A Citroën AX manages to lap the Nürburgring in under 10 minutes

When we talk about the Nürburgring circuit, it’s usually to show you lap records and dazzling prototypes and sports cars. But day after day, many vehicles run laps on the Green Hell with all kinds of vehicles: passenger cars, vans, motorcycles and family estates share the ring’s tarmac for a few moments with German and Italian sports cars.

Among them, one has stood out: a diesel Citroën AX. It hasn’t stood out precisely for being the fastest of them all, but for managing a lap of the Nürburgring in under 10 minutes. This city car, driven by a Frenchman who drove it from Bordeaux to the German circuit, has only 52 CV and no kind of tuning whatsoever. Its weight has been reduced as much as possible, but nothing beyond that.

Now, consider that the absolute track record is 6:48, set by a Radical SR8, and compare it with the 9:55 achieved by the AX. Just over three minutes of difference between a car built specifically for competition and this AX, which is not bad at all.

How do you drive a car with so little power to set a record? According to the driver, you don’t brake in the corners(sic); instead, you keep the momentum through every corner and keep your foot buried in the accelerator on the straights. His command of the car and his knowledge of the track are enviable, having already completed a total of 118 laps of the ring. I don’t know what you think, but I wouldn’t dare to take the corners this fast in this car.

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