Nurburgring lap times: not banned, just ruined
Speed limits effectively prevent any attempt at breaking records
Nürburgring management has prevented Koenigsegg from attempting to break lap records by forcing it to stick to the 155mph speed limit currently in place at the track.
Following a recent fatality at a VLN race at the Nordschleife, the DMSB, German motorsport's governing body, instated speed limits for specific sections of the track. These are now being upheld for manufacturers attempting to post timed laps.
Flugplatz, Antoniusbuche and Schwedenkreuz have all since adopted a 124mph speed limit, while the Döttinger Höhe section is now under a 155mph top speed restriction
These limits don't prevent manufacturers from attempting to set times, but they do prevent any timing from being even remotely competitive as other manufacturers previously circulated the track unrestricted.
Lamborghini recently posted an incredible 6:59 in its Aventador SV and allegedly just squeezed through the restrictions window, managing to record its lap a day before they were put in place.
Koenigsegg had hoped to enter the lap record game with its One:1 hypercar, but was told that the speed limits were now in place. The company had intended to spend an entire week at the Nürburgring with the One:1 with the intent of breaking a lap record - the chances of which now look extremely unlikely.
Christian von Koenigsegg has explained that the One:1 would likely manage upwards of 186mph in the 155mph sections, meaning any speed advantage gained by the car's massive power to weight ratio would be negated.
As it stands, the current Nürburgring street-legal production car record of 6:48 is held by a Radical SR8 LM. The Porsche 918 Spyder is in third with a time of 6:57, with the Aventador SV following. McLaren did record a lap time with the P1, but has never revealed it.
SEAT's Leon ST Cupra 280 has the estate record with a time of 7:58, while the front wheel drive crown is held by the Honda Civic Type-R at 7:50.
For the time being, it looks like these records are all going to remain unbeaten, as the speed limits seriously limit the chances of faster vehicles beating them - and the faster the car, the more restricted its lap will be.
