Lightning Lap 2020 & Road & Track Performance Car of the Year (test dates... no results yet !)


Laurent T

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For those curious to get results, both events will be held by end of October, so I presume we should get results online by end of November. Here is what I found on R&T website ; no clue yet on the list of contenders :
Have you ever wanted to join car magazine editors to help test and judge some of the coolest new cars on the planet? Well, you might soon get the chance. Founder members of our new Track Club by R&T will have ultra-exclusive opportunities to ride and judge alongside Road & Track and Car and Driver editors as we conduct our annual tests this year. Here's what we have planned so far.
The first big event on the horizon is our sister publication Car and Driver's Lightning Lap, happening on October 22, 2020. Held annually at Virginia International Raceway, the team of editors put the hottest new cars through their paces, measuring lap times around the 4.1-mile Grand Course circuit. Founders will be invited to attend Lightning Lap testing to watch these incredible vehicles being pushed to their limits. They'll also have the opportunity to join Car and Driver editors for lunch at the track paddock.
Happening just one week later is our annual Performance Car of the Year event, going down this year at Atlanta Motorsport Park in Georgia. Each fall, Road & Track gathers every new or revised performance car they can get their hands on, puts them on the track, and endeavors to find the one that provides the most hope for the enthusiast: a machine that offers everything you expect of a modern vehicle, yet still tugs at the heart. Founders will attend PCOTY testing with R&T editors at the track, then cast a vote for the all-new Founders' Choice category.
Then, on November 18, Car and Driver will hold its coveted 10Best Awards. 10Best winners represent the smartest, most entertaining vehicles you can buy today. They're picked annually after an exhaustive evaluation of the year’s new or significantly refreshed models, as well as last year’s defending 10Best. For two weeks, editors drive, measure, test, and scrutinize a long line-up of cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans. Founders will connect with Car and Driver editors in an intimate virtual setting to explore the selection process and learn about the winners.
 
I have seen any report or preview of the line-up for both events - somebody has any clue ?
 
Checked on Instagram : lineup is interesting for C&D Lightning Lap, with among others : McLaren 765 LT (y), Huracan, 911 Turbo S, Taycan Turbo S, Cayman (GT4), Corvette C8, AMGT GT 4 doors, M8, Jaguar F-Type R (I could not identify all of them), Shelby GT500. Looking forward for the results and laptimes now !
R&T is much, much less interesting, I daresay even disappointing :sleep: : Cayman T, CLA45, Jaguar F-Type R, GT500, Continental GT V8, M8 Competition, Polestar 1... I'd say worse than the Motor Trend Lineup !
 
And the Road & Track performance car of the year is:


The Winner
It was the quickest vote in PCOTY history. A unanimous choice that should be obvious by now. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a true triumph, and one of the all-time great pony cars. A genre-redefining epic that brings a little Trans Am to the street and makes you feel like a hero on the track. There are so few cars like this, a willing partner thoughtfully designed and engineered to be a track rat and a back-road demon alike, an ultra-high-performance brute that’s useful in all kinds of weather. Even without our car’s optional Track Pack, the GT500 is beyond capable.

w-burnett-4-1605576763.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.861xh;0,0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Some of you will likely view this year’s PCOTY with an asterisk. We lost three top-spot contenders before the competition even started, due to circumstances beyond our control. By all estimates, the Cayman GT4 would have been right up there—particularly since, after the dust settled, the Cayman T was a close second choice, let down only by its uncharming engine. The flat-six in the GT4 would have rectified that, and could have earned the Cayman the win. McLaren’s missing 765LT would have been right there in the mix, considering McLaren’s 720S won the title in 2018. And the Ferrari F8 has roots in the 488 Pista, a car that came extremely close to winning PCOTY just two years ago.

-dw-burnett-2-1605577056.jpg?crop=0.509xw:1.00xh;0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Delete that asterisk in your mind. The GT500 would have wowed us no matter what else was in the field. This car is a masterclass, proof that a team of engineers who care about performance can work miracles with a well-engineered platform. And like the Mustang GT that nearly won PCOTY in 2015, and the GT350R that did win in 2016, there is something inherently special about the whole package. It also doesn’t hurt that this GT500 was one of the less expensive cars in the test, a performance bargain that’s accessible to a much wider swath of the population than the exotics it runs neck-and-neck with.

This also marks the end of the line for this generation of Mustang. A new model is due in 2022 that will surely see turbocharged engines, hybrid drivetrains, and more big changes. Just another development in the history of America’s first pony car. But as long as Ford remembers to let the team at Ford Performance work their magic on the next Mustang, we’re in for another generation of PCOTY contenders. Bring it on.

 
And the Road & Track performance car of the year is:


The Winner
It was the quickest vote in PCOTY history. A unanimous choice that should be obvious by now. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a true triumph, and one of the all-time great pony cars. A genre-redefining epic that brings a little Trans Am to the street and makes you feel like a hero on the track. There are so few cars like this, a willing partner thoughtfully designed and engineered to be a track rat and a back-road demon alike, an ultra-high-performance brute that’s useful in all kinds of weather. Even without our car’s optional Track Pack, the GT500 is beyond capable.

w-burnett-4-1605576763.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.861xh;0,0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Some of you will likely view this year’s PCOTY with an asterisk. We lost three top-spot contenders before the competition even started, due to circumstances beyond our control. By all estimates, the Cayman GT4 would have been right up there—particularly since, after the dust settled, the Cayman T was a close second choice, let down only by its uncharming engine. The flat-six in the GT4 would have rectified that, and could have earned the Cayman the win. McLaren’s missing 765LT would have been right there in the mix, considering McLaren’s 720S won the title in 2018. And the Ferrari F8 has roots in the 488 Pista, a car that came extremely close to winning PCOTY just two years ago.

