Koenigsegg will try again for a Nürburgring lap record

By Stephen Edelstein Published April 14, 2016

Last year, Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg announced plans to set a lap record at the Nürburgring, the treacherous German racetrack that has become a yardstick for production cars. But speed limits imposed by the track’s management nixed that plan.

The speed limits were lifted last month, so Koenigsegg will try again. Preparations will begin soon, but that doesn’t mean a record-breaking lap will actually be attempted this year, a company blog post said. Koenigsegg still needs to find a driver and a car to use in the actual record attempt, apparently.

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“We won’t be doing a lap record in the immediate term, but we will be there [emphasis original],” the blog post stated. Koenigsegg knows its cars will be spotted at the track, and doesn’t want people to make assumptions about what it is doing during what is expected to be months of prep time. The company has tried to be as transparent as possible when it comes to the Nürburgring, hoping this will help further legitimize any records it sets.

The speed limits that put an end to Koenigsegg’s previous record attempt were put in place after a crash during a race in March 2015 that killed a spectator. They restricted cars to 155 mph on certain sections of the track, but this turned out to only be a temporary measure. Track operator Capricorn made some safety modifications, including more barriers and new restrictions on where spectators can stand, and lifted the limits.

However, that means Koenigsegg essentially has to reset its record attempt. The company originally planned to set a record with the 1,341-horsepower One:1, but now all seven copies have been sold to customers. Koenigsegg says it will announce which car it will use at a later date, and is in the process of picking a driver too. Factory test driver Robert Serwanski will be on hand, but likely won’t make the record attempt.

The time Koenigsegg will have to beat is 6:57, set by the Porsche 918 Spyder in 2013. McLaren has claimed its P1 lapped the Nürburgring in under seven minutes as well, but has never released an actual time.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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