What is the official ring times for 997 GT3 vs TT?

[Kaiser Soze]

Anyone knows about the official times set by factory drivers? as my search has been fruitless. The best thing I came cross is a compilation list in the link below. Times set seem to be very close to each other. I was expecting the GT3 be much quicker than turbo though. Can it be that the GT3 would come to its right elements around a shorter track?

www.supercars.net/PitLane?viewThread=y&gID=3&fID=0&tID=10073


with GT3 setting the best time at 7:39
7.39* -- 161.575 km/h -- Porsche 997 GT3, 415 PS/1395 kg, *mfr. (quote sport auto 05/06)

And Turbo at 7:40
7:40 --- 161.217 km/h -- Porsche 997 Turbo, 480 PS/ ??? kg, Michelin Cup Sport tyres (Motortrend)

[adam b]

not having a go at you personally KS, but I do get bemused sometimes that people judge and compare cars based on times around a circuit in Germany

esp. when the car in question eg 997TT is not set up as a track weapon

[Cathar]

Despide all its turns, the Nordschleife is a high speed track where you can gain a lot through straightline speed, which is why the turbo is so fast there.

[Neilpeel59]

adam b said:

not having a go at you personally KS, but I do get bemused sometimes that people judge and compare cars based on times around a circuit in Germany

Not just any old circuit, we are talking the Nordschleife here. You've got to admit it is not a bad test of car and driver.

Edited by Neilpeel59 on Saturday 22 July 15:48

[flemke]

We all enjoy speculating, but it's wise not to get sucked in to this stuff and take it seriously.

- To my knowledge there are no such things as "official times" set by factory drivers.
- There are substantial variations amongst really good drivers at the 'ring, so you really need one driver who is both the quickest and is at the top of his game for all the laps in different cars. Obviously that's impossible.
- The weather (recent as well as current) will have a major effect. Even when the surface is completely dry, track temp and air temp can cause differences of many seconds for the same driver and car.
- Did the test team have the chance to fine-tune the car to the circuit on the day? Some have done, others have not.
- Tyres make a huge difference. Even if you assume that the factory isn't shaving the tyres for the car that it knows is about to be timed at the NS, the fact that the new GT3, for example, is being timed on Cups, whilst the Carrera GT and Zonda F, for example, were timed on Pilot Sports because Cups weren't made in the right size yet, will have a substantial impact.
- Some of the people that do the timing, such as Sport Auto set up their equipment at T13 such that they're actually omitting a hundred metres or so of track length.

Apples to oranges to pears...

[TIGA84]

Neilpeel59 said:

adam b said:

not having a go at you personally KS, but I do get bemused sometimes that people judge and compare cars based on times around a circuit in Germany

Not just any old circuit, we are talking the Nordschleife here. You've got to admit it is not a bad test of car and driver.

Edited by Neilpeel59 on Saturday 22 July 15:48

True, but I think that the arguement is that its so unique in its complexity there are too many factors to be able to make it a "real-world" type of comparison between cars. I think the chances of hitting the sweet spot to the kinds of comparisons being made twice in a row round there are slim, which is why its put down to conjecture a lot of the time.

A lap of the grand prix circuit would probably make a much much more accurate comparison to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each individual car.

Hey i think getting back to where you started from without hitting anything is an achievement!

[flemke]

TIGA84 said:

A lap of the grand prix circuit would probably make a much much more accurate comparison to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each individual car.

It's too smooth and homogeneous, with insufficient elevation changes and adverse cambers.
You'd be better off at Cadwell or Oulton.

[Davey S2]

According to the bloke in charge of the 997 TT project the 997 GT3 lapped the 'ring "at least 10 seconds quicker" than the TT

Edited by Davey S2 on Sunday 23 July 09:56

[Geneve]

...and I think the 997GT3 runs the 'soft' pasm setting at the 'ring, because it is basically a public road and a bit rough in places.