Subaru’s set a new Nürburgring lap record in July with an even wilder version of the upcoming limited edition WRX STI Type RA and now, you can watch the record breaking run for yourself.
Subaru tapped FIA World Endurance Driver Richie Stanaway to pilot the Type RA around the ‘Ring to set a new lap record for sedans. The car is quite a bit different from the Aston Martins he usually drives, but Stanaway got the job done and smashed the 7-minute mark with a time of 6:57.5 on his first dry lap. An earlier attempt in June was rained out but did produce some cool pictures and video. This time sets a high bar for others to beat, a full 35 seconds faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio that previously held the sedan lap record.
This car is vastly different than the Type RA that will appear in showrooms. It’s a modified version of the setup that set a new lap record at the Isle of Man last year with Prodrive’s 600-horsepower WRC engine that brings the familiar rally car burble back to the latest WRX. It also employs active aerodynamics, with a rear wing that raises and lowers on the fly to provide either less drag or up to 650 pounds of downforce as needed. This is no production car, but a car built with only one purpose in mind: To set a new Nürburgring record.
Not that I doubt Subaru’s word, but I’d still like to see the full run. Still, this shows what was involved in the attempt, as well as some great shots of the Type RA at speed. Seeing as how Subaru has released videos of full record-setting runs at the Isle of Man and Mount Washington, we’ll hopefully be able to see how Stanaway broke the seven-minute mark soon.