Lotus and the storming 3-Eleven sets the fastest lap ever of the Hockenheimring circuit. And they say Lotus is rubbish !

• Lotus 3-Eleven raises the bar by establishing a new “sport auto” production car lap record around Hockenheimring
• Lotus 3-Eleven now heads the lap time list which features exotic hyper cars and track-focused supercars from some of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers
• Lap record set by “sport auto” magazine’s top road tester Christian Gebhardt

The Lotus 3-Eleven, the quickest series production car to come from Lotus’ Hethel Headquarters, has set the fastest lap time ever recorded by the leading and highly-respected German car magazine, “sport auto”.

Driven by Christian Gebhardt, a highly accomplished driver and Road Test Editor for “sport auto”, the Lotus 3-Eleven lapped the Hockenheimring short Circuit in an incredible 1 minute 06.2 seconds. 

This time was even more impressive considering that the 3-Eleven was on standard road tyres and the fastest lap was completed in less than perfect weather, where temperatures did not get higher than 8 degrees Celsius.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc said, “Christian set a fabulous lap in less than ideal conditions. We knew from the outset that we have created a simply phenomenal car that is capable of great things, and this lap record proves that beyond doubt. This is the ultimate embodiment of the Lotus design philosophy; it’s a beautifully engineered machine that doesn’t carry one ounce of excess weight. With 460hp on tap and race car handling at your disposal, this car is the ultimate giant killer”.

The Lotus 3-Eleven is now at the top of the “sport auto” lap-time chart which includes some of the most expensive and extreme roads cars on sale, from leading German, Italian, American and British manufacturers.

Christian Gebhardt, Road Test Editor for “sport auto” said, “The Lotus 3-Eleven is an amazingly fast and track focused car in which to have a lot of fun at the limit. It is the fastest series-production car in the test history of “sport auto” on the Hockenheimring Short Circuit.”

The “sport auto” Top 10 times (production cars) at Hockenheimring Short Circuit

1. Lotus 3-Eleven, 1.06:2 min

2. Porsche 918 Spyder, 1.06:3 min

3. Gumpert Apollo, 1.07:2 min

4. Radical SR3 SL, 1.08:1 min

5. Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse, 1.08:2 min

6=. Corvette ZR1, 1.08:3 min

6=. Ferrari 488 GTB, 1.08:3 min

8. Porsche 911 GT2 RS, 1.08:4 min

9. Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991), 1.08:5 min

10. Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series, 1.08:6 min

The Lotus 3-Eleven in more detail:

Heralding the next generation of Lotus high performance sports cars, the 3-Eleven is the company’s quickest and most expensive series production car ever.

Designed to deliver an undiluted experience, the Lotus 3-Eleven utilises an all-new lightweight composite body, and a bespoke chassis based on the proven Lotus design of extruded and bonded aluminium sections.

The 3-Eleven offers a giant-slaying power-to-weight ratio, thanks to a revised V6 supercharged engine developing 460 hp, to provide in excess of 500 hp per tonne. It is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

As part of its development the Lotus 3-Eleven spent time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where it was one of the fastest road going cars to ever tackle the track, capable of setting a sub-7 minute lap time.

The Lotus 3-Eleven is on sale now with production strictly limited to 311 cars to be built over the next two years.

Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept @ Hockenheim - Long version

TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE LAP - GO TO 14:20

• Audi sets new standards for piloted driving
• Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept completes Hockenheimring lap driverless at racing speed
• Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development: “This top performance substantiates the skills of our development team with regard to piloted driving at Audi.”

At the DTM season finale, Audi demonstrated the sheer fascination of piloted driving. The Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept completed a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim – at racing speed, without a driver. 

Audi scored yet another major success in the development of piloted driving: Before the season finale of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), the latest technology pioneer was running up to its physical limit, with no driver. It took the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept just slightly over two minutes to complete a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim – piloted with high precision and accuracy to within centimetres. 

 

“The top performance by the Audi RS 7 today substantiates the skills of our development team with regard to piloted driving at Audi,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “The derivations from series production, particularly in terms of precision and performance, are of great value for our further development steps.” 

 

For orientation on the track, the technology pioneer uses specially corrected GPS signals. This GPS data is transmitted to the vehicle via WiFi according to the automotive standard and redundantly via high-frequency radio. In parallel to this, 3D cameras in the car film the track, and a computer program compares the cameras’ image information against a data set stored on board. This is what makes it possible for the technology pioneer to orient itself on the track within centimetres.

 

Piloted driving is one of the most important development fields at Audi: The first successful developments were achieved ten years ago. The test results continually flow into series development. The latest test runs at the physical limit are providing the Audi engineers with insights for the development of automatic avoidance functions in critical driving situations, for example. 

