Jules Gounon’s astonishing 1:56.605 lap of the Mount Panorama circuit ahead of this month’s Bathurst 12 Hour, which broke the unofficial tin-top lap record at the iconic Australian venue, has already been beaten!
Step forward two-time Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, who has lapped the circuit in 1:56.28s in Ford Performance’s astonishing four-motor, 2000hp EV SuperVan 4.2.
The SuperVan, which has made appearances at both the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb over the past 12 months, completed demo runs at the 12 Hour last weekend, before modifications were made by Ford to solve steering issues for its latest attempt at the record as part of the Supercars Bathurst 500 event.
The Mountain, conquered! ✅
SuperVan 4.2 sets a new lap record at Mount Panorama with an electrifying lap from @RomainDumas! @Fox_Motorsport @supercars pic.twitter.com/JWxz0ap8cs— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) February 25, 2024
Initially, Dumas ended up just over a tenth shy of Gounon’s time in the unrestricted, heavily modified AMG GT3 car, before finally breaking it with a lap that featured a top speed (according to Australian outlet Speedcafe) of 300 km/h down the famous Conrod Straight.
The SuperVan 4.2 is set to stay in Australia for appearances at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and Australian Grand Prix next month.
Images courtesy of Romain Dumas/Ford Performance
