Lapping A Snowy Nürburgring Nordschleife, In A Formula Car: Video

Andy Gülden is the chief instructor for the Nürburgring Driving Academy. In other words, he earns a living teaching people how not to kill themselves on the ‘Ring, and occasionally how to lap the Nordschleife in a spirited-but-competent manner. Business, we guess, is slow in the winter, but a driver must constantly practice his skills to stay sharp.

We’re not sure if piloting a formula car around a snow-and-ice-packed ‘Ring demonstrates mad skills or just plain madness, but it makes for entertaining video. The car Gülden is driving weighs just over 1,000 pounds and is powered by a 140-horsepower, 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine. They don’t make snow tires for formula cars, so he’s lapping on what appear to be intermediate rain tires. We’d call them “sub-optimal” for snow and ice.

Also sub-optimal was the temperature for Gülden’s run, which was hovering around the three-degrees-Fahrenheit mark. In weather like that, we’d prefer our wintertime driving fun behind the wheel of a (winter-tire shod) BMW M3, with working heat and heated seats.

Want to get driver training from Gülden and his staff on your next trip to Germany? You’ll find complete details on available programs at the Nürburgring Formel Super Racing website.

The Cadillac ATS Throws Down Against BMW

We showed you the first teaser video of the Cadillac ATS on the Nürburgring a few weeks back, and there isn’t a lot of new material in the Cadillac video below. It does give the best look yet at the styling of the 2013 Cadillac ATS, and it’s significant for one other reason: it gives you an idea of how serious Cadillac is about competing in this segment. Read more

Video: 580hp 2012 Camaro ZL1 Testing On Nurburgring

The guys at Camaro5 have featured an exclusive video clip of the all-new Camaro ZL1 making rounds on the Nurburgring. We get to hear the exhaust note from the beastly 580 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine in this new video clip. Hit the jump below and be sure to turn up your speakers.

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2012 BMW M5 “Green Hell” Fly & Drive 2011 Highlight Video

Six lucky bastards recently got the chance to experience and test drive the new 2012 BMW M5 at the Nurburgring (nicknamed Green Hell). The new BMW M5, as any other BMW M vehicle, feels right at home on the Nurburgring which is why they chose to take 6 guys on a ride of their life. M-Power.com offered this unique opportunity to six lucky enthusiasts from different corners of the world before the new M5 is launched. Check out the exclusive Green Hell Fly & Drive video below of these 6 guys grinning ear to ear.

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BMW M5 Takes “World’s Fastest Sedan” Honors. We Think.

Cadillac used their 7:59 lap of the Nürburgring to promote the CTS-V as the “world’s fastest sedan.” Even when Porsche ran a 7:56 with the Panamera Turbo, Caddy kept up with their “world’s fastest” claim, since the Panamera Turbo’s lap wasn’t official. Now comes word that Cadillac will have some serious catching up to do: the new BMW M5 has (allegedly) lapped the Green Hell in 7:55. If this turns out to be true, the M5 gets the crown as the world’s fastest sedan, at least until Cadillac updates the CTS-V. The 2012 Corvette ZR1 is three seconds faster around the ‘Ring than its 2009 counterpart, and the 2012 Z06 Corvette is some twenty seconds faster than its 2005 equivalent. Surely GM could shave some seconds off the CTS-V with new tires and suspension tuning, if they want to retain bragging rights. Read more

Lap The Nürburgring In A Race-Prepped Lexus LFA

Let’s face it, aside from being seriously over-priced for the market, the Lexus LFA is also fast. Really, really fast, the kind of which that no sane driver would test the limits of on the street (no matter how many lawyers they have on retainer). What better place to flog an LFA than on a racetrack, and what better racetrack than Germany’s famed “Green Hell,” the Nürburgring. Ride along with Hiroaki Ishiura of Gazoo Racing as they compete in a recent VLN event (where they finished fifth overall). If the time of 8:24.4 seems disappointing, remember that this is a race, not a time attack, and that passing competitors on the ‘Ring is difficult under the best of circumstances. The LFA’s best time on the ‘Ring is 7:38, so the car in the video could obviously do quite a bit better on an open track. Read more

A 2012 Corvette ZR1 Tackles The Nürburgring

In 2008, a 2009 Corvette ZR1 lapped the Nürburgring in seven minutes and twenty-six point four seconds. That made the car faster than a 2009 Nissan GT-R and faster than the Porsche Carrera GT, but not as fast as a Ferrari Enzo. Fast forward to 2011, when Chevrolet again sent a ZR1 to Germany for testing. The 2012 ZR1 lapped the ‘Ring in seven minutes and nineteen point six seconds, shaving almost seven seconds off the car’s previous best time. Part of that improvement comes from aero and chassis upgrades for the 2012 model year, but quite a bit of the gain comes from the new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. Watch the record lap below, and take a look at the lateral G-load of the ZR-1 in corners. The car regularly pulled 1.5 g’s in the corners, and I saw loads as high as 2.0 g in the Carousel. That’s pretty damn impressive from a production car. Read more

Race-prepped Lexus CT 200h Hybrid Makes Debut at Nurburgring

After reviewing the 2011 Lexus CT 200h just last week, I would have never guessed that it had the potential of being an actual race car. But despite my thinking, Toyota-backed Gazoo Racing has transformed the CT into a race-prepped Nürburgring-ready Hybrid.

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