-dw-burnett-2-1605577056.jpg?crop=0.509xw:1.00xh;0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Delete that asterisk in your mind. The GT500 would have wowed us no matter what else was in the field. This car is a masterclass, proof that a team of engineers who care about performance can work miracles with a well-engineered platform. And like the Mustang GT that nearly won PCOTY in 2015, and the GT350R that did win in 2016, there is something inherently special about the whole package. It also doesn’t hurt that this GT500 was one of the less expensive cars in the test, a performance bargain that’s accessible to a much wider swath of the population than the exotics it runs neck-and-neck with.

This also marks the end of the line for this generation of Mustang. A new model is due in 2022 that will surely see turbocharged engines, hybrid drivetrains, and more big changes. Just another development in the history of America’s first pony car. But as long as Ford remembers to let the team at Ford Performance work their magic on the next Mustang, we’re in for another generation of PCOTY contenders. Bring it on.

I thought this was the Lightning Lap results - Road&Track event had no interest this year :cry:
 
I thought this was the Lightning Lap results - Road&Track event had no interest this year :cry:

I read somewhere on Instagram that the Lightning Lap results won't be published until February 2021. I'll see if I can find that post. By that time no one will care.
 
I read somewhere on Instagram that the Lightning Lap results won't be published until February 2021. I'll see if I can find that post. By that time no one will care.
S##t if true. I will still care in February, but the event was done one month and a half ago, even before Road & Track one, so why wait for so long ! Note that I think February issue is out beginning of Januray though... so just one month left to wait for.
 
And the Road & Track performance car of the year is:


The Winner
It was the quickest vote in PCOTY history. A unanimous choice that should be obvious by now. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a true triumph, and one of the all-time great pony cars. A genre-redefining epic that brings a little Trans Am to the street and makes you feel like a hero on the track. There are so few cars like this, a willing partner thoughtfully designed and engineered to be a track rat and a back-road demon alike, an ultra-high-performance brute that’s useful in all kinds of weather. Even without our car’s optional Track Pack, the GT500 is beyond capable.

w-burnett-4-1605576763.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.861xh;0,0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Some of you will likely view this year’s PCOTY with an asterisk. We lost three top-spot contenders before the competition even started, due to circumstances beyond our control. By all estimates, the Cayman GT4 would have been right up there—particularly since, after the dust settled, the Cayman T was a close second choice, let down only by its uncharming engine. The flat-six in the GT4 would have rectified that, and could have earned the Cayman the win. McLaren’s missing 765LT would have been right there in the mix, considering McLaren’s 720S won the title in 2018. And the Ferrari F8 has roots in the 488 Pista, a car that came extremely close to winning PCOTY just two years ago.

-dw-burnett-2-1605577056.jpg?crop=0.509xw:1.00xh;0.jpg

DW BURNETT
Delete that asterisk in your mind. The GT500 would have wowed us no matter what else was in the field. This car is a masterclass, proof that a team of engineers who care about performance can work miracles with a well-engineered platform. And like the Mustang GT that nearly won PCOTY in 2015, and the GT350R that did win in 2016, there is something inherently special about the whole package. It also doesn’t hurt that this GT500 was one of the less expensive cars in the test, a performance bargain that’s accessible to a much wider swath of the population than the exotics it runs neck-and-neck with.

This also marks the end of the line for this generation of Mustang. A new model is due in 2022 that will surely see turbocharged engines, hybrid drivetrains, and more big changes. Just another development in the history of America’s first pony car. But as long as Ford remembers to let the team at Ford Performance work their magic on the next Mustang, we’re in for another generation of PCOTY contenders. Bring it on.

Which track are they using this year? There will be lap times I hope?
 
Which track are they using this year? There will be lap times I hope?

...............Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: 1:00.15 (MPS Cup2)
...........................BMW M8 Competition: 1:02.06 (Pirelli P Zero)
.........................................Jaguar F-Type R: 1:03.59
...........................Porsche 718 Cayman T: 1:04.52
..........................Mercedes-AMG CLA45: 1:04.55 (Pirelli Trofeo R)
.................Bentley Continental GT V-8: 1:04.92
Mini Cooper John Cooper Work GP: 1:06.30
.......................................................Polestar 1: 1:07.36
.............................................Ram 1500 TRX: 1:16.78
 
Can't edit post.

Correction:
GT500 laptime: 0:59.26.

Also, Cayman T is the only manual car in this test.
 
Is there a list of cars that are taking part in the C&D Lightning Lap?
Check below message :
Checked on Instagram : lineup is interesting for C&D Lightning Lap, with among others : McLaren 765 LT (y), Huracan, 911 Turbo S, Taycan Turbo S, Cayman (GT4), Corvette C8, AMGT GT 4 doors, M8, Jaguar F-Type R (I could not identify all of them), Shelby GT500. Looking forward for the results and laptimes now !
R&T is much, much less interesting, I daresay even disappointing :sleep: : Cayman T, CLA45, Jaguar F-Type R, GT500, Continental GT V8, M8 Competition, Polestar 1... I'd say worse than the Motor Trend Lineup !
 

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