Topic: 2024 Car and Driver Lightning Lap

[JohnnyMac]

This years lightning lap results are in.  https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a46575000/lightning-lap-2024/  Been waiting for this for a week now as I knew it was close.

Couple of things, first my Civic Si actually made the list...and did really poorly, LOL.  Not exactly a race car, but still just enough to be fun and entertaining as a daily.

The Nissan Nismo Z actually beat the new BMW M2...but both were beat by last years manual Toyota Supra.

Even though the Acura Integra Type S is basically a Honda Civic Type R, it's much slower on the track, mainly due to tires and suspension setup.

The new Darkhorse is marginally quicker than the last generation Mach 1, which further points to how little Ford did to improve this generation Mustang.

That Porsche GT3 RS is by far the fastest naturally aspirated vehicle ever tested in lightning lap history.

[Blueprint]

You are trespassing on Trader property 

[Layne]

Fun read.  It just goes to show how much tires can make a difference (see GR86).  The M2 sliding everywhere is limited by stock tires which is too bad.  Good job by Nissan!  That damn Mustang is 200+lbs heavier than the Mach 1?  Which tells me that the Mach 1 may be the Mustang to buy - maybe a 2022.  Might even go up un value eventually as it seems like a highwater mark for the line.  Maybe.

I can't believe how quick hot hatches are now though - the Type S, Golf R, Corolla GR.  The Type R is in a different league although having all of the cars tested on Cup 2's would be very VERY interesting to be sure.  But at a significant cost.

[JohnnyMac]

Fun read.  It just goes to show how much tires can make a difference (see GR86).  The M2 sliding everywhere is limited by stock tires which is too bad.  Good job by Nissan!  That damn Mustang is 200+lbs heavier than the Mach 1?  Which tells me that the Mach 1 may be the Mustang to buy - maybe a 2022.  Might even go up un value eventually as it seems like a highwater mark for the line.  Maybe.

I can't believe how quick hot hatches are now though - the Type S, Golf R, Corolla GR.  The Type R is in a different league although having all of the cars tested on Cup 2's would be very VERY interesting to be sure.  But at a significant cost.

If you think the tires made a difference for that GR86, last years Audi RS3 had an amazing time set due to the optional R compound tires.

With how few new cars that they seem to be able to source, it would be truly amazing if they could take some historic cars from the list and have them outfitted with modern tires and brake pads, see just how far modern cars have come compared to the old world beaters.  I’d love to see a Corvette C6 Z06, last gen Viper, and maybe the 2011-12 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca added to see just how far tires and brakes have come in the last decade plus.

[Layne]

Yeah, that would be very interesting indeed.  Also, I do know that Watkins was changed slightly in terms of length several years ago so would be interesting to have a level playing field to be sure.

I just read that RS3 run from last year.  Those tires are unbelievable.

[rrocket]

, it would be truly amazing if they could take some historic cars from the list and have them outfitted with modern tires and brake pads, see just how far modern cars have come compared to the old world beaters.  I’d love to see a Corvette C6 Z06, last gen Viper, and maybe the 2011-12 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca added to see just how far tires and brakes have come in the last decade plus.

I did this with my Supra.

Had a buddy at Rousch and we hooked up a VBOX to my car and tested it.

[JohnnyMac]

, it would be truly amazing if they could take some historic cars from the list and have them outfitted with modern tires and brake pads, see just how far modern cars have come compared to the old world beaters.  I’d love to see a Corvette C6 Z06, last gen Viper, and maybe the 2011-12 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca added to see just how far tires and brakes have come in the last decade plus.

I did this with my Supra.

Had a buddy at Rousch and we hooked up a VBOX to my car and tested it.

I bet the results were quite shocking in how far these compounds have come in a relatively short timeframe.

[rrocket]

, it would be truly amazing if they could take some historic cars from the list and have them outfitted with modern tires and brake pads, see just how far modern cars have come compared to the old world beaters.  I’d love to see a Corvette C6 Z06, last gen Viper, and maybe the 2011-12 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca added to see just how far tires and brakes have come in the last decade plus.

I did this with my Supra.

Had a buddy at Rousch and we hooked up a VBOX to my car and tested it.

I bet the results were quite shocking in how far these compounds have come in a relatively short timeframe.

Not really, since the Supra already put up pretty big numbers in the braking and handling dept.

They were just bigger! LOL [emoji38]

FWIW, it took several YEARS for other cars to break the Supra braking record for various magazines. 12 years in one case.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15142755/toyota-supra-turbo-instrumented-test/

[JohnnyMac]

You know it’s funny I’m a kid of the 90’s, not hugely into cars and never really even knew the Supra was a thing.  I guess growing up in a small farmers town in NB the main focus was on American iron and pickup trucks. 

That Supra was truly something special from that era, which explains why they are so valuable nowadays.

[bye]

Electric powered sedan is only 4s off the GT3 Manthey racing prepped 911  ... gas is so 1990's.

[rrocket]

Electric powered sedan is only 4s off the GT3 Manthey racing prepped 911  ... gas is so 1990's.

"Only"?

4 seconds per lap is an absolutely eternity in anything "racing". And that's only 1 lap!! To put that into perspective, if you were 4 seconds behind during qualifying in the series Mantay races in, you'd be dead last.

Wake me up when EVs best  ICE race cars in a typical 20+ lap race. Actually, I'll throw you a bone: wake me up when EVs are at least competitive in a typical multi lap race.

[Layne]

Electric powered sedan is only 4s off the GT3 Manthey racing prepped 911  ... gas is so 1990's.

I would like to see how it does over 5 laps when the charge drops, the tires cup and the brakes fade.  That is one heavy car.

[quadzilla]

It is 4.5 seconds slower, NOT 4.0 seconds. Big difference.

Also, if you read the article, you will see that it could only manage ONE lap at a time and used 25% of the battery. So amazing 

The battery gets too hot before the carbon-ceramic brakes do—the latter weren't bled or touched over three days of lapping. A 4.1-mile lap in Hot Lap mode uses about 25 percent of the battery and puts enough heat into the motors and pack that the Sapphire is only good for one fast lap at a time.

[Jaeger]

It is 4.5 seconds slower, NOT 4.0 seconds. Big difference.

Also, if you read the article, you will see that it could only manage ONE lap at a time and used 25% of the battery. So amazing 

The battery gets too hot before the carbon-ceramic brakes do—the latter weren't bled or touched over three days of lapping. A 4.1-mile lap in Hot Lap mode uses about 25 percent of the battery and puts enough heat into the motors and pack that the Sapphire is only good for one fast lap at a time.

  One lap then quit is such a hilarious racing fail, that probably the only person to brag about it is someone who thinks 4.5 sec per lap is close.   

[OliverD]

By all accounts the Lucid is an amazing car but that doesn't mean we should be comparing it to a modified GT3 on the track.