Radical has held the record before, when Phil Bennett scorched around the loop in an SR3 Turbo back in 2003, but such is the importance of the record it was soon under attack from Europe's top engine tuners and specialists.
The £60,000 Radical SR8 is in reality a road-legal race-car powered by a high-revving 2.6-litre V8 engine, built in-house by Powertec, developing 360bhp at 10,500rpm. During the run it reached a peak speed of 161mph, while the aerodynamics generate two and a half times the downforce of the SR3; combined with some very trick dampers, this set-up enabled the extraordinary cornering speeds required for a sub-seven minute lap.
