Ford Gt Runs The Ring!

[Big 8]

OK so in a few other posts we all speculated what a FGT would do at the ring. Octane Magazine ( british ragg) just did it.

Great articale with good pics. So the Ring, they ran the Nordschlief with a pro driver who has over ten thousand laps of the old course. As well as a journilist lap. The downer here is that it was a public track day and a crowded track. No offical times! What the pro driver of the car states after four laps is that the car is under the eight min mark, and " in its current state of tune would probably nudge the magic 7:40 mark? :shrug:

So I guess while we dont get a time it adds to the speculation. However I will give this guy opinion some credit for the fact he is a pro driver with ten thousand trips around the ring. I guess its a little better then us arguing back and forth with our speculation. op:

 

[Paul Vincent]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Big 8]

Almost forgot. After Germany came Austria, then Italy. One of the best photos was right in front of the Ferrari factory. There were numerous employees who were lined up having their pictures taken standing next to the FordGT! ;-) That in itself says a lot about this wonderful machine! epper:

 

[Formula51]

So basically he put the time somewhere around a 7:40 to somewhere under 8 minutes. That sounds in line with what most of us were specualting. Do you have a link to this information? Thanks for posting this and keep it coming.

 

[Big 8]

No link. Just the magazine name. Barns and Noble. They always have a lot of teh english and euro raggs. I believe sport auto has something comming. However my German is really so so? Its called Octane, probably has a web site?


The guy made the comment that the car was under eight min. Pretty much like that was a no brainer. Then speculated he could probably pull a " magic" 7:40? op:

 

[Formula51]

Hopefully we will get to find out one day. I still say 7:45ish

 

[Formula51]

This is very interesting concerning the Z06!

http://www.corvettels7.com/products/engine_components.html

"2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in Daytona Sunset Orange flexing its 505-hp engine at the famed Nϋrburgring F1 track in Germany. What is GM up to this time? A flying start perhaps? The 7 42.99 was accomplished from a dead stop and managed to come within 10 seconds of the World's Fastest Production vehicle, the $450,000 Porsche GT. The Porsche GT managed its 7 minute 32 second lap with a flying start rather than the dead stop run by the C6 Z06. By sending the Lemans Blue C6 Z06 to the Ring, the media thought the car was the Blue Devil. GM will not make the same mistake twice."

Standing start vs. a flying start certainly makes a big difference. Maybe enough to get it under 7:40?!?

 

[Paul Vincent]

Let's hope they (Chevy) get it so far under 7:40 that everyone believes the timers malfunctioned; however, even if this happens, it doesn't mean that the times (Z06 vs. GT or Viper) around other roadcourses don't matter or even that they matter less (than a "Ring" time). As I see it (and perhaps this shouldn't be as it can be dangerous and is illegal), first will come the reputation earned in street racing as it likely will happen most often. Next will come the comparisons on a variety of tracks (which car wins most often). Finally, times around "the Ring" will make an impression, but unless a person seeks to have the "Ring" time be the only time that matters, it simply won't be all that important as one manufacturer might focus extensively on the "Ring" while another one might not focus on it at all. And, to be honest, before the Z06 was prepped and tested extensively on the "Ring", I never heard much emphasis placed on time for the "Ring". Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[E. Green Cobra]

Let's hope they (Chevy) get it so far under 7:40 that everyone believes the timers malfunctioned; however, even if this happens, it doesn't mean that the times (Z06 vs. GT or Viper) around other roadcourses don't matter or even that they matter less (than a "Ring" time). As I see it (and perhaps this shouldn't be as it can be dangerous and is illegal), first will come the reputation earned in street racing as it likely will happen most often. Next will come the comparisons on a variety of tracks (which car wins most often). Finally, times around "the Ring" will make an impression, but unless a person seeks to have the "Ring" time be the only time that matters, it simply won't be all that important as one manufacturer might focus extensively on the "Ring" while another one might not focus on it at all. And, to be honest, before the Z06 was prepped and tested extensively on the "Ring", I never heard much emphasis placed on time for the "Ring". Correct me if I am wrong.

Not for the yankee mobiles- we dont like a turnin da wheel!

 

[Formula51]

Let's hope they (Chevy) get it so far under 7:40 that everyone believes the timers malfunctioned; however, even if this happens, it doesn't mean that the times (Z06 vs. GT or Viper) around other roadcourses don't matter or even that they matter less (than a "Ring" time). As I see it (and perhaps this shouldn't be as it can be dangerous and is illegal), first will come the reputation earned in street racing as it likely will happen most often. Next will come the comparisons on a variety of tracks (which car wins most often). Finally, times around "the Ring" will make an impression, but unless a person seeks to have the "Ring" time be the only time that matters, it simply won't be all that important as one manufacturer might focus extensively on the "Ring" while another one might not focus on it at all. And, to be honest, before the Z06 was prepped and tested extensively on the "Ring", I never heard much emphasis placed on time for the "Ring". Correct me if I am wrong.

The Corvette has tested/designed at the Ring for years, with the C5 Z06 running some pretty nice numbers (especially for its time). Europeans give a car a lot of credit for impressive Ring times and most of the European performance cars are tested/designed there. Thus, the Z06 earns a lot of credit with them by running the times it did. The Ring does not mean as much in America, as the majority of Americans only care about going straight.

As for street credit. There are very few GT's produced, there are even fewer on the road, and even fewer than that street racing or racing period. Now the Z06 and Viper will be getting raced a lot and from the mag tests, the Z is going to do some butt woopin!

 

[DBK]

Standing start vs. a flying start certainly makes a big difference. Maybe enough to get it under 7:40?!?

It will make no difference. I know some Vette hopefuls were thinking they would embarass the Carrera GT (as if), but Jans Magnussen ran 2 laps consecutively. Guess what happens between one lap to the next....that's right, you drive past the start line at speed :lol1: The 7:42.99 was rolling.

 

[Big 8]

The Corvette has tested/designed at the Ring for years, with the C5 Z06 running some pretty nice numbers (especially for its time). Europeans give a car a lot of credit for impressive Ring times and most of the European performance cars are tested/designed there. Thus, the Z06 earns a lot of credit with them by running the times it did. The Ring does not mean as much in America, as the majority of Americans only care about going straight.
/QUOTE]


True that, but the Euro still hate the Corvette, it gets zilch respect from the euros, worse off is its sales numbers which are exstremely low. :shrug:

 

[Formula51]

It will make no difference. I know some Vette hopefuls were thinking they would embarass the Carrera GT (as if), but Jans Magnussen ran 2 laps consecutively. Guess what happens between one lap to the next....that's right, you drive past the start line at speed :lol1: The 7:42.99 was rolling.

I never expected the Z06 to beat, yet alone embarass, a Carrera GT at the Ring. I would hope any Vette hopeful would be talking about this from a performance to dollar standpoint as that is the only way I can even see an argument, and not a good one in my opinion.

I would love to see what the Z06 would do with tires comporable to the Carrera's though. Just for comparison sake. I sure hope that if Chevy builds a Super Corvette they put some real world class tires on it.

 

[fordification]

there are alot of corners, but a hell of alot of straights too.

 

[fordification]

I'm guessing 2-3 150+mph straightaways.