EVO N?rburgring Showdown

Avalange

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Surely you remember the story about a guy's Carrera GT, Enzo, Zonda F Clubsport, MC12 and CCX being taken to the Nordschleife for a time attack.

A report for those who don't:

Every world car fan knows the name Maserati. Whether it?s from the old days we recognise the badge or from recent developments at the company, we are familiar with the Italian brand. The fact that Maserati is related to Ferrari by association has put even more pressure on the luxury sports car maker to deliver goods which, truth be told, have been in acute short supply in recent years. Until now. The Maserati MC12 has blasted itself into record books by claiming the ?fastest production car around the N?rburgring? tag as its own.

Pitted by an MC12 owner himself against four natural rivals, namely Ferrari Enzo, Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda F Clubsport and Porsche Carrera GT, the car rose to the top like cream. You may wonder about the absence of other names like Veyron, McLaren SLR and Corvette ZR1, but you see the cars listed here are also owned by the same guy. He houses these exotics close to the N?rburgring. Being more of an enthusiast than a racer, he asked American Le Mans Series racer Marc Basseng to pilot the group.

The slowest time posted came from the CCX which also happens to be the most expensive car of the lot. Basseng figured the way its 901 bhp is delivered was the problem; exceptional in straights but not so good around corners. We recall Top Gear?s Stig had a similar issue with the CCX. Next up was the Carrera GT posting 7:28.71 which matched Walter R?hrl?s record time in the GT, set in 2004. Then came cousin Enzo with 7:25.21 but mechanical issues (failed electronic dampers on two occasions) forced the car not to realise its true potential. The Zonda whisked up 7:24.65, which is a far cry from Basseng?s own first attempt result of 7:27.82 in it back in 2007. But there the track was slightly wet. MC12?s 7:24.29 time is incredible when considering it was the heaviest of the group and not the most powerful either.

Although the Dodge Viper ACR is currently top of the pops when it comes to N?rburgring record, that car had a racing seat and other adjustments installed, while the Maserati is stock. Evo magazine was at hand to confirm the procedures as well as the times, so it appears MC12 is the new king of the ?Ring.

It's astonishing that the Enzo beats both the Carrera GT and the CCX. It always was my dream car but I dind't think it would be a match for those two on the track. If it had worked properly, It could have beaten the MC12 and Zonda as well.

To my point: I realize that we can't post scans, but could you give me (and all the others that can't get EVO) a hint where to find some or just post the article? Some EVO articles appear on their website sooner or later, but not all of them.
 
Just like the 911 Turbo vs GT-R debate, we see here that the most powerful, and lightest car, is the slowest, and that the heaviest and least powerful is fastest

does this mean that starting from a certain amount of power/weight, the cars become too hard to control and thus too hard to drive fast?

I must say all these times are very very close to one another, there's 4 seconds seperating all of them.
 
Just like the 911 Turbo vs GT-R debate, we see here that the most powerful, and lightest car, is the slowest, and that the heaviest and least powerful is fastest

does this mean that starting from a certain amount of power/weight, the cars become too hard to control and thus too hard to drive fast?

I must say all these times are very very close to one another, there's 4 seconds seperating all of them.

As you mentioned, the differences are very, very small, relatively speaken. 4 seconds on the Nordschleife can result of how comfortable the driver is feeling in the car. The GT-R is a very easy car to drive, whereas the 911 Turbo tends to change between under- and oversteer very spontaneously at the limit. The possibilities of the GT-R are just far easier to explore. That also explains why Roehrl and no one else has managed to do a 7.38 in the Turbo. He can make the most out of the car's potential.

According to the report above, Basseng stated that the CCX couldn't get its power down properly. That can result in a bit of carefulness while driving and thus in a slower time.
 
Just like the 911 Turbo vs GT-R debate, we see here that the most powerful, and lightest car, is the slowest, and that the heaviest and least powerful is fastest

does this mean that starting from a certain amount of power/weight, the cars become too hard to control and thus too hard to drive fast?

I must say all these times are very very close to one another, there's 4 seconds seperating all of them.

That's an interesting point, as our logic tends to believe that, the heavier the car is , the slowest it is. Similar to the amount of hp. I can put up many ideas and theories on why that happens, but I can't seem to find any definitive one.
 
The CCX was probably set up for street use.. A few hours of tinkering with the "Ring domination" set up would probably shave alot from that time
 
I have the article, Basseng killed the CCX into a barrier adding further emphasis to how uncontrollable it was. If I can find it, I'll dig it out.

Racing is about more than power:weight ratios, ultimate grip, power delivery, power-band, lateral grip...theres a lot to take into consideration. That said, I think dis-counting the ACR because ''it had a racing seat installed'' is ridiculous. The MC12 doesn't exactly have a long-distance lounger in the cockpit, either, and while the seat is an advantage for the driver, it doesn't help the car.
 
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