Yellowbird at Nurburgring in 1987 sets record 8.22 secs

[Rad Hatter]

Check this guy wrestling with the wheel
original 1987 footage
pretty exhausting to watch !

http://www.fastdrive.org/1/p/car-videos/car-videos.php?view.119.0.20

[Wil Ferch]

That's RUF's test driver "Sideways Stephan"...and he's purposely "hamming it up"...rally style...for effect... not the fast way 'round....

Wil

[ZOA NOM]

Originally posted by Wil Ferch
That's RUF's test driver "Sideways Stephan"...and he's purposely "hamming it up"...rally style...for effect... not the fast way 'round....

Wil

Huh? He set the record "hamming it up", not going the "fast way 'round".?

[Paulporsche]

Sideways Stephan Roser

[diabolos88]

HOLYCRAP! that's CRAZY sh#t, looks like good fun!!

[Fishcop]

Originally posted by ZOANAS
Huh? He set the record "hamming it up", not going the "fast way 'round".?

I think Wil's right. The footage is not of the "actual" record setting lap... Absolutely fantastic to watch!

[spiderfarmer]

Yikes! seems like there's some play in the steering!

[Emission]

I love that video. Looks like a blast...

[ZOA NOM]

Originally posted by Fishcop
I think Wil's right. The footage is not of the "actual" record setting lap... Absolutely fantastic to watch!

Umm... the video is 8 minutes and 24 seconds long. It doesn't appear to be edited other than a couple of footwell shots, but the audio is continuous. You saying he can drive that car FASTER around the 'Ring?

[Wil Ferch]

I'm simply saying that Stephan is famous for "show".....driving a car on tarmac as if it was on gravel....this is most assuredly not the fast 'way around the track.

Fast tarmac driving is with smooth inputs and not letting the tail "hang-out". If *this* was the record run....yeah...I'd say he could've done better...but how many RUF "Faszination" videos would have been purchased ????

Wil

EDIT..this clip also clearly illustrates that the stock 4 spoke steering wheel is mounted markedly offset...with the wheel sitting "high" in the straight-ahead position. Don't forget, the original 1965 steering wheel was huge ( 420 mm dia) and this wheel is 380mm ( still almost 15")..so the mounting was made eccentric for better gauge readability. You can see the top-portion of the rim bobbing up and down as the wheel gets spun quickly.

[ZOA NOM]

Is there any confirmation that he admits to being a showboat? It looks like he is going as fast as that car will go and stay on the track. I don't believe he was playing at all. The video doesn't lie. We were onboard for an 8:22 lap of the 'Ring.

All IMHO, of course.

[Emission]

Originally posted by Wil Ferch
Fast tarmac driving is with smooth inputs and not letting the tail "hang-out". If *this* was the record run....yeah...I'd say he could've done better...but how many RUF "Faszination" videos would have been purchased ????

As Wil points out... slipping tires mean traction (acceleration, cornering grip, and braking ability) is lost. It is not the fastest way around the track by any means.

It looks like fun, and takes skill, but hooking the tires up is faster.

[ZOA NOM]

Then why was the record time only 8:22? Surely, he took the fastest approach when he set the record, so the time should have been quicker.

I agree that, in principle, spinning tires have less grip, and sliding through a corner should be slower, but at the very edge of performance, there can be some compromise. The video shows that he hardly ever hits the brakes. His entry speed on those turns is probably way beyond what we mortals would attempt. He does it knowing that he can slow the car in the slide while applying throttle, and maintaining his exit speed. The traditional "faster" way may not be so at the limits.

[masraum]

from what I understand with tires of limited grip (tires from '87 maybe) the fastest way around a corner is going to be in a bit of slide. But still, I'm betting that this is a show lap.

[ZOA NOM]

I'm confused, obviously. The video shows a lap of the 'Ring that finishes in 8:22 - ish. Was that not the record that was quoted?

[Glasgow 911SC]

Every time I see that video it seems more and more speeded up footage. The hand movements, the amount he has to turn the wheel to make a corner despite his apparent speed etc just seems unatural.

[Wil Ferch]

Maybe we started a debate that was never intended to be debated....

Both sides of this issue make convincing arguments......

If you know the RUF company...and if you know ( or have seen) Sideways Stephan... you'll know he is a first class show-boater. If anyone has the Faszination video...you'll see lurid slides that take your breath away. You will also see obvious "inputs" to the steering wheel that are not totally necessary...to help "set" the car in the corner with the tail hung out. You'll also see high-gear wheel-spin..all the more to show the Yellowbird at its insane HP best....

On the other hand...I also said that *if* these were the tactics used for the record run...then he could have done a better lap. In a careful review of the original film footage that is being linked-to within this post....I am thinking that the on-board may "not" be that of the Faszination video where he is hamming it up. Of course, this is hard to determine since you will naturally see some wheel-sawing when you approach the limits, even if driving smoothly. Someone here mentioned this, too.

I suggest we use the Hans Stuck BMW GT-R video footage on the 'Ring.... for examples of how a fast lap is put together, without showboating. There is "still" a difference between the Stuck video and what may ( indeed) be the Roser/ Yellowbird earlier record attempt.

- Wil

[ChrisBennet]

I have the video and it is definately edited. There are shots of the footwell, underneath the car, tires, views from trackside and views from a helicopter. It's a fun to watch advertisement, not a record run.

I used to have a magazine with an article (w/ride along with Stephan at the Ring) on one of Rufs 964 based cars. When the author's editor mentioned that going sideways like that wasn't the fastest way around the track "Stephan smiled as if to say 'When you're making love, you're not always trying to make babies'. I thought that was a great quote.

-Chris

[masraum]

I didn't look at the video initially because I figured it was just one of the same ole' videos that make the rounds. In that lap it didn't look like he performed that many crazy slids. From what I understand the 'Ring is a very, very rough road. The yellowbird used stock carrera torsion bars. The only difference were the size of the wheels/tires, the sways were thicker, and it used specially valved Bilsteins. Using the basically stock carrera suspension on a road as rough as the ring with an engine as powerful as the yellowbird you're probably going to get a lot of oversteer due to the power and the chassis being upset by the bumps.

I could see this being a record setting lap for a street car. I heard several points where it sounded like he got airborne.

[David]

The video is really cool and I didn't think the slides were show boating, it just looked like a fast run on street tires. Toward the end it looked like he slowed down a bit, that part makes me think it wasn't the run as Chris has confirmed.