Czinger Takes Laguna Seca Lap Document Again From Koenigsegg, Who Took It From Czinger Final Month, Who Took It From Koenigsegg Final Yr, Who Took It From Czinger Earlier Final Yr, Who Took It From McLaren In 2021

Everybody in America has been enraptured by “Heated Rivalry,” the homosexual hockey participant rom-dram tv sequence that is been a smash hit on HBO Max (by the use of Canada’s Crave channel). However there’s one other heated rivalry that has been brewing within the U.S. for the previous 4 years, starring an American and a Swede as an alternative of a Canadian and a Russian. On Monday, California-based hypercar maker Czinger introduced it had taken again the Laguna Seca manufacturing automobile lap report from Koenigsegg. That will be newsworthy regardless, however what makes this story actually enjoyable is that it is the fifth time the report has modified fingers between these two automakers within the final 4 years.

It began on July 21, 2021, when Czinger set a time of 1:25.44 with its 21C hypercarwhich hadn’t but began sequence manufacturing. Then a comparatively unknown firm, Czinger broke the report set by the McLaren Senna in October 2019 by almost two seconds. Quick ahead to August 18, 2024, the final day of Monterey Automotive Week, when Koenigsegg set a time of 1:24.86 with its Jesko. Having simply thrown a celebration the evening earlier than the place it talked up the 21C’s report, Czinger clearly could not have that, so it headed again to Laguna Seca on August 26, setting a brand new time of 1:24.75.

This previous summer time, Czinger drove a production-spec 21C 1,000 miles throughout California, setting 5 manufacturing automobile lap information at 5 completely different race tracks over 5 days, considered one of them beating its personal Laguna Seca report. That new time of 1:24.39 was subsequently crushed by Koenigsegg on November 4, 2025, utilizing the Sadair’s Spearan even-faster evolution of the Jesko. Once more, Czinger could not let that stand, so it headed again to Laguna Seca on December 9 and took the report again.

The place the previous few information have bested one another by mere tenths of a second, this time Czinger actually put the hammer down, with driver Joel Miller setting a time of 1:22.30, almost two seconds sooner than the Sadair’s Spear. The 21C used was the identical one which accomplished the Gold Rush this yr, nonetheless sporting its battle scars (although Czinger fastened one of many mirrors that had damaged off). It wore road-legal Michelin Cup 2R tires, and the time was formally verified by Race Logic. Firm founder and CEO Lukas Czinger mentioned “we knew that below supreme circumstances the 21C was able to incomes a a lot sooner lap than we had demonstrated up to now – this lap time now correctly displays its functionality.” However truthfully, I would not be stunned if there’s but extra pace to unlock. The 21C is a fully wild automobile, in spite of everything, with a tandem seating format, an in-house-developed twin-turbo 2.88-liter V8 with a hybrid system pumping out 1,250 horsepower, and groundbreaking generative design and 3D printing know-how utilized in its manufacturing.

The perfect half about this rivalry is how a lot the 2 firms and their respective heads and staff are having fun with it, poking enjoyable whereas at all times being enthusiastic and respectful. After the Sadair’s Spear’s lap final month, Lukas made an instagram publish congratulating Koenigsegg whereas saying that Czinger could be returning to the monitor to attempt to take it again. Founder and CEO Christian von Koenigsegg commented “Good Luck Guys?- Wholesome Competitors ? In the event you actually need a problem – go for a low db day like we did? Cheers!”

That is proper — when Koenigsegg was on the monitor in November, it was on a day with noise restrictions, so the automobile needed to be fitted with a particular muffler, and it additionally was sporting heavier aluminum wheels as an alternative of the traditional carbon-fiber ones. So do not be shocked if Koenigsegg heads again to Laguna Seca to attempt to beat Czinger once more. Hopefully this rivalry stays scorching for a very long time.