Currently reading: Porsche smashes all-time Nurburgring record - with onboard video
A time of 5min 19.545sec makes Porsche's lap the fastest in Nordschleife history, shattering Stefan Bellof's 1983 lap record of 6min 11.13secs

Porsche has smashed the outright Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record with a heavily modified Porsche 919 Evo Le Mans racer (see video below to ride onboard the lap).

Porsche driver Timo Bernhard behind the wheel completed the notorious circuit in 5min 19.545sec – shattering Stefan Bellof's 1983 lap record of 6min 11.13sec.

The record was achieved in a 919 Evo - based on Porsche’s successful Le Mans 24 Hours racer, which won the 24-hour event last year before the firm withdrew from endurance racing. Porsche and Bernhard broke the record earlier today, with a time of 5min 24.375sec, but a subsequent attempt smashed the record once again.

Freed of the need to meet the class regulations, Porsche dramatically reworked the 919 for a ‘Tribute Tour’, radically reworking the machine’s aerodynamics to produce 53% more downforce, while reducing its weight by 39kg to 849kg. Porsche has also reworked the hybrid powertrain so the two-litre V4 engine produces 710bhp, with an extra 433bhp coming from an electric motor. 

The fastest ever Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times

As part of the Tribute Tour, Neel Jani used the 919 Hybrid to lap the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium in a record 1min 41.770secs, eclipsing the record of 1min 42.553secs set by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes during qualifying for the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix.

The machine also ran at the Nordschleife for a photoshoot with the Porsche 956C ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours recently. Ahead of the announcement of the reord, the car was spotted on the 'Ring, lapping at speed with Timo Bernhard driving – with the circuit exclusively hired out by Porsche.

How to break a Nürburgring lap record

Porsche previously hinted that it will return to the 12.93-mile circuit for the record run after speculation swirled about the record attempt. In a tweet showing photos of 919 Evo at the circuit, Porsche said: "Well, Timo Bernhard loves that track... Perhaps he comes again."

The previous lap record is 6min 11.13secs, set by Stefan Bellof during qualifying for the Nürburgring 1000km in 1983. That was using a 956 powered by a 2.65-litre flat six engine producing more than 620 horsepower.

British fans will have two chances to see the 919 Evo in action: it will run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12-15, and the Festival of Porsche at Brands Hatch on September 2.

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The fastest ever Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Boris9119 1 July 2018

It's not just the journalists....

It's not just the journalists that are failing us petrolheads, its our own forum. In the forum we have the opportunity to talk, discuss and comment on the aricles presented by the journalists. I will assume all here present enjoy cars as consumer products designed at more than getting from A to B? Yet all I see day in, day out is negativity and worse, disrespect for others opinions. That is not a criticism of others opinions, or of freedom of speech, it is an objective observation of forum postings, exemplified by this one. Irrespective of whether you prefer German cars, British cars, old tires, new tires, F1, WEC, SUV's or Estate's, this news that Porsche smashed the record can only be a positive acheivement for any petrolhead? The world as always is changing, car magazines are becoming extinct, and Autocar and this very forum clings to survival in its current form. We, as forum members have an opportunity and a duty to best serve ourselves and the future generation of petrolheads, your sons, your daughters, younger brothers and sisters, by creating a vibrant, positive enlightened forum. Together we can be great!  

bowsersheepdog 2 July 2018

Boris9119 wrote:

Boris9119 wrote:

It's not just the journalists that are failing us petrolheads, its our own forum. In the forum we have the opportunity to talk, discuss and comment on the aricles presented by the journalists. I will assume all here present enjoy cars as consumer products designed at more than getting from A to B? Yet all I see day in, day out is negativity and worse, disrespect for others opinions. That is not a criticism of others opinions, or of freedom of speech, it is an objective observation of forum postings, exemplified by this one. Irrespective of whether you prefer German cars, British cars, old tires, new tires, F1, WEC, SUV's or Estate's, this news that Porsche smashed the record can only be a positive acheivement for any petrolhead? The world as always is changing, car magazines are becoming extinct, and Autocar and this very forum clings to survival in its current form. We, as forum members have an opportunity and a duty to best serve ourselves and the future generation of petrolheads, your sons, your daughters, younger brothers and sisters, by creating a vibrant, positive enlightened forum. Together we can be great!  

The biggest fault with this forum is that it's so hard to get a conversation going as they did away with the page where one could look at which of one's comments had received a reply.  Must be well over five years ago now since that was scrapped.  Other problems are the lack of an edit facility for when one has made a typing error and perhaps missed out a word which causes the post to lose sense, and also the lack of someone monitoring the posting of malware links by spammers.

marcusthehat 30 June 2018

Porsche lap record at the 'ring

As a grumpy cynical 60 year old 1.6 diesel driving 8 year old Skoda owner,

i.e. def not a "petrolhead".

I was most impressed by this record, simply for the smoothness of the drive, well as best can be judged from the camera-eyes perspective.

good stuff

marcus

Cenuijmu 29 June 2018

Good time but could have been faster

Porsche didn't do that many laps over the two days they did at the Ring, both in perfect weather. They did less than 20 proper laps combined.

So given that the record today was soundly beaten safely.  No competition, modern day tyres etc, job done, it's a wrap.

Which still shows how quick that old record was in a car he had to race next day. Would be interesting to know how Stefan would have gone on modern day Michelins on that car.  

They need to start racing this circuit again in WEC, non of this fannying about with non motorsport records and endless youtube stuff. No reason why they cannot do it.

 

 

 

 

 

Lanehogger 30 June 2018

Cenuijmu wrote:

Cenuijmu wrote:

Porsche didn't do that many laps over the two days they did at the Ring, both in perfect weather. They did less than 20 proper laps combined.

So given that the record today was soundly beaten safely.  No competition, modern day tyres etc, job done, it's a wrap.

Which still shows how quick that old record was in a car he had to race next day. Would be interesting to know how Stefan would have gone on modern day Michelins on that car.  

They need to start racing this circuit again in WEC, non of this fannying about with non motorsport records and endless youtube stuff. No reason why they cannot do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good point about tyres which is one factor why current P1 cars aren't as quick around a lap as a current F1 car. Even the softest tyres in the WEC are harder than the mroe durable rubber in F1.