Audi RS Lineup Impresses at Car and Driver Lightning Lap

[Source: Car and Driver]

Car and Driver just wrapped up their 2026 Lightning Lap competition. Sixteen new cars competed this year including three Audi RS models. The RS 3, RS 6 Avant Performance and the RS e-tron GT. The results prove that Audi knows its way around a racetrack and their performance cars keep getting faster.

The annual Lightning Lap challenge kicked off back in 2006 and has since become one of the most respected performance benchmarks in the industry. Hosted at Virginia International Raceway’s demanding 4.1-mile Grand Course, the event puts cars through a true test of capability. The track features tight technical corners, long straights, and roughly 130 feet of elevation change. This means that outright horsepower alone won’t guarantee a quick lap. Balance, braking, chassis tuning, and driver confidence all matter just as much.

To keep things fair, competitors are grouped by price into categories ranging from LL1 for the most affordable performance cars to LL5 for the most expensive machines. The Audi RS 3 was in the LL2 tier for cars between $40,000 and $74,999. The RS 6 Avant Performance and RS e-tron GT both competed in the LL4 class for vehicles priced between $140,000 and $279,999. All cars performed extremely well, let’s take a look at them individually.

The RS 3 was the slowest of the trio but by no means slow with a lap time of 2:58.9. That ranks it 133rd out of the 357 cars that have competed at Lightning Lap since its inception. Although it is significantly slower than the 2022 model RS 3 that was tested in 2023. That car put down a 2:52.5 lap. Why is the new car slower? For one thing, new Euro regulations robbed the car of seven horsepower. But even more meaningful is the tire choice. The grippy Pirelli Trofeo R rubber from 2023 is now a Europe-only option. The test car this year wore Pirelli P Zero R tires. Around VIR, that could mean several seconds.

The current RS 3 remains an impressive car that punches above its weight. Exiting the hairpin and down the straight into Spiral the RS 3 is going 91.4 mph. That is faster than even the Porsche 911 GT3. Aside from the speed the car is just fun to drive. As the Car and Driver tester put it “There is the constant noise of tire squeal and the work of chasing the wheel. There’s also that feeling mid-lap that you’re getting away with something great.”

Next up is the RS 6 Avant Performance. The 621-horsepower Audi wagon belted out a 2:55.5 lap which is good enough for 103rd all-time. It was just a half tick behind the BMW M5 Touring for the honor of the fastest wagon ever. But consider this, the RS 6 Avant is 0.6 seconds faster than the 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus. Think about that. This grocery getting wagon is faster than one of the best supercars this century. And this RS 6 wasn’t even properly equipped for ultimate lap times.

On the front straight the RS 6 Avant Performance hit 151.1 mph, but it is not straight-line speed where this RS 6 lacks. The car tested rode on standard air springs. Testers noted significant body roll and at times the big Audi even lifted its inside front wheel. Cool for posting a pic on Instagram but not so cool for lap times. An RS 6 on steel springs and Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) would likely lap even faster. It would almost certainly beat the M5 Touring.

Now for the most powerful production Audi of all time, the RS e-tron GT. With 912 all-electric horsepower at its disposal the RS e-tron GT banks a 2:50.6 lap time. That makes it the quickest Audi ever at Lightning Lap and 69th fastest overall. 11 EVs have competed in Lightning Lap over the years, and the Audi is the fifth fastest. It would be even quicker if it had a bit more top end. Over the course of the lap, the Audi bounces off its speed limiter for about 3.5 seconds meaning it would go no faster than 153.8 mph. Still this car is faster than the likes of the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Ferrari F12.

Despite this being a fairly heavy, all-electric sedan, the car felt at home on the racetrack. “Whereas the Taycan felt twitchy over the dramatic curbs in the Climbing Esses, the e-tron’s magic dampers made the bumps disappear more than any other car we’ve driven,” said Car and Driver.  

Audi proved that their RS cars belong on the racetrack, no matter if they are EVs, wagons or sedans. Maybe next year the all-new RS 5 will have a go at it. But for now, if you want the quickest Audi around a racetrack, you want the RS e-tron GT.