Sticking to the racing line at Germany's Nurburgring isn't easy in the best of circumstances. Clipping apexes like a boss definitely isn't easy, never mind doing it during an open track session. The driver in the video above makes it look all too easy.
For the record, the driver's name is Filip and he's lapping the track in a Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI. It's not a stock GTI, however – the brakes and suspension are upgraded, and a glimpse inside the cabin shows a full cage with no small amount of carbon fiber trim. The car is clearly set up for carving corners, and to help on straightaways, Filip says the GTI's turbocharged four-cylinder is tweaked to around 370 horsepower.
He tells this to Misha Charoudin, who is certainly no stranger to the Nurburgring. His YouTube channel is full of action around the Nordschleife, and Filip is a friend who also knows a thing or two about the track. Moreover, it seems Filip has learned a few things since their last meeting, as Charoudin is thoroughly impressed when the racing is done.
We don't have to wait until the lap is over to make that determination. An in-car camera captures Charoudin's reactions for the duration of the run, and while he looks a little bored at first, that quickly changes in the first hard braking zone for Hohenrain. The deceleration triggers a damper fault in the VeeDub's electronic brain, which engages stability control for the rest of the lap.
And it kicks in ... a lot. We also see the hot hatch reach speeds of 145 mph (234 kph), but this lap isn't about pure speed. Filip maintains a very consistent pace through the more demanding sections of the iconic track, especially on the back half between the Karussells. The result is a bridge-to-gantry time of just under eight minutes, and he let off the throttle some distance before the gantry. Also, not a single car passed him the entire lap.
That, friends, is how you tame the Green Hell.
