Make no mistake, Porsche is the king of going fast at the race track. Standing as the undisputed winningest manufacturer at Le Mans – with 16 victories – these guys certainly know what they are doing. Therefore, it didn’t take us by surprise when the German automaker announced it had set the production EV lap record at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Standing at 2.5-miles in length, Road Atlanta is a high-speed circuit with 12 corners and a long straight. It might not look like much on paper, but it requires expert precision to produce a quick lap. As such, Porsche put professional racing driver and firesuit fashion icon Leh Keen behind the wheel, and let him loose – we’d be remiss not to mention that Keen was sporting a fresh tartan OMP race suit on the day.

Gallery: Porsche Taycan Road Atlanta EV Record

After all was said and done, the Taycan Turbo S set a lap time of 1 minute 33.88 seconds. As this was a production lap record, Porsche noted that the only adjustments made to the car involved setting the tyre pressures to provide a hot pressure of 41 PSI (2.83 bar) at all four tyres for the lap. Apart from making sure the Pirelli rubber was ready for the job, everything else remained standard. Keen wasn’t entirely on his own though, as the Taycan comes from the factory with technologies like rear-wheel steering, adaptive air suspension, and torque vectoring.

“This track is unforgiving, meaning you have to trust the car completely,” said Keen. “The electric motors respond so quickly, the power is right there when I need it, and combined with the active differentials, makes the Taycan a game-changer when it comes to handling.”

Always committed to finding tenths on the track, it’s clear that the German automaker’s knowledge from racing is trickling down to the road. EV’s are obviously a very touchy subject for petrolheads, but it’s clear that the numbers don’t lie.

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Porsche Taycan Turbo S sets production EV lap time at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
 

A production-spec Taycan charged through the finish line posting an impressive lap time of 1:33.88 minutes


Atlanta, Georgia. No matter the body style or powertrain, all Porsche models reflect the same passion for performance, and one of the best ways to show this is to demonstrate it on demanding race tracks. For the Taycan Turbo S, the result of this effort was for it to lap the iconic Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile race track in 1:33.88 minutes. Located just a short distance from the headquarters of Porsche Cars North America, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s technical S’s, long straights and elevation changes demand excellent feedback, stability and power from any car.

“This track is unforgiving, meaning you have to trust the car completely,” said professional race car driver Leh Keen. But the real surprise came when cornering. The combination of Rear Axle Steering, optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport and the well-programmed Sport Plus stability control, enabled Keen to push the electric sports sedan harder than he thought was possible.

“The performance through the turns was surprising. Turn-in, in particular, was crisp and consistent, and the steering response was immediate and communicative. The power pins your head back coming out of any corner, and the brakes have excellent feedback,” he added. “The electric motors respond so quickly, the power is right there when I need it, and combined with the active differentials, makes the Taycan a game changer when it comes to handling.”

Representing standard vehicles that are available to customers at authorized Porsche dealer partners across the U.S., the production-specification 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S took to the track on November 3 at an ambient temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It was fitted with the standard summer tire Pirelli P Zero NF0 Elect as equipped from the factory, sized 265/35-21 front and 305/30-21 rear, on 21-inch Mission-E design wheels. Tire pressures were adjusted to provide a hot pressure of 41 PSI at all four tires for the lap. Standard performance features fitted to the Taycan Turbo S include Rear Wheel Steering with Power Steering Plus, Adaptive Air Suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. Additionally, optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, which reduces body roll when cornering, was also fitted to the particular Taycan Turbo S used for the lap.

Vehicle data acquisition and timing expert Racelogic was on hand to record and verify the lap time utilizing their VBOX Video HD2 system. The onboard video of the lap can be viewed on Porsche’s YouTube channel.