Earlier this month Texas-based hypercar manufacturer Hennessey Special Vehicles has set a new road car lap record at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with an incredible 2:10.90 lap of the 3.41-mile-long racetrack in Austin, Texas.
The car broke the previous COTA road car lap record which was set by a Czinger 21C of 2:11.33 on 23rd September 2023, by 0.43 seconds, making the track-focused Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution the fastest ever road-going hypercar around the circuit.
The flying lap surpassed not only the record set by a Czinger C21 but is also outpaced the previous McLaren P1 record of 2:17.12 by almost seven seconds.
During the course of the record-breaking run on 11th March, the Venom F5 also hit exceptional speeds on the 1,016 meter-long back straight, achieving an eye-watering 193.10 mph.
Hennessey set out to build ‘the Decathlete of Hypercars’ right from the outset. With its 1,817 bhp twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V8 engine, the objective was not only to surpass 300 mph but to also make it a highly capable track car.
In-house test driver David Donohue demonstrated the Venom’s capabilities, pulling up to +1.59 G in the corners and -1.61 G under braking. This extreme performance was achieved on street-legal MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres utilising Brembo brakes, carbon ceramic discs and the latest Bosch ABS technology to brake from almost 200 mph safely and under control.
With his proven racing skills combined with the car’s 2,998 lb (1,360 kg) lightweight construction, Donohue was able to aggressively tackle the undulating track and technical corners, and where the circuit straightened, the immense power from Hennessey’s ‘Fury’ engine enabled the record-breaking time. In a straight like, the Venom F5 can accelerate from 0-200 kph (0-124 mph) in a lightning 4.7 seconds.
John Hennessey, company founder and CEO commented:
“Racing, and life, is often more about the journey than the destination. Seeing the Venom F5 take the production car lap record at our home circuit has been an important part of our journey with the F5. We don’t do these things because they are easy, we do them because they are hard. The process of pushing our American hypercar to the limits makes our team of engineers, designers, and technicians better while also delivering an enhanced product and experience to our clients. We look forward to continuing the journey and pushing the Venom F5 to set new speed records in the future.”
Hennessey’s VP of Engineering, Brian Jones who joined the company in 2023 from his previous role as Chief Engineer for the AMG ONE, worked with the engineering team to optimise the set-up of the Venom F5 to tackle the full 3.41-mile long Grand Prix Circuit.
Unlike its Coupe sibling, this lighter and track-honed car features a full-width rear-mounted carbon fibre wing, a significantly larger front splitter and rear diffuser, as well as reworked suspension, engine cooling and digital telemetry. In addition, it features dive planes ahead of each front wheel that channel air to improve grip at turn-in. The Revolution also has a roof-mounted central air scoop delivering cool air directly to the engine bay.
With over three decades of racing experience, including first place wins at 24 Hours of Le Mans, the North American Touring Car Championship and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, David Donohue, who joined Hennessey in 2023 as its Hypercar Test Driver, added:
“Having been part of developing the Venom F5 Revolution, I knew it was capable of a quick time, but when it came to pushing the car hard, I was blown away by its phenomenal power and exceptional handling. There is no other car in the world that delivers such a visceral and engaging driving experience.”
The design and assembly of the Venom F5 has all been done at Hennessey’s HQ in Sealy, Texas with 22 Venom F5 Coupe, Roadster and Revolution models already built and delivered to customers in the United States and around the world.
Having established the track-based credentials of ‘America’s Hypercar’, the company is now working towards the car’s +300 mph V-max. During development the Venom F5 achieved over 270 mph at the former NASA Shuttle Landing Facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida, so they are now looking for a runway or public road with a sufficiently long straight that will allow the 1,817 bhp twin-turbo V8 hypercar to accelerate beyond 300 mph and of course return to zero safely.
For more information on the Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution or Roadster, please visit: HennesseySpecialVehicles.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of Hennessey Special Vehicles
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