Simply outdoors the common-or-garden metropolis of Danville, Virginia, there’s a street course lined with inexperienced ARMCO that gives an unbeatable mixture of pace, cornering, and braking. Virginia Worldwide Raceway (VIR) is arguably America’s most difficult race circuit this aspect of Germany’s Nürburgring, and for 16 years we have put the most recent high-performance vehicles to their limits in an annual week of observe time we name Lightning Lap.
In Could, greater than 60 of our readers joined us at VIR to beat the precise 4.1-mile Grand Course configuration we have used to set benchmarks for manufacturing vehicles, from the Honda Match to the McLaren Senna. Utilizing our price-based classes, from LL1 (as much as $35,000) to LL5 ($250,000 and above), readers had over two hours of observe time in the course of the day to battle for the quickest occasions. (We caught with final 12 months’s worth classes, because the registration for this occasion began earlier than the will increase we put in place in 2023 to replicate the ever-increasing worth of recent autos.)
We immediately acknowledged the vehicles and faces of those that have devotedly attended our previous two reader observe days. The cool Virginia morning kicked off with a reminder of observe etiquette. The oldsters at Kaizen Autosport handed out transponders and provided instruction and observe automobile leases, as they oversaw timing and scoring for 3 teams of racers. New for this 12 months was an Fanatic group designed to get the unaccustomed extra acclimated to trace driving.
Three Automotive and Driver staffers additionally attended, to log some laps on a portion of our long-term fleet. Out on observe with our readers ran our long-term Porsche 718 Cayman GTS and Subaru BRZ and our Honda Civic Si observe rat.
The competitors was quick and the vehicles had been superior this 12 months, however finally just one from every class will get to exit the paddock with a trophy. Thanks to all our loyal readers that joined us for our third Lightning Lap public observe day. Listed below are the outcomes.
Fanatic
By far the most important faction at this 12 months’s occasion was the Fanatic group of newbie observe drivers, lots of whom had by no means been on a race circuit earlier than, not to mention one as lengthy and daunting as VIR’s Grand Course. Their expertise started with lead-follow laps behind instructors, adopted by solo laps as their consolation ranges improved. Enjoyable was had and tooth had been minimize. Automobiles ranged from Trisha Radocaj’s 2023 Toyota GR86 to Leigh Potts’s 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo SS to Rob Wald’s 2020 BMW M2 Competitors. Setting a fast lap time was not the precedence, however Cameron Kennedy did strap a transponder to his 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S to document a time of three:32.7, whereas his spouse, Kristen, was wheeling a 2019 McLaren 570S Spider. Given the grins we noticed across the paddock, we’ll be stunned if a number of drivers do not return subsequent 12 months for extra critical runs in opposition to the clock.
LL1 (below $35,000)
Duane Black as soon as once more made the trek to VIR in his trusty V-6 automated Mustang with the pace limiter eliminated, towing a set of observe wheels and tires behind, to take prime honors in LL1. Whereas his time wasn’t fairly as speedy this time round—beforehand he was flirting with a 3:00 flat—the well-used Mustang was carrying lesser tires. Nonetheless, the truth that his 3:03.8 on this humble V-6 Mustang—it bears repeating that it is his day by day driver—beat many of the LL2 entries proves that Black is aware of his means across the Grand Course.
LL2 ($35,000 to $64,999)
The subsequent-up class had an excellent mixture of rivals: a pair of Civic Kind Rs, a Tesla Mannequin 3, and a Challenger Hellcat. The Mannequin 3 and Hellcat had been neck and neck within the 3:14s, whereas the higher of the 2 Civics acquired right down to a 3:07. However none may hold with the 2021 Toyota Supra adorned with an aggressive aero equipment pushed by Nathan Bunn. Now Bunn was at a definite benefit, having previously labored for VIR’s house driving-instruction store and our associate on this track-day endeavor, Kaizen Autosport, and has no scarcity of time at VIR. Whereas his 2:58.3 handily beat every thing else within the class, it is a number of seconds off our quickest from a Supra, a handbook, final 12 months. Bunn mentioned his recent set of R-compound tires did not arrive in time, so he was nursing a well-used set.
LL3 ($65,000 to $124,999)
The LL3 class noticed loads of motion this 12 months, with David Hunt in a 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4 finally taking the win with a time of three:02.6. Shut behind was Stephen Fayette in one other GT4, a 2016 mannequin, who posted a 3:04.6 lap. A number of seconds again, Gabe Wealthy and his 2022 Chevy Camaro SS 1LE battled it out with Jonathan Lucas in a second 2016 Porsche 718 GT4, with Wealthy’s 3:11.394 lap simply edging out Lucas’s 3:11.502. Fred Barasoain set a 3:18.3 time in his 2019 BMW M4, whereas Bradley Lucas turned in a 3:27.5 in a 2021 C8 Corvette.
