Month: August 2022

Categories
Sports

Paul Green death, updates, reaction, Peter V’landys interview, North Queensland Cowboys, tribute

Paul Green death, updates, reaction, Peter V'landys interview, North Queensland Cowboys, tribute

Broncos coach and Kevin Walters have pleaded for the NRL to increase its mental health support in the wake of the shock death of Paul Green.

The representative halfback and legendary Cowboys coach died at his Brisbane home on Thursday, leaving the entire rugby league community in mourning.

Queensland police issued a statement after Green’s death and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

‘He’s an elite few’ – Meninga on Green | 03:49

PAUL GREEN NEWS

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‘FUNNY, CARING’: Legends’ emotional tribute to ‘wonderful friend’ Green

‘HAD TOO MUCH TO OFFER’: Bennett reveals Dolphins’ talks with Green in tribute

“Police were called to a Wynnum residence just after 10am this morning after a 49-year-old was located unresponsive,” a Queensland police spokeswoman said.

“He was declared deceased by emergency crews a short time later.”

Walters, who were Queensland teammates, reflected on his 30-year relationship with the premiership-winning coach and called on the NRL to do more to support players, coaches and support staff.

“It’s very sad news,” Walters said on Friday morning.

“I was fortunate enough to play Origin football with ‘Greeny’ and had many battles against him during his days at the Sharks and Cowboys.

My feelings go out to his family, friends and everyone involved with Paul. It’s just so sad.

“It’s important we check on each other each day – particularly with the mental health side of things.

“It’s something I believe the NRL needs to put more focus on, particularly around our players, coaches and support staff. Everyone that’s involved in the game.

“We need to make sure there’s someone there for you if you want to reach out.”

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys earlier delivered a heartfelt plea to the NRL world in the wake of Green’s death.

Some of the 49-year-old former teammates took the opportunity to share anecdotes, which spoke to his character — both on and off the field.

V’landys did similar in paying tribute to Green on 2GB Radiuson Friday morning but also wanted to send a strong message in the wake of the tragedy.

“[It is] extremely sad. We were devastated yesterday when we heard the news,” V’landys said.

“It just shows you how fragile life is and that we should take care of each other. If there’s a message here is if people self-doubt themselves or have problems, it is normal human reaction. Speak about it, talk about it.

Fletch lauds Green’s Roosters influence | 03:04

“We all go through doubting ourselves, we all go through some terrible times but it doesn’t hurt to talk to somebody about it and this is a classic example. If anything comes out of this, which is one of the saddest things I’ve been involved in rugby league, it is that people do reach out if they have troubles.”

V’landys described Green as a “champion” on and off the field, with a “heart bigger than himself”.

“Paul was a very intelligent person, always passionate, witty, happy-go-lucky and he was the last person in the world you would expect to have these troubles,” he said.

“But as I said, we all go through this, we all have self-doubt. Look, I remember Paul as a player, he was a brilliant player and he was a great coach. Who could forget the 2015 premiership that he won and took them again to the semi-finals in 2017.

“He was a champion in his field. He was short in stature but had a heart bigger than himself and was able to go to the elite level of the game. But just as important, he was a great father and a husband, we are just in complete and utter shock.”

‘He just wanted to help people’ – Tallis | 01:35

V’landys urged the rugby league community to get behind the Gotcha4Life charity to honor Green’s memory while also encouraging anyone who is struggling to speak up.

“I think you’d be lying if you didn’t say that at times you feel down and have self-doubt because you do and I do,” he said.

“People think that I’m as strong as a wall but at times you’re human and doubt yourself, you lack self-esteem and confidence. We all go through that. But I talk about it to people.

“I’m not embarrassed to talk about it. When you’re feeling down, you have to let those emotions out. It can happen to anyone. Don’t be proud because you have people who love you and should reach out.

“I think we need to support Gotcha4Life… that will go well for the memory of Paul Green.”

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Categories
Australia

‘I hope you’re happy’: Scorned lover Jenny takes down cheating ex Steve in brutal newspaper advertisement

'I hope you're happy': Scorned lover Jenny takes down cheating ex Steve in brutal newspaper advertisement

Revenge is a dish best served cold … or in a newspaper’s ad page, using your cheating ex’s credit card.

