Speed Freaks, the speed limit is off again

[theking]

Nürburgring Speed Limit Lifted—Will the Dodge Viper Reclaim its Throne?




It was March 2015 when a Nissan GTR left the track at Nürburgring and ended up killing a spectator. Officials took quick action and imposed a speed limit of 124 mph on that section of track and 155 mph on two other sections. They also modified the track where the accident occurred to prevent cars from going airborne. This ended the race to set Nürburgring track records, at least temporarily.

After much push back, officials have lifted those speed limits, giving cars like the Dodge Viper ACR a chance at setting new records.

Not every company took their cars to Nürburgring, but the previous-generations of the Chevy Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper ACR have both taken their turns in the past. They’re the two fastest American production cars to tackle the track. Lifting the speed limits at Nürburgring means we’ll likely see the newest versions of these cars back on the track, maybe even joined by the Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang or GT supercar.

The real interesting matchup will be between the new Corvette Z06 and Viper ACR. The outgoing ACR once held the lap record overall, and still holds the record for American cars. But in order for the new Viper ACR to win back its crown, it will have to shave 15 seconds off its previous time of 7:12.13—all while holding off the Z06 in the process.

That’s no easy feat, but with the Porsche 918′s blistering 6:57.00 lap time, it’s a feat that Dodge engineers will hopefully try to accomplish. The 645-horsepower Viper ACR is an impressive car, so we’ve got our fingers crossed.

[Sifu]

15 seconds on the Nord is an eternity.  Too bad Vipers aren't racing as much.  It sorta makes the ACR moot.