WATCH: Porsche smashes its own GT3 RS record at Nurburgring

On April 16 the Porsche 911 GT3 RS set another benchmark for road-approved sports cars at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in Germany: Porsche Works race driver Kévin Estre set a lap time in 6:56.4 minutes with the 383kW GT3 RS.

The Frenchman’s lap time was 24 seconds faster than the best time achieved with the previous GT3 RS model. Porsche development driver Lars Kern was sharing driving duties with Estre. Following the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT2 RS, the new GT3 RS is the third production Porsche sports car with a notarised lap time of less than seven minutes on the world’s most demanding race track, known as the ‘Green Hell’. As is customary for record drives, the time was measured around the 20.6 km lap.

Frank Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars, commented: “No other Porsche model gets as close to racing as the new GT3 RS. Many innovative ideas from top-level motorsport were transferred; for example, from the 911 GT3 R. This is what our philosophy for GT models is about: highest technology must be fascinating but tangible. In this regard there is no harder test for our ideas than the Nordschleife.”

Porsche GT3 RS 1 at the Nurburgring

Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Model Line, added; “All four lap times of both drivers were below seven minutes and only tenths of a second apart. This proves not only the outstanding power of the GT3 RS, but also its extraordinary driveability at the limit. A perfectly composed overall system allows for highly dynamic performance even with a relatively modest engine power. For a driver, each of the car’s thousands of parts have to feel like one – that’s an unbeatable strength of the GT3 RS. And what especially delights me is how much fun Lars and Kévin had when driving that car.”

Estre says: “This lap was a sensational experience for me. Through the fast corners and on the brakes in particular, the GT3 RS is unbelievably close to our racing car GT3 R. This is also thanks to the new generation of tyres for road-going sports cars. I like the engine of the GT3 RS a lot. Up to 9 000 rpm from a six-cylinder engine just feels fantastic. The sound is a dream and the torque is massive.”

At the Nürburgring the 911 GT3 RS was equipped with the latest generation of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Optimised especially for track day use, the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R is fully compliant with relevant EU and US law. The tyre (265/35 ZR 20 front and 325/30 ZR 21 rear) can soon be ordered at every Porsche Centre and selected dealers or tyre fitters. Its approved fitments include 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT2 RS.

The 911 GT3 RS with motorsport-bred chassis and 383 kW, 4.0-litre, high- speed naturally aspirated engine had its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March this year. The high-performance sports car accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 312km/h, it is claimed.