Barton Mawer stands among the legends of the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge. The RP968 Porsche not only won the Emtron Pro class for 2023, broke its own lap record by nearly 1.5sec, but it has also taken out the outright WTAC win for the fourth-time in a row.
This fourth win equals the Tilton Evo’s record, which included an outright win at the Oran Park Superlap event – the progenator of the current Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge.
Everyone knew RP968 was on a mission from the first time we saw it on track on Day 1, with the new rules about slick tyres being allowed for Pro and Pro Am classes allowing entrants to push their aero loads further than ever. And the results came quickly as Barton knocked out an easy 1:18.8 in the first Emtron Pro class session of Day 1, resetting his own lap record of 1:19.277 from 2019.
The team was confident more was in the billet-engined monster, but a drivetrain issue scuppered the opportunity to better the time on Day 1.
Day 2 saw RP968 back out in the first session and running hard, banking a 1:17.860 to put a stranglehold on the 2023 WTAC event and the Emtron Pro class. Amazingly, it was universally agreed in the RP968 camp the car had yet more to give, but there was a minor medical drama to clear up first.
Emotions were running high after Barton broke into the 1:17 bracket for the first time. As soon as he was out of the car he was jumping on the roof in celebration, but the excitement got the better of him and he broke his heel as he hopped down. A quick trip for medical clearance and he was back at Sydney Motorsport Park for the afternoon.
Barton didn’t have it completely his own way as Tim Slade ran a 1:20.456 in the Tanuki S13 Silvia. Formerly known as the MCA Hammerhead the coupe was back for Emtron Pro class with an 1100hp VR38 V6 and Andrew Brilliant aero to challenge for the outset. However, just as he was getting his eye in, an unfortunate incident with owner Wayne Lee behind the wheel in Plazmaman Pro Am saw the S13 lose a wheel between turns one and two, leading to its retirement.
Third in class, the Lyfe Motorsport R35 GT-R of Cole Powelson turned in a 1:25.945. Bouncing back from a broken transmission on Thursday the US crew had twice the workload as Donut Media’s Jerry Burton also ran the coupe in Plazmaman Pro Am class.
Up against several thousand horsepower, Yusaku Shibata from ARVOU Racing Garage had his work cut out for him, given his famous S2000 only sports 450hp from its supercharged F20C four-cylinder. The Japanese time attack legend still managed to wheel the Voltex aero-equipped monster around Sydney Motorsport Park in 1:29.596 at his first visit to WTAC.