VIDEO: 24h-Rennen 2012 Nürburgring Tim Schrick: Scirocco TDI vs Porsche 911

Question: Is a Porsche 911 faster than a gas-powered VW Scirocco on the Nürburgring?
Answer: Not if Road pal, Tim Schrick is driving the Scirocco.
This is footage from the Nürburgring 24-Hr 2012. Hilarious.
The pass is inevitable... and perfect, when it comes... go Tim!

VIDEO: Sabine Schmitz & Klaus Abbelen 2012 Frikadelli Racing VLN Highlights

The best of Sabine Schmitz and Klaus Abbelen racing on the Green Hell this year in the VLN in their awesome Frikadelli Racing RSR. Awesome! Want to know how to race the Ring? Watch and learn... and enjoy the sound of this bonkers fast, incredible sounding, amazingly driven hardcore 911 racer in action. Some incredible pasess to relish...  and just look at the telemetry too! Utterly insane, and we love it! Like them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frikadelli-Racing-Official-Fanpage/160145224008529?fref=ts

NEWS: Audi R8 e-tron Sets Nürburgring Nordschleife EV Lap Record

Audi's exciting new R8 e-tron has just set a new lap record at the ultra-challenging Nürburgring Nordschleife for electrically powered production vehicles. Racing driver, Markus Winkelhock put in a time of 8:09.099 minutes on the 12.92-mile track, in the new all-electric sports car with 280 kW (equivalent to approximately 380PS)... adding another Green Hell accolade to their overall wins at the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring (oh, an and Le Mans!). "The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world," said Michael Dick, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: "The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure."A comparison with the current record lap driven by a production car with a conventional combustion engine shows just how impressive the 8:09.099-minute time really is. The record time of 7:11.57 minutes was achieved by a Gumpert Apollo Sport, which is powered by a 700PS Audi V8 petrol engine. The all-electric Audi R8 e-tron was just over one minute behind that. Impressive...
The drive system of the Audi R8 e-tron that Markus Winkelhock drove to the world record is identical to that of the road-going model that will enter production towards the end of the year. The car’s electric motors generate a combined output of 280 kW and 820 Nm of torque; more than 4,900 Nm (3,614.05 lb-ft) is distributed to the rear wheels virtually from a standing start. The Audi R8 e-tron accelerates from zero to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds. Its top speed is normally limited to 124mph (and Markus Winkelhock drove two fast laps in one go in a second R8 e-tron that was limited to 124mph, recording 8:30.873 and 8:26.096 minutes, both well under the important nine-minute threshold); 155mph was approved for the record-setting lap. It has a range of 133 miles, although most likely not at this sort of race pace. And it weighs in at just 1,780 kilograms, despite the large battery, thanks to an all aluminium body.
"The record drives were a fantastic experience for me," said Markus Winkelhock. The 32-year-old, who lives near Stuttgart, has a high standard for comparison – the Audi R8 LMS ultra, in which he, along with Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler, won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago. "Of course, the R8 e-tron is a production car, not a racing car with the assistance of aerodynamics," Winkelhock emphasised. "But with its low centre of gravity and rear biased weight distribution, it brings with it a lot of sporty qualities. The torque with which the electric motors propel the car uphill beats everything that I know – even if they make hardly any noise in the process, which at the start was really a completely new experience for me. In places where I really need traction, the torque vectoring – the displacement of the torque between the powered wheels – really helps me."
Michael Dick proudly summed up events after the record-setting drive at the Nürburgring. "Within just a few weeks we’ve taken on some big challenges and in the process we’ve shown that we are at the forefront with all of our drive concepts," he said, adding: "We won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in May in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with a ten-cylinder engine. In mid-June we triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first overall victory for a hybrid-electric vehicle in the toughest race in the world. And now we’ve set another record with the all-electric-drive R8 e-tron on the most demanding track there is."

VIDEO: Best of Sabine & Klaus Nurburgring 24h Rennen 2012

Want a behind the scenes of what life is like for Sabine Schmitz and Klaus Abbelen entering the best endurance race on the planet – das Nurburgring 24h Rennen? Check out this video, watching them travelling around the fans on their music float pre-race, doing the warm-up parade lap waving at the fans, then letting rip over the Nordschleife in the Frikadelli R Porsche 911, day and night, dicing with the best endurance cars and racers on the planet. No wonder they always do so well and are such a popular team with the crowds. And if you think the 24-Hour is all about taking it steady... forget it. Watch the overtakes on this... especially at night. Jeees! R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out more about Team Frikadelli by liking their race team Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frikadelli-Racing-Official-Fanpage/160145224008529

VIDEO: Falken Motorsports Porsche GT3 R Onboard NBR24 @ Dusk

Our pals at Falken know how to race the Green Hell, as this dusk footage from this year's 24-Hour clearly shows... in their Falken Motorsports Porsche GT3 R. Blindingly quick... and making it all look smooth and easy. Sweet!

