ZR1 reportedly ran 7:12 around the 'Ring

[Serpent]

A bystander timing a lap wouldn't vary more than a second or so, compared to an actual lap time.

If GM comes out and announces a sub 7 minute lap, even with video evidence, it will never be seen as accurate.

called preliminary testing bud. They just got to the track didnt they? The team will be there for weeks, with multiple ZR1's and multiple drivers working out everything to get the best time.

Also, a guy with a stopwatch timing laps doesnt mean shit. LOL, does the stop watch guy know the driver might have let off? 12 mile track and joe schmo with a stopwatch is who were are going to rely on?

 

[AustinSN]

I’d bet money the ZR1 could turn sub 7 minute, maybe even 6:5x times if they stole the lunatics that drove the 911 GT3 from Porsche. Though I’m guessing they are under contract with Porsche, probably involved in motorsports and no doubt spent years cutting their teeth at the ring.

The car is certainly important, you aren’t going to run those times without serious development towards that goal.

Chevy has plenty of fast test drivers lol.

I watched a video forever ago where someone asked why test drivers are the ones who set lap times and not the professional drivers. The dude said it's because the test drivers know the cars better and know the tracks (especially the ring) much better. Jim Mero probably has more seat time in a Corvette at the ring than anyone ever.

He ran a quicker lap time than Jan Magnussen.

 

[13COBRA]

called preliminary testing bud. They just got to the track didnt they? The team will be there for weeks, with multiple ZR1's and multiple drivers working out everything to get the best time.

We'll see.

Even a half-assed, stopwatch time, of 7:12 is not good for GM to let slip out. Brings in to question cooling issues.

Making room for the fast cars:

 

[Serpent]

Chevy has plenty of fast test drivers lol.

I watched a video forever ago where someone asked why test drivers are the ones who set lap times and not the professional drivers. The dude said it's because the test drivers know the cars better and know the tracks (especially the ring) much better. Jim Mero probably has more seat time in a Corvette at the ring than anyone ever.

He ran a quicker lap time than Jan Magnussen.

There was an argument here from one of the GM nut swingers who post here saying jim mero isnt a pro. Even tho the guy raced in 24hr leman in the 90s. Even if they dont consider him a pro, the guy has spent more time testing corvettes than a racecar driver driving a racecar. The guy has been doing it for decades, its his job. This isnt a race series where it ends and the season is over. Corvette testing is year round with a new model every what, 2 years?

Brings in to question cooling issues.

I dont think they will have cooling issues at all, this is a bigger supercharger spinning slower than previous tiny blower spinning fast creating heat. Also the front bumper with the larger openings and the top of the hood vents to vent the heat out. One thing im not sure about is why they stuck with the A8 which is known to overheat. Maybe this is an improved version of the A8, rev 3.0?

 

[03Sssnake]

Chevy has plenty of fast test drivers lol.

I watched a video forever ago where someone asked why test drivers are the ones who set lap times and not the professional drivers. The dude said it's because the test drivers know the cars better and know the tracks (especially the ring) much better. Jim Mero probably has more seat time in a Corvette at the ring than anyone ever.

He ran a quicker lap time than Jan Magnussen.

Whatever GM does, hope they leave the ring car at the ring, it will make for a shitty street car here. Though I suspect they are of course only doing this for bragging rights as if they really needed any help or further incentives to help sell Corvette’s.

 

[AustinSN]

Whatever GM does, hope they leave the ring car at the ring, it will make for a shitty street car here. Though I suspect they are of course only doing this for bragging rights as if they really needed any help or further incentives to help sell Corvette’s.

Lol you sound like James May

You are right though, The M4 GTS was a perfect example of a car that was so ring focused it made it worse everywhere else.

FWIW, I don't think GM is packing cars up unless they show a time that starts with a 6.

 

[blk02edge]

Ill bet the zr1 has zero issue hitting a 6.5x given the right conditions. Only time worth mentioning on the ring these days is the all out record so thats what they are probably expecting to do.

 

[Blown 89]

Ring times....the grand daddy of meaningless stats.

 

[03Sssnake]

Lol you sound like James May

You are right though, The M4 GTS was a perfect example of a car that was so ring focused it made it worse everywhere else.

FWIW, I don't think GM is packing cars up unless they show a time that starts with a 6.

Hey James May is a sensible, practical man! He nor I one appreciate cars adorned in splitters, wings w/winglets, surfboard sized spoilers and harsh unforgiving rides

 

[kevinatfms]

There was an argument here from one of the GM nut swingers who post here saying jim mero isnt a pro. Even tho the guy raced in 24hr leman in the 90s. Even if they dont consider him a pro, the guy has spent more time testing corvettes than a racecar driver driving a racecar. The guy has been doing it for decades, its his job. This isnt a race series where it ends and the season is over. Corvette testing is year round with a new model every what, 2 years?

You forgot John Heinricy also. Guy was assistant chief engineer for the Corvette division along with being head of GM Performance for years. Heinricy is a noted racing driver with years of experience. He set the CTS-V ring time of sub 8min.

Both him and Mero are legendary in the GM driving circle. Heinricy is retired but i have seen articles where he will still wheel one around if GM asks him to.

EDIT: he had 38 years with GM in almost every division. He was the first person to set the ring record for a 4 door sedan under 8 minutes with a CTS-V(gen 2).
He also set the FWD record with the Cobalt SS/TC.

