what is the fastest lap at bathurst
The fastest lap ever recorded at Bathurst's Mount Panorama Circuit is an unofficial 1:48.8 set by Jenson Button in a McLaren MP4-23 Formula 1 car back in 2011, showcasing the extreme speeds open-wheel cars can achieve on this challenging 6.213 km track.
All-Time Fastest Laps
Mount Panorama's lap records have been fiercely contested across categories, with production-based and prototype vehicles pushing boundaries over decades. Here's a breakdown of key milestones from reliable motorsport sources:
Rank| Time| Driver/Vehicle| Year| Category/Event|
---|---|---|---|---|---
1| 1:48.8| Jenson Button / McLaren MP4-23| 2011| F1 Demo| 5
2| 1:56.28| Ford SuperVan 4.2 (electric)| 2024| Exhibition| 5
3| 1:56.6064| Jules Gounon / Mercedes-AMG GT3| 2024| Bathurst 12 Hour| 5
4| 1:58.679| Brabham BT62| 2019| Exhibition| 7
5| 1:59.264| James Golding / S5000| 2022| Bathurst International| 9
These times highlight how tweaks like The Chase extension in 1987 (adding 41m) and unrestricted setups have evolved records—George Fury's 2:13.8 in a 1984 Nissan Bluebird held the original layout's crown.
Supercars Context
For V8 Supercars, Scott McLaughlin's 2:03.378 from the 2019 Bathurst 1000 qualifying remains the pole benchmark, a full 15 seconds off open-wheel extremes but legendary in touring car racing. Recent GT3 efforts, like Shane van Gisbergen's 2:01.286 in a McLaren 650S (2016), bridge the gap in "official" race contexts.
Recent Developments
As of early 2024, electric prototypes like the Ford SuperVan shattered closed- wheel marks at over 300 km/h on Conrod Straight, topping 308 km/h speeds—but F1's aero edge keeps Button untouchable overall. No major updates post-2024 appear in current data, though Bathurst's Top Ten Shootout often sparks fresh chases.
TL;DR: Jenson Button's 1:48.8 (2011 F1) is Bathurst's absolute fastest; closed-wheel records hover around 1:56-1:58 from recent vans and GT3s.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.