Could the Nissan really go 27-seconds faster? I just don't know. Unlike the Porsche time, we have video evidence of Toshio Suzuki setting a 7:29.03sec lap and he is super-committed. In fact it's a brilliant piece of driving. But I just don't see where another 27 seconds comes from with the car I drove Ten, perhaps -fifteen with a set of those gummy Dunlops fitted, Suzuki-san driving, using his sublime skills and telepathic knowledge of the car's handling traits. I felt I came much closer to extracting the maximum performance of the Nissan on this single flying-lap challenge than I did the Porsche. Which probably marks me out as something of a girl.
I still find it hard to believe that Porsche made any kind of public statement about the GTR; it's almost as if it felt threatened. It needn't have been so protective - the GT2 is an immense performance car. In offering to teach 'other manufacturers' how to drive the GTR by reply, Nissan added some amusing spice to the spat, but it also opened itself to scrutiny.
Special thanks to TurboSpyder For the tip!
Read Article