Sabine Schmitz, a renowned German racing driver, has scored a new world record on the infamously dangerous and challenging North Loop circuit in Nürburgring. She piloted a new SUV named Skoda Kodiaq RS, which hasn’t been revealed officially yet.
The racetrack is just under 21 kilometer (13 mi) long. Sabine has covered the entire distance in 9 minutes 29.84 seconds – a new high in the seven-seat SUV category.
She shared her feelings after the race, saying she liked to ride the Nürburgring on non-standard cars. She said that at first she thought a seven-seat SUV would be hard to steer because of a high center of gravity, but the Skoda Kodiaq RS dispelled her fears as soon as she crossed the start line.
She also commented that she has managed to set the record driving a regular production vehicle – no racing-grade brakes, no suspension optimizations or other modifications made altogether.
In turn, Skoda revealed some details about the upcoming vehicle. Apparently, the Kodiaq RS gets adaptive suspension, the Driving Mode Select feature, and an all-wheel drive. It packs a 2.0-liter TT diesel engine with 239 hp / 178 kW. The same engine accelerates the Volkswagen Tiguan 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.5 seconds.
The premiere will take place at the Paris International Motor Show in October.
Photo: motor1.com