Watch Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S Take the EV Lap Record at Road Atlanta

Porsche has entered the world of EVs not with an electrified 911, but with the entirely new Taycan, which is neither a 911 nor boring. The Taycan is a blast to drive and currently holds the lap record for a four-door EV at the Nürburgring.  More recently, a Taycan piloted by American racing driver Leh Keen lapped Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in 1 minute and 33.88 seconds—you guessed it, setting the lap record there for an EV.

The timed lap was done in early November and was certified by the data-logging mavens at Vbox. The Taycan Turbo S that Keen piloted came wearing Pirelli P Zero NFO Elect tires straight from the factory—some stickier rubber no doubt would have shaved a second (perhaps even more) off of the record time. Turbo S models also come with all the go-fast goodies you can get for the Taycan, including carbon ceramic brakes, active anti-roll bars, and rear wheel steering.

For a little context, Keen’s 1 minute, 33.88 second lap was 3.7 seconds slower than MotorTrend hot shoe Randy Pobst managed in the much lighter, much more hardcore, and much more track-ready C7 Corvette Z06. Even though three seconds is a long time in the world of racing, the fact that an EV even got close to that time is truly remarkable.

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The performance potential of the Taycan is evident. We’ve seen Porsche set drift records in it, and there will no doubt be more EV-specific lap records coming in the future. Does all this track dominance preview even lighter, more hardcore, track-focused version of the Taycan, perhaps breathed upon by the GT cars division responsible for the spiciest 911s? Doesn’t sound like a bad idea to us, but we’ll have to wait and see what Porsche GT division boss Andreas Preuninger says. But for now, we can sit back and watch as the EV lap-record wars rage on. Your move, Tesla.

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