Audi RS 3 triumphant at Nurburgring

Audi has claimed a new lap record on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with a pre-production model of the RS 3. Audi Sport racing and developm...

Audi has claimed a new lap record on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with a pre-production model of the RS 3.

Audi Sport racing and development driver, Frank Stippler, clocked an impressive time of 7:33.123 minutes, beating the current fastest lap time for compact cars by more than five seconds.

The previous record, 7:38.706, was posted by Jörg Weidinger behind the wheel of a BMW M2 in August, 2023.

Audi says the record was made possible by the optimised cornering behaviour, enabling the new RS 3 to deploy its agility even earlier and in a more controlled manner.

Truth be told the pre-prodction model was fitted with adaptive damping, ceramic brakes and Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber, which are essentially street-legal racing slicks.

Commenting on his success, Stippler, a three-time winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, said the new RS 3 turns in more willingly at corner entry thanks to fine-tuning, including brake torque vectoring – which allows the vehicle to be positioned earlier and better for corner exit from the apex, at the latest.

"The result is a lower steering angle from apex to corner exit, which leads to less friction and earlier acceleration, allowing you to carry more momentum and speed onto each subsequent straight," he said.

The basis for the vehicle’s exceptional driving dynamics is the interplay between the torque splitter with its fully variable torque distribution between the rear wheels, the electronic stabilisation control, the wheel-selective torque control (brake torque vectoring), and the RS sports suspension’s optional adaptive dampers.

The modular vehicle dynamics controller now connects the data from all components relevant to lateral dynamics with even greater sensitivity thanks to an enhanced algorithm.

Power is still provided by the same five-cylinder engine with 294kW of power and 500Nm of torque.

In combination with the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tires, the 19-inch ceramic brake system, the RS sports suspension with adaptive damper control, and the optimised chassis setup, the 2.5 TFSI now allows the RS 3 to corner even more quickly.

All underscored by its distinctive deep-throated roar, thanks to its signature 1-2-4-5-3 firing sequence.

The upgraded production model of the RS 3 will be available to order from the end of August.

 

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