Porsche Crushes 3 Records at Road Atlanta

Left to Right: Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, Porsche Cayenne GT

After crushing the lap record with the Taycan GT, Porsche returns to Road Atlanta to crush two more lap records with the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and the Porsche Cayenne GT.

Porsche has a long and storied history of working with hybrid powertrains. Fifteen years ago, Porsche entered an experimental 911 GT3 R Hybrid, a modified 911 GT3 R equipped with a flywheel-based hybrid system and two electric motors, into the 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring, marking the first time a hybrid Porsche had competed. The technology developed from this experiment would later contribute to the creation of the beloved and admired 918 Supercar.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche 918 Hybrid

The technology from that supercar has made its way into Porsche’s current road cars and is helping to break records with every kind of powertrain offered by Porsche. After beating the production EV lap in the Taycan Turbo GT, Porsche and pro-driver Patrick Long returned to Road Atlanta with a Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and a Cayenne GT to prove that whether it’s Electric, Hybrid, or Gas, Porsche is king of lap records.

Cayenne Turbo GT

Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT

At the very top of the Cayenne sits the Cayenne Turbo GT, featuring a potent twin-turbo V8 with 650 hp, updated suspension, unique hub carriers that optimize kinematics, and an additional center differential cooler to ensure consistent all-wheel-drive performance during high-performance track runs. During the latest run with Long, the Cayenne Turbo GT set a benchmark SUV lap time of 1:34.38.

Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

The previous record for a sedan at Road Atlanta was set by a 2021 Panamera Turbo S, which achieved a time of 1:31:51. The 2021 model featured a 621 hp twin-turbo V8 engine, carbon ceramic brakes, and track-focused Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performance tires.

Four years later, Porsche returns with a new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, featuring a hybrid system with 771 horsepower. Long was able to set a new benchmark for a sedan with a time of 1:30.98. The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is just the most recent model in a long line of Porsche hybrid models that started with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid. Long actually worked with on the GT3 R Hybrid program and noted:

“I feel fortunate to have worked with Motorsports during the GT3 R Hybrid program. We learned about how to optimally use the electric power not only for more acceleration and braking, but it was the forefront to torque vectoring. That combination of functions and capabilities was a huge unfair advantage on the track, and I love seeing it now on the street.”"

Both the Cayenne Turbo GT and Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid are stock production cars, with the Cayenne fitted with Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 NC0 tires and the Panamera fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 ND1 tires.

These two new records demonstrate that, whether it’s a gas, hybrid, or electric vehicle, Porsche continues to set new lap records. And that the early investment in the hybrid in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid has given Porsche an early advantage when it comes to electric performance.