Have you ever been to an open buffet restaurant? So, most likely they have already come across that type of customer who enters the restaurant with one purpose: to give expense.
It was in this type of people that Misha Charoudin, from Apex Nürburg — a company dedicated to the rental of sports vehicles, mainly to take a spin on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit — must have thought when Robert Kubica, former driver of Formula 1, to rent one of their BMW M4s.
Of course, you don't say 'no' to one of the best drivers today — Robert Kubica is a natural talent, whether driving single-seaters or rally cars. But one thing is certain: whatever the car is, it will be “squeezed”.
Well said, very right. This was one of Kubica's (many) rounds of the Nürburgring:
50 laps later. What condition was the BMW M4 in?
Going 20 km on a road is not the same thing as going 20 km on a circuit like the Nürburgring (one lap distance) in «full attack» mode — it is no coincidence that the German circuit is known as the «Green Inferno».
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If that driver is an ex-Formula 1 driver, then double the service sheet. All components will suffer… a lot. Strong accelerations, braking at the limit, correctors, bumps and everything that appears ahead will be surpassed without appeal or harm.
Swipe the gallery to see the changes made to this BMW M4. The engine is still in stock:
Semi-slick tires and alloy wheels.
At the end of the BMW M4 lease to Robert Kubica, Apex Nürburg managers accounted for the wear and tear caused by the former Formula 1 driver. Just like a man with a voracious appetite at an open buffet, Robert Kubica also paid the house over.
The amount paid by the pilot was barely enough to cover the expenses with the reconditioning of the M4.
Let's go to the accounts? As explained in this video, 50 laps with Robert Kubica at the wheel is equivalent to 300 laps for a normal driver . Robert Kubica achieved the feat of wearing four wheel bearings in 50 laps. Think it was stepping on brokers?
The tires suffered the same wear. According to Apex Nürburg, Nankang AR-1s typically last 50 to 60 laps. With Kubica, after 20 laps, they were on the canvas.
With this wear, you would expect the brake pads to have suffered a similar fate, but no. The Polish pilot spent "only" half a set of front/rear pads. As he always drove with all the aids turned off (stability and traction control), there was no intervention from the brakes, especially the rear ones, as happens when the ESP or TC is on.
And the engine, did it hold?
The Apex Nürburg BMW M4 has already covered more than 80,000 km, all completed on the Nürburgring. In addition to gasoline, oil and filters, it only claimed the life of a turbo. Moreover, both the engine and the gearbox (DCT) do not show any signs of wear.
But yes, no, after the masochism session the BMW M4 was subjected to, Misha Charoudin, from Apex Nürburg, decided to change the filter and engine oil. Right decision, don't you think?