.6 the day before, and with 6:58.6 broke the magic barrier of 7 minutes. Carlos Pace was 1,4 sec slower with his Brabham, qualifying second. (translated from German) p.102, Jörg-Thomas Födisch, Robert Ostrovsky: Grüne Hölle Nürburgring, 1995, ISBN 3-922300-53-7
24. Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. p91. ISBN 0-85429-380-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
25. Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. p135. ISBN 0-85429-380-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
26. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
27. ^ World Sports Racing Prototypes - DRM 1980
28. ^ World Sports Racing Prototypes - DRM 1979
29. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
30. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
31. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
32. Statistik: CHC Rundenrekorde Nordschleife 1990 - 2007
33. Foto
34. Klasen/Alzen (bettered by 15-25 s during videotaped VLN races on 24.4 km track)
35. Sieg und neuer Rundenrekord für Alzen Motorsport
36. videotaped. Turbo engined discontinued due to rule changes. (179.526 km/h)
37. 34. ADAC Zurich 24h-Rennen Nürburgring
38. Corrected Results
39. Regazzoni, starting from third row (with 7:01,6), in lap 7, while on position 2, set a new lap record with (192.79 km/h) 7:06.4. This record will stand forever. (translated from German) p.102, Jörg-Thomas Födisch, Robert Ostrovsky: Grüne Hölle Nürburgring, 1995, ISBN 3-922300-53-7
40. Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. p93. ISBN 0-85429-380-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
41. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
42. Lang, Mike (1983). Grand Prix! Vol 3. Haynes Publishing Group. pp. p138. ISBN 0-85429-380-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
43. 20832.com - Nürburgring & Nordschleife Fanprojekt [rekorde]
45. Road & Track, Hidden Glory at the Green Hell, May 2007
46. The layout includes 73 corners, and a simulation by BMW has today's BMW-Sauber F1.06 cutting the timing beam in 5m15.80s. - "Jacques at the Nürburgring", F1 Racing magazine, June 2006, p.83
47. Foreword by Helmut Dähne, to Ulrich Thomson: Das Nürburgring Fahrer-Handbuch, 1997, ISBN 3-89365-533-6
48. 7:49,71 - Der Ring. Der Dauerbrenner von Futura. Erleben Sie Helmut Dähne mit der Honda RC 30 auf seiner Rekordrunde auf der Nürburgring-Nordschleife. 7.49.71 die Rekordzeit, die bis zum heutigen Tage von keinem Motorradfahrer gebrochen wurde. Onboard-Video by Futura Video, reenacting the record setting ride
49. Dähne in his red-white leathers, doing a wheelie
50. p.108, Jörg-Thomas Födisch, Robert Ostrovsky: Grüne Hölle Nürburgring, 1995, ISBN 3-922300-53-7
51. Nürburgring - Rekorde
52. Nürburgring - Rekorde
53. On-board video at BridgeToGantry.com
54. SuperWheels | during a SuperWheels's Pattuglia Acrobatica test
55. autobild

External links

• Road legal sports car lap times and comparison
• Database with lap times of racing events and magazine tests
• Castrol-Haugg-Cup lap records of various classes recorded on Nordschleife 1990 - 2006
• One of the oldest/largest lists of Nordschleife lap times, with track length and average lap speed
• Lap times achieved in public sessions

• Motorsport in Germany