PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO GT SETS OFFICIAL YAS MARINA PRODUCTION SUV LAP RECORD – 2:14.046 OF V8 FURY
The Yas Marina Circuit has a new apex predator, and it’s wearing a Porsche badge. The Cayenne Turbo GT has officially rewritten the SUV rulebook by setting a blistering lap time of 2:14.046 on the full 5.281 km Grand Prix layout in Abu Dhabi, claiming the title of fastest production SUV to ever lap the circuit. Behind the wheel was Ramez Azzam - the name should sound familiar because the man was the GT4 winner at this year’s Dubai 24 Hours – it makes sense that he has the cahoonas to wring every drop of performance from Stuttgart’s most savage SUV. This wasn’t some PR hot lap with fingers crossed and corners cut. This was officially sanctioned with the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) and Yas Marina Circuit introducing a new production car lap record format. Full scrutineering. Timed sessions. FIA-level oversight. Track limits enforced. No tricks. No fluff. Just raw, verified speed.
“It felt like a real qualifying session. The pressure was on to deliver one clean, mega lap,” said Azzam. “One of my laps was even disallowed for track limits. This format is the real deal.”
Underneath its sculpted bodywork and coupe-like roofline, the Cayenne Turbo GT hides a monster: a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 delivering 485 kW and 850 Nm, married to a lightning-quick 8-speed Tiptronic S transmission. That translates to 0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, 0-200 in 12.1, and an in-gear wallop from 80-120 km/h in just 2.2 seconds. All while belting out an exhaust note that probably rattled the marina’s yachts. Oh, and the top speed of the monstrous SUV is a mere 305 km/h. “SUV.”
But numbers only tell half the story. The Cayenne Turbo GT’s performance is dialled in with a full suite of Porsche’s finest chassis tech: Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), rear-wheel steering, and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) – all standard. It's this mechanical wizardry that allows a near-2.2-ton SUV to turn in like a sports car and stop like it hit a wall of magnets.
“The sound and power are wild,” said Azzam. “But what blew me away was how late I could brake and how flat it stayed through corners. I could push it hard and still have full confidence. It’s crazy.”
This record-breaking run marks the first time Yas Marina and EMSO have combined forces under the new format to officially validate production car lap times - and Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT now holds the top SUV spot.
“We’re proud to set this benchmark,” said Wissam Khalil, General Manager of Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. “And big props to Ramez for taking our Cayenne faster than ever before.”
“This achievement adds to our growing roster of officially recognised lap records across various vehicle categories,” added Ali Al Beshr, GM of Yas Marina Circuit. “It reaffirms Yas Marina as the region’s performance proving ground.”
The venue is no stranger to speed. It’s the annual home of the Formula 1 season finale, a hub for motorsport excellence - and now, officially, a battleground for production car supremacy.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows the mahoosive Porsche Cayenne GT Turbo setting a new lap record at Abu Dhabi's awesome Yas Marina circuit - in the onboard driver's view you can get a sense of the bulk of the thing, as fast as it is: Cayenne Turbo GT Full Lap On Board Camera | Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi and Al Ain
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!