Radical SR8LM being prepared for its record-breaking Nurburgring lap.
Yesterday we reported on the Nurburgring record claimed by Gumpert for the Apollo S, an extremely impressive 7:11.5. But we did mention – or rather said we’d better not mention – Radical’s time of 6:55 set a few years ago. Well, Radical have rather rubbed Gumpert’s face in it by turning up at the Nurburgring in a Radical SR8 LM and turning in a time of 6:48.
It was once more Dutch driver Michael Vergers – who did the 6:55 run in 2005 – at the wheel of the Radical just 24hours after it was driven from Radical’s factory in Peterborough – on public roads – to take on the ‘Ring. Apparently the weather was spot on, with temperatures in the high 20s and clear skies, and after a few runs to set up the SR8LM the record was broken.
The SR8LM should be quick. It sports a 455bhp Suzuki lump – which is up by nearly 100bhp on the SR8 that did the 2005 run – which in a car that weighs about as much as me after a good Sunday lunch – is a great deal of oomph.
But, in a way, I suppose we could question this time as much as we did Gumpert’s yesterday. The press release says they ran on Dunlop slicks. Does that make it road legal? Tyres that weren’t road-legal was one of Porsche’s gripes over the Nissan GT-R Nurburgring record. Still, I suppose they could have been cut slicks, which are road legal.
Whatever – as my kids would say – it is an astonishing time. But it’s not the fastest ever time round the ‘Ring. That honour has been held by Porsche for 25 years – a 6:11 time in a 956.
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