The new 818 scores 1st place in class and 1st overall at NASA’s September 28 and 29 Watkins Glen road races. The 818R driven by 2012 Factory Five Challenge Series Champion John George ran a best lap time of 2:02.005 with impressive 1.7 G cornering!

More impressive than the great lap times is that the car was down on power (estimated 300 RWHP) due to heat soak in the turbo intercooler (easy to fix) and an incorrect final drive ratio rendering sixth gear essentially a useless overdrive. With these basic changes made, we’re fairly confident that the car as it sits will easily crack the 2 minute mark.

To give you an idea of how FAST this really is in a car that was built for about $24,000, here are some comparison lap times/records at Watkins Glen long course:

Factory Five 818R: 2:02.005
SCCA American Sedan Class Record, Ford Mustang: 2:08.667
SCCA T2 Class Record, Ford Mustang: 2:04.616
SCCA T1 Class Record, Chevrolet Corvette: 2:01.720
SCCA T1 Class Record, Dodge Viper SRT-10: 2:05.7
SCCA Spec Racer Ford Class Record: 2:13.94
SCCA Spec Miata Class Record: 2:19.998
NASA ST2 Class Record, Chevrolet Corvette – 2:03
NASA TTA Class Record, BMW M3: 2:08.2