Does anyone know and give us a link to the official lap time of the RX-8 on the Nurburgring driven by a professional race car driver?

I saw a few threads on this site about it but it wasn't done by a pro-driver and funded by an organization. There're many quite costly prep that goes into preparing the car and driver for such a benchmark run.

Time to unleash The Stig!

Get me a car and a plane ticket, I will go drive it. I am no Schumacher, but I am pretty confident about setting a decent benchmark. People think you need a lot to get the car ready. In reality, you really don't have to do much. A well engineered automobile should be able to take the abuse on the track. I have been using my Z to track lap records in 4 different tracks, I am trying to expand constantly.

Go try it in Gran Turismo 4 :)

First: Yes, I am really interested to know this as well, professional drver, stock RX-8. I bet it fares quite well.

Second: Gran Turismo 4. I've sort of become obsessed with this.... Best time is 7:51 (the "race" course with the taditional start/finish, not the "tourist" setup currently at the ring which eliminates the main straight), after probably 4 hours or so of practicing. Logitech force-feedback wheel/pedals help a lot. As far as I've heard, times in the game are ~10% faster than times in real life....so....take that as you will. Also, it's a lot easier to drive all-out on the 'ring when you don't have to worry about dying nor destroying an 8 ;-)

The new Nissan GTR runs the ring in 7:38, no way the RX8 will get into the 7's stock.



Probably more like 56:25...



j/k lol =D .

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=127733&highlight=Nurburgring+RX-8

I still say probably around 8:40-8:45 for a stock RX-8.

to the tard that thinks he can set a fast time around around a track that is 21km long having never been there, you are an idiot if you think you could set a good time. That track is so scary fast that you would never push the car to the limits. I should know because i have raced (and by raced i mean hauled as much ass as i though i could safely do without running off the track and losing it) my car around that track when i lived in germany. People race on the track for years and still say they are not 100% on that track so good luck.

There's no official 'Ring lap time for the rx-8 like one can find for GTR, various Porsches etc...
If anything it laps the Top Gear track the same amount of time as the E46 M3. Driven by the same driver. Some say he runs a cockroach farm, some say his head is interchangeable. But all I know is.... he is called The Stig. :cool:

There's no official 'Ring lap time for the rx-8 like one can find for GTR, various Porsches etc...
If anything it laps the Top Gear track the same amount of time as the E46 M3.

right. that track favored the 8. the m3 would own on the straights with it's motor at the nurburgring. and when they tested the m3 on top gear i want to say it was a little wet out, but they didn't count it as a wet lap. so i don't think those times are entirely reflective of the m3's potential...

and the Nurburgring numbers' are better comparison for each car's prowess considering the differing times of the year it was done by different drivers after X amount of practice laps etc etc?

Well, here's a video of my (virtual, unfortunately) STOCK Rx-8 on the Ring in GT4.

LINK (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=jgvnk7cmZr4)

This is definitely a "lower bound" for the best possible real world lap time...

There's no official 'Ring lap time for the rx-8 like one can find for GTR, various Porsches etc...
If anything it laps the Top Gear track the same amount of time as the E46 M3. Driven by the same driver. Some say he runs a cockroach farm, some say his head is interchangeable. But all I know is.... he is called The Stig. :cool:

Read up on Top Gear and the Stig. It's known by most that the driver behind the Stig changes so the credibility of the times completely goes out the window if you ask me.

The RX-8 would be pretty damn slow at the 'Ring because a huge bit of the track is composed of straight lines, and the RX-8 sucks on those. The 350Z and M3 would have no problem walking away from the RX-8 on it as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry guys, but unless you're on a very tight and small track the RX-8 is going to get the hurt put on it by cars with more power. Yes it will catch up in the corners, but once you get back on the straights it's "buh bye!"

Read up on Top Gear and the Stig. It's known by most that the driver behind the Stig changes so the credibility of the times completely goes out the window if you ask me.


Is this anecdotal or facts? Do you know?

The RX-8 would be pretty damn slow at the 'Ring because a huge bit of the track is composed of straight lines...

WHAT????? how does 170 corners sound???

That's about a corner every 123 meters, or 400 feet roughly. Where the hell do you see that "huge straight bit"? Is it the long straight? That's just about the only long real straight at the ring that comes to mind now. All the rest is corners, corners and corners again.

