Watch the McLaren 650S GT3 Claim a Track Record at Bathurst
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The McLaren 650S GT3 has set a new track record at Bathurst.
This past weekend, driver Shane van Gisbergen piloted the Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S GT3 to victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour race, but before the actual race happened, he set a lap record of 2:01.286 in qualifying. The British automaker has released a video of the lap, which was all recorded on video from inside the race car.
Van Gisbergen bested his own previous Mount Panorama Circuit lap record that he set in a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in 2014 by two seconds.
SEE ALSO: 2015 McLaren 650S Review
The course is 3.861 miles long and Van Gisbergen’s lap is the first one in history to break the 2 minutes and 2 seconds barrier. The driver was accompanied by Alvaro Parente and Jonathan Webb in the number-59 car during the Bathurst 12 Hour race. Finishing behind the winning McLaren was the Nissan GT-R GT3 piloted by Katsumasa Chiyo, Rick Kelly and Florian Strauss, a mere 1.276 seconds behind the 650S GT3. Third place went to Bentley Motorsport with the Continental GT3 with Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Matt Bell completing 297 laps and even led for an hour of the race.
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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That is one tight course in places. Nice run. With tightness looks more like a rally stage than a GT course. Want to see more of this from McLaren globally on wins and on that the 650 road version way better than any of its closest competitors huracan, 488 ... macca is the driving persons cars vs the poser (huracan) or the prada bag person (488). drive all 3 and you'll see and the 570 a hoot too. Spider version will be more fun though