Radical Smash Nurburgring Lap Record

Radical SR8LM

By Zack Newmark
August 20, 2009 5:40 PM
Filed Under: European, Records (World), Special Editions

Although Gumpert Apollo Sport may have tried to claim the Nürburgring production car record time, the saaviest amongst us know that the Radical SR8 is really the street-legal production vehicle that owns the record.

Rather, used to own.

The Radical SR8LM put to bed any questions about the record by posting a truly incredible 6 minutes 48 second laptime, a full eight seconds faster than the SR8.  For those of you keeping score at home, that is also nearly 24 seconds faster than the Apollo Sport run on August 18th.

Driver Michael Vergers powered the Radical through the 'Ring not even 24 hours after the vehicle was driven from England to Germany.  Of the run, Vergers said, "The car was great, I could push really hard and it felt clearly faster than the previous SR8 in 2005."

"It's fantastic that we've beaten the record; hopefully I'll get an opportunity to return with Radical in the future."

Witnessing the attempt was evo magazine, and German periodical Sport Auto.  evo confirmed the time, and will likely post the results tomorrow.  Vergers had a little help from the weather gods, which provided clear skies, and a very warm temperature in the high-20s Celsius (low-80s Fahrenheit), creating near-ideal track conditions.

The car was driven both to and on the 'Ring with Dunlop track tyres mounted to the wheels.  Radical did not change the tyres before the run, to emphasize yet another point.  "We've proved that the SR8LM is not only the world's best trackday car, but it's also practical enough to drive to and from the circuit," said Radical co-founder Mick Hyde.  "It is a genuine production sportscar, with genuine performance credentials, as we've shown today."

Source: Radical

Comments

kimbo
August 20, 2009 5:50 PM
"it's also practical enough to drive to and from the circuit." yeah, but only if there's no speed bump on your way to the track.

Joe_Limon
August 20, 2009 6:02 PM
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't one of the options on the car a hydraulic lift kit to enable this car to handle speed bumps?

harosokman
August 24, 2009 7:52 AM
I really disagree with that, as in australia that car would not be street legal....good luck getting over a speed bump....I'm sticking with the G Apollo

Bristol411S3
August 20, 2009 6:13 PM
Ha ha! Nicely self depracating...

MTC
August 20, 2009 7:51 PM
pure fanboyism... I love Audi, but you have to be logical

CndSalesPro
August 20, 2009 10:12 PM
TT would never touch this time....

dmanero
August 20, 2009 6:14 PM
no offense Aufipower, being a audi lover myself and have great respect for them, but i don't think the TTRS stands a chance and will not come close to this time.

catchmyshadow
August 20, 2009 6:14 PM
correction, not generally street legal, it just got a single approval for the UK which is by far less stringent then the TUV.


Edited by user on August 20, 2009 at 6:17 PM
MTC
August 20, 2009 7:48 PM
that's just pure fanboyism, you're a disgrace to Audi fans

nickmini
August 20, 2009 6:38 PM
Street legal - Yeah right!!?

scratchy996
August 20, 2009 7:25 PM
the SR8LM even looks good. Audi should put the RS6 engine on the KTM X-Bow ! heck , make that the Veyron engine ! :)

MTC
August 20, 2009 7:50 PM
nice thinking, I love that

MMC
August 20, 2009 8:28 PM
Why would you put a veyron engine in a track car. The engine weighs way too much. Just use a moddified 3.6 911 turbo motor to 1000+ HP if it's usable on the existing platform.

radmeister
August 20, 2009 8:35 PM
Or just get the new Porsche RS open top LM race car, and make it street legal.

scratchy996
August 20, 2009 9:03 PM
why put a Veyron engine on a race car ? have you heard about a thing called humour ? that's why you put a Veyron engine on a race car.

radmeister
August 20, 2009 8:33 PM
Isn't still the fastest car around the track still a road legal 1987 Porsche known as the Dauer 962? I mean sure it doesn't qualify as a production car by the more than 50 produced rule, but i think it is still one of the fastest road legal cars. I'd like to see what the Ariel V8 Atom does, 500ponies should be epic around that track.

scratchy996
August 20, 2009 9:08 PM
the Dauer 962 LM is still a beast and it is street legal. but there are many cars like that that didn't get their Ring time "officially" recorded because they went there before the whole Ring time craze started.

also the Ring itself changes with the years, they are improving grip in corners and making it smoother, making it a faster track, that's one advantage the newer cars have over the older ones.

catchmyshadow
August 21, 2009 2:55 AM
"the 6:48 lap time, a full eight seconds quicker than Radical's previous record, was verified by Germany's Sport Auto and England's Evo magazines USING DUNLOP RACING SLICKS."

so in other words: a barely (UK only) street legal car clocked a 6:48 on racing slicks and claims to have beaten a TÜV-approved Gumpert on sport tyres.

lol, what a joke!

justbored
August 21, 2009 11:42 AM
TÜV-approved means nearly nothing, if u got the money. See M. Düchting GmbH Donkervoort or edo competition Motorsport GmbH. Also the Gumpert did use semi-slicks.

JackJack
August 21, 2009 8:53 AM
Street Legal car??? What? As though you are gonna drive the Radical around everyday. And the fact that it only applies to the UK, shouldn't really count.

EH?
August 22, 2009 6:07 PM
that is one hell of a quick car

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