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The winning lap from WTAC 2018 looks like the driver hit warp speed

Barton Mawer’s winning lap is one of the fastest in Sydney Motorsport Park History

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Watch the onboard footage of Barton Mawer's WTAC-winning lap here

WORLD Time Attack Challenge – the annual festival of ultimate one-lap speed – has been run and won for 2018, with Barton Mawer and the RP968 Porsche claiming outright victory.

Mawer’s fastest lap from the two-day event was a stunning 1:19.825, the quickest in the event’s history, and within a second of the official outright lap record at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Onboard footage from the run, shared on social media, makes for wild viewing. The downforce that the car produces is so extreme that the suspension appears to be bottoming out approaching the fast sweeping Turn One of SMSP.

Mawer was the bravest man at the event, being the only soul willing to attack the turn without lifting, keeping his right foot wedged against the firewall.

The outright lap record at Sydney Motorsport Park is a 1:19.142, set by Nico Hulkenberg in a Lola A1GP Zytek in 2007. Mawer’s lap is almost eight seconds quicker than the next fastest tin-top, an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 which George Miedecke steered to a 1:27.7611 in 2016.

The fastest Supercars lap is a full 10 seconds slower than the time-attack Porsche, with Jamie Whincup setting a 1:29.8424 lap earlier this year.

Daniel Ricciardo set a 1:11.233 lap in a Red Bull RB7 F1 car during the Top Gear Festival in 2014, however, because it was not recorded during an official event, it isn’t counted as a lap record.

Not much is left of the original Porsche 968 that Mawer steered to victory, with loose rules for Pro Class time attack cars allowing for enough aero to make Adrian Newey weak at the knees.

Warren Luff took over driving duties from Tim Slade for last year’s winner, the MCA Hammerhead Nissan Silvia. Luff finished second-quickest at the event, just 1.184 seconds shy of victory.

Cameron Kirby
Contributor

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