Behind the Scenes at Lightning Lap 2026 in Photos
Peer behind the curtain of this year's annual track test at Virginia International Raceway.
Back to Lightning Lap 2026
It takes nearly a minute for Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" to get rolling, but once it does, it's nearly impossible to hit pause on that kind of jam. The same goes for our annual Lightning Lap track event.
It's a big lift, requiring much of our Michigan office to briefly relocate to Alton, Virginia, by highway and by air. But after 19 years of putting this ridiculously fun story together for our fellow auto enthusiasts, once the tools are unpacked, the snacks are stacked, and the tires are mounted, we'd be lying if we said leaving Virginia International Raceway ever gets easy.
Here's your behind-the-scenes look at how we keep the hammer down at Lightning Lap, largely thanks to a pile of blueberry pancakes.
Tesla showed up this year, with multiple cars and a trailer one might find in the paddock of a race series, full of parts, tires, and a crew of techs.
It would be rather unfortunate to confuse these insulated shanties for a bathroom, as the heat stayed cranked up on GM's tire warmers for its Blackwings and Corvettes. The estimated retail on these bad boys is about $28K, but that doesn't include the kerosene heater off to the left preheating the rubber for record-breaking lap times.
This throwback Mercedes service livery is a giant hat tip to the factory vans that supported Group C and early DTM racing programs decades ago. At Lightning Lap, it was there to support the 603-hp Mercedes-AMG GT63 Pro. The AMG crew also found time to help us fill tires, as the van carries an air compressor onboard.
The $585,954 Lamborghini Temerario is a rare sight, especially when two out of the very few in the United States are assigned to Lightning Lap for a week.
Two very different but great cars. While the Corvette ZR1 ultimately surpassed the McLaren Senna with the quickest Lightning Lap time, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing narrowly missed its goal of becoming the fastest gas-powered four-door around VIR.
We don't have a race car at the office, but if we did, we'd ask Porsche Press Fleet tech Kyle Millikin (right) to set it up. He knows his stuff.
Yep, there's our art department. Probably talking about f-stops and Adobe Illustrator. Each morning they're up just before sunrise to capture video and still images of each car in the "good light." Not without raiding the stash of snacks, naturally.
Everyone looks up to vehicle testing director Dave VanderWerp. You have to; he's quite tall.
Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga's 993 got a taste of VIR, but the 1995 Porsche required a series of extra cords, cables, and cleverness to run our testing equipment. The aftermarket stereo in the last air-cooled 911 wasn't enough to power the lap timer, but a lithium-ion battery pack ultimately came to the rescue.
Editors are quick to review their track data as they look for any opportunity to slice time away in their next session. The rest of the staff watch the digital time sheet like hawks to see how their favorite cars are doing.
This was about five minutes before executive editor K.C. Colwell threw down a nasty 2:34.2 lap time around VIR's Grand Course, securing the quickest time in Lightning Lap history.
Laura Hayes (right) is a race car driver as well as a record holder as the quickest woman up Pikes Peak. She's fast. Hayes was there on behalf of BMW to offer instruction to editors at the helm of both BMW entries.
Managing testing editor David Beard (left) seen here about to get behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. He'd go on to set times in the AMG GT63 Pro, BMW M5 Touring, Audi RS6 Avant, and RS3.
There was some miscommunication about whether we were talking about VBox or V-Bucks, and before you know it, road warrior Jacob Kurowicki had Fortnite running on the timing and data computer. Turns out Colwell and VanderWerp are just as competitive at that too.
Yes, you're remembering it correctly: the 1990s were really freaking good.
"Hi, Mom." [That's me.]
Just when we thought road warrior Christi VanSyckle's blueberry pancakes couldn't be topped, she busted out the homemade kimchi.
There's something majestic about two red 911s on jack stands in the morning sun.
You can thank production assistant Sarah Taylor and Buyer's Guide associate editor Austin Parsons for all the beautiful GoPro video of the cars. Here they are getting the tires warm on the Kawasaki NAV 4e Limited.
Lightning Lap Results: 2006 to 2026
2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI at Lightning Lap 2026
2025 Audi RS3 at Lightning Lap 2026
2025 BMW M5 Touring at Lightning Lap 2026
