New Audi RS 3 snatches Nurburgring record

The new Audi RS 3 is officially the fastest compact production car around Germany’s famed Nurburgring Nordschleife, conquering the 20.8km ‘Green Hell’ public road circuit in a new record time of 7:40.748 seconds.

Due to land Down Under later this year, the next-generation all-wheel drive Audi RS 3 beat the front-wheel drive Renault Megane RS Trophy-R’s previous small-car record at the Nurburgring (7:45.39) by an impressive 4.64 seconds.

The man behind the wheel of the RS 3 sedan for the record-breaking lap, Audi factory GT3 racer Frank Stippler, said it was all thanks to the new model’s clever rear differential tech.

“For me, the torque splitter is a quantum leap in terms of agile handling,” said Stippler.

“In general, the new RS 3 is much more agile when driving from the middle of the curve to its end and when accelerating out of the curve.”

The new RS 3 is the first Audi model to employ the German car-maker’s new RS Torque Splitter rear diff, which is theoretically capable of sending 100 per cent of torque to either rear wheel.

In its new ‘RS Performance’ driving mode, the RS 3’s rear diff is claimed to ensure “the most neutral handling possible with little oversteering or understeering in different driving situations.

“This makes early acceleration possible upon exiting a curve,” says Audi.

Thanks in part to its uprated 294kW/500Nm 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, the new Audi RS 3 is also quicker than the model it replaces in a straight line, with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.8 seconds – making it three tenths quicker than before and 0.1sec quicker than its arch-rival, the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S.

But Audi admits that another huge factor in the 2022 RS 3’s new lap record – along with its upgraded RS sport suspension plus system with adaptive dampers – is its optional race-ready rubber.

The Nordschleife-killing RS 3 was fitted with super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slicks, which are now offered as an option for the first time, and tyre pressures were said to be the only adjustment made before hitting the ‘Ring.

“We don’t have unlimited opportunities to try for a record like this,” said Stippler.

“That’s why a little is always necessary on the day when it matters – particularly with respect to the tyre pressure, because that also affects how the torque splitter functions.”

Indeed, the new Audi RS 3’s technical project leader Marvin Schwatter said his team worked hard to nab the record.

“When we started development, we didn’t know just how quickly our compact sports car would really be on the Nordschleife,” he admitted.

“But over the course of endurance testing, we determined that we could reach very good times and set a new record.”