Pagani DID use different tyres to set the Top Gear lap record in the Huayra

We asked yesterday if the Pagani Huayra that set a new Top Gear lap record had cheated by using different tyres for the run. It did.

Yesterday morning we reported that it seemed the Pagani Huayra that set the recent fastest lap on the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold may have had an advantage by using track tyres instead of road tyres. It seems it did.

We sent the story on the Pagani Huayra to Jalopnik in the States, and they managed to get a comment out of Pagani about the tyres used for the record setting lap at Dunsfold.

It seems that when Richard Hammond was driving the Huayra – and concluded it was a stunning car, as you would expect – he was running on the regular P Zero tyres – the ones customers get on their Huayra – but when the Huayra was given to the Stig to do a power lap the tyres were switched to Zonda R tyres that had been pre-cut by Pirelli to set as fast a lap as possible.

That confession makes a nonsense of the press release Pagani issued when the Huayra did its run (which you can read on the Pagani website) which said the Huayra was running “…Pirelli PZero Corsa tyres specifically designed by Pirelli just for the Huayra”.

Pagani’s excuse for this little piece of misinformation is:

We used both during the shooting at TopGear Test track. We reported Pirelli Pzero Corsa on our press release because we want, for communication reasons, to push them on the media.

Make what you will of the subterfuge, but the lap time for the Huayra should be removed until the Huayra does a lap on the Pirelli Pzero Corsas. Either that, or they let every car maker back to Dunsfold with specially crafted tyres to set a new lap time.

We know which is easiest.

By Cars UK