Unfortunately, I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting the famous Nürburgring race circuit in Nurburg Germany, but I’ve watched many videos that feature it, so I feel as if I know it well.
Originally built in 1927 and around 28.3 km’s in length, it has an amazing history in car and motorcycle racing, with Nikki Lauder being the only person to lap the full circuit in under seven minutes (6 minutes, 58.6 seconds) in 1975 driving a Ferrari as the reigning World F1 Champion. Ironically it was the following year that Lauder proposed the circuit be boycotted for safety reasons, but the other drivers voted against the idea and the rest is history, as he crashed his Ferrari in a ball of flames and was badly burned.
The much shorter Formula One Track as we know it today was originally built in 1984 with modifications in 2002 and it’s part of what is known as the Nürburgring Nordschleife Circuit which is used for not only racing but by car companies to test their vehicles. So, it’s no surprises that Porsche recently tested the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS there, just before the cars international launch last month.
For this test session, Porsche development driver Jörg Bergmeister lapped the 20.832-kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in a lightly disguised production car in a very impressive 7:09.300 minutes. The top of the line mid-engined 718 Cayman GT4 RS completed the shorter 20.6 km lap, which had previously served as the benchmark, in 7:04.511 minutes – 23.6 seconds faster than its little brother, the 718 Cayman GT4. The only changes to the car used from the standard production model was a racing seat to protect the driver, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres were fitted.
Following the test, Porsche’s Director – GT Model Line, Andreas Preuninger said. “During development, we gave the 718 Cayman GT4 RS everything that characterises a genuine RS: lightweight construction, more downforce, more power and, of course, an even higher level of responsiveness and feedback to driver inputs. The fantastic lap time of the Nordschleife is impressive proof of how clearly noticeable these improvements in driving dynamics are,”
According to test driver Jörg Bergmeister who spent more than 500 hours behind the wheel of the Gayman GT4 RS, “The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is an uncompromising driving machine. It feels as nimble as a go-kart on mountain roads yet is impressively stable and well-balanced on the racetrack. Otherwise, such a lap time wouldn’t even be possible. The GT4 RS is one of the sharpest cars Porsche has ever developed. And you really have had to experience the breathtaking noise it makes for yourself.”
To experience that lap, click the on-board link below and to appreciate it more, it’s interesting to concentrate on the telemetry at the bottom of the video. It gives an easy-to-read display of speeds, gears and when Jörg brakes and to what degree he’s accelerating, which is nearly always flat to the floor.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Nürburgring Onboard