The lord of ‘The Ring', Frank Stippler, has been at it again, blasting around the track that has long been his ‘office’ and setting yet another record for Audi – this time in the new RS 3 Sedan. Stippler’s touch around the 20.8-kilometre Nürburgring Nordschleife is legendary, having worked with Audi Sport on the development of countless performance models, using the track that has earned the nickname, ‘The Green Hell’ as the ultimate research and development track.

An Audi works driver since 2004, in addition to the countless development laps he has conducted at the track, Stippler has enjoyed an illustrious racing career to date that also includes winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours with Audi Sport on three occasions.

Stippler is no stranger to setting records around the Green Hell and in all manner of Audi models, having previously set the benchmark for the RS Q8 when it first debuted in the large, performance-SUV class in 2019 and the previous Audi RS 3 model in 2020. But this latest pre-production RS 3 Sedan has taken a cool seven seconds off the previous RS 3 time and five seconds off the current compact car record with a lap time of 7:33.123 minutes.

The resultant record comes down to superior grip through the corners which allows earlier acceleration according to the German race driver.

“The new RS 3 turns in more willingly at corner entry thanks to fine-tuning – including brake torque vectoring – which allows the vehicle to be positioned earlier and better for corner exit from the apex, at the latest,” he said.

“The result is a lower steering angle from apex to corner exit, which leads to less friction and earlier acceleration, allowing you to carry more momentum and speed onto each subsequent straight.”

Once again powered by the brand’s hugely successful 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine, the RS 3 produces 298kW and 500Nm of torque for extraordinary acceleration, while the combination of the torque splitter with its fully variable torque distribution between the rear wheels, the electronic stabilisation control and the wheel-selective torque control (brake torque vectoring) make for outstanding driving dynamics and handling.

Added to this, the RS sports suspension with adaptive damper control and optimised chassis setup, as well as the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick rubber and 19-inch ceramic brakes allow the RS 3 Sedan to make easy work of the demanding track.

The new RS 3 Sedan and Sportback models will be available in Europe towards the end of this year. An Australian release date is yet to be set, with local specification and pricing announced closer to its Australian release.