NEWS: Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT3 Victory @ Nurburgring 24-Hour

Audi have finally nailed their first victory at the awesome Nurburgring 24-Hour – with their epic R8 LMS ultra GT3. And not just a victory, but a 1-2 on the podium and three R8's in the top 10. Congratulations to them! The blue and yellow Bilstein-livery beast of an R8 blitzed to overall victory, lapping the epic GP and Nordschleife circuit some 155 times, driven by Marc Bassend, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock, and run by Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The Team Mamerow Racing R8 LMS ultra GT3 came second, driven by Christian Apt, Michael Ammermuller, Armin Hahne and Christian Mamerow. Weather conditions were typically Eifel and challenging and the standard of cars in the GT3 class higher than ever – making for one of the toughest races in recent years. Many cars fell by the wayside, were struck with mechanical issues or, as is the way in this race, crashed... including one of the top Audi R8's, car No.2, running in front at the time (finishing fifth as a result). Previous Porsche winners (five times in six years) of the event and pole position runners, Manthey Racing could not repeat their usual Green Hell form, ending up in the wall of the GP circuit lapping a back marker, dropping them back from a podium place. In fact, the top placed Porsche was our pal Sabine Schmitz and Klaus Abbelen in the Frikadelli Racing Team 911 GT3, finishing sixth and the only 911 in the top 10! The times, they are a-changing...
The 2012 ADAC Nurburgring 24-Hour final results were:
1. Basseng/Haase/Stippler/Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS ultra), 155 laps
2. Abt/Ammermüller/Hahne/Mamerow (Audi R8 LMS ultra) + 3m 35.303s
3. Frankenhout/Simonsen/Kaffer/Arnold (Mercedes-Benz) + 11m 31.116s
4. Leinders/Palttala/Martin (BMW) – 1 lap
5. Fässler/Mies/Rast/Stippler (Audi R8 LMS ultra) – 4 laps
6. Abbelen/Schmitz/Brück/Huisman (Porsche) – 4 laps
7. Müller/Müller/Alzen/Adorf (BMW) – 5 laps
8. Hürtgen/Schwager/Bastian/Adorf (BMW) – 5 laps
9. Klingmann/Wittmann/Göransson/Lamy (BMW) – 5 laps
10. Zehe/Hartung/Rehfeld/Bullitt (Mercedes-Benz) – 5 laps

VIDEO NEWS: Falken Motorsport 2012 Porsche RSR & GT3 R

Video update from Team Falken on their American Le Mans Series, brand new 2012 Porsche GT3 RSR chassis, with Jens Walther, CEO Porsche Motorsport North America. Also, the Falken Motorsports’ Porsche 997 GT3 R race car has received a number of key updates ahead of its 2012 campaign: Factory sanctioned upgrades including a switch to paddle shift gearbox and softer front anti roll bar are being fitted together with an engine upgrade by crack Porsche team Schnabl Engineering as the Falken team mounts a serious attack on both the VLN Championship and flagship N24 race in Europe and AMLS in the States. "The 2012 Porsche engine upgrade offers more power and better driveability," says team principal Sven Schnabl. :Together with the paddle shift to help our drivers avoid miss-shifts, we have a stronger package that should challenge for podiums."In addition to the upgrades, Schnabl Engineering is refreshing and servicing the gearbox, uprights, driveshafts as well as replacing ‘lifed’ components such as fuel filters and pumps. As a car specifically designed for long distance reliability, Schnabl claims that further modifications for the headline 24 hour race in May are surprisingly minimal. "We will simply be fitting additional lights and the illuminated side panels," claims Schnabl, "we don’t even need to lower the rev limit." The team will continue to use its own tyres, developed specifically for use on the Nordschleife, incorporating features to meet the specific requirements of an endurance race with exceptionally long laps. Examples include higher puncture resistance with the inevitable corner cutting and softer compounds for night time running. Drivers for the 2012 campaign have yet to be confirmed but the 2011 line up of Peter Dumbreck, Wolf Henzler, Martin Ragginger and Sebastian Asch is likely to feature during the season. 2011 was the first year that the Japanese tyre maker fielded a Porsche in Europe. After gearbox problems stymied the team’s hopes of a strong finish in last year’s round the clock race, the team returns confident that it will be competitive and reliable. "We have further tyre tests planned to refine the specifications and compounds to the 2012 chassis set up and softer front end," adds Schnabl. "With a good Balance of Performance package and a good tyre from Falken, we are in a strong position." The first test for the VLN Series takes place on 24th March, and we will have news and a video here soon...