A record-setting partnership between Autocar and Porsche GB recently established 13 new FIA-sanctioned time and endurance records for electric cars at Brands Hatch.
Led by Autocar’s Colin Goodwin – who came up with the idea – and Porsche’s Rob Durrant, the team of six drivers and two cars set records for 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 kilometres, as well as for 50, 100, 200 and 500 miles. They also turned in one-hour, three-hour, six-hour and 12-hour records.
The crowning achievement of the bid, full details of which are laid out over 10 pages in this week’s Autocar magazine, was the 1000km record, achieved in almost exactly 13 hours, the record run beginning in darkness at 7am and finishing a few seconds after 8pm that night.
The team consisted of Goodwin and Durrant, plus former Le Mans winner Richard Attwood, former Formula 1 ace Jonathan Palmer, and two current Porsche 911 racing champions, James Dorlin and Harry King. The drivers used a Taycan 4S and a Taycan Turbo S and the records were shared almost equally between the cars because, though a little slower in lap times, the 4S needed a little less recharging time than the more powerful Turbo.
“We were delighted with the result,” said Goodwin after crossing the line, “because the cold, wet and dark conditions made the whole thing look far from easy. But the Taycans and Porsche’s organisation were both brilliant and we drivers got much better at saving both time and battery power at the same time, as the day went on.
“One thing’s for sure. Driving high-performance EVs on a proper racing circuit is a lot of fun, and very challenging.” Read much more in this week’s Autocar, out now.
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