Ford SuperVan monitor assault: record-breaker in full flight

Its driver, Kiwi ace Liam Lawson, might have 5 Formulation One races beneath his belt, however even he says: “I’ve by no means felt something like this.”

The Crimson Bull Racing driver, who deputised for an injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri F1 final yr, then begins laughing as a lot as I’m.

We’re strapped inside this hypersonic Ford Transit van’s carbon fibre cockpit, and I’ve simply loved/endured two monitor laps on the Adelaide Motorsport Competition.

Why endured? This mad Ford boasts 4000Nm – that’s eight occasions as a lot as your Ford Ranger bi-turbo diesel – and hits 100km/h in lower than two seconds.

The G-forces concerned are immense and two days later I’m nonetheless nursing an aching neck.

“It has F1-levels of acceleration,” says Lawson, who’ll be on the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend as Crimson Bull F1’s reserve driver, in case lead drivers Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez produce a sick be aware.

Due to the moment torque from 4 electrical motors, the Ford SuperVan’s as much as warp velocity earlier than you’ll be able to shout “‘supply!” Its acceleration pins you want a statue, then big ceramic brakes – plus the EV battery’s 600kW regenerative braking efficiency – do a sterling job of crushing your ribs.

I requested Ford how a lot of this SuperVan is “true” Transit, and after some head-scratching, they urged a number of the windscreen’s dimensions are near a manufacturing mannequin’s.

The physique and inside are all race-spec carbon fibre, constructed over a tube-frame chassis. A comparatively small 50kW battery powers the motors and in full monitor assault mode, the van travels solely 20km.

So it’s a Ford Transit with garbage vary, barely any payload capability, no sliding doorways nor anyplace to soundly put your chocolate milk.

However its skills lie elsewhere, together with file breaking.

Final month it snared the unofficial tin-top Bathurst lap file, registering a 1m56.3s tour of the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit. That was greater than 10 seconds quicker than Broc Feeney’s Chevy Camaro pole lap for a similar weekend’s Supercars race.

Double Le Mans 24-Hour winner Romain Dumas piloted the SuperVan for its file run. The outright unofficial Bathurst lap file of 1m48.9s is held by 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button in a McLaren MP4-23 Formulation One automotive.

In contrast to that F1 McLaren’s screaming petrol-powered V8, the Ford SuperVan is eerily silent because it flies previous the Adelaide crowds.

For us inside, it’s a distinct story. Its electrical motors could also be quiet, however the high-pitched squeals of its entrance and rear mechanical differentials imply I can’t be heard even when screaming.

As I’m pummelled in my race seat, the SuperVan appears like an enormous radio managed automotive’s whoosh fed by stadium rock audio system. Turned as much as 11.

In a blink we’re at 240km/h on Adelaide’s brief straight, and at that velocity this giant-winged aerodynamic powerhouse generates an unbelievable two tonnes of downforce.

If there’s area, as there was at Bathurst, this 1800kg van will fortunately surge on to greater than 300km/h.

I’ve pushed or passengered in Le Mans vehicles, single-seat racers and million-dollar V12 exotica, however the SuperVan’s efficiency eclipsed all of them.

When Lawson – who’s shared race tracks with Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso – appears as blown away as I’m, this should be probably the most splendidly insane van ever created.