 

[blk02edge]

Hey James May is a sensible, practical man! He nor I one appreciate cars adorned in splitters, wings w/winglets, surfboard sized spoilers and harsh unforgiving rides

You should start a thread on alarm clocks, facinating subject

 

[GT Premi]

I've been saying it forever and i'll say it again, once you get over ... 500 hp or so you really start seeing diminishing returns in terms of a track car. 750 is honestly just stupid to try to be productive with, but GM has to sell to all the dumbasses who dont know any better and are more concerned with bench racing than actually being fast. I'm not surprised, nor will i be surprised when the new GT500 struggles, especially when everyone was commenting how stupid it looked with the wing ... how the hell else do you expect it to have a snowball's chance in hell of even trying to get around a corner with 700+ horsepower, factory tires, and no aero?

I'd almost bet money you could take the same aero and tires, put it on the C7 grand sport and be faster, or at least within shouting distance of the Zr1. There's only a handful of places on the ring you could really open up a ton of horsepower anyways.

It's called throttle control. Mega HP can still be used on track. The driver just has to realize he can't plant his foot to the firewall at every corner exit. And the car needs to have some really good brakes to shave off that momentum coming off the straights.

...
With the amount of money it costs to ship an entire team, cars, and rent out the Ring for lapping...an American manufacturer wouldn't do it unless they were shooting for a fast lap.

Especially considering that Chevy can't even legally sell the ZR1 in Europe due to pedestrian safety standards. They're there for one thing and one thing only. Chevy (and every other manufacturer except Ford) realizes that 'ring times are huge marketing gimmicks that payoff way more than any multi million dollar ad campaign.

Chevy has plenty of fast test drivers lol.

I watched a video forever ago where someone asked why test drivers are the ones who set lap times and not the professional drivers. The dude said it's because the test drivers know the cars better and know the tracks (especially the ring) much better. Jim Mero probably has more seat time in a Corvette at the ring than anyone ever.

He ran a quicker lap time than Jan Magnussen.

I believe it was either Auto Blog or Motor Authority that did an expose' on Jim Mero. He has a long history of professional racing. He's not "just some test driver."


Concerning this non-official time; don't forget that, at the launch of the ZR1, Tadge Juechter specifically said the ZR1 was designed to be a fast GT car, not a track weapon. It'll no doubt put up some good times on most tracks, but don't expect to be gobsmacked when weighing the performance output against the track hardware.

 

[03Sssnake]

You should start a thread on alarm clocks, facinating subject

I might just do that

 

[Voltwings]

It's called throttle control. Mega HP can still be used on track. The driver just has to realize he can't plant his foot to the firewall at every corner exit. And the car needs to have some really good brakes to shave off that momentum coming off the straights.

Sorry, but i'm going to throw you into that "bench racing" crowd. That's not meant as an insult, just an observation.

Literally every track day i have been to there is always at least one high horsepower car drag racing between the straights and holding everyone up in the corners, We call them "rolling chicanes." Also, to your comment on throttle control ... was that not literally my point? What good is having 750 horsepower on tap if you can only use 450-500 on any given corner? Why not just have a properly set up 450 - 500 horsepower car to begin with. There really is no tire, no brakes, no nothing that can sustain 750+ hp for lap after lap, these cars are hero lap, bench race, boulevard cruisers and nothing more.

I don't think people who do not, or have not, tracked regularly get it. Again, that's not an insult, just an observation.

 

[Coiled03]

I've been saying it forever and i'll say it again, once you get over ... 500 hp or so you really start seeing diminishing returns in terms of a track car.

I'm assuming you're ignoring all the dedicated race cars with much more HP than that, and only talking about street cars here, right?

It's all about how you apply the power, and what you do with the resultant corner entry speed you carry due to the extra HP. If you can carry the additional corner speed with downforce, the extra HP is beneficial.

 

[blk02edge]

I'm assuming you're ignoring all the dedicated race cars with much more HP than that, and only talking about street cars here, right?

It's all about how you apply the power, and what you do with the resultant corner entry speed you carry due to the extra HP. If you can carry the additional corner speed with downforce, the extra HP is beneficial.

Which dedicated race cars have 750+hp?
Thats right, the ones with massive amounts of aero. Think Indy, F1, P class etc. Youll see most cup cars, GTLM, and factory style bodies are 450-550hp max. Voltwings has it right. Its more than just throttle control. Another aspect is lower horsepower cars in the same chassis can brake later. Watching that straight line gap close right back up at the end is funny. Every time.

 

[Blown 89]

Sorry, but i'm going to throw you into that "bench racing" crowd. That's not meant as an insult, just an observation.

I don't think people who do not, or have not, tracked regularly get it. Again, that's not an insult, just an observation.

That was the feeling I got reading his post too.

 

[Voltwings]

Which dedicated race cars have 750+hp?
Thats right, the ones with massive amounts of aero. Think Indy, F1, P class etc. Youll see most cup cars, GTLM, and factory style bodies are 450-550hp max. Voltwings has it right. Its more than just throttle control. Another aspect is lower horsepower cars in the same chassis can brake later. Watching that straight line gap close right back up at the end is funny. Every time.

And a good bit lighter.

 

[mc01svt]

I'm assuming you're ignoring all the dedicated race cars with much more HP than that, and only talking about street cars here, right?

It's all about how you apply the power, and what you do with the resultant corner entry speed you carry due to the extra HP. If you can carry the additional corner speed with downforce, the extra HP is beneficial.

LOL at this, u serious?

most production car body based spec race cars have like 500-600hp tops.

there simply is no point in having 755hp in a rwd street car when it comes to track times, but it sure looks good in a brochure. You can look at production records for alot of tracks and see times that are like 1 second apart even though one car has like a 400hp disadvantage.

 

[Serpent]

Lol, you guys are trying to convince a non track guy. i thnk coiled03 is the same guy that was thinking a lemans car without any restrictions is quicker than an f1 car also with no restrictions. Nvm that the f1 car is quite a bit lighter with more aerodynamics. LOL