Brazil’s Interlagos is one of the world’s great race circuits, and it was only appropriate that a car named after Ayrton Senna held the production-car lap record. Well, late last year, Brazilian racer Ricardo Maurício set a 1:36.967 in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS equipped with a Manthey Racing handling and aero kit, breaking the McLaren’s Senna’s record.
The lap time was nearly a second faster than the Senna’s, which lapped the track in 1:37.856 back in 2022 with Maurício behind the wheel. Not bad for a 911 variant that left production six years ago. Though, this is the same car that set a 6:43 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which still is faster than any road car bar the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.
The Manthey Racing kit for the GT2 RS includes an aero package that increases downforce significantly, coilover suspension, and upgraded brakes. That makes the already-fast 691-horsepower 911 GT2 RS a true track weapon. Porsche is finally offering the upgrade package in the US, but it costs an eye-watering $113,140 before tax or installation.
Watching the onboard video, it seems the GT2 RS MR is ideal for Interlagos. It’s got enough downforce for the Sao Paolo track’s big braking zones and slow-to-medium-speed technical corners, but not so much that it’s slow on the straights. And the upgraded suspension components work well over the track’s curbing, letting Maurício use as much track real-estate as possible on corner exits.
We do wonder how long this record will stand. The GT2 RS MR is still one of the fastest cars in the world, but now, we’ve got monsters like the Corvette ZR1 ready to set blazing lap times, and new hypercars like the McLaren W1.
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