Rally drivers are definitely faster..
I had a talk with a old friend of mine who used to race professionally in the 70s.. He has a Formula 2 in his garage
(yes I know pics or STFU, hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to catch up with him)
He told me of a trans am race where it was this rally driver's first time racing at that circuit (sorry I dont know the details, but I'll ask again). The rally driver lapped the circuit faster than everyone else who've been practicing on that track many times and won the race.
Downloading now, thanks