Ford EV beats V8 AMG to set new Bathurst record

The world’s most powerful electric racing car has beaten a V8-powered, derestricted GT3 racer to claim the new unofficial lap record at Mount Panorama.

With endurance racing legend Romain Dumas at the wheel, the 2000hp Ford Supervan 4.2 clocked a time of 1:56.28 to set a new benchmark for a tin-top vehicle by just over three tenths of a second.

It took Dumas two shots at the record today with the Frenchman’s first tilt at the record falling agonisingly short with a time of 1:56.764.

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But with the record just one tenth away, Ford requested an additional slot of track time for one last, no-holds barred tilt at a record time.

The resulting final lap saw Dumas set the new unofficial lap record just before 1pm today.

The lap edged out the existing benchmark for a tin-top racing car which had recently been set by AMG during the Bathurst 12 Hour in a derestricted GT3 racing car.

Piloted by three-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner, Jules Gounon, the AMG boasted active aerodynamics (including an F1-style drag reduction system), sticky ‘super soft’ tyres and a derestricted powertrain to help it beat the previous marker and claim top honours for a GT car around the famous 6.2km circuit.

That lap time was incredibly impressive given AMG's limited prep-time – the onboard video of Gounon's fully committed lap is worth a watch – although both AMG and Ford's laps fall short of Bathurst's other 'unofficial' lap record set by a McLaren F1 car in 2011. Then, Jenson Button recorded a 1:48.88.

Ford and Dumas have been completing multiple demonstration runs in the Supervan at Bathurst, with the experimental EV racer cutting laps at last weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour and again at this weekend’s Bathurst 500.

Until now, Ford had been treating the runs as ‘test sessions’ as it looked to hone the Supervan’s set-up and iron out multiple teething issues it encountered during its short windows of track time.

With so much power and torque available, Dumas was encountering wheel spin over the track’s top section as the van’s front axle would get light over crests.

“We are spinning the front axle over crests,” Dumas told Wheels. “It’s exciting. I’m telling you, you need to have your eyes wide open.”

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Transponder issues also plagued Ford’s record tilt, with strong electrical interference meaning the crucial timing gear was failing to record.

But after making several key set-up changes this weekend, including fitting a new steering rack, tweaking the regenerative braking and flying in new parts from Japan, Dumas felt ready to properly attack Australia’s toughest racing circuit.

With 1050kW on tap the Supervan is vastly more powerful that a GT3 racing car, however its kerb weight of 1800kg is also far heavier and its wide and tall dimensions made it a unique challenge for Dumas.

“We have a lot of downforce, so in a fast corner it's really fast,” said Dumas. “It's heavy, too, and the central gravity is high. But we have so much downforce and on a fast corner, it's quite impressive.

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“Acceleration is also impressive. Compared to a Le Mans prototype? At the time of the good prototype, 2016 or so, it’s more or less than same.

“The top section [at Bathurst] is very narrow, so you need a car very agile for sure, and compared to what I’m used to, let’s say it’s a wider car, more heavy, so for sure, you adapt.”

Ford is giving the Supervan an Australian Tour and it will make an appearance at both the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and the Australian Grand Prix in March.

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