FASTEST LAP EVER by over 4 seconds at ‘home circuit’ Castle Combe, with McMurtry Spéirling PURE VP1

The FASTEST LAP EVER of our 'home circuit' Castle Combe with the McMurtry Spéirling PURE VP1 driven by Max Chilton.
2:06 Onboard Lap
Running at 80% power with a 155mph speed limit, a lap time of 54.559s was achieved at Castle Combe Circuit, Wiltshire, England during private testing
The car is the McMurtry Spéirling PURE (Validation Prototype 1) fan car driven by Max Chilton on 29th April 2024.
This is 4.037s faster than the outright fastest race lap record (set by an F3 car in 2021)
It is 9.796s faster than the GT3 lap record (set by a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in 2022)
Castle Combe is often referred to as the prettiest village in England, and its race track, Castle Combe Circuit, has a 74 year racing history. It’s 1.85mile long featuring a mix of fast corners, a blind crest and two technical chicanes.
McMurtry cars are designed and handbuilt just 30 mins from Castle Combe so the venue holds a special status as ‘home circuit’
McMurtry has performed durability testing here since 2021 and has a long standing relationship with Castle Combe. This is the first time a lap time has been released. Enjoy.

[@Grover91]

And it was only at 80% power too. This thing is truly mental.

[@Sookigarage]

The most amazing thing about this video is the dry weather.

[@barath4545]

Good point actually! - Does the McMurtry really give many shits about wet weather? Given the fan and 2 tons of down pressure then the tires can't really slip that much, can they?

[@dazzlerby]

@@barath4545 There's only one way to find out....

[@NewBeginnings571]

@@barath4545 You would still be limited by tires, but it still does incredibly well in the rain.

[@EthanolEnthusiast]

been dry for a while near combe

[@mcmurtryautomotive]

@@barath4545 Our fans car run well in the wet. The downforce-on-demand gives an even bigger advantage compared to normal aero cars. It really helps with tyre temps.

[@ZedNinetySix_]

The trash metal riff at the end of the lap made it feel like winning a race in F-ZERO X 🤘🏻

[@Katana2040]

I absolutely love this track! Well done, guys!

[@alastaircummins1980]

Absolutely mind bendingly brilliant 👏

[@markbryant5550]

Wow thanks so much for sharing, I remember the pre chicane lap record and the was a v10 F1, that lap is just insane ❤

[@julienboucaron9780]

Nice video & editing, well done. It will be amazing to see this mental machine in HillClimb !

[@B-A-L]

The Speirling is the only car that looks like it is going as fast on tv as it is in real life!

[@stp7049]

Mind blowing🤯, congratulations!!👍

[@S-T-E-V-E]

Are we going to see a Nürburgring Lap soon? 🙏

[@TheRealAndyR]

Top Gear's web site says "next up on the hit list is Laguna Seca and the reverse corkscrew hillclimb."

[@EleanorPeterson]

I'm not sure it'd suit the Nürburgring.🤔 That's all high-speed and horsepower; the McMurtry's strength seems to be tight and twisty stuff (hillclimbs, etc) which make the most of its fan technology at the lower speeds that regular cars can't match. I don't think there's enough tricky stuff at the 'Ring to give it much of an advantage over the usual 200+mph monsters. (Just my opinion...)

[@S-T-E-V-E]

@@EleanorPeterson 170 corners at the Nürburgring!

[@AndyLaurence]

@@EleanorPeterson Castle Combe Circuit is the second fastest in the country. This was an average speed of 123mph. That's a 6:19 at the Nordschleife.

[@shaunmccormack6980]

Will batteries last that long?

[@NewBeginnings571]

This video is very well done in comparison to other videos. The music is toned down and not over barring, and you gave us some cool history from your driver and test track. A rant of mine :Idk if people have a severe lack of attention span because they're is always someone saying something wrong about fan cars, and this one in particular. Like bro, no it doesn't fling rocks because it has filters, it has 2 fans so the odds of losing a fan in a turn and spinning out is zero (even then the fan shouldn't be breaking, its literally just a fan lol). It has enough range to do Nürburgring, the IDR had a 45 kwh battery and did it fine, Murtry has a 60 kwh battery. People seem really uninterested to get their facts straight. And maybe update the channel with a quick informercial, a pinned comment or your website to explain why the 80% downforce for your recent videos? As people just want to see it smash's records (I don't blame you, me too). As it seems people think you're choosing the power arbitrarily for some reason, as most people don't read the descriptions of videos. Edit: And for the Nürburgring rant. That's still under the assumption the oval skirt system under the car can work there. We don't know of its technicalities as its the company's trademark, wouldn't want your unique system getting exposed out there, from a business point of view. Even then the car is stuck within the round arches of the vehicle so suspension could not travel too far. But the IDR and Porsche did well so i think it would be ok suspension wise.