Readers of Mackay and Whitsunday Life in Queensland’s east got a shock when they picked up their Friday edition and saw a full-page ad from a scorned lover called Jenny.

“Dear Steve, I hope you’re happy with her,” the open letter read.

“Now the whole town will know what a filthy cheater you are. From Jenny.

“PS I bought this ad using your credit card.”

paper
Camera IconPage four of the Friday edition of the Mackay and Whitsunday Life, featuring Jenny’s letter. Mackay and Whitsunday Life Credit: Supplied

Mackay and Whitsunday Life have been inundated with “dozens” of messages since the shocking letter went to print on page four.

“We do not know who Steve is, but apparently he’s been very very bad,” the newspaper said.

“We won’t be revealing any details about Jenny.”

But unfortunately the final piece of Jenny’s revenge seems to have not been pulled off.

“We have not charged the credit card in question,” Mackay and Whitsunday Life said.

But Jenny’s actions were met with praise from her legion of new-found fans.

“Jenny sounds like someone I want to be friends with,” one person said.

“Not all heroines wear capes. Jenny is my new favorite person,” said another.

“Couldn’t love this more if I tried LOL… Good on you Jenny,” proclaimed another amused commenter.

However some members of the public were not as kind to Steve.

“Never trust Steve,” one said.

“I would have charged the card,” another person brutally said.

“Everyone who knows a Steve and Jenny have suddenly sat up and taken notice,” someone joked.

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Categories
Technology

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered Release Date, Time, Countdown, Steam And Epic Games Store Price

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered Release Date, Time, Countdown, Steam And Epic Games Store Price

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered release date for Steam and the Epic Games Store customers is soon to arrive after a protracted wait, know the price

The good news is that the game’s creators, Insomniac Games, have specified the precise day that players will be able to download and begin playing.

Over four years after the original PlayStation 4 game’s release, a brand-new audience of players is about to experience the web quest slingers.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered Release Date, Time, Countdown And Steam And Epic Games Store Price

WHEN WILL MARVEL’S Remastered Spider-Man Arrive on Steam?

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered will be available on Friday, August 12, 2022, at 4 PM BST, 8 AM PDT, 11 AM EDT, and 5 PM CEST.

The remastered edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man, which will be offered on both Steam and also the Epic Games Store, is currently available for pre-order for $59.99.

Unfortunately for UK players, PlayStation recently acknowledged that Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered had been mispriced in the country. As a result, customers would have to withdraw their current pre-order on PC to obtain a full refund and pre-order the game anew to get the updated, lower pricing.

North American players don’t have a problem with the complicated process, and all pre-orders should remain in place without any problems. Even though Marvel’s Spider-Man has indeed been around for a while, the Remastered edition seeks to enhance what was already a great PS4 game.

All the new features that will be added to Steam, as well as the Epic Games Store later this week, have been listed below:

For those with hardware which supports them, ray-traced reflections are present throughout the game. Reflections also come in different quality levels, one of which is a new, better ray-traced option that provides even more city detail when fighting crime in Marvel’s New York while web-swinging.

Using dedicated Tensor Core AI units found only on GeForce RTX GPUs, NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) increases frame rates without sacrificing image quality.

In addition to a variety of output resolutions, we now support ultrawide 21:9, panoramic 32:9, & NVIDIA Surround multi-monitor configurations. We have a game that allows you to show off your three monitors if you have them!

ALSO READ: Qatar WC to start a day earlier to give hosts opening game: Reports

Recommended: Sports Fan App

Categories
Sports

AFL will not appeal Patrick Cripps’ appeal victory at AFL appeals board

Blues to appeal Cripps' two-match suspension

In a complex case, Kellam said there had been a “failure to afford procedural fairness amounts to error of the law. Because we’re unable to identify the evidentiary basis of the finding, ‘the actions of Cripps were in the bumping of an opponent’, we conclude findings of the jury were unreasonable”.

The appeal board’s decision has left many in the industry confused, for the league had made it clear over the off-season that players had a duty of care to each other, and any player which chose to bump had to live with the consequences, should it go awry, particularly if the player hit was concussed.

Callum Ah Chee left the field and was found to have concussion after his collision with Patrick Cripps.

