Virtual Record Attempt: Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo Tops Out at 232 MPH at the Nurburgring

Naturally, the only way you can practice your skills while all the race tracks in your area are closed is to open up Assetto Corsa and start from there. The least you can do is improve your track knowledge, as basic as it may be learning it from a video game.

Last month we tested quite a few Corvettes, and you might have seen that the Coyote Prototype was the fastest one around the Green Hell. The purpose-built race car was scary fast around some corners, but there was one thing missing at the end of the day.

And that was more power! Going fast around a corner is crucial for setting a fast lap, but you also need top speed to attack the long straights at the German race track. It's amazing to think that Stefan Bellof set a fast lap of just over six minutes and 11 seconds almost 40 years ago while driving a Porsche 956 race car.

For many years, it felt like no one could ever challenge that lap time again. A modern F1 car might have what it takes to go much faster than that, but it's not quite suited for the bumpy, curvy, and dangerous layout at the Nürburgring.

The Mercedes-AMG ONE currently holds the lap record for production vehicles, with a fast lap of 6:35. But we all know who is the undisputed king of the Nürburgring. Back in 2018, Porsche pulled off a stunt that sent shockwaves through the automotive industry.

They had hired Timo Bernhard to take the 919 Hybrid Evo for a seriously fast lap of the Green Hell, and that man drove like he had superpowers. He went from start to finish, a total of 12.944 miles (20.832 km), in just five minutes and 19 seconds. Going flat out through most corners, the car achieved speeds of up to 229 mph (369 kph).

Watching the onboard video feels surreal, to say the least, and anyone who has ever driven at the Nürburgring will tell you what an amazing accomplishment that was. Now, few people will ever get to drive Porsche's LMP1 car in real life, but anyone can do it via a computer or gaming console.

The Porsche 919 Hybrid 2016 is included in AC's Porsche Pack III that's available on Steam, but if you're dead serious about going after Bernhard's record, you'll need to dig deeper. Of course, the modding community was happy to deliver, and you can download the 919 Hybrid Evo and get straight to it.

As the name suggests, the Evo is an unrestricted, all-out version of the "standard" 919 Hybrid. It has more power, more downforce, more aerodynamic efficiency, and less weight than its lesser sibling. We've driven this car for almost 808 miles (1,300 km) to get the fast lap you'll see below. In terms of speed, you can only compare it to an F1 car.

And don't even think you can handle it at full speed if you don't know the layout by heart. Even if you're just playing a video game, your brain will tell you to apply the brakes in certain corners, like Flugplatz, for instance. But you should ignore that first instinct and give it all she's got, at least as long as you're familiar with the racing line.

Also, you need to warm up before going out for a fast lap. Your brain won't be able to process the speed the first time around, so try to increase speed progressively rather than suddenly. You might get in the zone after half an hour, or it might take more. Just remember, there's plenty of downforce at high speeds, but you should be slightly more careful with your throttle inputs up to 62 mph (100 kph) or so.

We managed to put in a fast lap of 5 minutes and 42 seconds, but we realized something was amiss. The car would top out at around 194 mph (313 kph), which is 34.8 mph (56 kph) less than what Bernhard had achieved. After fiddling around with the Evo's setup, the Content Manager revealed that the potential top speed was now up to 232 mph (374 kph).

It took some more time to realize that we needed to utilize the full potential of the electric motors, and it turned out that we hadn't assigned a keyboard button for that function. Once that was taken care of, it felt even more insane to drive. Unleashing everything the 919 Evo has to offer changed the situation dramatically.

Suddenly, we needed to adjust our braking points, as you need to get on them earlier when your top speed has increased by almost 37.28 mph (60 kph). You'll also have to deal with the high-speed blur, which means you'll need to be 100% focused to avoid crashing.

We were eager to at least match Porsche's real-life performance, but you can have a look for yourself and see how we did. Meanwhile, a well-known sim racer and YouTuber did a much better job at it, and you can see his lap in the second video as well.