Lapping the Ring in less than 10 minutes with an original Mazda MX-5 in this condition takes some serious commitment and lots of good faith on the popular roadster’s capabilities.
Nicknamed the RingBanana thanks to its yellow-black racing livery, this Mazda MX-5 wants to lap the Nurburgring in under 9 minutes in the cheapest way possible. The RingBanana itself is not what you would call a garage queen as the owner Gabriele Piana was looking for the lower-priced used example available online.
After finding what he was looking for, Gabriele took his MX-5 for one and only lap on the Nordschleife to see how fast the ratty old roadster can tackle the legendary track. The combination of his sheer talent behind the wheel with his deep knowledge of the circuit allowed the yellow-black MX-5 to lap the Nurburgring in a mighty 9:21.8, making the next target for the RingBanana challenge crystal clear; the cheapest sub-9 minute lap is now their ultimate goal.
Gabriele can count on his friend when it comes to really cheap track-prepped MX-5s as Konstantinos Sidiras, a fellow MX-5 owner, is mostly known for his amateur turbocharging skills, apart from his majestic beard.
Follow them as their awesome and noble journey for the cheapest possible sub-9 minute Ring lap is just beginning. We know we will.