[@AndyLaurence]

That's awesome! 198.4kph average speed is tantalisingly close though 🎣🎣🎣

[@Jointanatomy]

Future of F-1 this is.

[@Swapnil638]

Love the driving commentary

[@Wagoo]

I never get tired of watching this chibi-Batmobile 🤩

[@iandavies1893]

If I was a multi millionaire, I would have one as got to be one of the greatest engineering feats in the automotive world, ever.

[@RobHill00]

Love this car, incredible piece of engineering! Still needs a rematch against the Nevera but with the limiter off👌🏻⚡️

[@mozzasteinhardt3698]

The speed he goes round castle combe is insane, I went round it with greenpower kit cars and the corners and circuit is small and tight. Doing 155mph around so much of it is mental- couldn't imagine more than 80% power

[@Beariam24]

Formula e should be using these cars!!

[@ImotoriumVLOG]

This car needs another Max 😁

[@nswgb69]

Excellent. Well done.

[@RomanManjolo]

Mcmurtry 💪🏽

[@NewBeginnings571]

2:18 Nice dongle G-Force meter lol.

[@rob500100]

Enter it in time attack, a clear winner

[@TheRealAndyR]

Incredible that you're hitting the limiter in at least 3 places. Was the downforce still limited for this record as it was at Hockeneim, or are you now testing that at 100%?

[@mosca3289]

Cards on the table!

[@radoslaw787]

Monster.

[@Savahax]

Would like to see the lap too. 4 second off the last record is insane

[@mcmurtryautomotive]

Onboard lap 2min 6 secs into this video

[@locoshaggy]

The aerodinamic design of this car was inspired in the heriberto pronellos huayra car. Same design

[@rccartips]

This vs the RB17 :)

[@triplew_13]

Please give us Nurburgring and Spa Lap Record 🥺

[@SuperLaviathon]

I would say this thing more resembles a Scalextric car than a real car with an engine. Very impressive but harsh comparing it to combustion engine cars with no fan sucking it to the road. It needs to be in its own category of vehicle in my opinion.

[@pawilson1978]

Holy hell Batman!

[@Swapnil638]

How do you divide power between the drivetrain and the fan system?

[@Near_Void]

Hey, thats my local track!

[@TomJoeSHOW]

Castle Combe! Was there on Tuesday trying to set my own track records

[@stefanoleaneyracing9901]

Can I have a go now Max? 😂

[@horrgakx]

Why? Why limit the top speed and power? Would it not be quicker turned up to 11?

[@burgundyexpress]

Imagine how fast that would be with Verstappen driving!

[@thedrivebygg]

How about on full power?

[@strongarmclimbing]

Take the Spéirling everywhere and anywhere they let you, anywhere it's possible to run the thing! May track records fall!

[@rustystuff]

Amazing work, guys!! I should imagine it would be an absolute privilege to work for a company like that 😊

[@garyonnen7634]

Pikes Peaks some day?

[@mcgherkinstudios]

I think single seaters have hit 59s on a standing start at the sprint, but that’s an awesome lap considering it’s not even flat out.

[@AndyLaurence]

They're in the mid-50s but not on a full lap. The finish line is at Westway. On the GWS there have been a few 59s on the second lap. The Pegasus Sprint is a full lap and the record sat in the 70s a few years ago. Don't think it's shifted much. This is another level.

[@goodfodder]

80% power? why?

[@loosesurfer]

My thoughts exactly

[@dannywhite132]

Probably to protect it, cooling, or to allow it to actually finish the lap on full power

[@NewBeginnings571]

I assume its testing, there other videos have been at 80% too. Because they want the car to feel good at all classes.

[@davejenvey3598]

Race series?