LL4 ($125,000 to $249,999)
It positive was lonely within the $249,000 and below membership. Its solely competitor, Matthew Einstein in a 2022 Porsche 911 GT3, set a tasty lap to the tune of two:45.7. After all, he gained. His 2023 time improved over final 12 months by practically a second, making Matthew the quickest dude of the day. We managed a 2:40.6 in our try final 12 months, however we additionally had the PDK-automatic benefit over his six-speed handbook. We suspect Matthew may return to slice one other second or two off his time subsequent 12 months. Amongst earlier reader observe day competitions, Matthew is slightly behind the two:40.9 lap set by Corey Radcliff’s 2017 Dodge Viper ACR Excessive. Nice work, Matthew, and main props for utilizing that rocket as Stuttgart meant.
LL5 ($250,000 and above)
Deep Sran’s 2018 Ferrari 488 GTB set a 3:18.1 and is the primary Ferrari to dive into our pool of track-going readership. Its twin-turbo V-8 packs 661 horsepower from the manufacturing unit, and the paddle shifters for its seven-speed dual-clutch automated had Deep’s fingertips dancing. Once we examined the 488GTB, it hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat. Whereas Deep’s time was considerably off the tempo of the 2:45.1 we set in 2016, we will not fault the man for ensuring his automobile was capable of drive house in a single piece.
LLR1 (below $65,000)
Usually a hotbed for competitors, this class noticed simply two drivers set occasions this 12 months. John Cuellar took house the trophy in a modified 2007 Chevy Corvette Z06 with a strong time of two:50.3, slicing eight seconds off the lap in a inventory model we set when the automobile was new. Robert Lamere recorded a good 2:57.3 time in one other Z06, a 2011 mannequin with the Z07 package deal, to assert second place.
LLR2 ($65,000 to $124,999)
Principally populated by Ginetta G56 GTA race vehicles operated by Kaizen Autosport—a 2400-pound racer with a British chassis and Mustang V-6 energy—a C5 Corvette that acquired bumped to the race class with a modified engine and a BMW M240i rounded out the category. The Ginettas had been greater than 10 seconds faster than the opposite two and tightly clustered between 2:48.0 and a couple of:49.5. Kaizen boss Peter Heffring ended up in second with a 2:48.5 whereas Bertus van Jaarsveld introduced house the win by a half-second, and we do not suppose simply because he is a paying buyer.
LLR3 ($125,000 to $249,999)
This class noticed one other small however certainly not quiet contingent of Porsches. Honors finally went to Jean-François Lemay, who set a 2:52.5 time in a 2017 911 GT3 Cup automobile. Scorching on his heels was Stéphane Bouvier’s 2020 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, which logged a 2:56.8.
LLRP1 (prototype)
After an unlucky wreck at our final observe day, Garry Grey was again along with his 2013 Radical SR8 for one more go. And go he did, turning a greatest 2:46.1, which is faster than the Tatuus from our final occasion by the very slender margin of 0.3 second. Good work.
Affiliate Editor
Sure, he is nonetheless engaged on the 1986 Nissan 300ZX Turbo challenge automobile he began in highschool, and no, it’s not on the market but. Austin Irwin was born and raised in Michigan, and, regardless of getting shelled by hockey pucks throughout a not-so-successful goaltending profession by means of highschool and faculty, nonetheless has all of his tooth. He loves vehicles from the Nineteen Eighties and Bleu, his Nice Pyrenees, and is an energetic member of the Buffalo Wild Wings neighborhood. When Austin isn’t engaged on his personal vehicles, he’s possible on the aspect of the freeway serving to another person repair theirs.
Technical Editor
Mike Sutton is an editor, author, check driver, and normal automobile nerd who has contributed to Automotive and Driver‘s reverent and irreverent ardour for the auto since 2008. A local Michigander from suburban Detroit, he enjoys the outside and complaining concerning the climate, has an affection for off-road autos, and believes in federal safety for naturally aspirated engines.
Director, Automobile Testing
Dave VanderWerp has spent greater than 20 years within the automotive business, in different roles from engineering to product consulting, and now main Automotive and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave acquired his very fortunate begin at C/D by taking place to submit an unsolicited resume at simply the fitting time to land a part-time street warrior job when he was a pupil on the College of Michigan, the place he instantly turned enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.
