The BMW M4 CSL broke the previous Nurburgring record. The Garching-based company wanted to improve on the BMW and mid-range road record for the fastest production car, which he held for over a year. Test driver Jörg Weidinger returned to the Greenhell circuit and improved his lap time by more than two seconds to a time of 7:18.137.
This increased the gap to its closest rival, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, by more than five seconds. The BMW M3 CS (G80) put him more than 10 seconds behind him in 7:28.760, and his M3 Touring (G81) in the station wagon put him nearly 17 seconds slower than the coupe. A record-breaking lap video with commentary by Jörg Weidinger provides insight for Nordschleife enthusiasts.
This record is no surprise to us. Weidinger, who rode a shotgun at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year, said the weather conditions were far from ideal when he raced the M4 CSL at the Nürburgring. At the time, he said it would be easy to shave off a few seconds if the “All-Stars” were lined up.
However, for those unfamiliar with Nürburgring lingo, it’s important to understand the context behind the lap times. His aforementioned time of 7 minutes 18.137 seconds corresponds to his one lap of the circuit of 20.832 kilometers. In contrast, the lap times often discussed in automotive magazines are based on a slightly shorter route of 20.600 kilometers, excluding the straight section of the start and finish area.
This result beats the official record of the M4 CSL by more than 3.5 seconds and underscores the car’s prodigious prowess on this iconic track. On the same day, Weidinger also lapped the Green Hell in his M2 G87, setting a new compact car record with a time of 7:38.70.