[@uranium98]

You guys need to notice that this car equipped with "Suction fan" and "Sealing skirts", which is banned in all world-class motorsports. That's why this car can turn the corner at unbelivable speed. Race cars will never catch it unless FIA abadons the rule. But yeah... I have to admit that they did the great job

[@Aliens_Gonna_Get_Ya]

MX5 would take it 👍

[@irfandani69]

Come set the record at Sepang International CIRCUIT Malaysia

[@pibotuangxxx5782]

F1 killer

[@doric_historic]

This means i can make it to the local ASDA's in under 20 seconds, under 15 seconds on full power...

[@StoffelDilligas]

Got enough battery to take on Pikes Peak?

[@TheRealAndyR]

Easily. The VW ID.R that set the Pikes Peak record had a 45kWh battery, the Spierling Pure has 100kWh.

[@i.c.d.-videos1901]

👏🏻

[@simonporter7655]

How about a go at Pikes Peak

[@zimcam1]

lots of good hype. Good work. I'm sure there's a technical reason why you didn't do the run at 100%. i just can't think of why.

[@rolandotillit2867]

Calling it now, 1:10 around Laguna Seca is entirely possible.

[@Vartazian360]

Maybe try removing the limiter though.. 😒

[@naufalkusumah2192]

If you are talking about the 155 mph speed limiter, it's probably gearing limited, since most electric propulsion only has one gear, so either sacrifice acceleration or top speed

[@lewp91]

​@@naufalkusumah2192Yup the Goodwood setup used different lower speed higher acel gearing.

[@NewBeginnings571]

They are testing the car still. And the 155 limiter is electronically made. The car can go 190.

[@greigsanderson]

Armchair expert.

[@bumbarossdundahae6312]

Actually the car is limited due to heat in the battery it can do 190mph but on most tracks its not needed to go faster then 150 mph

[@PescaraProductions]

And I was told the place is too bumpy for anything faster than a GT3...

[@kramer26]

Yes, but does it count being just a test session and not an official category, competitive event?

[@SimonLewsBooks]

No it doesn't count .Real lap records have to be set in a race under FIA rules and as this car doesn't seem to comply to any existing formula or class (like every other existing record holder mentioned had to), it cannot actually race officially anyway . Although it's an interesting technical achievement (hat's off to you for that McMurty) it's not on a level playing field so it's not quite what it seems. If the Dallara that holds the single seater record was allowed to run whatever it liked in terms of aero and power unit (it is heavily restricted on both and only runs a 2 litre engine based on a road car unit) it would be way faster than the record it currently holds. The Dallara could also run maybe 25 near-identical laps in a row. I suspect the McMurty would not be able to do anything like that as the battery would run down very quickly.

[@callumcurtis15]

Why the 155mph limiter and only 80% power ?

[@ArnauUM]

still testing the car

[@shaunmccormack6980]

Possible battery life. 100% lasts only at Goodwood ?

[@ArnauUM]

@@shaunmccormack6980 goodwood was also limited. We haven't still seen full potential of the car. Not with the power and the aero

[@MrAdopado]

My guess is that they have a modular battery system whereby they can choose to only add the minimum amount of weight ... so smallest battery capacity required for the lap. There is a balance to be struck between power and weight. A full performance car would need a heavier battery which would compromise other aspects of the cars handling and lap time. If you are doing sprints in ICE motorsport you don't add more fuel than you need (to reduce weight) ... with an electric car you can only achieve the weight saving by using a smaller batter pack ... but the smaller battery pack cannot deliver as much power all at once so effectively reduces the level of performance .. in this case to 80%.

[@sergio_81]

I don´t get why is always just 80%... Unleash the beast already

[@dannywhite132]

You may find some issues with that like running 100% would damage a very expensive set of motors

[@NewBeginnings571]

They want the car to be good in all classes. From GT3 to F1. I'm assuming there is more issues in 80% which is why its common in their demonstrations.

[@michaelsummerell8618]

Castle Combe is not a big circuit - so hitting the limiter 3 times is showing just how savagely quick this car accelerates... And that's 80% power! I hope that when this beast is ready, you guys will unleash it's full potential, as I think it's going to be smashing quite a records yet...

