The Ford Mustang GTD Runs Riot around the ‘Ring
The track-only Mustang GTD was the fastest American production car to ever lap the legendary circuit. It also broke the 7min mark for the feat, running a 6-minute, 57-second lap late last year. After some tweaks they've had another shot. Included are an updated powertrain calibration, a revised chassis with more torsional rigidity, a reworked ABS and TC system, and a refined aero set-up. The upshot was subtracting five seconds from the previous best, with a time of 6min 52.072sec. This is what it eclipsed, the Porsche 918 holding the previous title at 6min 57sec.
The latest Mustang GTD is quicker around the 'Ring now than the Porsche 918 Spyder, previously the overall record holder for a production car. It's also quicker than the latest 911 GT3, the Ferrari 296 GTB, and the Lamborghini Aventador SV. The holder of the quickest lap for a production car is Mercedes-AMG One at 6min29sec.
This may wear a familiar body but it is no regular Mustang. The GTD is essentially a ground-up build with a Mustang body over the top. It features a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that connects to the engine via a carbon fibre torque tube. Semi-active suspension is developed by Multimatic and is track trick. As much as anything this reflects how far tyre and suspension technology have come in 12 years since Porsche set the record with the 918.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
16 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Skydiver who jumped from space dies in paragliding accident
Felix Baumgartner jumps from the capsule at the edge of space above Roswell, New Mexico in October 2012. Photo: Red Bull Stratos /Red Bull Content Pool/Handout via REUTERS Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police say. He was 56. Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear. Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air, and offered the town's condolences for the death of "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights." The Austrian made headlines around the world in October 2012 when, wearing a specially made suit, he jumped from a balloon 24 miles (38 km) above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 690mph. He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of over 833mph (1343kmh), on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. The self-styled "God of the Skies" started parachuting as a teenager before taking up the extreme sport of BASE jumping. His long career of daredevil jumps included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. In Austria he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government. Baumgartner was fined 1500 euros after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg.
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer clocking world championship times
Yu Zidi of China is only 12 years old and will race at the world swimming championships later this month in Singapore. That's amazing. But her age is only part of the picture. Not only is she very young, but her times in three events this year are among the best in the world. And here's the kicker. Those times would have been very close to medals in last year's Paris Olympics. Again, she's 12. That's a sixth- or seventh-grade student depending on the school system. Not yet a teenager. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think it's a great story. I don't know where it will lead,' Greg Meehan, the national team director for the American squad in Singapore, told The Associated Press. The world is watching As promising young swimmers do, Yu is clocking personal bests almost each time she competes. Her PBs are more than just confidence boosters, they put her in sight of records, medals and stardom. Yu has qualified in the 200-mand 400m individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly. She could win a medal in all three. Her time of 2 minutes, 10.63 seconds in the 200 IM at the Chinese championships in May was the fastest ever by a 12-year-old swimmer — male or female — according to World Aquatics, the global governing body of the sport. That was only the start. Her time of 2:06.83 in the 200 butterfly in the same meet would have placed her fourth in last year's Paris Olympics. It was the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and would have been good enough for gold in the 2024 worlds. Again, Yu is 12 years old. ADVERTISEMENT To cap off the national championships she swam 4:35.53 in the 400 IM, the fifth-fastest time of the year in that event. That also would have been good for fourth place last year at the Olympics, just 0.6 behind bronze medalist Emma Weyant of the United States. Faster than McIntosh at 12 The 400 IM is dominated by 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, who holds the world record of 4:23.65 and the 200 IM mark of 2:05.70. She's a generational talent, the winner of three gold medals in Paris. By comparison, Yu at 12 is swimming roughly 15 seconds faster in the 400 IM than McIntosh did at 12, and about 12 seconds faster in the 200 IM. In a 50-meter pool, 12 to 15 seconds would be a half-lap of the pool, depending on the event. Yu Zidi celebrates on the podium of the 2025 National Swimming Championships after competing in the Women's 400m Individual Medley. (Source: Associated Press) Yu is not the first young swimmer to excel, but it's how she's doing it — the stunning times and the promise of more to come. Of course there are no guarantees of success, and young swimmers can burn out. ADVERTISEMENT Started out as fun Yu said she began swimming at the age of six in a water amusement park. 