Taking on challenges at the Nurburgring with Castrol EDGE

Last year, Khairul Izwan was among very few lucky motoring enthusiasts who got the chance to experience the Nurburgring, or also known as the “Green Hell” with a BMW M3 which pumps out 414 hp and 400 Nm of torque from its 4.0 litre V8 power house. “Awesome” was an understatement when Khairul shared his driving experience.

This year, Castrol Malaysia is bringing back the Castrol EDGE Experience Nurburgring: The Sequel, in which one “strong” Malaysian will be flown to the legendary track in an all-expense-paid driving experience of a lifetime. Before that happens, let’s take a moment and talk about the challenges of driving a powerful piece of machine such as the BMW M3 at one of the world’s most demanding tracks.

The 22.8 kilometer-long Nurburgring is widely considered as the most challenging track in the world with up to 160 corners. The track is used for both motorsport and for vehicle testing by many vehicle manufacturers. These car manufacturers rely on the track’s various characteristics which include high speed straights and turns, slow to medium speed corners and undulations to test the driveability of their cars.

Due to the high G-forces and the extreme pressures exerted to various parts of the car such as the suspension, the transmission and most critically the engine, driving at the Nurburgring takes a huge toll on the car and on the driver as well. Compared to other tracks, the Nurburgring has more and longer straights for one to negotiate. At such straight sections of the track, the car will be spending a lot of time at its top speed, with the driver’s foot on the accelerator pedal as though his or her life is dependent on it

This means that during this time, the engine, which in this case is a 4.0 liter V8 will be working at its rev limits for a longer time. Imagine driving an M3 at up to 8,000 revs for approximately 30 seconds? You can hear the beautiful engine note as the engine is working very hard to deliver all of its horsepower to the rear wheels! (minus the transmission loss of course).

In such gruelling conditions, the choice of engine oil is crucial, whereby the oil acts as a lubricant for the moving parts of the engine. At such extreme engine speeds, the engine is running at high temperature and the oil has to continuously adapt and respond to the engine’s needs.

The BMW M3 which was used at the Nurburgring last year had Castrol EDGE in its engine, allowing the engine to consistently maintain its reliability and maximise performance. Certain parts of the engine such as the cam and its followers can receive pressure of up to 10,000 kilograms per square cm and that is equivalent to the pressure of being approximately 100,000 meters below sea level!

Now the new Castrol EDGE is engineered with Titanium Fluid Strength Technology™ which continuously responds and adapts to the engine’s different need under various extreme driving conditions, including pushing the BMW M3 in and out of every corner of the Nurburgring. This new technology minimizes metal to metal contact and maximizes engine performance at the same time.

No doubt Castrol EDGE’s unique adaptive strength is designed to perform under the most extreme pressure giving drivers the confidence and freedom to push the engine closer to its limits. Now you have the chance to experience the performance of both the Castrol EDGE and the BMW M3 at the best place in the world that you can possibly do it, the “Green Hell”! To put yourself in the running to win this ultimate driving experience and other cool prizes, click here now.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Thu, 09 Feb 12 02:10:06 +0000.

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