Koenigsegg has released breathtaking footage of its 1,298PS Jesko Attack hypercar savaging the 4.5-mile Gotland Ring in Sweden, setting a time of 2 minutes 56.97 seconds – obliterating the previous 3-minute 4.83-second record held by a Porsche 911 GT3 RS MR.
In news that’s sure to worry the competition, Koenigsegg says this was a test run with the car running at 90 percent of its true potential. In other words, there's a lot more to come.
That's entirely believable. The Jesko hoovers up the Swedish track's long straights like a Ferrari on a go-kart track despite test driver Niklas Lilja's feathering the throttle at an indicated 290km (180mph). Perfectly judging breaking zones and apexes, Lilja gives the impression of a driver who has a tiny bit more to give.
The ease with which Jesko dissects the Swedish circuit is as much about the car as anything else. In Attack specification, the Koenigsegg's aggressive front splitter and huge rear wing generate 1,500kg of downforce at just over 170mph, helping it remain welded to a track surface famed for its jumps and undulations.
While the view out of the windscreen is a full-on attack on the senses, the view inside is a mesmerising contrast as the instrument binnacle's graphics stay fixed upright despite the screen turning with the steering wheel. It's Koenigsegg's answer to a Rolls Royce centre cap.
Something tells us this is not the last we'll hear from the Jesko at Gotland. Conducted using regular 98 octane pump petrol, filling up on E85 would see the speed Swede's power rocket to 1,600PS – and the 18-degree ambient track temperature was less than ideal for the car's Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s. We'll have more when we hear it.
Koenigsegg
Jesko
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