An average lap speed over 200km/h—that summit has only been conquered once at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The man? Stefan Bellof—behind the wheel of a Porsche 956 during qualifying for the 1983 1000km race. While Bellof’s pole winning time of 6:11.13 is regarded as only an unofficial record, his fastest lap recorded during the race of 6:25.91 is acknowledged as the fastest official lap of the Nordschleife.

Bellof was killed in an accident at Spa in 1985. He was 27. The accident happened at the famous Eau Rouge corner. Bellof, driving a privately entered 956 in the 1000km race, was trailling the factory Porsche 962C of Jacky Ickx. Bellof clipped the Belgian’s car on the climb out of Eau Rouge, forcing both men off the circuit and crashing into the wall. Bellof’s car erupted into flames and he was pronounced dead 50 minutes later. Considered by many to be a future Formula 1 world champion, Bellof’s seemingly unreachable Nürburgring Nordshcleife lap time is a fitting tribute to his immense talent.