A record that stood for 35 years, a legendary driver and car combination on the ultimate test for both, it seemed the Stefan Bellof's incredible lap of the Nürburgring would stand the test of time. Then Porsche decided to fiddle with their 919 Hybrid LMP1 and head off to break some outright lap records.
Only a few weeks ago Neel Jani smashed the outright lap record at Spa in the astonishing machine, and this time it was former team-mate Timo Bernhard's go at resetting a marker. And reset it he did, taking the 6-minute 11.13-second time that Bellof set in his iconic Porsche 956C and utterly destroying it to the tune of almost 52 seconds after banking a 5-minute 19.55-second stormer.
The 37-year-old is a two-time Le Mans 24 Hour winner and the current World Endurance Champion, but can now add the crown of "king of the ring" to his collection of titles.
You can read more about the incredible 919 Evo, a car Porsche developed to celebrate their latest winning streak at La Sarthe, with our rundown of things you need to know here, and you can watch it in action as it smashes the Spa record here.
Photography courtesy of Porsche
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