The lap record on the Nürburgring: A lap time that generations of motorists have considered proof of exceptionally good vehicles. As of the 2018 season, lap records are officially recorded, confirmed and published by the Nürburgring. With carmakers providing proof on the world’s most demanding race track: On the total of 20.832 kilometres of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell.
"People say it’s best if it passed the Nürburgring test”: For almost a century, the asphalt strip through the Eifel mountains has been the touchstone for carmakers around the world. The roughly 20 km Nordschleife has always been a benchmark of progress and performance. One track, one lap, one lap time – the lap record on the Nürburgring is the ultimate achievement for all manufacturers championing sporty driving. Since 2018, these record drives are officially confirmed and listed by the Nürburgring.
In addition to timekeeping based on calibrated measuring technology, official record attempts as well as attempts to clock a lap are always supervised by a notary. In addition to timekeeping supervision, the vehicles are scrutineered with regard to their series-production state and driver, among other things. Scrutineering regarding a vehicle’s series-production state is not required for racing cars, special vehicles and prototypes resp. concept cars.
The exact length of the track and the timekeeping spots are predefined: The official start/finish line in track section T13 is also the start/finish line for record lap attempts. A full lap around the Nordschleife (20.832 km) with a flying start is driven and timed.
The vehicles are classified and listed according to the official categories defined by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
Lap time | Vehicle | Driver | Date | |
7:45.39 | Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R | Laurent Hurgon | 05.04.2019 | video |
Lap time | Vehicle | Driver | Date | |
7:23.164 | Jaguar XE SV Project 8 | Vincent Radermecker | 08.07.2019 | video |
Lap time | Vehicle | Driver | Date | |
7:42.253 | Audi RS Q8 | Frank Stippler | 13.09.2019 | video |
7:54.40 | Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ | Markus Hofbauer | 06.11.2018 | video to be provided |
Lap time | Vehicle | Driver | Date | |
6:48.047 | Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series | Maro Engel | 04.11.2020 | video |
Lap time | Vehicle | Driver | Date | |
6:44.749 | Porsche GT2 RS MR | Lars Kern | 25.10.2018 | video |
Segment | Description | Example |
Mini and subcompact cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | Fiat 500, VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia |
Compact Cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | VW Golf, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Opel Astra, Seat Leon, Škoda Octavia |
Mid-range cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | VW Passat, BMW 3er, Audi A4, Alfa Giulia, Škoda Superb |
Upper mid-range cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 /S6 /RS6 /Mercedes-Benz E-Class |
Executive cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | Mercedes-Benz CLS-/S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A7, Audi A8/S8, VW Phaeton |
SUVs, off-road vehicles, vans, pick-ups | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | BMW X1-X5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, VW Tiguan, Audi Q5, VW Touran, Opel Zafira |
Sports cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz SLK-/E-Class Coupé, AMG GT |
Super sports cars | PKW-Segment by the KBA - Only production vehicles with ECE approval without modifications | McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, Pagani Huayra BC, Koenigsegg Regera |
Modified vehicles | Vehicles that are road legal with conversions or installations | |
Racing cars | Vehicles that are not road legal but FIA-approved (ACCUS or the like) | GT Cars, Touring cars, Rallye, CanAm, NASCAR |
Prototypes | Test models, unique specimend, concept cars | Porsche 919 Evo, VW ID.R, NIO EP9, eventually pre-test vehicles (so called Erlkönige) |
Electric (production) cars | Production vehicles with purely electric drive | Opel Ampera-e, Hyundai IONIQ Electro, VW ID.3, Tesla Model 3 |
Electric (sports) cars | Sports cars and super sports cars with purely electric drive | Porsche Taycan, Tesla Roadster, Rimac Concept One |