Watch the new Porsche 911 GT3 Blitz The Nurburgring Nordschleife

The Nurburgring Nordschleife can mean very different things than in the automotive industry. While many automakers use the infamous tarmac tape for validation testing, others see it as a battleground for lap records. As such, Porsche recently released a video on board its latest 911 GT3 pulling around the green hell.

Porsche test driver Lars Kern is sitting behind the wheel, and that’s a good thing. If you didn’t think he already had every oil tanker’s dream job, think again, because he also drives a Porsche 911 GT3R in the IMSA American endurance racing series with Pfaff Motorsports.

Semantics aside, we knew the latest GT3 would be fast, but we didn’t expect this level of performance. For the uninitiated, he completed a lap in just under seven minutes – 6: 59.927 to be exact. It may sound like a jumble of numbers, but to offer perspective 12 seconds faster than the previous generation GT3 and 6 seconds faster than the RS model.

In terms of the lap, Lars is unsurprisingly brilliant behind the wheel. We often talk about how much time is left on the table with benchmark laps like these, but it’s clear that Mr. Kern knows nothing different than to drive hard everywhere; its engagement through high speed sections like Aerodrome and Döttinger Höhe show that racing drivers really are of a different race.

Of course, the GT3 isn’t quite as fast as its GT2 RS sibling, but that’s not the point of this car. Instead of full power, the mid-size machine has always been about delivering a sparkling driving experience, and the latest example is clearly no exception.