The BAC Mono track car is no stranger to setting lap records, having conquered many race tracks over the years with the kind of speed normally associated with supercars. Turns out, the Mono isn’t done laying the smackdown just yet. It has notched another lap record for a road-legal car at the Anglesey Coastal Circuit in Wales. The record was achieved by Evo Magazine’s Richard Meaden, who piloted the Mono to a lap time of 1:07.70, eclipsing the previous lap record that was recently set by the McLaren P1 GTR by exactly one second.
Consider that for a second: the most hardcore version of the McLaren P1 hypercar could only muster a time of 1:08.70 against the BAC Mono. Then again, the Mono has earned a reputation for being a giant killer, having set the fastest lap time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed when it posted a time of 47.9 seconds in 2015. It even took top honors in Top Gear Power Lap leaderboard in 2013, and to date, it’s the third-fastest car to go around the Continue after the jump to read the full story. test track, eclipsed only by the McLaren 675LT and the Pagani Huayra. Those are some serious credentials for a track car that carries a power-to-weight ratio of 525 horsepower per ton.
The Mono’s ability to post blistering lap times was in full effect when it blasted around the 1.55-mile Anglesey Coastal Circuit while riding on a set of Kumho’s Ecsta V70A tires. Meaden actually set the lap record in the final flying lap on a new set of tires so the conditions were optimal for the Mono to make history. But make no mistake, premium tires or not, the Mono has earned a reputation for being a true pace-setter, and that reputation was only strengthened when it obliterated the lap record for a road-legal car in a circuit that has seen no shortage of supercars compete for what the Mono now calls its own.
Read our full article on the BAC Mono here.
The Mono is a sight to behold
It amazes me how a car like the BAC Mono can have such incredible pace and performance…and then look the way it does. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the Mono and similar cars of its kind like the Ariel Atom, but it is amazing how a car of their size can outpace cars that are three to five times more expensive than them. I know about the science behind it; it’s just incredible to see, especially when you see it in person as I have with the Mono.
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I never got to drive it, but seeing one in the flesh is a surreal experience. That’s why I’m inclined to just shake my head in admiration every time I hear about the Mono setting a lap record. It’s really expected at this point and if it doesn’t get to set a record, it becomes a surprise, at least in my eyes.
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This particular record at the Anglesey Coastal Circuit is especially impressive considering the lineup of cars that have done power laps around the circuit. The McLaren P1 GTR may have earned the distinction of being the car that the Mono cut down, but exotics like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren 675LT, and even the Radical RXC Turbo 500 have all been cut down by the Mono’s incredible pace. So the track car now holds the lap record around Anglesey and it sits on top of evo’s leaderboard. Suffice to say, if another car wants to eclipse the Mono, it’s got a lot of work to do to get to where it needs to go.
Read our full article on the BAC Mono here.