Callum Ah Chee left the field and was found to have concussion after his collision with Patrick Cripps.Credit:Getty Images

The league has strengthened its concussion protocols recently, fearing a class action from disgruntled former players impacted by head knocks.

AFL executive general manager of football Andrew Dillon – one of the leading contenders to replace Gillon McLachlan as league chief – said it was too early to indicate whether the decision would prompt changes in regulations or tribunal procedures. However, Dillon said the league would act if needed.

“The health and safety of our players is of paramount importance to the AFL and we will continue to evaluate and, where necessary, act to prioritize that objective in relation to the occurrence of concussion and other injuries in the playing of our game,” Dillon said.

King, the two-time North Melbourne premiership player and a long-time concussion advocate, said the ruling was bewildering.

“It contradicts everything that we’ve been talking about for the last three to four years about protecting the head,” King said on SEN.

“This, in my opinion, is not as a line ball as what others think. I was staggered by the AFL counsel Nicholas Pane last night. He said he was adamant a player could contest the ball whilst watching with eyes on the ball and still maintain the action of bumping an opponent – ​​I think they’re two different things.

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“You’re either contesting the ball or you’re bracing or bumping. They’re not the same.

“I think the game’s never been more lost than what it is now. No one knows what dissent is, no one knows what holding the ball is, no one knows what protecting the head is anymore, no one knows what’s a fair contest and what isn’t, we’ve got no idea on basics of the game that we’ve always had a clear understanding of. We’ve never been more lost than what we are right now.”

Carlton coach Michael Voss said the decision was “clearly good news”, for the Blues now had their captain for the crucial final two rounds, with the team battling to hold on to a finals berth.

Voss said the Blues had always maintained Cripps had been playing the ball, and hoped the appeals board had brought clarity.

“The game still lends to even contesting the ball. That has not changed and the rules state it that way,” he said.

“It probably played out as we hoped. Our read on it at the start, we maintained, and thankfully the appeals board saw it that way as well.”

AFL great Leigh Matthews said he was surprised the ban had been overturned.

“It’s not a travesty of justice, or anything like that, because I think it’s a very fine line on this particular incident… most of us who have looked at it think it’s probably more careless than incidental. It’s in the margins, this one,” Matthews said on 3AW.

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Categories
Australia

Clive Palmer ordered to pay bulk of defamation costs from Mark McGowan court battle

clive palmer will bear the majority of the costs from his defamation battle with mark mcgowan but West Australian taxpayers remain on the hook for some expenses.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee on Thursday ordered Palmer to cover the costs of the WA premier‘s cross-claim from December 22 last year, around when the billionaire had rejected his rival’s offer to settle the proceedings.

I have ordered that both parties cover their own expenses incurred prior to that date.

Clive Palmer from the United Australia Party ahead of his address to the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Thursday 7 April 2022. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Clive Palmer will bear the majority of the costs from his defamation battle with Mark McGowan. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

McGowan, whose trial barrister Bret Walker SC is reported to charge up to $25,000 per day, on Thursday told parliament he didn’t know the full amount but there would be some cost to taxpayers.

Justice Lee last week found Palmer and McGowan had defamed each other in 2020, when they feuded over Western Australia’s COVID-19 response and a damage claim involving one of Palmer’s mining projects.

He ordered Palmer to pay $20,000 to McGowan, who was in turn directed to pay $5000 to the Queensland businessman.

In a letter sent to Palmer’s lawyers last December, McGowan’s legal team proposed discontinuing the proceedings with both sides bearing their own costs.

Palmer did not respond to the proposal, the court heard.

Justice Lee said the billionaire had been obliged to resolve the proceedings as quickly as possible, having launched them in the first place.

“The notion that Mr Palmer and Mr McGowan are equally responsible for these proceedings having consumed significant private and public resources cannot be reconciled with the objective facts,” the judge said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan addresses the media at a doorstop interview after a visit to Bentley Hospital in Perth, WA, on Monday 16 May 2022. fedpol ausvotes22 Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
WA Premier Mark McGowan. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

“Both men went too far in their political jousting, and both men litigated, but only one was willing to draw back and avoid a long and costly hearing.”

It should have been evident in December that the cost of the litigation was “disproportionate to any benefit it was likely to produce”, Justice Lee added.

Palmers lawyer Barry Dean earlier said the offer had been made late in proceedings and would have deprived his client of the court’s vindication.