I'm not great on the 'ring facts and stuff, but from what I've seen (from GT4) I saw only 1 straight........the rest are mothafudging turns man.....which is partly the reason why I have never finished it even in GT4.........I died halfway through......

Is this anecdotal or facts? Do you know?

Considering the mystery behind The Stig, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a person who has physically seen it or has the full-on proof you want.

It has been discussed in the past that different Stig drivers have been used. For example, it's known that the Stig used to drive the Renault F1 car was actually Renault's F1 test driver at the time and not the one they'd normally use.

Honestly it's all theory, but most of the die-hard fans I know of don't believe that a single person drives the cars on Top Gear, and even then you can't hold the times credible given that it's done at different times under different conditions. With that said I retract my previous statement and will say that it's all speculation. My apologies on that.

WHAT????? how does 170 corners sound???

That's about a corner every 123 meters, or 400 feet roughly. Where the hell do you see that "huge straight bit"? Is it the long straight? That's just about the only long real straight at the ring that comes to mind now. All the rest is corners, corners and corners again.

There are plenty of sections at the 'Ring that are flat-out sections, which are exactly what I was talking about. Even in the RX-8 it would be very easy to see speeds in the 100mph+ and 120-130mph range on multiple portions of the track. A track that large with areas that allow speeds that high will naturally cause the RX-8 to struggle given that it is down on power in comparison to cars like the 350Z, BMW M3, etc. which are the cars the RX-8 is typically compared to thanks to Top Gear.

If you want another comparison that was done on the RX-8 look up the Lightning Lap by Car and Driver. It's done on VIR which is another big "power" track. Here are the times from all of the cars that Car and Driver has ran and put into the RX-8's pricing category:

LL1 (under $30,000)
-Nissan 350Z: 3:12.5
-Mitsubishi Evo MR: 3:13.5
-Pontiac Solstice GXP: 3:15.7
-Mazda Speed3: 3:16.0
-Mazda RX-8: 3:19.0
-Cobalt SS: 3:20.6
-Ford Mustang GT: 3:20.9
-Mini Cooper S: 3:22.9
-Volkswagen GTI: 3:25.1
-Honda Civic Si: 3:26.5
-Mazda MX-5: 3:29.3


You put the RX-8 on a bigger track that needs horsepower and the RX-8 will suffer. I'm not going to argue that the car does great for what it offers, but the car is just going to fall farther and farther behind the more and more a straightaway is involved.

I hate the truth

You put the RX-8 on a bigger track that needs horsepower and the RX-8 will suffer. I'm not going to argue that the car does great for what it offers, but the car is just going to fall farther and farther behind the more and more a straightaway is involved.

Yes, like driving through Nebraska....
I wonder why folks are so enamored with Tail of the Dragon since it's so curvy.

Honestly it's all theory, but most of the die-hard fans I know of don't believe that a single person drives the cars on Top Gear, and even then you can't hold the times credible given that it's done at different times under different conditions. With that said I retract my previous statement and will say that it's all speculation. My apologies on that.

So its anecdotal from heresay. And it also proves that Nurburgring lap numbers are about as credible as the Miss World Pageant to measure female beauty. You do know that some mfg put in race tires for their 'Ring runs right? :)

So its anecdotal from heresay. And it also proves that Nurburgring lap numbers are about as credible as the Miss World Pageant to measure female beauty. You do know that some mfg put in race tires for their 'Ring runs right? :)

I don't take any of the lap times to heart, especially 'Ring times since there are an insane amount of variables (open/closed track, wet sections, how "trustworthy" the source is, and those are just a small percentage of them). In general I think the cars the RX-8 is compared to (350Z and M3, once again, thanks to Top Gear) will be faster thanks to having a lot more power to push them along, though.

Race tires, "special" tunes (engine, suspension), professional drivers. To say those cars are "stock" quite the stretch of one's imagination. You do a decent time there (in any form), though, and you can feed it to people these days with a spoon and they'll eat it right up no questions asked.

There are plenty of sections at the 'Ring that are flat-out sections, which are exactly what I was talking about. Even in the RX-8 it would be very easy to see speeds in the 100mph+ and 120-130mph range on multiple portions of the track. A track that large with areas that allow speeds that high will naturally cause the RX-8 to struggle given that it is down on power in comparison to cars like the 350Z, BMW M3, etc. which are the cars the RX-8 is typically compared to thanks to Top Gear.

