On track for the best job in the world

For many car enthusiasts, driving a lap or two around the world’s most daunting race circuit, the 20.8 kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife, is an absolute bucket-list item.

Lars Kern is paid to do it. He has completed thousands of laps of the “Green Hell” in prototypes and road cars, and has set various records all while collecting superannuation and holiday pay.

How did that happen? In 2012, as a talented amateur racer and an equally promising engineering student, the young German was taken on by Porsche. The agreement was he’d do some test driving and complete his studies at night.

Now 31, he is the chief tester for the German company’s road cars during the week, and races on weekends. His records include lapping the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in a Porsche GT2 RS in 2017 in 6 mins 47.25 seconds, the fastest time in a street-legal production car to that date.

When asked how many Nürburgring laps he has completed, he smiles and shrugs. “I’ve never started counting, but I spend 10 to 15 full weeks on the Ring [a year], plus race weekends.”

I went on track and started driving and thought: ‘How is this possible?’

— Lars Kern

The track has 33 left-hand corners, 40 right-handers, bumps, humps, cambers and constant changes of elevation. He agrees it took some work – and bravery – at first. “Then it became natural. It is nothing I have to think about any more. I just go there and do it.”

Kern was asked to set a time with the Taycan sedan. He says he was not a fan of electrification and told his boss so. His main objection was the weight: the Taycan is 2300 kilograms, almost 50 per cent more than a 911.

“I drove a few kays from our workshop to the track. Looking around, I wasn’t impressed by the fancy touchscreens – I prefer buttons. I went on track and started driving and thought: ‘How is this possible?’ Every direction change I made was like … it just went quicker than any other Porsche.

“It comes down to the centre of gravity, which sits below the centre of the wheels. It doesn’t roll, it doesn’t pitch. You don’t have to wait for the car, you can just corner it.

“I came back and they said ‘how is it?’ and I said ‘not too bad’. I was hiding a little bit.”

Kern duly set the Nürburgring electric car lap record (7.42 seconds), though in the Turbo rather than the flagship Turbo S. That leaves some room to move when Telsa or anyone else has an official crack. So what skills does he bring the job? “I’m a pretty good sensor of what cars do,” Kern says with a smile. “And how to set up a car to be quick.”