A German driver has set a blistering new lap record for the Nurburgring Nordschliefe in a variable cab tractor. Without the use of racing slicks, Christian Menzel was able to slash the previous record – held by a Porsche – by more than half.
That's a vintage Porsche tractor, of course, and the old record was set in 2014, according to The Drive, at one hour, five minutes and 36 seconds, propelled by a mighty 14 horsepower motor. Menzel was having none of that rubbish; his weapon of choice was the variable-cab Claas Xerion 5000 Trac, which rocks a 493-horsepower, 2600 Nm (1,918 lb-ft), 12.8-liter, six-cylinder motor.
Mind you, it also weighs somewhere around 17,000 kg (37,500 lb), and it's geared for a top speed of 31 mph (50 km/h), so the supercars of the world needn't be too worried. Menzel put in a scorcher of a lap at 24 minutes, 50.57 seconds, taking more than three times as long as a modern supercar. It should be noted that the Xerion 5000 Trac is actually a concept tractor, so clearly there's an opportunity for somebody to lay down a flyer in a production tractor as well.
The entire stunt was arranged by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, who put together a video of the entire lap. In this video, Menzel praises the tractor's direct and precise steering, waves to fans trackside, muses about the slight rain and looks like he's going to vomit as the tractor lurches through the Karussell at about 21:15. Enjoy!
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