Sure there are flat out sections, but these are mainly composed of fast sweepers, not straights. And in this scenario, you can have as much power as you want, and you won't be able to go faster, period. Think about Pflanzgarten (spelling...), a set of fast sweepers to take at near full throttle (at least the last part): If a car does not have enough grip, it'll never be faster than a slightly less powerful car that can safely take the turn at full throttle. Or think about Flugplatz: full throttle even there, but a car with too little grip and too much power here is a recipe for a crash, should the entry be too ambitious.
The same thing can be said for Tiergarten and Mutkurve, at least.
Just try this: since it's not practical to buy a real car, mod it and go to the ring only for a test, let's use a simulator (say GT4 or anything else). Just try and buy an rx-8 and add all possible power mods. Then check how faster than stock you can lap on the ring. My bet is that the new lap won't be that much better.

On a final note, I can't say anything about the lap times you posted since I don't know that particular track.

i cant believe you are using a video game for comparisons lol. If you have not been there and raced on it in REAL life then you can make all the "educated guesses" you want that is all they are until you take your car out there. So until someone hires a race car driver to race their 8 on a closed track without having to stop to go through the tolls and complete a real lap under ideal conditions then it is all speculation.

Sure you can't use a video game to get any significant data. However, the Ring is NOT a power circuit, both in the real world and in GT4. If the absolute lap times in GT4 are too far off, the relative lap times (stock vs modded) shouldn't be that wrong.
This is my point.

I'm pretty sure with such a long track the driver is what matters the most.

Nurburgring is not strictly a power circuit but it has enough high speed areas that cars with big horsepower will do better there. It's the type of track that will test a cars all around abilities very well, and it would exploit the RX-8s lack of power.

As for the Stig... Black Stig was F1 driver Perry McCarthy whom drove the M3 in the show. I believe the white Stig drove the RX-8. So, if my memory serves me they absolutely were different drivers.

Also, I know RX-8 owners love to bring up the fact that the RX-8 equalled the M3 and 350Z on Top Gears track, but it's a freak occurence. Hockenheim is a shorter track often used to compare cars and the E46 M3 times there are consistently faster by up to a few seconds. Lightning Lap is another example, the G35C was faster around a track in C&Ds comparison, Best Motoring has shown that the RX-8 isn't going to keep up with either of those cars around Tsukuba, etc. etc.. In short, the RX-8 loses out to those cars around a track in every example known besides Top Gear and a parking lot with cones.

Lastly, the S2000 and MS3 times I know of for Nurburgring are 8:39 seconds and I'd be shocked if the RX-8 could best those times. Now consider that the older 350Z did 8:26 and the E46 M3 did 8:22. The RX-8 isn't even coming close to matching either of those cars around Nordschleife.

^^^ i love the quotes in your signature, very amusing.

Best Motoring used to show a Civic Type-R outlapping a 360 Modena in their Tsukuba track. Do you still believe in the tooth fairy?
The only factual evidence that The Stig was a different driver are in the episodes such as Top Gear visits America (fat Stig) and Africa (black Stig). Lots of anecdotal conjecture attempting to be portrayed as facts. Fact is there are no official lap time for the rx-8 on the nurburgring.
Oh btw, there is an article out on the new Cobalt SS outlapping the M3 at the 'Ring. Draw your own conclusion on which is the better car. :)
It's funny how people seem so hang up on track numbers in a controlled environment when most of these measurebators haven't even been on a sanctioned race-event....

Best Motoring used to show a Civic Type-R outlapping a 360 Modena in their Tsukuba track. Do you still believe in the tooth fairy?

what episode was this? and was it stock for stock?

who over sees this oficial lap times at the ring? who keeps the manufacturer from changing the brakes using better tires, race fuel, diferent tuned than the production car, etc?

who over sees this oficial lap times at the ring? who keeps the manufacturer from changing the brakes using better tires, race fuel, diferent tuned than the production car, etc?

A lot of those times are from various publications so at least those cars are just as stock as when an US publication tests a car.