“The main point is that ultimately my client did succeed on his claim,” Dean told the court.

Palmer had sought up to $30 billion in damages over a 2012 decision by the former Liberal state government not to assess his proposed Balmoral South iron ore project.

The McGowan government in 2020 rushed through extraordinary legislation to block the claim.

Speaking under parliamentary privilege on Thursday, McGowan claimed Palmer had sought to “force his hand” through the defamation lawsuit.

“His real frustration was my government’s legislation that stopped him taking us for $30 billion,” the premier said.

“I believe his real motivation was to get billions of dollars from taxpayers… by the construct of suing me for defamation.”

The premier added that the $20,000 in damages he had been awarded would be returned to state coffers.

Justice Lee last week found McGowan’s insults against Palmer – including labeling him an “enemy of the state” – were not trivial but ultimately caused very little damage to his reputation.

Palmer’s attacks on McGowan had probably only enhanced the premier’s reputation and popularity within his home state, the judge said.

Categories
Business

Australia’s tourism woes as visitors drop by 65 per cent since pre-Covid

Australia's tourism woes as visitors drop by 65 per cent since pre-Covid

The number of international tourists visiting Australia since the country’s borders opened back up is way down on pre-pandemic levels, according to new data.

Much of the decrease is due to international conflicts and a dip in the number of Chinese nationals choosing to holiday Down Under.

Chief executive officer of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Margy Osmond, said getting tourists back to the country’s landmarks is “not as easy as turning on a switch”.

“There is international conflict going on at the moment, but in the middle of it there are people,” she told Today.

“China was our number one visitor previously.

“And also, most importantly, not just by numbers, but by the amount of money they spent when they got here.”

Overall, just 131,000 international tourists visited Australia in May – down 65 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.

Ms Osmond said regional areas which had economies propped up largely by tourist visitors were still far from fully recovering.

“This is a really big issue for many businesses, particularly places like Far North Queensland, which rely almost entirely on international travellers,” she said.

“So we really need those travellers.”

The revelation comes after data revealed the dire state of Melbourne and Sydney’s CBDs almost a year after the cities’ crippling Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ended.

The figures, released by the Property Council, indicate just one in five workers are showing up to the office during the course of a typical working week.

Overall, the average office occupancy has dipped from 49 per cent in June to just 38 per cent in July, with the drop coinciding with continually spiking Covid cases, resulting in tens of thousands of new infections each week.

Elsewhere in the country, workers’ attendance in CBD offices in Sydney dropped from 55 to 52 per cent, Brisbane dipped from 64 to 53 per cent and Adelaide’s changed from 71 to 64 per cent.

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Categories
Technology

Google Meet’s new feature lets users consume YouTube and Spotify together – TechCrunch

Google Meet's new feature lets users consume YouTube and Spotify together – TechCrunch

As Google continues the great merger between its Duo and Meet video communications apps, the company today announced that it’s introducing new Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to engage with content together in real time.

It’s worth noting that Google already introduced some live-sharing features (eg watching YouTube videos together) to Duo back in February, and now it’s bringing them to Meet as the part of the merger.

The live-sharing feature will let users watch YouTube videos together, for example, and listen to songs on Spotify or play games such as Heads Up!, UNO! Mobile or Kahoot!

These new features will be available under a new Activities tab — which also hosts Q&A and polls options — and is accessible through the three-dot menu. From there, users can start a shared activity — for instance, if they want to listen to a Spotify track together, they would tap on the Spotify icon and Meet redirects them to the Spotify app where they can join a group session. Notably, the group session feature is only available for Spotify Premium customers, with support for two to five participants.

Last week, Google took the next step of merging both video calling apps by updating the icon for Duo and renaming it Google Meet. As for Google Meet, it will now be called “Google Meet (original),” with a green icon — yes, it’s all very confusing. The tech giant has been adding other new features to Meet, too, such as instant and schedule meeting options, in-meeting chat and virtual backgrounds.

While these latest updates work well for Meet calls across different platforms, consumers embedded in Apple’s ecosystem will already be familiar with this type of social content consumption through SharePlay, which works across a broader array of apps such as Apple TV+, TikTok, Disney+, Hulu , HBO Max, NBA, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, ESPN+, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Music.