'The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park," she told China's official Xinhua News Agency. 'I enjoyed the coolness of the water and spent a lot of time in different small pools for kids. One day, a coach approached me and asked if I wanted to swim faster." The rest is history, as they say, as she explained her event preference. 'Since I am not competitive in the sprint events, I have to choose the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly as my favorites,' Yu told Xinhua. "My age is currently an advantage and I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future.' Yu trains at the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club in Hengshui City, south of Beijing in Hebei Province. Alzain Tareq of Bahrain swam in the 2015 worlds at only 10. She finished last in her event. World Aquatics now has stricter age rules than a decade ago. Swimmers must be at least 14 unless their times meet qualification standards. In effect, this means there is no age limit. ADVERTISEMENT Looking to LA Olympics If Yu were to win Olympic gold in three years in Los Angeles, she would be 15. But that wouldn't make her the youngest swimmer to take gold. Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan was 14 years and six days old when she won gold in the 200 breaststroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Swimmers tend to peak early, particularly females. The specialty publication and website SwimSwam lists seven swimmers — all women — who won Olympic gold before they turned 15. Three, including Iwasaki, did it in individual events, and four got gold in relays. American superstar Katie Ledecky was 15 years and 139 days when she won the 800 freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics — the first of her nine gold medals over four Olympics. She's still swimming and is the overwhelming favourite to win the 1500m in Singapore. Ledecky has the top 23 times in history in the event, and also No. 25. ADVERTISEMENT For another jolting perspective, consider this. Ledecky's first gold came several months before Yu was born — October 6, 2012. 'I have no idea what it's like to compete abroad," Yu told Xinhua. 'I really want to experience the world-class competition.' The world is watching.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Whanganui endurance runner James Bland set for 171km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
Bland said he completed it in 36 hours last year. 'That was probably the hardest thing I've done in my life. 'I'm doing it again to compete in it, rather than just complete it.' Last year's UTMB winner Vincent Bouillard finished in 19 hours and 54 minutes. The record is held by American James Walmsley, who ran a time of 19:37 in 2023. 'It's the biggest race in the world, like competing at Wimbledon if you're a tennis player,' Bland said. 'You run through France, Italy and Switzerland. 'If everything goes right, I'm aiming for sub-24 hours.' New Zealand runner Scott Hawker finished third at the UTMB in 2019, with a time of 21:48. In 2022, Bland completed the 100-mile (161km) Western States Endurance Run in California, United States, and won the South Island Ultramarathon. He has finished the 165km Tarawera Ultramarathon four times. Speaking to the Chronicle after the Western States event, he said he started running while working at Pak'nSave Whanganui, which sponsors the annual 3 Bridges Marathon. James Bland is aiming to be only the third person to complete the 165km Tarawera ultramarathon five times. 'They give [Pak'nSave employees] free entry to support the cause, and all the 30-odd entrants were just doing the 5km and 10km. 'I just wanted to one-up everyone in the entire store, so I signed up for the half [marathon].' Bland, now based in Melbourne, said he was not in a position to run fulltime and worked as a sales representative to pay the bills. His 'support crew and aid station' was partner Angela Worthy, who would fly with him to France. 'It's not just finding the time to run, it's the saunas, ice baths, stretching, cooking the right food and all the rehab that comes with running 200km a week,' Bland said. 'There's so much in the background. 'If something goes wrong, you pay $100 a session for someone to massage your leg until it comes right.' He said every race funnelled into Tarawera and du Mont-Blanc - 'the big ones'. 'All my training at the moment is running hills every day. 'Basically, the [You Yangs] event at the weekend was to see how long I could hold on for.' Results over the past few years had put him in or around the country's top 10 trail runners, Bland said. He said the sport was growing popular and that meant more competition. 'Even two years ago, if you were above average, you'd do pretty well - top five. 'Above average isn't good enough any more.' Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, which starts and finishes in Chamonix, begins on August 29. Bland said he aimed to complete the Tarawera event again next year, meaning he would be one of only three people to run it five times. Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