 

Driver assistance systems from Audi are already making driving more relaxed and better controlled. These systems’ highest level of development can be experienced in the updated Audi A6* and Audi A7 Sportback* model series. The offerings include Audi side assist, Audi active lane assist, and adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function including Audi pre sense front. 

 

Experts from Volkswagen Group Research, the Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) and Stanford University (both in California) are supporting Audi as partners in the further development of piloted systems.

Ricciardo and Vettel preview the German Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel

I always enjoy the atmosphere at the Hockenheimring. When you arrive at track in the morning, the circuit's already filled with fans, and when you're in the car you can see lots of German flags in the grandstands. The signing session is always very busy too. It's those little things I really enjoy about Hockenheim. We get a lot of encouragement. During practice you know that the fans in the grandstands are there to support you and stand by you, no matter what. Of course, you want to give as much as possible back to the fans, but sometimes it's not in your hands. However we will attack at the weekend and give everything.

Daniel Ricciardo

Hockenheim's quite a short track, but it's another of those with a little bit of everything. I don't think the track asks particularly big questions of the driver, though it requires you to be quite brave through the fast Turn One and the right-hander into the stadium; that's largely about having the confidence in the car to get you through those corners quickly. The other thing you need is good stability under the heavy braking for the hairpin. All in all, it's a balancing act. You'd like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes, but equally you don't want too much drag on the straights.

Sebastian's favorite German things

We caught up with Sebastian ahead of his home grand prix in Germany this weekend to find out what some of his favorite things are about home.

Favorite football club?

SV: Easy, that's Eintracht Frankfurt

Favorite German football player?

SV: It would be Franz Beckenbauer

Favorite German band?

SV: CRO

Favorite German song?

SV: That would be "Ich bin ein Mann" by Ted Herold

Favorite German food?

SV: "Bratwurst mit Kartoffelbrei", the German version of sausages and mash!

How do you like your wurst?

SV: Currywurst

Favorite German saying/phrase?

SV: "Alles klar, Keiner weiss Bescheid" – it's a saying that means everything is sorted and you are good to go

Favorite German city?

SV: I really like Berlin

Favorite thing about home town?

SV: That my family and friends are there

Favorite joke?

SV: Germans don't joke

Favorite German TV program?

SV: "Tatort" - It's a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss crime television series set in various parts of these countries

Favorite German actor?

SV: Jürgen Vogel - known for "The Wave" (2008), "The Free Will" (2006) and "Life is all you get" (1997)

Favorite activity to do at home / what is the first thing you do when you go back home to Germany?

SV: No question - first thing is to enjoy mum's kitchen!

AUDI reveals new look to 2014 RS 5 DTM Challenger.

• Audi RS 5 DTM presented in Schaeffler colors
• Schedule before 2014 Hockenheim season opener established
• Mike Rockenfeller: “Can hardly wait for track tests to start”

No other car has shaped the image of the DTM in recent years as much as the yellow-green Audi has. Now, the brand has revealed the livery of the new # 1 Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM car in which Champion Mike Rockenfeller is aiming to defend his title. 

Martin Tomczyk in 2011 and Mike Rockenfeller in 2013: Two titles have gone to Audi and the race car sporting the yellow-green colors of the Schaeffler Group in the most recent past, and the reigning champion wouldn’t mind if the string of success in the most popular international touring car series continued. “If the car is as fast as it looks, we’ve got good chances of being in contention,” Rockenfeller commented about his new Audi RS 5 DTM.

 

The new generation of the race car that made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show last week features newly developed aerodynamics and numerous detailed improvements underneath the carbon fiber skin. Audi has revealed the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM as the first of the total of eight liveries with which the brand is competing in the DTM in 2014. While the basic colors of ‘Rocky’s’ car have been retained, the body contours of the near-460 hp (340 kW) touring car are now even more dynamic than before.

 

“I was thrilled as soon as I saw the initial designs but the car itself looks even more impressive,” says Mike Rockenfeller, who presented his RS 5 DTM to guests on the night before Audi’s annual press conference. “I’m incredibly excited about my first DTM season with ‘#1’ emblazoned on the car and can hardly wait for the next track tests to start.” 

 

The schedule before the season opener at Hockenheim on May 4 has been confirmed. The Audi RS 5 DTM was homologated at the beginning of March. From March 31 to April 3, the DTM will be testing on the Hungaroring in Budapest to which the series is returning this year. From April 14 to 17, the ‘rehearsal’ for the first race will follow at the Hockenheimring. Furthermore, the eight drivers including the three DTM Champions Mike Rockenfeller, Mattias Ekström and Timo Scheider got ready for the new season, which Audi has totally dedicated to the ‘title defense’ mission, at a one-week teambuilding and fitness camp.