Porsche has complemented its list of accomplishments with two lap records set on the Buddh International Circuit in India, where a Formula 1 race was held in the early 2010s. Alternately piloting a gas-powered 911 GT3 RS and an electric Taycan Turbo S, India’s first F1 driver in history Narain Karthikeyan beat the best lap times twice.
He first got behind the wheel of a 911 GT3 RS and lapped up the 5.14-kilometer (3.2-mile) long circuit in 1 minute 59.854 seconds, setting a new production car record on the Buddh racetrack and improving his own best result from 2019. Back then, he drove a 911 GT2 RS to the finish line in 2 minutes 0.266 seconds. His GT3 RS was also formally recognized as the first vehicle to complete the lap in under 2 minutes.
In case you needed a reminder, the 992-gen GT3 RS debuted last summer with a 4.0-liter flat-six engine under the hood and 525 PS (518 hp / 386 kW) at the crank. The car has a PDK transmission and is packed with motorsport tech, including a special cooling system based on a single large radiator in the frunk, a DRS-capable aerodynamic kit, and adjustable suspension shocks that you can tweak on the go straight from the cabin. According to Karthikeyan, the GT3 RS was able to go 20–25 km/h (12–15 mph) faster than his former GT2 RS through a number of track stretches.
He then sat behind the wheels of a dual-motor Taycan Turbo S packing 750 PS (740 hp / 552 kW) and 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft). The electric sedan won the award of Buddh’s Fastest Production EV with a lap time of 2 minutes 10.313 seconds. The driver praised the car for its superb acceleration, handling and feedback, venturing the opinion that EVs were in for a bright future indeed.
