Modern F1 car back on the Nurburgring...

[Steve PH]

Not the greatest quality picture wise but the sound is pretty damned good, Nick Heidfeld takes the 07 BMW Sauber for a baptisim of fire! Crank the volume up!

[Komenda Fan]

Too bad they wouldn't let it really stretch its legs, 3 laps with a fastest lap time of 8:34. That's slower I think then Sabine Schmidts time in a Ford Transit Van. Apparently each lap they slowed it down to film with a camera car. Sounds awesome, however.

Would be interesting to know how fast a grand prix machine could get around the 'Ring given the chance to really open her up.

[TheMentat]

seems like he's only giving it 6/10ths

[sketchers356]

Sabine did around a 10:15 in the Transit i believe.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by Komenda Fan
Too bad they wouldn't let it really stretch its legs, 3 laps with a fastest lap time of 8:34. That's slower I think then Sabine Schmidts time in a Ford Transit Van.

the f1 could probably beat the transit without even using 3rd gear and above

[911pcars]

"....seems like he's only giving it 6/10ths."

For an F1 car, maybe 4/10s. At 8:34, he was cruising.

RE: Sabine Schmitz.
"When she was 19, she set the lap record in a Ford Sierra Cosworth (8'16")."
http://www.jwhubbers.nl/ring/sabine/clarkson.php

Sherwood

[Aerkuld]

Originally posted by svandamme
the f1 could probably beat the transit without even using 3rd gear and above

Obviously it was no ordinary Transit van...



It may have been this one with the Ford Cosworth HB V8 Formula 1 engine, or the previous version with a Ford Cosworth DFL...

[svandamme]

no it was an ordinary van, on TopGear
based on a snip she took at Jezza , when he was there with a Jag Diesel trying to get under 10 minutes
to which she said , hell, i can do that in a Van

one of the following episodes, they took a bog standard Transit there to try it, but she couldn't make it, pushed really hard, she even said it got scary, they taped up everything for aero, but couldn't beat 10:00

here is that episode

[Steve PH]

The transits time is a near as damn it lap of just the old circuit (The Nordschleife) were as the Heidfeld lap includes most of the new F1 GP circuit as well. The modern circuit takes roughly 1.30 plus the little link sections to get to the old circuit making it closer to 6:30-7:00 minutes versus 10:00 minutes, I think it has the Transit comfortably beaten!

[}{arlequin]

if you guys read more ab it you'll know that he was told to take it easy, was running on 'demonstration tires' (whathever those are), short gearbox not really suited to the 'ring, as well as slowed down twice for the camera car to catch up for photo ops...

by no means was this ever about lap times

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showpost.php?p=4128943&postcount=1

[arcsine]

Being the Walter Mitty's we are, just imagine the phone call:

"Hey there (fill in your name). We are going to take the F1 car to the Ring and do some open track laps. Take some videos, have a nice lunch. Are you interested?"

Even for Nick, this has got to be a fun way to spend a day.

[Doug E]

Here's some text from an article that was posted on the F1 website:

"The drive was simply incredible,” exclaimed the German. “I thought it would be great to drive on the Nordschleife before I started out. But it was even better than I had expected. This racing track is the best in the world. I'd really like to have emptied the tank. It was a very special moment when I left the Grand Prix circuit in the direction of the Nordschleife. I was really shaken up at the Bergwerk section and on the Dottinger Hohe. I'll never forget today as long as I live.”

Heidfeld’s run round the Nordschleife was watched by a crowd of over 45,000 spectators, who were at the Nurburgring for a day of special events celebrating BMW’s contribution to motorsport. Despite unusually hard demonstration tyres and a short transmission ratio, Heidfeld notched up a top speed of 275 km/h on the long ‘Dottinger Hohe’ straight.

"We wanted to give fans a special treat,” explained BMW Sauber team principal Mario Theissen. “And I believe we have done this with the entire BMW motor sport programme. Naturally, the high point was Nick's drive with the F1.06. We had implored him to be careful. The day was a homage to the fans and to this unique circuit in the world of racing. For once, the lap times were a secondary consideration."

Though very few modifications were made to Heidfeld’s car, the Nordschleife’s uneven surface meant the team had to adjust the F1.06's ride height to provide maximum ground clearance. Four centimetres were added at the front and eight at the rear . Another special measure was the addition of wireless communication, which enabled team manager Beat Zehnder to maintain contact with Heidfeld for the entire length of the circuit by hovering overhead in helicopter.


Gotta give Nick and BMW props for their efforts ... definately sounds like a first class effort ! Wonder if he stopped in the Grunne Holle afterwards or caught a meal at the Pistenklause