Porsche went to the Nurburgring all guns blazing today. The mission: to beat Stefan Bellof’s lap record of 6:11.13, a record that has stood for 35 years.
Not only did Porsche manage to achieve a sub 6 minute lap time but it beat the previous record by a whopping 52 seconds. With Tomi Bernhard behind the wheel, the 919 Hybrid Evo completed the entire 20.8 kilometer long lap in just 5 minutes and 19.546 seconds with an average speed of 145.6 mph or 234 km/h.
Gosh!!!
5:19.55 mins @Timo_Bernhard @nuerburgring Nordschleife #919tribute pic.twitter.com/8EGv3NOxHr— Porsche Formula E Team (@PorscheFormulaE) June 29, 2018
The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo is a heavily upgraded version of last year’s Le Mans winning car. The hybrid powertrain produces a combined 1160 hp with the turbocharged V4 engine making 710 hp and the electric motors producing another 433 hp. The Evo has 50 per cent more downforce than the car it’s based on, thanks to advanced active aero and clever torque vectoring.
The 919 Hybrid Evo also broke the overall lap record at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium last April with Neel Jani behind the wheel. It beat the previous record set by Lewis Hamilton in his Formula One car after achieving a time of 1:14.770.
As if all the above achievements were not enough, according to Porsche engineers even more time can be shaved off the record and that a sub 5 minute record is not impossible. In ideal conditions, a lap time of 4 min 51 sec could be within reach.
All hail the 919!