[@pppphillip]

Your car has already amazing pace at 80% power. But I wonder how fast you can go if you're going full speed

[@MrAdopado]

To go at full speed they would need to run their bigger heavier battery pack ... I would guess that they have worked out that they can do their best time with a small lighter battery and sacrifice some power.

[@EleanorPeterson]

If anybody's wondering why fan-cars aren't more widely used in motorsport, it's not because they're too quick; it's because of what happens if the car is unsettled mid-corner and loses the suction holding it down. As fan-cars have the potential to take tight corners so much faster than normal ones, the chances of recovering from a mid-corner shunt where you suddenly have zero suction are tiny. That means any accident is likely to be a big one. Running a solo car round a circuit is a relatively low-risk affair, but if you had six drivers entering a corner together at typically ridiculous fan-car speeds, the chances of a disastrous coming-together - and one or more cars losing grip - makes it very unlikely that we'll ever see an entire race series of McMurtrys.

[@TonyK3130]

Maybe the issue is the drivers. It is not "if the car is unsettled mid-corner," it is drivers losing control. As Hemingway said: "there are only 3 sports: bull fighting, mountain climbing and auto racing." It is OK to stop drivers, even drivers who buy their rides, who are not capable; but, don't blame the technology

[@АлексейКастевич]

@@TonyK3130 No, the question is not "if" but "when" the driver will lose control, and the thing is that there's nothing you can do after this happens with those fan cars (and old ground-effect cars to a lesser extent).

[@luzr6613]

Um - there's a flaw in the logic here. Everything you are talking about already happens in racing on a regular basis. Lot's of these incidents are not recoverable, and plenty happen at cornering speeds as high or higher than we're seeing in this thing. The same argument could be advanced regarding other technologies upon their introduction throughout the history of motorsport - catastrophic failure at those speeds or loads... it'll be The End! We'll wait and see.

[@NewBeginnings571]

There is a reason the car has 2 fans for this very reason. Its even called a "redundant fan system". And the issue you stated can be an issue in any car.

[@greigsanderson]

80% power lol

[@nathansutherland892]

Now imagine how fast a formula 1 car would go round there if they only just managed to beat a little formula 3 car with a quater of the power and that can actually do lap after lap at that pace and not a one trick pony over just one lab then its out of juice

[@gonna_try_anyway7047]

Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Tsukuba!!!!!

[@pasha12343]

Could you run 100% power ? 😬😎👍

[@meanredspider]

It’s a shame the Hullavington “circuit” isn’t still open - you could have showed another “local” company (ironically, also interested in suction) how to build an EV that people actually want…

[@marktucker208]

Weird, literally a week ago i was wondering how fast it could lap this place and here it is.

[@Skafiskafnjak51]

give us 100% .. 😆

[@l1ghtg30gd7]

80% and speed limited.... still gets 10 seconds over the huracan gt3...

[@nickbull6603]

Nurbergring

[@Mew-ip3iy]

Only 4s faster than f3 is a bit disappointing Was expecting at least 5s

[@buggerlugz6753]

Why is the top speed 150mph??? me thinks there is more in it!

[@justincharles6585]

They have a 190 mph top speed version as well

[@zyoungson215]

Another 'fastest lap' by an overpowered gokart.

[@Wriggs74]

Yes, by an electric car.

[@puddle-karting]

Now let a modern formula 1 car or porsche 919 come have a play...

[@leedavidson7314]

Now remove your suction device and record a lap that’s your true pace

[@zyoungson215]

Exactly

[@chrisb8075]

An utterly pointless and irrelevant vehicle. It proves nothing we didn't already know, it uses technogy that is decades old, and all whilst pretending to push boundaries. Anywhere this vehicle has established "records" they should be disregarded entirely and it should never be allowed to compare itself with any I.c.e. car. Scrap metal,

[@norwichphoto]

Impressive, but the general rule is that official lap records are set during a competitive event, so you need to enter a race....

[@AndyLaurence]

That's for circuit racing. There's whole disciplines that don't race. Hillclimbs, rally, sprint, Autosolo, etc.

[@norwichphoto]

Hillclimbs, rallies and sprints are all competitive timed events. A test session isn't. For the same reason Damon Hill's lap of Thruxton in a F1 demo is considered unofficial.

[@Mew-ip3iy]

What about the Czinger's Laguna Seca production car record and most of Nurburgring laptimes?