Former British Rally champ breaks car lap record around Isle of Man TT course, averaging 116mph in a Subaru WRX STI
Three-time British Rally Champion Mark Higgins has broken the lap record for a car around the Isle of Man TT course. Driving a new Subaru WRX STI with only minor modifications he clocked an average speed of 116.47mph, hitting a top speed of 162.9mph on the Sulby Straight and completing the 37.7-mile course in 19 minutes and 26 seconds.
The new benchmark improves on Higgins own record set in 2011, in a previous generation Subaru WRX STI, when he averaged 115.36mph. The 2011 attempt broke a long-standing record set in 1990 by Tony Pond, who averaged 102mph in a Rover-827 Vitesse.
Despite topping his own record, Higgins wasnt completely satisfied: That was quite a wild lap, theres definitely more time out there, he told us. I probably dropped about 10 seconds going over the mountain, we definitely dropped some power there, I couldnt get it into top gear going up hill.
Read more: Mark Higgins breaks Isle of Man TT lap record in Subaru | Auto Express