, you saw Clarkson on Top Gear do 9.59 in a Jag diesel and Sabine regularly does 8.15 with three passengers.............well now Radical have done quite a good production car lap timeOne the worlds most prestigious production car records was obliterated yesterday
(28/9/05) by Michael Vergers in Radicals extraordinary SR8. In road legal trim and riding on Dunlop Direnza tyres he lapped the infamous 13-mile Nordschleife circuit in just 6 minutes 55 seconds, knocking a massive 20 seconds off the previous best!Radical have held the record before when Phil Bennett scorched around the loop in a Radical SR3 Turbo back in 2003, but such is the importance of the record, it soon came under attack from Europes biggest manufacturers and engine tuners.
However none have got close the magic seven minute barrier. Until now, that is.A suitably delighted Michael Vergers exclaimed that he still felt there was more to come.
We didnt have a great deal of time to set the car up for the run and due to the weather closing, in I only really had one crack at it, he said. Even on that lap I had to drive around the outside of a Mercedes coming onto the main straight, so theres plenty more to come. The car is awesome, carrying unbelievable speed through the high speed turns - if we had fitted slick tyres we could knocked more than 30 seconds off this time.The Radical SR8 is powered by a 2.6-litre high-revving V8 engine, built in-house by Powertec, developing 360bhp.
It generates enough downforce to be able to theoretically drive upside down and holds the outright lap record at Cadwell Park (the UKs mini-Nurburgring) and has been winning sportscar races around the world since the launch in January this year. For 2006, the SR8 will be the star of the all-new 'Great & British' Motorsport Festivals, visiting all the best UK circuits.
