Former Bathurst 1000 winner and Porsche track Experience Chief Driving Instructor Luke Youlden was at the wheel of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S when it established a new electric vehicle lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, South Australia.
Youlden clocked in at 3:30.344 on the 7.7 kilometer GT circuit layout, which is also the second-longest permanent racing circuit in the world behind the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
“The lap time of the Taycan just absolutely blew me away,” said Youlden in a statement issued by Porsche. “You drive it in a similar way to any other Porsche sportscar. The turn-in, handling and acceleration were outstanding. The power out of the corners is definitely where it makes up a lot of time.“
For comparison, Youlden also set a time of 3:22.066 in the new 911 Turbo around the 35 corner circuit on the same day, a time that set a new production car lap record for the GT Circuit.
The difference was attributed to the extra weight carried by the electric Taycan, and despite its superior acceleration, although a loss of one second per kilometre was seen as reasonable.
The all-electric Taycan was released in Australia earlier this year with a starting price tag of $190,000 before on roads, and more than 320 have already been sold. You can read our review of the Taycan here.
Watch the full lap onboard video below.
Sam is Chief Operating Officer for Renew Economy and EV Media. Sam has been working with Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid since 2014 and with The Driven since its inception in 2017. Sam is an occasional contributor to both websites with particular interest in electric vehicles and social policy.