Nurburgring, popularly knowns as the Green Hell, is one of the most demanding race tracks on this planet. It is the Mecca for sports car manufacturers to set (or break) lap times. Companies especially design and alter their products according to the track. Porsche has been a master of this game. Its latest gig involves the new 911 GT3 RS, that goes around the Nurburgring in under 7 mins.
In the past, we've seen the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT2 RS to be the two Porsche production cars to hit a lap time of under 7 minutes on the Green Hell. The latest 911 GT3 RS is the third one to achieve that title. Driven by Porsche works race driver Kevin Estre, it nailed it by scoring a time of 6:56:4 minutes. It's blazing fast. And it killed its older generation model by 24 seconds!
Frank Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars, commented, “No other Porsche model gets as close to racing as the new GT3 RS. Many innovative ideas from top-level motorsport were transferred; for example, from the 911 GT3 R. This is what our philosophy for GT models is about: Highest technology must be fascinating but tangible. In this regard, there is no harder test for our ideas than the Nordschleife.”
The new Porsche 911 GT3 RS has got a 4.0-litre, naturally aspirated engine that packs 520 bhp of max power. It does 0-100 kph in 3.2 seconds, and flat out it will do a blistering 312 kph.
Porsche works race driver Kevin Estre went off the line for the record lap at 11:40 am. The conditions to get this thing done were ideal. The 29-year-old said, “This lap was a sensational experience for me. Through the fast corners and on the brakes, in particular, the GT3 RS is unbelievably close to our racing car GT3 R. This is also thanks to the new generation of tyres for road-going sports cars. I like the engine of the GT3 RS a lot. Up to 9,000 revs per minute from a six-cylinder engine just feels fantastic. The sound is a dream and the torque is massive.” Estre competes with the Porsche 911 RSR in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) that includes the Le Mans 24-Hours. In the ADAC GT Masters he races the 911 GT3 R. He was accompanied by Porsche development driver Lars Kern at the Green Hell.
Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Model Line, said, “All four lap times of both drivers were below seven minutes and only tenths of a second apart. This proves not only the outstanding power of the GT3 RS but also its extraordinary driveability at the limit. A perfectly composed overall system allows for highly dynamic performance even with a relatively modest engine power. For a driver, each of the car's thousands of parts has to feel like one - that's an unbeatable strength of the GT3 RS. And what especially delights me is how much fun Lars and Kévin had when driving that car.”
To set this hell of a lap time at the Green Hell, the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS was up on the latest generation of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. These rubbers are meant for proper track use. The GT3 RS has a size of 265/35 ZR 20 front and 325/30 ZR 21 rear. If you're interested in picking up these for your 911 GT3 RS and/or 911 GT2 RS, you can get it at every Porsche Centre and selected dealers or tyre fitters pretty soon.
Source- Porsche
To watch the on-board video recording of the lap click here.
To watch the the trailer of the lap, click here.