Attwood ( right ) with young Harry King
A race circuit presents a completely different , and relevant , set of challenges , including higher energy consumption . The Taycan ’ s fast charging ability coupled with maximum regeneration under braking of 265 kWh would be key to success . Brands Hatch was the logical home to the record attempts , with the Kent-based circuit steeped in Porsche motorsport history .
In April 1970 , a Porsche 917 in the hands of Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen won the rain-soaked BOAC 1000km race by five laps . The drive from Rodriguez is still considered to be one of the finest seen in sports car racing . On the podium in third that day was another 917 , driven by Richard Attwood and Hans Hermann . Two months later the same distinctive red and white Salzburg liveried 917 would make Porsche history when the pair took the first outright win for Porsche at Le Mans .
In July 1984 , Porsche claimed the top six finishing positions with 956 and 962 models at the 1000km of Brands Hatch . The drivers of the winning Porsche 956 were Jonathan Palmer and Jan Lammers .
50 years after his 1000km race at Brands Hatch , Attwood returned to the circuit to join the driver lineup in a Taycan 4S sporting a specially designed Salzburg tribute livery . 36 years after his part in the 1000km win , Palmer was back to join the line up in a Taycan Turbo S finished in a livery celebrating that of the winning 956 from 1984 .
The winning 917 from 1970 covered 1000kms in 6h45m29.6s at an average speed of 91.54 mph on the then faster Grand Prix circuit . In 2020 , the first electric Porsche
“ The drive from Rodriguez is still considered to be one of the finest seen in sports car racing ”
The two Taycans in special liveries
sports car covered the same distance in 13h25s at an average speed of 47.77 mph with an average energy consumption of 1.38 miles / kWh ( 72.5 kWh / 100 miles ).
Over the course of the 1000km record run , the Taycan 4S spent a total of just over three hours charging and entering or exiting the charging area , which was completed over six stops . On average , each stop lasted around 30 minutes from the car entering the pitlane to re-joining the circuit , with the cars charging from around five percent to 85 percent each time . A bespoke strategy was developed for each car , combining a lap-by-lap efficiency target with a target lap time . Communication was maintained
between the teams and cars via a hands-free mobile phone . Due to the need for social distancing and keeping personnel to a minimum , each car was managed by a team of just two , plus a technical representative and an overall coordinator .
The record runs , which were set just over the winter , got underway at 7am and were completed at 8pm , meaning that laps were undertaken in daylight and darkness . In a parallel to the race of 1970 , intermittent rain and heavy showers ensured the track surface was never any better than damp .
Swapping between both cars and the star drivers was UK motoring journalist Colin Goodwin with each driver completing either two or three stints over the duration of the runs , each stint usually lasting around 90 minutes , which equated to around 80 laps .
Landmark Porsche racing cars
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