K.C. Colwell is Executive Editor at Car and Driver magazine with 87 recorded laps across 87 vehicles on LapMeta—perfect one-to-one ratio characteristic of professional automotive journalism systematic testing protocols. Colwell's automotive journalism career began when his grandmother gifted him a Car and Driver subscription for his 10th birthday. He joined Car and Driver as technical assistant in fall 2004, promoted to assistant technical editor in 2007, served as testing director from 2017-2022, then promoted to executive editor leading the brand to become one of America's top automotive magazines.
His LapMeta data shows all 87 laps concentrated at Grand West Course—Virginia International Raceway's configuration used for Car and Driver's annual Lightning Lap track test. Remarkably, K.C. set the production-car lap record at VIR for Lightning Lap and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro—the NASCAR-based Le Mans prototype that competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023. The 87-vehicle portfolio represents comprehensive automotive exposure spanning performance cars, supercars, and exotic machinery evaluated through standardized Lightning Lap testing methodology. His professional expertise combines technical knowledge with high-performance driving competency, conducting objective vehicle evaluations informing millions of readers. With 87 laps across 87 vehicles all at VIR Grand West Course, K.C. Colwell exemplifies the professional automotive journalist who sets lap records while systematically testing the industry's most significant performance vehicles.
See Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap 2023 feature and all the lap times here: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42387169/lightning-lap-2023/
Dave VanderWerp and Carlos Lago talk about Dave's experience driving at this year's Lighting Lap. This year, Dave set the lap times for the 2022 Hyundai Kona N, 2022 BMW i4 M50, 2022 BMW M240i xDrive, and 2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual.
Read more:
2022 Hyundai Kona N
2022 BMW i4 M50
2022 BMW M240i xDrive
2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual
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00:00 Intro
02:35 2022 Hyundai Kona N
07:25 2022 BMW i4 M50
11:52 2022 BMW M240i xDrive
15:56 2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual