Porsche telah mencapai pencapaian luar biasa dengan melancarkan varian baru bagi kenderaan elektrik Taycan, mencatat rekod pusingan baru di litar Nürburgring. Dipandu oleh pakar pembangunan Porsche, Lars Kern, Taycan pra-siri mencapai masa pusingan yang mengagumkan, iaitu 7:07.55, melampaui versi pendahulunya, Taycan Turbo S 2022, sebanyak 26 saat. Prestasi ini juga melebihi 911 Turbo S 992, menunjukkan keupayaan tinggi kenderaan elektrik tersebut.
Varian Taycan ini, yang kemungkinan akan dinamakan Turbo GT, dijangka akan memimpin kemas kini pertengahan kitaran bagi model Taycan. Dikenali dengan spoiler belakangnya yang mencolok, kereta elektrik ini menunjukkan keupayaannya untuk memberikan prestasi tinggi secara konsisten, menangani kebimbangan biasa yang berkaitan dengan kenderaan elektrik.
Dilengkapi dengan tiga motor, Turbo GT dijangka akan menawarkan tahap kuasa asas melebihi 800PS. Dua motor di aksen belakang menyumbang kepada pengedaran kuasa yang lebih baik dan pengekalan tork, menunjukkan kepelbagaian kereta ini.
Peminat Porsche dan komuniti automotif dengan penuh semangat menantikan pelancaran rasmi Taycan Turbo GT, yang dijangka pada separuh pertama tahun 2024. Butiran tambahan dan rakaman penuh pusingan rekod akan dikeluarkan oleh syarikat pada bulan Mac, menambah keghairahan sekitar kenderaan elektrik yang revolusioner ini.
In a sensational feat, Porsche has unveiled its upcoming Taycan variant, setting a new lap record at the iconic Nürburgring circuit. Driven by Porsche development ace Lars Kern, the pre-series Taycan achieved a remarkable 7:07.55 lap time, surpassing its predecessor, the 2022 Taycan Turbo S, by an impressive 26 seconds. This performance even outpaced the 992 911 Turbo S, firmly establishing the electric vehicle’s prowess.
Identified by its distinct rear spoiler, the Taycan variant, speculated to be named Turbo GT, is expected to lead a mid-cycle update for the Taycan model, which entered the scene four years ago. This achievement highlights the electric car’s ability to sustain high performance consistently, addressing a common concern associated with electric vehicles.
Under the hood, the Turbo GT is anticipated to boast three motors, delivering a baseline power level exceeding 800PS. The two motors at the rear axle promise enhanced power distribution and torque vectoring, contributing to the car’s versatile performance capabilities.
Porsche enthusiasts and the automotive community eagerly await the official unveiling of the Taycan Turbo GT, expected within the first half of 2024. The company plans to release additional details and full footage of the record-breaking lap in March, adding to the excitement surrounding this groundbreaking electric vehicle.
Mini is always known to create special/limited editions of its models. This time, Mini is commemorating the success of the Bulldog Racing team, a private racing team situated in Nürburg, Germany. The team secured a second-place finish in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring event for this year. Their achievement was in the category for production-based cars with an engine displacement ranging from 1,600 to 2,000cc and equipped with a turbocharger.
What can be more hardcore than the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4? A new big brother – the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. This will become the new top model of the 718 family when it makes its global debut in November. It will be the first 718 to carry the RS badge.
Although the launch is just two months away, the engineers want still more tests to be run and final testing and evaluation drives are being conducted on twisty mountain roads and on the racetrack.
Porsche has released some footage and information from these exercises with brand ambassador and development driver Jorg Bergmeister showing off the car’s dynamic potential on the 20.832-km Nurburgring-Nordschleife circuit. Driving a lightly disguised production car, he clocked a lap in 7:09.300 minutes. On the shorter lap, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS completed the lap, which had previously served as the benchmark, in 7:04.511 minutes – 23.6 seconds faster than its little brother.
To protect the driver, the mid-engined sportscar was equipped with a racing seat. The tyres fitted to the car were Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, which will be optionally available to customers.
“During development, we gave the 718 Cayman GT4 RS everything that characterizes a genuine RS: lightweight construction, more downforce, more power and, of course, an even higher level of responsiveness and feedback to driver inputs. The fantastic lap time of the Nordschleife is impressive proof of how clearly noticeable these improvements in driving dynamics are,” said Director GT Model Line, Andreas Preuninger. “Our customers can look forward to a pure driver’s car that makes a thrilling driving experience an absolute priority.”
“The 718 Cayman GT4 RS is an uncompromising driving machine. It feels as nimble as a go-kart on mountain roads, yet is impressively stable and well-balanced on the racetrack. Otherwise, such a lap time wouldn’t even be possible,” said Bergmeister, who has spent more than 500 hours driving the car as part of the development program. “The GT4 RS is one of the sharpest cars Porsche has ever developed. And you really have had to experience the breathtaking noise it makes for yourself,” he said.
It was 10 years ago that production the Lexus LFA was born. Like the Toyota 2000 GT many years before it, the LFA was an authentic supercar from Toyota’s luxury brand. For all its exclusivity and rarity – production was to be limited to just 500 units (only 351 units of the 2000 GT were built) – the LFA left a legacy that has influenced every car Lexus has built since.
The story of the LFA actually began 10 years earlier, in early 2000, as a research and development project to produce a thoroughbred supercar. A Lexus Chief Engineer, Harahiko Tanahashi, was given free rein and the chance to work with new materials and processes. This ‘clean sheet’ approach echoed the way Lexus rewrote the luxury car rulebook with the flagship LS sedan that launched the marque 10 years before.
In 2001, Master Driver Hiromi Naruse joined the team and his skills would prove key to the LFA achieving its handling and performance goals. In the early stages, 500 key assets were identified, from the suspension design to the shape of the steering wheel; every detail had to be perfect.
The first prototype was completed in 2003 and a year later, it began running its first laps of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the legendary racetrack that would be the cradle of the LFA’s development. The supercar pioneered new powertrain and materials technologies and exemplified the takumi hand-crafted approach to manufacturing and design that has become a brand-defining quality for Lexus.
The world had its first glimpse of what Lexus was planning with the reveal of a design study at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, followed by a closer-to-production concept car two years later. In 2008, the LFA – still a work-in-progress – made the first of 4 annual appearances in the gruelling 24 Hours of Nurburgring. This was the toughest possible test of the car’s performance and quality, prior Lexus confirming its production at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.
Manufacturing began at Lexus’ state-of-the-art Motomachi plant at the end of 2010. Such was the dedication to precision engineering, production was at a rate of just one car per day with each engine assembled and signed off by a single technician, complete with an engraved plate bearing the car’s production number.
The LFA was rich in revolutionary features. At its heart was an all-new, naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V10 engine, produced in a joint venture with specialists Yamaha. The company, well known for its motorcycles, had also been involved with Toyota with the 2000 GT as well as various high-performance engines.
Even though it was smaller and had fewer cylinders than some supercar rivals, its performance was exceptional, delivering a maximum 560 bhp at 8,700 rpm. Front-mounted, the engine power went to the rear wheels through a 6-speed automated sequential gearbox positioned on the rear axle. The LFA could rocket from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and on to a 325 km/h top speed, as those who tested it confirmed.
Keeping the car’s weight down was essential to its performance, achieved by switching from the aluminium used for the original concepts to carbonfibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). This strong but lightweight advanced woven composite material was used for most of the bodywork, the passenger cell and the transmission tunnel and has since been used in other Lexus models (such as the GS F and RC F, members of Lexus’ exclusive F-performance car stable). Stopping power had to be as effective as the drive, hence the use of high-performance ceramic brake discs.
Lexus also developed an ultra-exclusive Nurburgring Package, a version re-engineered to maximise the car’s track potential. Drawing directly from the car’s racing experience, it gained stiffer suspension, lighter forged alloy wheels with performance tyres and extra aerodynamic features, including a new front lip spoiler, front winglets and a fixed GT-style high rear wing to maximise downforce. With ride height reduced by 10 mm, the car also hugged the ground more closely. To compensate for the extra drag, engine power was increased to 570 bhp.
Production of this very special edition was to be just 50 cars, with each owner given professional instruction and a year’s driving pass to the Nurburgring. Its superlative performance was confirmed in 2011 when it set a new lap record at the track for a production car. Although the LFA never won the Nurburgring 24-Hour outright, in 2012 and 2014, LFAs claimed much-deserved class wins.
LFA ownership was the privilege of just a very people and because of the limited number, many units were sold or auctioned for charity. On December 14, 2012, LFA production came to an end and all 500 cars had been completed in two years – a production rate of one per day.
Another LFA in future?
There is always a desire within Lexus to build ‘another LFA’ but President Akio Toyoda was circumspect in commenting on this matter. “In Japan there is the Ise Shrine,” he said in 2019. “It is rebuilt every 20 years as part of the Shinto belief in the renewal of nature. The purpose of its rebuilding is to pass on skills to a new generation.”
“In the 1960s, we built the 2000GT sportscar; in the 1980s, we had the Supra. In 2000, the 20-year cycle should have continued but too many people at the time were interested in volume and sales, not in a special car. So we missed the turnover and now it has been 30 years. We will never catch up but in 20 years’ time, we will come up with another new supercar. It will serve as a challenge for the next generation.”
♦ Spectators were again allowed to watch the race from the stands and some 20,000 were present at Nurburgring.
♦ When the lights turned green, Kimi Raikkonen shot off from the starting grid on his 323rd Grand Prix and that makes him the record-holder with the most F1 starts, ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
♦ 14 minutes into the race, Romain Grosjean alerted his team that his finger seemed to be damaged by what he believed to be gravel hitting his hand during lap 7.
♦ Red Bull Racing’s Alexander Albon was the first driver to return to the pits for a tyre change at the end of lap 7 as he seemed to have flat-spotted the tyres.
♦ Valtteri Bottas had gotten a good start to lead, with Lewis Hamilton chasing him. He lost the lead when he locked up going into Turn 1 and Hamilton swept past him. The tyres were flat-spotted so he headed into the pits for a change.
♦ On lap 14, Williams Racing’s George Russell got bumped off at Turn 1 by Kimi Raikkonen and his departure brought the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) into action. The VSC was tested in 2014 and found to be useful so it was adopted from the 2015 season. The Stewards looked into the collision and whether Raikkonen was at fault.
♦ As the VSC ended about a lap later, Albon crossed the path of Daniil Kvyat and damaged the front wing of the Scuderia AlphaTauri. The collision got Albon a 5-second penalty. Anyway, the THial Red Bull Racing driver retired on lap 24 after returning to the pits.
♦ On lap 17, as the first few drops of rain were felt in some areas of the track, Bottas’ car suddenly lost power and he had to bring it back to the pits, and had to retire as the Power Unit had problems. Meanwhile, at the front, Hamilton was pursued by Max Verstappen.
♦ A few laps before the race reached the halfway mark, Esteban Ocon had to retire due to a suspected hydraulic problem and then Lando Norris reported that his car was losing power. He struggled to keep up the speed as Sergio Perez got past him.
♦ At the halfway mark, Hamilton and Verstappen were way ahead in the lead, a 5-second gap separating the world champion from the Dutchman. Almost a minute behind was Daniel Ricciardo, the Renault driver. Four cars had retired.
♦ By lap 45, Norris’ McLaren pulled over, smoke coming out and because it was in a rather tricky position, the Mercedes-AMG Safety Car was despatched while removal was underway. The other McLaren driven by Carlos Sainz Jr was in close contention with Sergio Perez of BWT Racing Point.
♦ 10 laps were left when the Safety Car withdrew and Hamilton managed to get a strong start ahead although Verstappen almost bumped into him. The Mercedes driver even set a new lap record to make sure he had the dominance to stay ahead till the end.
♦ Hamilton took his seventh win of the season with a 4.4-second lead but more significantly, it was the 91st win of his career which now puts him equal with Michael Schumacher.
Another three races have been added to the revised calendar for the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship, bringing the total number of confirmed rounds in the calendar to 13. The venues are still in Europe – Nurburgring in Germany, Algarve in Portugal and Imola in Italy and will take place between October 11 and November 1.
F1 returns to Portugal
While the Nurburgring circuit is a familiar venue, the round in Portugal will be the first time the country is hosting a F1 round since 1996. It will be at the 4.65-km long circuit in Portimao located in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.
A week following the event in Portugal, the next round will be at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. The 4.9-km track has a history going back to 1953 but is remembered for being the track where Ayrton Senna lost his life in 1994. In fact, Senna was not the only one to die at that event – the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix – as Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger sustained fatal skull damage after crashing into a wall at 310 km/h.
So far, three rounds have been run, two at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and one at the Hungaroring in Hungary. Two rounds will be run at Silverstone in the UK, the first scheduled for this weekend and a second round the week after.
Can 18 rounds before 2020 ends?
The Formula 1 organization has been hoping to run up to 18 rounds before the end of the year. With the two final ones to be held in the Middle East Gulf region in mid-December and 13 already confirmed, that leaves another three more slots over about 6 weeks.
Races in Asia
The Americas are out due to the severe pandemic conditions so the only other region is Asia. Vietnam, which was to have had its first-ever F1 event may be keen and able to host a round since it has had a ‘clean record’ where the pandemic is concerned.
There are also rumours that the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia may host a round but it would depend very much on the situation. Right now, there is concern about the trend in new COVID-19 cases so the government would be unwilling to make any commitments just yet. The Sepang International Circuit is F1-ready as it used to host a round each year between 1999 and 2017.
Like Mercedes-Benz with AMG and BMW’s M, Hyundai Motor also has a high-performance sub-brand which it calls ‘Hyundai N’. The first association of ‘N’ with Hyundai was when the carmaker presented its N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo concept car for PlayStation’s Gran Turismo videogame series in 2015.
In that same year, Hyundai brought in Albert Biermann, the former head of BMW’s M division, to spearhead the development of the N sub-brand and create a line of high-performance production cars.
Born in the WRC
To introduce the N brand as well as to give Hyundai engineers a development environment that was high pressured and extreme, Hyundai Motorsport, based in Germany, was tasked with participating in the World Rally Championship (WRC). In WRC events, rallycars compete on rough terrain and roads of gravel, tarmac, snow and ice, pushed to the limits by their drivers. Thus WRC is considered the ‘cradle of the N line-up’ where Hyundai’s high-performance concepts were first tested.
Besides the ‘WRC testing ground’ which is global, Hyundai engineers also used the Nordschliefe at the Nurburgring circuit for durability testing and tuning. In fact, since September 2014, the carmaker has had a permanent presence at the circuit, having established its European Test Centre there.
What does Hyundai N mean?
The ‘N’ in Hyundai N stands for Namyang, home to Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea since 1995, and also for Nurburgring, where N models are tested and developed further. The close connection between Namyang and the Nurburgring created the foundation for N, aiming to build on the company’s motorsport experience to bring winding road fun to customers who love cars. The ‘N’ logo itself embodies this idea, as it symbolises a chicane.
Measured in BPM, not RPM
The first mass production Hyundai N high-performance car, the i30 N, was launched earlier this year, Instead of focusing on pure numbers, Hyundai has chosen to emphasise driving pleasure and the emotional impact on the driver’s heartbeats per minute (BPM), rather than simply measuring revs per minute (RPM). When the driver hits the throttle and shifts through the gears, the Rev-matching function increases torque and acceleration.