Categories
Sports

Marc Bargero: Former Aussie boxing champion facing jail

Marc Bargero: Former Aussie boxing champion facing jail

Former Australian boxing champion Marc Bargero is fighting to avoid being sent to jail after being found guilty of drunkenly sexually assaulting a teenage girl as she slept.

Bargero contested allegations he had performed an oral sex act on the 15-year-old girl after putting her to bed, however was found guilty after facing a judge-alone trial earlier this year.

Bargero confessed to “sniffing” the girl’s crotch in an attempt to relive his first sexual experience, but had denied he had licked the girl’s vagina.

The court was told during his trial that Bargero was visiting a woman at her home on Sydney’s northern beaches when the teen arrived with a group of other youths.

When the girl passed out after drinking alcohol, Bargero took her upstairs and placed her on a bed.

The court was previously told he returned a short time later, moved the girl towards the edge of the bed, pulled her pants down, got on her knees, kissed her stomach and licked her vagina.

The girl woke up and fled downstairs, crying and saying: “I just woke up and he was just eating me out.”

In an interview with police, Bargero told officers he wanted to relive his first sexual experience, where he would get under a table and “sniff” an older woman.

“I had my head down there but I was just sniffin’ it,” Bargero told police, the court previously heard.

“I got carried away at the moment, I got a bit too drunk.”

He stated that he had not touched the girl’s vagina.

However, Judge Tim Gartelmann accepted the girl’s evidence and noted that due to his level of intoxication, Bargero could not remember all he did that night.

Bargero was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent and intentionally sexually touching the girl.

During a sentence hearing on Friday afternoon, his barrister Stephen Russell said he had shown considerable contrition, despite pleading not guilty and fighting the allegations.

Mr Russell said Bargero had experienced significant “public shame and humiliation” through social media and the media.

The court heard that during his police interview he had asked officers if he could meet with the complainant and her family to apologize for his actions.

He had also offered to plead guilty to lesser charges, however it was rejected by the prosecution.

Mr Russell said Bargero had been “through the ringer” in life, had suffered mental illness and depression and had to be hospitalized and medicated following the death of his mother.

He submitted that Bargero could serve his sentence by way of a community corrections order or intensive corrections order, pointing to his lack of criminal history.

“He’s a man who had no history of anything like this,” Mr Russell said.

“People speak of him being respectful. The evidence given before your honor by a female witness indicated that he was very respectful towards women.

“This event must be seen as… a complete aberration. And he knows that himself.

“He was offended by his own behavior that he believed he had committed at that time, he stressed it so profoundly in both interviews.”

However, the crown prosecution submitted he should be jailed, with Judge Gartelmann to decide his fate later this month.

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Categories
Australia

Former Ashley Youth Detention Center detainees lodge class action over alleged abuse

An aerial view of Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

More than 100 former detainees of Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Center have lodged a class action in Tasmania’s Supreme Court, alleging they were whipped, kicked, bullied, encouraged to join gangs, sexually abused and stripped naked.

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.

The court documents include numerous allegations made by four plaintiffs, with the action launched on behalf of another 101 former detainees.

Out of the 101, the earliest claimant alleges abuse dating back to 1961, while the most recent is from 2019.

“That’s a span of just under 60 years,” lawyer for the plaintiffs Angela Sdrinis said.

“On one level it was surprising and appalling. On another level we know children in care, not just in Tasmania but in Australia and around the world, have been victims of abuse.”

The court documents detail the claims of the four men, dating back to the early 1990s.

They allege the former detainees were physically or sexually assaulted by staff or other detainees at the Ashley Youth Detention Center (AYDC) and their complaints about the incidents were dismissed.

The plaintiffs say that as far as they were aware, complaints were not recorded and no action was taken.

In particular, it is claimed that staff would enter detainees’ cells to commit physical and sexual assaults or deliberately leave doors unlocked, knowing that detainees would enter the rooms, sometimes as gangs, “to commit violent physical and sexual assaults on each other.”

One man, known as JC, alleged that he found the body of another inmate the morning after the inmate was beaten by staff. A coronial inquiry found the assault had taken place two weeks earlier and cleared the staff.

Another plaintiff, known as CA, alleged that after he fought off a sexual attack by a staff member, he was assaulted by other staff members, knocked unconscious, and locked in an isolation cell naked for five days with only a blanket.