The identity of the first Stig was revealed to be Perry McCarthy when his book Flat Out, Flat Broke was published in 2003. McCarthy is a former Formula 1 driver and test driver for the Benetton, Arrows and Williams teams, and also tested for BMW F1.

The identity of the new Stig has not been officially revealed. In a Winter Olympics special episode of Top Gear, the Stig was shown doing a ski jump using a snowmobile. According to the Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet, the driver performing the ski jump stunt was Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile cross driver. In January 2006, a Daily Express article reported that Julian Bailey was secretly the Stig. In January 2007, Russ Swift, a stunt driver that has appeared on the show a number of times, said in an interview that the Stig is not played by just one person.

So the old stig (black suit) was Perry McCarthy, and the new stig (white suit) is just who ever is available at the time of shooting.

I agree that Top Gear isn’t conclusive, none of this is. But lets not pretend it’s a “freak” occurrence, I think it’s entirely possible to match times with an older 350 on a regular track, i.e. C&D matched times between an 8 and a G35 6MT brembo coupe at Willow.

On a track like the ring, high speed stability would also be a factor and I don't think that's a MS3 or S2000 strength.

Either way, hp will always win out at the ring.

I'm certainly no professional driver, so I'm very pleased with my laptime of 9.29 on my 16th and last lap on our recent trip (http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21055&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=165). Nick from Mazda On Track who's done 160+ laps took my car out to show me how it is really done, but unfortunately we didn't get a clean lap. so I can only estimate it would have been under under 9 minutes with no yellows, and him fully committing the car as he did his own MX-5.

i run a 9min. 20 at nurbur . scary track ,,eats a full tank of gas on 3 to 4 laps ..im happy been able to run in this track . im live in germany for 4 years since im in the military its awesome planning going back soon

Jeremy with a Jag - 9:59
Sabine with a Ford Transit Van - 10:23 (138hp, 21 sec 0-60)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f95lV9ATzFw

The Ring is 99% driver. If that psychologically-unstable-but-highly-attractive-because-she-can-actually-drive woman can do that in a van... I bet she could put down REALLY good numbers for the 8.

Both arguments are correct. There are tons of corners on the Ring, but most of them are high speed corners. If a good driver can keep high speed momentum through those corners, then the acceleration from the exit is less important because the cars with lower corner speed will NEED their superior acceleration to get up to, and pass, the speed of the car with the better corner speed.

Just like most tracks, it is the higher average speed that will win out. If the 8 can hold it's speed in the 90-120 range, it will far better than a car that has a range of 60-130, even if that other car can get to the 130 faster, since they will spend alot of time slower.

Simply put however, it -IS- 99% driver, and the only true comparison will be same driver, same track configuration, same weather, same day, same time, empty track, on each of the 8's competitors.

Edit:
Another thing that came to mind. Although the Z and M3 have comparable lateral G (and other handling) numbers to the 8, I think on a track that is as demanding as the Ring the 8's incredible driving feel will contribute greatly to driver confidence, even if that same driver is confident in all 3 cars. As my sig notes, being able to place the 8 exactly where the driver wants counts for a hell of alot beyond the actual numbers, and will contribute significantly towards lap times higher than expected.

In addition, the 8's suspension -IS- softer than the M3 and the Z, and the Ring is bumpy as hell. Greater suspension travel will aid the lap times, not hurt it, since the 8's suspension travel is not excessive.

The only time that this driver feel will be a non-factor, is when the driver has exactly the same level of confidence with each car, and is able to place each car where they want every time. And if Randy didn't have that, it is unlikely many other drivers will either.

that video is nuts, she is passing bikes in that van lmao

Yes, like driving through Nebraska....
I wonder why folks are so enamored with Tail of the Dragon since it's so curvy.

I just drove the Tail of the Dragon last month. Unfortunately I was not in my trusty 8 but in my boyfriend's WRX. Tail of the Dragon could be a lot of fun to drive, but it is hella dangerous. Not only is it 318 curves in 11 miles (most of which are blind hairpin turns), but it is a public road so anyone can drive on it including 18 wheelers. You also get a lot of ass-hats on there acting like jackasses and crossing the double yellow line. Plus it's really more of a bikers' paradise. It would potentially be a lot of fun if they closed it occasionally specifically for racing.