Based on three cornerstones under the theme ‘Fun to Drive’, the i30 N is referred to as a ‘Corner Rascal’, and has proven its racetrack capability. It can be used for racing on weekends and driven to work on Monday.
The i30 N TCR
The i30 N TCR represents Hyundai Motorsport’s first steps into circuit racing (while continuing with the WRC), and entrance into one of the fastest growing categories in motorsport. The design phase of the i30 N TCR project began in September 2016, with the first completed test car running in April 2017. In 2019, Hyundai Motorsport increased its TCR offering with the launch of the Veloster N TCR.
The TCR project continues the expansion of Hyundai Motorsport, with both cars built and developed by the Customer Racing department at the team’s headquarters in Germany. Since its debut, the i30 N TCR (priced from €128,000, equivalent to RM588,000) has secured wins and championships around the world, including the inaugural WTCR titles in 2018.
For many driving enthusiasts, a lap of the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany is something they must do at least once in their life. Opened in 1927, the engineers designed a 28.3-km Nurburgring circuit with various route variants, including the then 22.8-km Nordschleife. It is estimated to have cost 27 million euros converted to today’s monetary value.
Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by 3-times F1 champion Jackie Stewart, the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit is used for certain world championship events, especially endurance races. On days when there are no races, the circuit is open to the public who, after paying a fee, of can drive their own cars around during the ‘tourist sessions’. There are all sorts of cars – as well as vans and even buses!
For those who want an extreme experience but don’t have the necessary skills for high-speed driving, there are also ‘taxi rides’ available. Professional drivers will be at the wheel and there’s a range of supercars to choose from.
First zero-emissions performance SUV for taxi rides
But until now, there has never been a fully-electric taxi at Nurburgring and Jaguar’s RACE eTAXI service with the I-PACE performance SUV is the first. The public can now experience the sportscar performance of the all-wheel drive I-PACE around the 20.8-km, 73-corner track. The zero-emissions SUV has a claimed acceleration time from 0 – 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds with its 400 ps/696 Nm powertrain that is fed energy from a 90-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
One lap as a co-driver in the I-PACE will cost €149 (about RM690) and you are provided with a helmet and drinks. The introduction of the first all-electric RACE eTAXI is another step in Jaguar’s electrification strategy as it enables more people to experience Jaguar’s I-PACE first-hand.
Aston Martin has confirmed that its first SUV – the DBX – will be launched in December this year. That’s just a little over 3 months away and the engineers are busy completing what is described as the most comprehensive test regime of any Aston Martin. Extensive everyday real-world driving and high-performance track evaluation has been taking place at locations worldwide to confirm the capabilities and durability of the most versatile product in the brand’s history.
The locations include two key engineering centres – at Silverstone in the UK and the Nurburgring in Germany. While conducting durability testing at the demanding Nurburgring, the DBX has delivered cornering speeds on par with the Vantage, while achieving braking figures greater than the Super GT, DBS Superleggera. This has already seen Aston Martin’s engineering team regularly achieve sub 8-minute lap times during their regular testing of the SUV.
550 ps V8, top speed over 290 km/h
The new DBX will be powered by a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 similar to the one in the existing Vantage and DB11. However, for DBX application, the engine surpasses the performance credentials of these models, delivering 550 ps/700 Nm. High speed testing has already proven that the DBX can consistently exceed 290 km/h.
With a focus on creating a broader, more solid acoustic note, the SUV’s exhaust system has been tuned to reflect a deep bass with increasing mid-tones, creating true auditory exhilaration, particularly in more sporting drive modes.
Commenting on the test programme, Matt Becker, Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer, said: “We have concentrated our work to ensure that the calibration and tune of this 4-litre twin-turbo V8 delivers both the everyday usability and refinement expected by SUV owners. However, we have also focused heavily on matching that with the engaging driving dynamics that are commanded by our brand and inherent in every Aston Martin and early indications of the car’s overall performance have been incredibly promising.”