David Donohue to attempt 300mph record in Hennessey Venom GT

The old saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas, and American constructor Hennessey is taking that literally by aiming to propel its new Venom F5 machine to become the first production car to officially record a top speed over 300mph.

Sounds a bonkers claim, but Hennessey has form in this area, with its previous efforts both making significant waves in a straight line when the Venom GT clocked a then-record 270.49mph in 2014, and its Roadster variant holds the 265.5mph benchmark for a convertible model – set in 2016.

Bugatti’s Chiron Super Sport 300+ sits unofficially at the top of the records, but its 304mph run in August 2019 in the hands of British driver Andy Wallace was only recorded one-way. Hennessey aims to change that, and has recruited racing driver David Donohue to help push the new 6.6-litre Venom F5 into a whole new realm.

The son of the legendary Mark Donohue – who himself set a world record in 1975 when he lapped Alabama’s Talladega in an astonishing 43.3sec aboard a Roger Penske-engineered Porsche 917/30, inset, hitting an average speed of 221.12mph – David Donohue counts a class victory at Le Mans aboard a Dodge Viper and a Time Attack record at Pikes Peak to his list of achievements.

“I’ve been working behind the scenes with the team at Hennessey for several months, allowing me to spend quite a bit of time behind the wheel of the Venom F5,” he said. “The 1817bhp ‘Fury’ engine is consistently and relentlessly breathtaking. It has explosive power delivery that is awe-inspiring without being evil. I may never completely get used to it.”

Marque founder and CEO John Hennessey said: “We can now refocus on achieving speed records, and to complete those goals we need an experienced world-class driver who can push a hypercar to its potential – that’s exactly what David can do.”

Hennessey has yet to publicly announce when it will attempt its next run.