Kuba Giermaziak may not be a household name, but he is one of those celebrated drivers that those in the know can’t help but complement when his name comes up. As a multiple race winner and vice champion in Porsche Supercup, he’s quite comfortable with the idiosyncrasies of the 911 and knows how to get the utmost from it. In fact, he’s been able to lap the Nurburgring in his stock 991 GT3 RS in just 6:49. Here, he puts in a lap that’s slightly slower—but still a searing one which will cause any ‘Ring regular to seek out his information and request a little instruction. Even Misha Charoudin admits that this lap is a little crazier than than the one Kevin Estre lit up the internet with two years ago.
Even with all his racing accolades, Giermaziak retains a level of humility that’s given him the right foundation for learning such a complex circuit. Despite being a fully funded racing driver with access to very powerful cars, his first laps at the 12.9-mile Nordschleife were in a rented Renault Clio. That way, he could avoid getting in over his head—something even the most skilled among us are liable to do at the Nurburgring.
Part of Giermaziak’s brilliance is in his ability to safely navigate slower traffic.
Here, he’s running his own GT3 RS, which is mostly stock. Aside from Manthey Racing’s Pagid brake pads, which are much kinder to the steel rotors (preferred over PCCBs for regular lapping), the car is stock. Well, his former racing team did adjust the factory suspension, but that was the extent of the tuning.
That willingness to hop curbs is critical to getting the lap time. As he mentions at 15:01, the way to get the most out of a vehicle like this is simple. As there’s not much downforce to use (as far as racing cars go), one must use the entire width of the track. Clearly, Giermaziak’s comfortable threading the needle and putting his Michelins millimetres from the grass. That accuracy allows for him to fire off corners and utilize the car’s greatest strengths: power and traction.
Using the full width of the track opens up the radius of a corner, allows for an early throttle application, and then the power is deployed, that incredible 911 traction makes sure its turned into useful propulsion.
Watch and learn.