He also said that on numerous occasions he was exposed to the sounds of other detainees being sexually assaulted in their cells by staff at night.

The third plaintiff, RI, claimed that after he refused to perform oral sex on a staff member, he was “punched and knocked out by other staff” and had to go to Launceston General Hospital.

All four men allege they now have post-traumatic stress disorder due to their time there, with some experiencing frequent flashbacks, nightmares and suicide attempts.

The buildings of the Ashley Youth Detention Center sit behind a tall fence.
The center is about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)

AYDC ‘didn’t vet staff properly’

The claim also takes aim at staff hiring, training and supervision at the detention center.

It is alleged that not only did some of the staff have sexual or physical allegations against them, but there were also members of outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Rebels and Outlaws working at the centre.

One plaintiff claimed that on numerous occasions he saw staff members encouraging details to contact gang members when they were released.

It is alleged that AYDC did not vet staff properly and had no — or at least not adequate — systems for de-escalating confrontations with detainees or supervising staff to ensure they were not verbally, physically or sexually abusive.

Instead, it claimed staff used inappropriate force, punished detainees who tried to make complaints against other staff, assaulted them and exposed them to other detainees who were known or alleged to have engaged in physical or sexual violence against previous detainees.

In one example, JC alleged that after he misbehaved, he was removed by four guards who proceeded to abuse him.

“[They] grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the ground, kicked him in the ribs, and dragged him across the yard to his cell, where he was thrown onto a wooden bed and held down with pressure to his neck until he lost consciousness,” the document says.

“When JC regained consciousness three hours later, he was naked and handcuffed. JC was not provided with medical attention.”

‘Don’t forget, children as young as 10 were sent to Ashley’

Plaintiffs also described instances of being shoved, throttled, punched, whipped, stripped naked, almost drowned, abused to the point where they needed to be hospitalized, and denied medical attention after suicide attempts.

The claims also detail degrading strip searches with guards who would harass and laugh at details.

“A common occurrence when children were admitted to Ashley was that they would be strip searched,” Ms Sdrinis said.

A woman with silver hair crosses her arms.
Ms Sdrinis said the evidence that would come out of the public hearing into the detention center would be “confronting”.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)

“They’d have the scabies cream applied to them whether or not they had scabies… we’ve been told it burnt the skin, including in the genital area.

“Don’t forget, children as young as 10 were sent to Ashley.”

But these allegations are not revelations.

The issues with the detention center are well known and just last year the state government announced it would close it down.

It is also about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with hearings set to start late next week.

“I believe the evidence that will come out of the public hearing into Ashley will be very confronting as well,” Ms Sdrinis said.

A spokesperson for the state government said they were unable to comment as “legal action has been flagged.”

“The Commission of Inquiry will be examining the AYDC in the upcoming hearings and as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act where required to ensure our children and young people are safe,” they said.

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Categories
Business

Nurburgring lap record for Porsche Taycan Turbo

Nurburgring lap record for Porsche Taycan Turbo

The German manufacturer says the Porsche Taycan Turbo S completed a lap of the 20.8 kilometer track in 7min 33.3sec, making it the fastest electric car in production.

That effort, recorded by development driver Lars Kern, undercuts the 7min 35.sec mark of Tesla’s Model S Plaid by more than two seconds.

The 2023 model year Taycan Turbo S benefited from a new performance kit including lightweight 21-inch wheels, high-performance Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres, and a software update allowing its electronically controlled suspension to make the most of the new rubber.

The 560kW sedan reached 268km/h during the lap, benefiting from a two-speed transmission that gives it a performance advantage over most electric cars.

But it fell short of the fastest times set by petrol-powered V8 sedans, including the 7min 29.8sec mark of Porsche’s V8-powered Panamera, the 7min 29.5sec of BMW’s latest M5, or the 7min 27.8s of Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 S .

While the Porsche runs out of puff just shy of 270km/h, the nine-speed transmission in Mercedes’ heavy hitter allows it to reach 298km/h on the Nurburgring, or 315km/h if you can find a longer straight.

Expect the electric car performance battle to heat up in the near future, powered by fresh metal such as the Tesla Roadster, Lotus Evija, Pininfarina Battista and Porsche’s electric successor to the Cayman GT4.

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