Nurburgring Lap Record Smashed

Timo Bernhard’s Porsche 919 Evo obliterates time set by Stefan Bellof 35 years ago

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS. THAT’S how long Stefan Bellof’s Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record had stood for. Thirty-five years of debate asking if it could – would – ever be broken. Now Porsche has ended that debate. And then some. By 51.58 seconds.

That’s how much quicker Timo Bernhard lapped the 12.9-mile circuit in the 919 Evo than Bellof managed in the Porsche 956 C. The now-defunct 919 LMP1 race car had already set a lap record at Spa earlier in the year, but the Nürburgring time was the one.

Friday 29 June 2018 started with an 8am ‘warm-up’ and finished with a time of 5min 31.0sec. A new record. On a warmup lap. Thirty minutes later the five-time N24 winner, two-time Le Mans winner and reigning World Endurance Champion left the pits once again and returned even sooner, in 5min 24.0sec.