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Lamborghini Has Nurburgring Crown Now, But Technical Boss Expects to Lose It
Lamborghini’s technical boss says future Nurburgring records will be much harder because of the extra weight that hybridization brings.
For decades, Lamborghini was the supercar brand that never went racing. Not anymore. These days, the company's exploits on track win it more headlines than practically anything else, because of the automaker's successful pursuit of the production-car record at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife.
We'll understand if you struggle to keep up with the latest in Nürburgring records. In recent years, manufacturers have been trying to parse out ever thinner slices of glory by claiming sub-records like the fastest time for a front-driver or a station wagon. But the overall production-car record remains the gold standard. The Huracán Performante claimed the title in 2017 with a searing 6:52. That's five seconds quicker than the Porsche 918 Spyder's previous pile-topping time. Later in 2017, Porsche carved another five seconds off that with the 911 GT2 RS. Then in July 2018, the Aventador SVJ (pictured here) brought the honor back to Sant'Agata with a time of 6:44.97.
Begging the obvious question: How will Lamborghini better it? Fortunately, the Aventador SVJ media launch in Portugal gave us the chance to talk to chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani and to ask him that very question.
"We didn't build the SVJ to beat the record," he told C/D. "In our cycle plan, the car was already defined, but it was clear during the development, first on the simulator and then testing tires and suspension at the Nordschleife, that we could go faster, especially when we saw what the [Pirelli P Zero] Trofeo R tire could do.
"Every time you do something like this, it's a statement, and in our social world that is more important than any other communication."
But things are getting tougher. Lamborghini has no immediate plans—and no obvious product—for a further attempt anytime soon, and Reggiani admits that the increase in weight we can expect to see in next-generation hybrid supercars is going to make it harder to lower the bar further.
"Now I can be wrong," he said, "but my worry is that when we start to arrive at a hybrid vehicle, it will be tough to beat this time, because the weight that you have on board will be a penalty. It's clear I cannot say it will be impossible. When we first took the Aventador to the Nordschleife, we ran more or less at seven minutes and 45 seconds, so we have taken a minute out of that—and on a racetrack a minute is a lifetime . . . Someone will beat us, for sure; of this I am certain. Sooner or later."
When and if Lamborghini does try again, it will be with a very special car. Reggiani said only ultra-high-performance specials like the Huracan Performante and the Aventador SVJ will be able to shoot for the title. "We did not beat the 918's record with the Aventador SV, we made position number four or five, but we did not kill ourselves because we were not the fastest," he said. "But we would never do an attempt [for the fastest time] if we did not have a car. For example, I went so many times with the Urus to the Nordschleife for development, but we never declared anything. You can understand that it could easily be the best SUV around the Nordschleife, but it is not a car dedicated to that. I already know the time—it would not be a problem!"
But if Lamborghini creates a higher-performance version of its SUV, then a timed run may well follow. "If you had a special version of the Urus that was for racing or something, then that could make sense, but not for the standard car. That's what we did with the SV and the Performante and the SVJ, cars that are oriented toward the track."
A record-setting Urus Performante? Stranger things have happened.
Lamborghini’s technical boss says future Nurburgring records will be much harder because of the extra weight that hybridization brings.
For decades, Lamborghini was the supercar brand that never went racing. Not anymore. These days, the company's exploits on track win it more headlines than practically anything else, because of the automaker's successful pursuit of the production-car record at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife.
We'll understand if you struggle to keep up with the latest in Nürburgring records. In recent years, manufacturers have been trying to parse out ever thinner slices of glory by claiming sub-records like the fastest time for a front-driver or a station wagon. But the overall production-car record remains the gold standard. The Huracán Performante claimed the title in 2017 with a searing 6:52. That's five seconds quicker than the Porsche 918 Spyder's previous pile-topping time. Later in 2017, Porsche carved another five seconds off that with the 911 GT2 RS. Then in July 2018, the Aventador SVJ (pictured here) brought the honor back to Sant'Agata with a time of 6:44.97.
Begging the obvious question: How will Lamborghini better it? Fortunately, the Aventador SVJ media launch in Portugal gave us the chance to talk to chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani and to ask him that very question.
"We didn't build the SVJ to beat the record," he told C/D. "In our cycle plan, the car was already defined, but it was clear during the development, first on the simulator and then testing tires and suspension at the Nordschleife, that we could go faster, especially when we saw what the [Pirelli P Zero] Trofeo R tire could do.
"Every time you do something like this, it's a statement, and in our social world that is more important than any other communication."
But things are getting tougher. Lamborghini has no immediate plans—and no obvious product—for a further attempt anytime soon, and Reggiani admits that the increase in weight we can expect to see in next-generation hybrid supercars is going to make it harder to lower the bar further.
"Now I can be wrong," he said, "but my worry is that when we start to arrive at a hybrid vehicle, it will be tough to beat this time, because the weight that you have on board will be a penalty. It's clear I cannot say it will be impossible. When we first took the Aventador to the Nordschleife, we ran more or less at seven minutes and 45 seconds, so we have taken a minute out of that—and on a racetrack a minute is a lifetime . . . Someone will beat us, for sure; of this I am certain. Sooner or later."
When and if Lamborghini does try again, it will be with a very special car. Reggiani said only ultra-high-performance specials like the Huracan Performante and the Aventador SVJ will be able to shoot for the title. "We did not beat the 918's record with the Aventador SV, we made position number four or five, but we did not kill ourselves because we were not the fastest," he said. "But we would never do an attempt [for the fastest time] if we did not have a car. For example, I went so many times with the Urus to the Nordschleife for development, but we never declared anything. You can understand that it could easily be the best SUV around the Nordschleife, but it is not a car dedicated to that. I already know the time—it would not be a problem!"
But if Lamborghini creates a higher-performance version of its SUV, then a timed run may well follow. "If you had a special version of the Urus that was for racing or something, then that could make sense, but not for the standard car. That's what we did with the SV and the Performante and the SVJ, cars that are oriented toward the track."
A record-setting Urus Performante? Stranger things have happened.