I just drove the Tail of the Dragon last month. Unfortunately I was not in my trusty 8 but in my boyfriend's WRX. Tail of the Dragon could be a lot of fun to drive, but it is hella dangerous. Not only is it 318 curves in 11 miles (most of which are blind hairpin turns), but it is a public road so anyone can drive on it including 18 wheelers. You also get a lot of ass-hats on there acting like jackasses and crossing the double yellow line. Plus it's really more of a bikers' paradise. It would potentially be a lot of fun if they closed it occasionally specifically for racing.

I have always wanted to check out Tail of the Dragon. I hear its getting pretty out of hand though with all kinds of traffic, and cops.

Jeremy with a Jag - 9:59
Sabine with a Ford Transit Van - 10:23 (138hp, 21 sec 0-60)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f95lV9ATzFw

The Ring is 99% driver. If that psychologically-unstable-but-highly-attractive-because-she-can-actually-drive woman can do that in a van... I bet she could put down REALLY good numbers for the 8.

Both arguments are correct. There are tons of corners on the Ring, but most of them are high speed corners. If a good driver can keep high speed momentum through those corners, then the acceleration from the exit is less important because the cars with lower corner speed will NEED their superior acceleration to get up to, and pass, the speed of the car with the better corner speed.

Just like most tracks, it is the higher average speed that will win out. If the 8 can hold it's speed in the 90-120 range, it will far better than a car that has a range of 60-130, even if that other car can get to the 130 faster, since they will spend alot of time slower.

Simply put however, it -IS- 99% driver, and the only true comparison will be same driver, same track configuration, same weather, same day, same time, empty track, on each of the 8's competitors.

Edit:
Another thing that came to mind. Although the Z and M3 have comparable lateral G (and other handling) numbers to the 8, I think on a track that is as demanding as the Ring the 8's incredible driving feel will contribute greatly to driver confidence, even if that same driver is confident in all 3 cars. As my sig notes, being able to place the 8 exactly where the driver wants counts for a hell of alot beyond the actual numbers, and will contribute significantly towards lap times higher than expected.

In addition, the 8's suspension -IS- softer than the M3 and the Z, and the Ring is bumpy as hell. Greater suspension travel will aid the lap times, not hurt it, since the 8's suspension travel is not excessive.

The only time that this driver feel will be a non-factor, is when the driver has exactly the same level of confidence with each car, and is able to place each car where they want every time. And if Randy didn't have that, it is unlikely many other drivers will either.

WHAT-thefuck-EVER!!! What a fanboi response! This is classic... chock full of the typical RX8 fanboi excuses and subjective opinions. Classic!!!

Put up or shut up. I don't care who f'ing drives, go prove it with a TIME.

My prediction? The craptastic Cobalt SS at 8:22 is faster than the RX8 around the ring... no matter what. You will never see a stock 2004-2009 RX8 crack 8:22.

Dude calm down man..

WHAT-thefuck-EVER!!! What a fanboi response! This is classic... chock full of the typical RX8 fanboi excuses and subjective opinions. Classic!!!

Put up or shut up. I don't care who f'ing drives, go prove it with a TIME.

My prediction? The craptastic Cobalt SS at 8:22 is faster than the RX8 around the ring... no matter what. You will never see a stock 2004-2009 RX8 crack 8:22.

Wow. I'm not sure if I should be sorry or not that the text I typed caused you to foam at the mouth. You may note that:
- Never once did I make a prediction for a time for the 8
- I Never stated that the 8 would, or would not be faster than another car on the Ring
- I simply pointed out the advantages the 8 has on the Ring, as a counterpoint to the clear and acceptable advantages the 8's competitors have on the Ring (more power)
- That the only prediction I actually made was the required method of testing in order to produce lap times between each car for an accurate comparison untainted by other factors.
- That I stated TWICE that lap times at the Ring are more about the driver than the car. If I gave That super Cobalt SS to my wife, she would be hard pressed to break a 30 minute lap time. On the other hand, Sabine made it around the Ring in 10:08 in a 138hp VAN.

Again, I am not making a prediction of a lap time for the 8.

Dude calm down man..
+1

(For the record, driving my 8 at the Ring is on my Bucket list. I could care less about the time, I care more about the experience.)

Come on guys, you all know the internet is srs bsns.