Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Taycan Turbo S set new lap records at Buddh circuit

Porsche and AutoCar India set two new lap records for a production car and production EVs, respectively, at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC).

The records were set in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a Taycan Turbo S driven by India’s former Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan.

Driving the GT3 RS, Karthikeyan broke the previous record of 2min 00.266sec — set by Karthikeyan himself in a 911 GT2 RS in 2019 — and registered a new lap time of 1:59.854. The new record makes the Porsche 911 GT3 RS the fastest production car around the Buddh International Circuit and the only one to lap the circuit under two minutes.

Registering speeds of over 250km/h on the straights, the 911 GT3 RS’s new record cements its place among the Stuttgart-based brand’s illustrious list of accomplishments.

The new GT3 RS is powered by a 4.0l six-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine with outputs of 386kW and 465Nm — 11kW more and 5Nm less than the standard GT3. 

The GT3 RS, touted as the ultimate road-going track car, also gets its speed from a strong focus on aerodynamics and additional downforce to give it more grip in corners and several degrees of adjustability via controls on the steering.

“In the back section of the circuit, the GT3 RS comes into its own and it must be, I guess, 20-25km/h faster than the GT2 RS in the long D and the fast corners. That’s why you gain a lot of time. It’s a track weapon, fantastic to drive. I’m a big Porsche fan, they’ve done a great job with this car,” said Karthikeyan.

The Taycan Turbo S also set a new lap record and became the fastest production EV around the track. The Taycan Turbo S is powered by a twin electric motor setup that delivers power to all four wheels and generates up to 560kW with 1,050 Nm of torque.

The four-door sports luxury EV, also driven by Karthikeyan, set a lap time of 2:10.313 seconds.

“I can’t believe how fast this thing accelerates. The steering is fantastic too. It’s so precise and has great feedback, which lets me accurately place the car on the track,” said Karthikeyan.

“EVs are so much more enjoyable to drive now and the fun factor in cars like this Taycan Turbo S is right up there. I think there’s a bright future for performance EVs.”