The Sport Auto Supertest is the ultimate authority on Ring times. SA have been using the same driver (HvS) and testing procedures for years. This removes some of the main variables and lends the results credibility. But there are other variables, including track conditions, weather and driver familiarity that need to be taken into account.

Many of us are eagerly awaiting the Sport Auto Ring time for the GTR. Many European sports car owners and fans want the time to be less than Nissan's 7.29 claim. We cannot tolerate an ugly Nissan being as quick as the best of Porsche. HvS is well aware of all this and must be under some considerable pressure to ensure that the status quo is not disturbed. HvS is also unfamiliar with the GTR and it is unlikely he can lap as fast as Suzuki on the same day in the same GTR. How many seconds difference is debatable. But Suzuki will certainly be faster.

So even the SA test will not be conclusive and accepted by everyone and the GTR debate will continue until enough customer cars are at the Ring and the reality of its performance becomes evident to everyone. Stay tuned!