Reg

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Lightning Lap Competition Overview:
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a35353597/lightning-lap-2021/

Taycan results:
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a35386386/2020-porsche-taycan-turbo-s-lightning-lap/

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S at Lightning Lap 2021
The Taycan marks a watershed moment as the first EV to survive our Lightning Lap treatment.

Lap Time: 2:55.2
Class: LL4 | Base: $189,940 | As Tested: $205,360
Power and Weight: 616 hp • 5222 lb • 8.5 lb/hp
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect, F:265/35ZR-21 101Y NF0 R: 305/30ZR-21 104Y NF0

In a straight-line race, the Porsche Taycan and the Tesla Model S are reasonably close. But introduce VIR's two dozen corners and the difference between this year's Taycan Turbo S and the P85D we ran back in 2016 stretches to a 22.2-second gulf, a gap as cataclysmic as the one between a Miata and a Ferrari 430 Scuderia or a Camry and a Charger SRT Hellcat. The Tesla couldn't survive a quarter-lap before overheating and cutting power, which makes any more detailed comparisons—such as speed through the esses, where the Taycan averages 14.8 mph faster than the Model S—irrelevant.

Porsche Taycan 2020 Taycan Turbo S results from Car and Driver Lightning Lap 2021 @ VIR -taycan-turbo-s-lead-1611950620.jpg?crop=0.985xw:0


Even better than being fast, the Taycan Turbo S is like the company's other cars in that it is easy to find and probe the performance capabilities. At Lightning Lap, drivers typically uncover many seconds over the three days of lapping as they solve the puzzle of extracting a car's potential. Not so with the Taycan. The difference between our quickest lap from our first session and our overall quickest was just 1.2 seconds, the smallest improvement of any car this year.

Zooming in on the details only makes the results more astounding. For instance: At 5222 pounds, the Taycan is the fourth-heaviest Lightning Lapper ever and the porkiest non-SUV, yet it's the quickest member of the over-5000-pound club. The carbon-ceramic brakes never fade, and the tires, an EV-specific variant of Pirelli's P Zero PZ4, keep their grip lap after lap. Thrusting out of corners, or in those moments that call for a brief squeeze of power, the Taycan delivers an instant punch that's otherworldly. And though Porsche claims the Taycan reserves its full 750-horse fleet for launch-control starts only, we kind of doubt it. The Taycan's big speed at the end of the front straight—not typically an EV strength—makes us believe there's more than 616 horsepower at play. Really, the only spot where the Taycan's poundage seems to have a negative impact is in the esses, where we find ourselves backing off just slightly—still averaging a heady 120.2 mph—to keep the car settled and on the track as we crash over the curbing.

Porsche Taycan 2020 Taycan Turbo S results from Car and Driver Lightning Lap 2021 @ VIR ap-14-2020-porsche-taycan-turbo-s-inset-1611950623


Hot-lapping EVs is an unfamiliar exercise, so Porsche brought along two identical cars, just in case. But the spare proved unnecessary, as the Taycan is the first EV that didn't crumble against the Lightning Lap grindstone. It endured, without issue, our typical lapping schedule: a brisk out lap, a fast-as-you-dare hot lap followed by a cool-down, another hot lap, and then a cool-down before heading back to the pits. Starting with a full battery from an overnight charge, the Taycan landed at about 40 percent capacity after this routine, which, interestingly, is a burn rate on par with the Shelby GT500's. To find the battery's limits, we did two consecutive flying laps once, which put enough heat in the battery to reduce power. We didn't have to alter our routine for charging, though, as there was ample time—about four and a half hours—to top up the battery while this driver rotated through his other cars. A 50-amp RV outlet in the paddock, a common find at racetracks, supplied the electricity.

More significant than being far and away the quickest EV, the Taycan places between the BMW M5 Competition and the Mercedes-AMG E63 S in the category of deliriously quick four-doors, regardless of power source.


Overall Lap Time Results:

18) Toyota Supra 2.0 - 3:09.0
17) Cadillac CT4-V - 3:06.2
16) Ford Mustang 2.3L - 3:04.4
15) Cadillac CT5-V - 3:04.1
14) Mini Cooper Works GP - 3:03.8
13) Subaru STI - 3:03.4
12) BMW M340i - 3:03.2
11) Toyota Supra 3.0 - 2:59.3
10) Jaguar F-type R - 2:59.5
9) Mercedes AMG CLA45 - 2:58.2
8) BMW M8 Competition - 2:55.5
7) Porsche Taycan Turbo S - 2:55.2
6) Porsche 718 GT4 - 2:50.3
5) Chevy Corvette Z51 - 2:49.0
4) Lamborghini Huracan Evo - 2:45.0
3) Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - 2:44.6
2) Porsche 911 Turbo S - 2:42.5
1) Mclaren 765LT - 2:38.4


 
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Neptune

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That guy wasn't a very good driver. The Stig could easily shave a second or two of that time, but still would be 7th place. So makes no difference.
 

daveo4EV

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C&D’s experience with the Taycan mirrors my own track report from Laguna
  • Impressive 5000 lbs sedan on track
  • good enough for a few laps, but consumption is too high for a full track day
  • power throttled when the battery gets too warm
  • but impressive performance for the car’s size and it’s EV pedigree
  • way way better than a Model S
    • so progress is being made in the EV world
  • unlike my track day - Porsche had a 2nd Taycan on hand just in case - didn’t need it
  • quicker than some legit sports cars
  • Porsche brakes are awesome
  • need fast charging at the track to really track this all day
  • abbreviated sessions (not a full 20 or 25 minutes at full pace) due to battery thermals
  • I think there is a few more seconds to be had at VIR with out EV specific tires
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...d-on-driving-lap-data-impressions-added.2923/

I’ll stand by my personal results given C&D’s experience - I think my write up is pretty credible
 
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daveo4EV

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hmmm - 4 laps @ VIR is about 4.1 miles * 4 = or 16.5 miles - call it 17 miles
they had battery heat issues after about 4 laps

I had heat issues @ laguna after about 6 to 7 full pace laps - a lap at Laguna is about 2.23
2.3 * 7 = 15.61 miles

hmmmmm - seems to me the Taycan can run full-tilt for about 16 miles - then needs to rest for battery thermal recovery.
 


epirali

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Read the comments and oh boy what a mistake....sheesh....
 

porsche_coyote

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hmmm - 4 laps @ VIR is about 4.1 miles * 4 = or 16.5 miles - call it 17 miles
they had battery heat issues after about 4 laps

I had heat issues @ laguna after about 6 to 7 full pace laps - a lap at Laguna is about 2.23
2.3 * 7 = 15.61 miles

hmmmmm - seems to me the Taycan can run full-tilt for about 16 miles - then needs to rest for battery thermal recovery.
So, one flat-out Nordschleife lap followed by a very gentle cool down?
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