Flat-six heaven in just seven minutes
Automotive professionals can take the Nurburgring Nordschleife to mean many things. Many automakers use the famous ribbon of asphalt for validation testing. Others see it as a battlefield for lap records. Porsche published recently an onboard video showing its latest 911 GT3 driving around the Green Hell.
Lars Kern, a Porsche test driver, is seated behind the wheel. That’s a good thing. He also races a Porsche 911 GT3R with Pfaff motorsports in the IMSA American endurance race series.
We knew that the new GT3 would be fast, but not at this level of performance. It completed the lap in less than seven minutes 659.927. Although it might seem like a lot of numbers, it was around 12 second faster than its predecessor-generation GT3 model and 6 second quicker than the RS.
Lars is an unbeatable lap leader. It’s common to talk about the time lost with benchmark laps. But it is clear that Kern knows nothing but driving hard everywhere. His dedication through sections like Flugplatz or Dottinger Hohe shows that racing drivers truly are a different breed.
The GT3 may not be as fast as the GT2 RS sibling but that isn’t what this car is all about. The middle-ground car has been about providing a thrilling experience behind the wheel.