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Audi’s RS E-Tron GT has become the first electric car to set a lap record at Mount Panorama, though it will not be officially recognised because the time was not set during a race session.
German car-maker Audi claims the RS E-Tron GT has established the lap record for an electric production car at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst – but the hot lap will not be officially counted due to a technicality.
In a demonstration run before the Bathurst 12 Hour, Audi racing driver Christopher Mies drove the RS E-Tron GT around the 6.213km circuit in 2 minutes and 28.15 seconds – with no modifications made to the electric car apart from changes to its tyre pressures.
While Audi claims the RS E-Tron GT is the first electric car to “lay down an official record time” at Mount Panorama, motorsport governing bodies across the globe only recognise lap records if the times are set in race sessions – not demonstration runs.
For context, the production car lap record at Mount Panorama – held by a Porsche 911 GT2 RS – was achieved during a Super Sprint session at the Challenge Bathurst event in 2020, with Jeff Morton completing a lap in 2:14.24 seconds.
In a media statement, Mr Mies said the RS E-Tron GT’s acceleration was “quicker than my GT3 car”, although the electric-car’s 250km/h speed limiter and lack of downforce meant the time was 25 seconds adrift of the German’s 2:03.73 qualifying lap for the Bathurst 12 Hour in an Audi R8 GT3.
The RS E-Tron GT’s unofficial electric-car lap record was also almost 30 seconds slower than the outright Bathurst record of 1:59.29 – also set by Mr Mies aboard an unrestricted Audi R8 Ultra GT3 car in 2018.
Audi’s ‘entry-level’ E-Tron GT starts at $180,200 plus on-road costs, with a pair of electric motors combining for 350kW and 630Nm in normal driving, while ‘boost mode’ delivers a 40kW power bump.
The flagship Audi RS E-Tron GT offers an additional performance bump, developing up to 440kW/830Nm – or 475kW in boost mode – with a price tag of $248,200 plus on-road costs.
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