Very Skilfull Lunatic

[Guest]

I might be telling you guys about something your all familiar with. However, have you been on website www.944s.com?? There's some Porsche movies on there. The one I'm really on about is the Ruf 911 lapping the N/Ring in Germany. Wow, can that guy drive. Lap 1 is mainly in car footage where as Lap 2 has more track side shots. I reckon he probaley just about managed to finish before his tyres died! Don't know who he is but he sure can handle a 911!!

 

[plhorner]

Anthony,
It sound very much like the Ruf 'Yellow Bird', a very famous factory Ruf CTR which is normally driven / piloted by Steffan Rossa. Normally spends most of its time sideways, not the fastest way round the ring but it sure makes for spectular viewing!!

 

[Guest]

Almost certainly it is the Ruf Fascination video. Should be for sale on the Ruf website or by a phone call to Ruf. My wife bought it for me a few years ago - shes a keeper (the wife that is).

Stefan (known as sideways Stefan) was the Ruf test/development driver. He is genius at the drift. Watch the video carefully and check out what gear he is in at various stages. I think the Ruf CTR is a 5 speed with 1st on the dogleg, so when you think he is in 3rd, no sir, he is in 4th. Remember the car does 211mph and watch it drift in 4th/5th then work out that hes pulling 150+mph powerslides. Un be-frickin-lievable. Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end whenever I watch it.

RB

 

[Elliot Davies]

Here is another link

http://www.green-flag.com/pages/Nurburgring.php

 

[Jamie Summers]

That really is true nutter driving. Stefan I salute you !

 

[Guest]

It just struck me that while "skillful lunatic" was a tongue in cheek phrase, that the lunatic part is probably quite wrong. He is probably a nice solid Germanic type of guy (who just happens to wear white sox with his loafers - but we won't hold that against him) and I would be willing to bet that Stefan has probably been doing this stuff for many years (maybe decades) and that the risks he takes are very calculated and (in his mind) not so large at all. Judged in his own paradigm, does that make him a lunatic? Probably not.

Incredibly skilled? Yes indeed. I have a friend with a 930 race car - 450hp with the boost down and 650hp with the boost turned up. He took me for a ride one day with the car on its normal street tyres - Hoosier "slicks" on normal 16 inch Fuchs. Now this guy has been a very successful Porsche racer for 3 decades so he knows how to drive, but his demonstration was impressive. Big powerslides in 2nd/3rd anywhere from 60mph to 120mph and big black lines layed down on the track on every corner exit. The point being, I didn't feel unduly concerned sitting in the passenger seat. Does that make me a lunatic?

Too existential?

RB

 

[Jamie Summers]

ORIGINAL: Richard Bernau

He is probably a nice solid Germanic type of guy (who just happens to wear white sox with his loafers - but we won't hold that against him)

I was looking for the mullet too, I'm sure it was there but just out of shot. It appeared that the 'acid wash' jean were present and correct []
In all seriousness Richard I think you're dead right. Lunacy is all relative to skill / conditions / risk being taken. I should think that kind of thing is the proverbial equivalent of drinking a cup of tea to the likes of Stefan. If any of us were to try to replicate it that would be lunacy ! I'm sure sitting in as a passenger would have been a huge rush but may not have felt that dangerous. It's the ability of a really good driver to drive extremely quickly without anyone noticing it. However, in this case I think you would have noticed it !!!

Jamie