Ford SuperVan smashes Bathurst record on latest attempt

The wild 2000-horsepower all-electric van went close to the record this morning, driver Romain Dumas falling just over a tenth short of the new benchmark set by Mercedes and Jules Gounon in an unrestricted GT3 car last weekend.

That led to Ford successfully bargaining for another run with Supercars, during which the van scorched to a new record with a 1m56.28s (according to Ford’s data) – almost four-tenths clear of Gounon’s effort.

Speedcafe understands that the run included a top speed of in excess of 300 km/h down Conrod Straight.

The new record, unofficial as it wasn’t set in a race, follows a week of significant development for the SuperVan.

Issues with the steering were identified during demonstration runs at Bathurst last weekend, with the existing steering system stretched beyond its limits by the undulating nature of the Mount Panorama circuit.

That led to a midweek revamp which included parts being flown in from Austria, Japan and some even made by Dick Johnson Racing in Queensland.

On Wednesday night a local Bathurst manufacturing company helped weld components for the new steering system in exchange for a case of beer.

The SuperVan will appear at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix next month.