Porsche model, records are always an incentive and certainly the embodiment of a job well done by the brand’s engineers. And this is valid whether we are talking about a Porsche 911 GT2 RS or if we are referring to any of the models suitable for four occupants (or five). The latest to be launched and successfully, to add new merits to its curriculum has been the Taycan in its 4S and Turbo S versions, which has set 13 new endurance records on the British Brands Hatch circuit.
In the category of Electric Cars over 1,000 kg, the Taycan 4S has pulverized the timestamps with a stop-start to travel 50 km, 50 miles, 100 km, 500 km, and 1,000 km, in addition to the record of distance, traveled in one hour also with a stopped start (98,192 km)For its part, the Taycan Turbo S increased its track record with the time records to travel 100 miles, 200 km and 200 miles, along with the new marks of distance traveled in three hours (252,356 km) six hours (450,065 km) and 12 hours (915,762 km), always starting from a standstill.
As you understand, some of these brands would be impossible without the necessary recharge. For this, the cars were equipped with the Performance Battery Plus, which allows recharges of up to 270 kWh to regenerate the battery from 5 to 80% in 22.5 minutes. This, together with the fact that the Taycan incorporates thermal management of the battery that allows it to be recharged faster was decisive to fill the cars with energy. Even so, the Taycans had to stop a total of six times always loading from 5% to 85%, and spending an average of 30 minutes in the pit entrance loading and exiting back onto the track.
We already know that these types of brands have to be established well in advance, but they did not have much luck at Porsche with the weather since the day at Brands Hatch (the cars were running between 7 am and 8 pm) woke up rainy and at times they fell heavy showers that left the track totally soaked. So we have good reason to think that these records could have been broken with a greater difference and perhaps others could have been achieved also in milder weather conditions.
To break all these records it is not enough with just one driver or two. Called to establish the new brands have been Jonathan Palmer former Formula 1 driver Harry King champion of the British Porsche Carrera Cup James Dorlin champion of the Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge and Richard Attwood winner at this same circuit in 1970 at the controls of a Porsche 917.
Precisely in homage to the car that Attwood took to the top of the podium half a century ago, the Taycan 4S sported the same red and white livery as his 917. The aforementioned lack of grip coupled with the need to extend the range as much as possible made the drivers round the corners as quickly as possible.
It seems like a no-brainer but when it comes to electric cars it’s not just about running at your best but about knowing when to run at your best and when to lift your foot. Attwood and Palmer took advantage of their endurance racing experience and taught King and Dorlin well so that in the final laps the cars achieved energy savings of around 5% per lap.
