New Stark Varg SM Sköll laps oval track faster than Audi R8 Le Mans race car
Carlos Sainz Sr, father of Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz, has seen his oval track record at the Autòdrom de Sitges-Terramar beaten by the new electric Stark Varg SM Sköll.
Stark Future has broken a longstanding record set by World Rally and Dakar legend Carlos Sainz Sr, after lapping the Autòdrom de Sitges-Terramar oval circuit in Barcelona in under 42 seconds.
The previous record had been set by the two-time World Rally Champion (1990 and 1992) and four-time Dakar winner in an Audi R8 Le Mans Series (LMS) race car, with a time of 42.600.
However, Stark rider Jonas Skovby lapped the banked oval in 41.888 seconds on the all-new Stark Varg SM Sköll, beating the 2012 lap record by nearly eight tenths of a second.
The Autòdrom de Sitges-Terramar was built in 1923, although the two-kilometre concrete oval was soon abandoned.
Recognised as Spain’s first permanent racing circuit, the banked oval was built within 300 days and hosted the inaugural two-litre Spanish Grand Prix, won by Albert Divo in a Sunbeam at an average speed of 96.91 mph.
But the circuit was never permitted to hold another racing event when contractors went unpaid soon after.
Terramar is one of the oldest purpose-built banked oval tracks still standing, although it is one of the least used. This being said, there are signs of life for the abandoned track, which has been earmarked for redevelopment.
Sainz Sr set the previous lap record as part of an event held by Red Bull, before Stark’s new 80bhp electric Varg SM Sköll toppled his Audi R8 record.
Limited to 500 units worldwide, Stark’s new supermoto produces a huge 674 Ib-ft of torque, while featuring a claimed weight of 124kg.
Speaking after breaking the 2012 record, Skovby said:
“Slamming through a century-old track at 200 km/h (around 124 mph) means you are constantly on the edge, either about to be launched off a concrete wall or losing the front tyre by a hair. With zero time to react or fix a mistake at those speeds, all I could do was completely trust the bike. It was an absolutely insane adrenaline rush and easily the wildest thing I have ever done.”
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown
%20(1)_0.jpg?height=270&format=webp)
After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
