The Nordschleife at the Nürburgring is not only considered
a legendary racing circuit; it is also one that is closely linked to both
triumphs and tragedies. But the real hype about the circuit is setting very
fast laps with street legal cars fitted with standard tyres, and since the
middle of the 1990s this has had a very special meaning.
At that time a lap of
the track in less than eight minutes was considered practically impossible but
all this ended in 1999 with a record lap by rally legend Walter Röhrl. Since
then the best time has been continually trimmed down to 7:30 minutes – but it
has only been achieved by a handful of top-of-the-price range super sports
cars.
Up to this point in time the fastest ever lap on the Nordschleife by a KTM X-BOW was 8.10 minutes in 2009 by a 177kW “Club Sport” version of the Austrian-made super sports car – and the team from KTM wanted to improve on this in 2012.
Up to this point in time the fastest ever lap on the Nordschleife by a KTM X-BOW was 8.10 minutes in 2009 by a 177kW “Club Sport” version of the Austrian-made super sports car – and the team from KTM wanted to improve on this in 2012.
The vehicle for this attempt was the KTM X-BOW RR, the car that
serves as the basis for drivers competing in the official KTM racing series,
the KTM X-BOW BATTLE. The sport car is homologated for road use and was
therefore fitted with street legal tires (Pilot Sport Cup) by Michelin for the
attempt on a record lap on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Allowance was also made to have just the right driver for the record lap attempt. Christophe Haase, who in 2008 won the GT4 European Championship in the KTM X-BOW GT and is now in the service of Audi was the one chosen to drive the car. As the reigning winner of the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, he was definitely the one to know just where to pick up the decisive seconds. In addition, the KTM X-BOW RR was powered by the tried and true 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI engine from Audi.
On a chilly, windy autumn afternoon Christopher Haase had just two laps to conjure up the most
perfect lap on the asphalt of the Nordschleife. And he did it in the truest sense of the word. He was timed at 7:25.72 minutes in the second flying lap, an absolutely top time that is significantly faster than that of the latest super sports cars.
Allowance was also made to have just the right driver for the record lap attempt. Christophe Haase, who in 2008 won the GT4 European Championship in the KTM X-BOW GT and is now in the service of Audi was the one chosen to drive the car. As the reigning winner of the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, he was definitely the one to know just where to pick up the decisive seconds. In addition, the KTM X-BOW RR was powered by the tried and true 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI engine from Audi.
On a chilly, windy autumn afternoon Christopher Haase had just two laps to conjure up the most
perfect lap on the asphalt of the Nordschleife. And he did it in the truest sense of the word. He was timed at 7:25.72 minutes in the second flying lap, an absolutely top time that is significantly faster than that of the latest super sports cars.
Even so,
Christopher Haase still sees plenty of potential for improvement. “We had a lot
of wind and very little grip – but we have to hold something back for next
year, don’t we? I’m thrilled with the car. The Audi engine is also a stunner
that offers any amount of torque. But the rest of the car is also great. The
suspension works perfectly and you notice that the XBOW is lighter than most
other cars when you go into every corner. This makes twice as much sense on the
technically demanding Nordschleife! In any case the lap time is amazing. I
think it shows how good the X-BOW really is because the Nordschleife doesn’t
allow for any random good lap times. Here it’s always very tough, whenever
you’re here!”
KTM’s Director of Sales Hubert Trunkenpolz was also one of the first to offer his congratulations. “My personal respect for registering this lap time. Anyone who has driven on the Nordschleife knows exactly what it means to clock a time under 7:30 minutes. I am proud of the team and naturally also of our KTM X-BOW RR. That shows once again the enormous potential of our car! I would like to thank Michelin for the tire material and naturally also Audi who not only gave us a perfect engine but also in a very friendly gesture, also the services of Christopher as the driver.”
KTM’s Director of Sales Hubert Trunkenpolz was also one of the first to offer his congratulations. “My personal respect for registering this lap time. Anyone who has driven on the Nordschleife knows exactly what it means to clock a time under 7:30 minutes. I am proud of the team and naturally also of our KTM X-BOW RR. That shows once again the enormous potential of our car! I would like to thank Michelin for the tire material and naturally also Audi who not only gave us a perfect engine but also in a very friendly gesture, also the services of Christopher as the driver.”
STORY BY KTM
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