GOING ELECTRIC AT DONINGTON

Fast. It was very very fast. That kick of instant torque definitely doesn’t get old, let alone when it’s out onto the circuit for the first time. After our first few laps on track it was time to head back to the garages, plug in and debrief after the first session.

Our Taycan GTS performed amazingly well for what is essentially, an everyday estate car installed with a very ordinary Pirelli road tyre. The weight is certainly a factor with these cars however due to the mass being so low down the chassis balance is pretty remarkable. The only thing you can’t hide with the weight is its effect on braking performance, even with the re-gen working over time. After just 1 lap of Donington Park at full speed we noticed a fairly large reduction in braking performance, something which we certainly expected but maybe not quite so quickly.

The chassis balance is great with such a low centre of gravity and the factory air suspension reacted well however there’s certainly room for improvement with a more optimised set up, a more performance orientated tyre plus a light weight wheel package. This area is easily addressed.

The intention was never to be setting any lap records during this first test however we did get a good baseline such that when we return with some changes to the car, we have good data to compare. We’ll be focussing on brakes and chassis initially whilst being mindful of any areas that we can save weight.

Overall, we absolutely loved driving our new Tacan GTS on track, setting a very reasonable reference lap time in the process. These cars are surprisingly capable out of the factory however we just want to extract a little more performance. The only down side to running an electric vehicle on track is the charging potential at the circuits. At Donington we were able to charge at a rate of approximately 7kWh, which works out to around 1 mile for every 5 - 10 minutes of charge time. With this in mind we had to be extremely selective over how many laps we could run throughout the day.

For all sessions the car was driven in completely standard trim, no interior changes, no exterior changes and no mechanical changes. The only part of the car which was adjusted were tyre pressures. All of this was in order to get the best possible baseline figures to provide us with the perfect starting point for our product development.

One of the hidden benefits of running the Taycan GTS on a Track Day is that we bypass the extremely strict noise limits at UK circuits. 2024 seams to have seen another clamp down on louder cars, with many 100% stock specification vehicles being unable to run due to being black flagged due to breaking noise regulations. This is becoming more and more of an issue in the UK especially, but thankfully we were there to help some owners who got caught out on the day.

Over the course of the day, we were able to help five cars to continue running by installing our Titanium Silenced Tips. These cars would have otherwise been sent home packing.

Our light weight titanium parts directly replace the factory exhaust tips and help to reduce the Db readings by around 4-5 Decibels at peak RPM. They really are a must have for any UK track day enthusiast running a Porsche GT model. No need to guess where noise meters are situated around a circuit and no short shifting on the straights. Simply install and enjoy your day as intended.

Our plans for the next few months are more exciting than ever thanks to the imminent arrival of our brand new 992 GT3 RS so be sure to keep an eye on our social channels and blog for regular updates, including weekly 992 GT3 RS build updates every Sunday.

JC