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You'll need a Kevin Estre and a track-prepped 911 GT3 RS, for starters.

You see the results of many Nürburgring Nordschleife lap-time attempts, but the process that goes into them can be a bit opaque. Porsche racing subsidiary Manthey Racing reserved a couple hours of closed track time and tapped racer Kevin Estre to set a benchmark time with a 911 GT3 RS MR. Estre managed a 6:49.55 running the shorter "Sport Auto" circuit configuration, and Nürburgring YouTuber Misha Charoudin captured all the behind-the-scenes action.The process of setting a 'Ring lap is more complicated than you might expect. Manthey Racing only had the track for two hours, and that didn't leave a lot of time to experiment with setup, tire pressures, aero balance, etc. To help speed the process up, the firm used tire-warming tents, so Estre can go out onto the track and right into a hot lap. Thankfully, Estre only needed two laps to get his time down. Manthey is based at the 'Ring and develops its cars with Porsche factory drivers, so the baseline setup was good for Estre. His first lap was compromised by putting wheels off in the grass at the exit of the Flugplatz (yikes), but he still managed to lay down a 6:50.192. The next lap, was a 6:49.55. Not bad at all for a naturally aspirated street car.

Estre's times and the car itself were verified by an independent notary sent by the Nürburgring as part of the track's new lap-timing procedure. Germany's Sport Auto magazine, long an arbiter of 'Ring lap times, measured a lap from distinct start and finish lines 0.12 miles apart. The 'Ring itself uses a single start-finish line, so the official time set by Estre and Manthey Racing was a 6:54.34, but we've chosen to focus on the 6:49.55 Sport Auto time, as that makes this easier to compare with time set before the track instituted this new standard. Porsche and Manthey helpfully provide both times here, as well as the "Bridge-to-Gantry" time used by those running laps on the track during public tourist sessions.Estre set a 6:56.4 Sport Auto Nürburgring lap with the standard 991.2 GT3 RS back in 2018, which proves that Manthey's upgrades are transformational. The firm's full €54,911 upgrade kit includes lots of downforce-generating addenda including a new rear wing with massive endplates and dive planes at the front, BBS magnesium wheels, plus a fully adjustable coil-over suspension system similar to that used in the 911 GT3 R race car. Essentially, Manthey Racing makes the GT3 RS even more track-focused and the results speak for themselves. Estre deserves a ton of credit for reasons that should be painfully obvious if you've watched the onboard video. The dude puts it all on the line.