The Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package has set two new lap records for series-production electric cars – at Road Atlanta (US) and at the Yas Marina Circuit (UAE). Patrick Long completed an exceptionally fast lap in just 1:27.1 minutes on the 4.088-kilometre Road Atlanta circuit. This new lap time beats the record set by the Taycan Turbo S in 2020 (1:33.8 minutes) by more than six seconds. “I expected precise steering, but I didn't realise how perfectly the Porsche Active Ride system would compensate for the car’s body motion,” said the professional racing driver and brand ambassador for Porsche Cars North America after his record-breaking drive.
The time was set during changeable weather conditions while, with an ambient temperature of about 24 degrees Celsius, the track with some damp patches was still drying out.
In contrast, the record-breaking run at the Yas Marina Circuit took place during the night, due to the extremely high daytime temperatures. UAE-based GT race driver and race school instructor Ramez Azzam lapped the 5.281-kilometre Formula 1 circuit in just 2:07.2 minutes, only 1.1 seconds off the touring car lap record. This new record is officially recognised by the Emirates Motorsport Association (EMSO) as the fasted production BEV around Yas Marina’s full GP circuit.
“Electric cars are known for being fast on the straights, but the Taycan Turbo GT shows its true strength over a full lap,” says Azzam, who won the GT4 class at this year’s Dubai 24 Hours sportscar endurance event. “The agile, perfectly balanced Porsche suspension and brakes gave me the confidence I needed to give it my all.” During his record-breaking drive, the Taycan's instrument cluster showed an ambient temperature of almost 28 degrees Celsius.
More Taycan records around the globe
The two records at Road Atlanta and Yas Marina Circuit continue a string of similar achievements for the Taycan Turbo GT, which is the most powerful production Porsche ever. Recently, in February 2025, Felipe Nasr lapped the Interlagos F1 Circuit in São Paulo in just 1:42.1 minutes. The three-time IMSA champion and three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona thereby set a new record for electric cars. Porsche development driver Lars Kern also set a blistering pace in the range-topping Taycan. In October 2024, he set the first officially recognised lap record at the Shanghai International Circuit, with a time of 2:11.2 minutes.
In spring 2024, Kern had already enjoyed success at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. With a time of 1:27.8 minutes, he completed a lap faster than any other driver has managed in a road-legal electric car. Shortly before that, a pre-production version of the Taycan Turbo GT had set a new class record at the Nürburgring. Lars Kern was also behind the wheel on that occasion and posted a lap time of just 7:07.5 minutes on the Nordschleife. This was a whopping 26 seconds faster than Kern recorded for his last record lap in a Taycan Turbo S sports sedan equipped with the Performance Package back in August 2022.
About the Taycan Turbo GT
Porsche has rounded off the top end of its lineup of all-electric sports sedans with the Taycan Turbo GT and the Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package. A more powerful and more efficient pulse inverter with silicon carbide as the semiconductor material is used on the rear axle. Both cars achieve a limited-time peak power output of more than 1,100 PS1. At the push of a button, Attack Mode provides a power increase of up to 120 kW for up to 10 seconds. The system has been optimised for use on track and is similar in function to that of the 99X racing cars that Porsche uses in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The boost is indicated by a countdown timer on the instrument cluster and dynamically represented by animated rings on the speedometer.
With intelligent lightweight construction measures, Porsche has reduced the weight of the Taycan Turbo GT by up to 75 kilograms compared to the Taycan Turbo S. A number of carbon-fibre components contribute to this saving. The Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package is specially designed for the racetrack and dispenses with the rear bench seat in favour of an even greater power-to-weight ratio.
Both models are equipped as standard with Porsche Active Ride suspension with GT-specific tuning. In dynamic driving situations, this suspension setup ensures an almost perfect connection to the road thanks to balanced distribution of the wheel loads.
1For measurement method, see https://www.porsche.com/gtr21
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