What's the news?
While lap times on the Nürburgring may appear to be the Holy Grail for manufacturers, there are other circuits in Germany where the competition is just as fierce. German magazine 'sport auto' has been compiling lap times at the Hockenheimring short circuit for quite a while now, with almost 700 machines tested to date. The bonkers Lotus 3-Eleven has just gone top of the list, beating hypercars such as Porsche's 918 Spyder and track-focused specials like the Radical SR3 SL. The time of 1:06.2 was set by the magazine's road test editor Christian Gebhardt (no mean racer himself), on a dry track with an ambient temperature of only eight degrees Celsius. Michelin's sticky Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres may have helped, along with the 3-Eleven's 456hp and sub-900kg weight. The video of the lap suggests that a sequential gearbox and increased aerodynamic aids were installed, hence we can deduce it was the ''Race'' instead of manual-equipped ''Street'' version of the car that was used for the record-breaking run.
Anything else?
Lotus is extremely proud of the 3-Eleven's pace and abilities, and while the supposed seven-minute lap on the Nordschleife a few months back was composed of a pick 'n' mix of best sector times over a two-week testing period, this new record run demonstrates beyond doubt that this is one seriously quick machine. Its usability on the road may be somewhat compromised, but for drivers whose priority is annihilating everything this side of a single-seater racer on track, there isn't much else that can compare. Apart from that Radical perhaps...
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