History has once again been made at Bathurst, with a Ford Transit turned time-attack racer setting a new record lap time around the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit.
We’re of course talking about the SuperVan 4.2 which set a time of 1:56.325, breaking not one but three records in the process by becoming the fastest closed-wheel vehicle, electric vehicle, and commercial vehicle to lap the mountain.
Behind the wheel for the record run was Romain Dumas, the same driver who rewrote history at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb last year.
“While both are impressive mountains in their own right, Mount Panorama and Pikes Peak couldn’t be more different in their challenges,” said Dumas.
“This is the first time I have driven SuperVan 4.2 faster than 300km/h, and we left nothing on the table as we pushed for the fastest lap possible. No one has ever driven a vehicle like SuperVan 4.2 around Mount Panorama, and certainly not this quickly!”
The new record comes just a week after Mercedes-AMG set a time of 1:56.605 around Bathurst in an unrestricted GT3 car. However, it wasn’t fast enough to keep the Transit at bay.
Part of what makes the SuperVan 4.2 so quick is its fully electric drivetrain that produces 1050kW from three motors. What’s more impressive is that’s after Ford removed one motor to reduce weight. In addition, the body has also been drastically modified to be as aerodynamic as possible for a delivery van.
Next on the chopping block for the time-attack Transit is the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and Rolex Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix where it’s sure to wow spectators, but not until after a trip to Ford’s Proving Ground in Victoria first.
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