Porsche Taycan is new Supercars safety car

The Repco Supercars Championship has retired the Ford Ranger Raptor from safety car duty for the 2024 season, replacing it with the Porsche Taycan GTS. The first electric safety car in the history of the Australian touring car series, the Taycan GTS will promote bp’s ‘pulse’ rapid charge points for EVs. After promoting bp Ultimate fuel for the past four seasons, bp pulse identification now features prominently.

Launched in Australia in late 2022, bp pulse is the petroleum and energy company’s electrification arm, aiming to build the country’s most convenient rapid EV charging network. Over 100 bp pulse rapid EV charge points have been installed in Australia to date, with the medium-term goal of having more than 100,000 charge points installed worldwide by 2030.

For Supercars, a pit lane-based bp pulse rapid EV charge point will be set up at each round, ensuring the Porsche is on charge when not in service on the track.

The state-of-the-art, electric Taycan GTS offers up to 440kW of power, is capable of 250km/h and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds; within two tenths of a Gen3 Supercar’s acceleration.

Alterations from a stock Taycan GTS for safety car duty are minimal, consisting of the usual warning lights front and rear (behind the windscreen at the front and in a special pod on the roof at the rear), in-car communications gear and fire response equipment.

Two Taycans will serve at every Supercars round in 2024 and be employed across all event categories, showcasing the performance, innovation and sustainability that Porsche is renowned for. The pair will work in rotation to ensure the highest safety standards for all categories.
 

Supercars says the collaboration with bp and Porsche is the latest step in the championship’s sustainability goals, following the adoption of bp’s lower carbon Ultimate E75 Racing Fuel in 2023 and introducing a tyre recycling partnership with Gold Coast-based Entyre. This year marks the fifth that bp has served as the official fuel provider for the Repco Supercars Championship.
Supercars COO, Tim Watsford, welcomed the new partnership and has lauded the new bp pulse safety car as a considerable step forward for the series.
"This collaboration between the Repco Supercars Championship, Porsche and bp pulse represents a significant milestone for the Championship,” Watsford said. “Introducing the Porsche Taycan GTS as our official safety car, the first electric safety car in Supercars’ history, showcases our shared dedication to innovation, sustainability and delivering a world-class racing experience."
 

bp Vice President Marketing Asia Pacific, Amanda Woollard, echoed Watsford, saying that using an electric safety car is momentous for the Supercars competition.  
“bp is keeping the Supercars grid moving as official fuel supplier and now adding our EV charging expertise into the mix, after starting with the bp Ultimate safety car four years ago.  
“This year, we’re revved up and ready to show motorsport fans how bp can keep them powered up, whether through our quality bp Ultimate fuel or recharging at a bp pulse EV charge point.” 

Porsche Motorsport Manager Barry Hay is excited to see the German marque’s latest technical innovation join forces with Supercars and bp to showcase a first in the category’s history.
“The Porsche Taycan GTS stands as an extraordinary engineering achievement in its own right, representing a recent stride in Porsche's history of groundbreaking innovation,” Hay said.
“To put this car on display at the pinnacle of Australian motorsport, in front of the millions who attend and watch Supercars races, is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what the Porsche Taycan GTS is capable of.
“As race fans, we rarely like to see the bp pulse safety car on-track, but we are looking forward to having the Porsche Taycan GTS play such an integral role in Supercars events.”
 

The Porsche Taycan GTS bp pulse safety car made its debut at the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour (on display in bp Pusle EV Park), before cutting its first laps during the Thrifty Bathurst 500 at Mount Panorama in late February.