The Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution hypercar has set a new lap record for production cars at the Circuit of The Americas.Â
With former Le Mans-winning driver David Donohue at the wheel, the Venom F5 achieved a CoTA lap time of 2:10.90.
It means Texas-based Hennessey now holds the lap record for its home circuit, thanks to the extreme aero and track-focused setup of the Venom F5.Â
The new time beats the record of 2:11.33, recorded by a Czinger 21C, and the 2:17.12 previously posted by a McLaren P1.
Everything is bigger in Texas
The Revolution uses the same 1,817hp twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre ‘Fury’ V8 engine as the ‘standard’ Hennessey Venom F5. But its aerodynamic add-ons are designed to provide maximum downforce.Â
At 186mph, the F5 Revolution can generate 363kg of downforce, helped by its huge carbon fibre rear wing, front splitter and added dive planes.
For David Donohue, the result was a maximum speed of 193.1mph on the CoTA back straight.
Donohue said: “Having been part of developing the Venom F5 Revolution, I knew it was capable of a quick time, but when it came to pushing the car hard, I was blown away by its phenomenal power and exceptional handling. There is no other car in the world that delivers such a visceral and engaging driving experience.”
To 300mph and beyond
The new lap record comes as Hennessey makes plans to demonstrate the top speed of the Venom F5. During early tests, it managed more than 270mph.Â
Hennessey is now on the hunt for a location that can see the hypercar safely reach more than 300mph.
Company founder and CEO John Hennessey said: “Racing, and life, is often more about the journey than the destination. Seeing the Venom F5 take the production car lap record at our home circuit has been an important part of our journey with the F5. We don’t do these things because they are easy, we do them because they are hard.Â
“The process of pushing our American hypercar to the limits makes our team of engineers, designers and technicians better, while also delivering an enhanced product and experience to our clients. We look forward to continuing the journey and pushing the Venom F5 to set new speed records in the future.”
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