With a new absolute best time of 5.19.55 minutes on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, set by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, Schaeffler and Porsche are jointly demonstrating how powerful hybrid concepts are in motorsport.

"That it could work, I suspected. The fact that the new best time is almost a minute faster is just unbelievable, "says Prof. Peter Gutzmer, Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler. "Not least this milestone shows us how powerful and at the same time efficient hybrid-powered racing cars are. As a partner of this project we are very proud. Of course, this result shows how the technology has developed since the record round of Stefan Bellof. We are convinced that the combination of combustion engine and electric motor will combine efficiency and driving pleasure in the series in the near future - and that with Schaeffler products. "

The new record-breaking vehicle, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, is a modified version of the 919 Hybrid. Together with Schaeffler and Porsche, they will jointly race the Le Mans 24-hour race in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively Manufacturers titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) won. The prototype draws the power from a hybrid drive, consisting of a gasoline engine in combination with two different energy recovery systems. At the wheel sat twice Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard.

The record run on the Nordschleife was a stop on the Tribute Tour in honor of the 919 Hybrid around the globe. In its first appearance, the sports car had set a new best time already on the track of Spa-Francorchamps and had turned in the run-up to the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring demo laps in parallel flight with the Porsche 956 C. As a project partner, Schaeffler is contributing its expertise in mobility for tomorrow. The technology company develops solutions for environmentally friendly, optimized internal combustion engine powertrains as well as for hybrid and all-electric vehicles.