With 1,064 horsepower, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is already ridiculously fast, setting five lap records at some legendary race tracks including Watkins Glen and Virginia International Raceway. So when Chevrolet revealed the 1,250-hp, all-wheel-drive Corvette ZR1X hybrid, it was safe to assume even more records might be at risk, including the overall lap record at the Nürburgring. It's no secret that Chevrolet was at the 'Ring, either, and today, it announced that the Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X are
now the fastest cars anyone has ever driven around the Nordschleife — if you only count American automakers.
OK, so Chevrolet didn't exactly steal the crown from the Mercedes-AMG One; with an official time of 6:49.275, the ZR1X didn't even come close to beating the One's record-setting time of 6:29.090. Its time also wasn't that much faster than the 6:50.763 laid down by the less-powerful ZR1. But they did best the Ford Mustang GTD, which recently set a the previous American road car record with a time of 6:52.072. The Z06, meanwhile, lapped the 'Ring in 7:11.826. But while the ZR1X failed to take down the One or even the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, those records were set with actual race car drivers behind the wheel. Chevrolet didn't go that route, at least not this time around.
Instead, the American automaker used its own development engineers, just like it did when the ZR1 set those other lap records. In fact, according to Chevy, ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell is now the fastest non-professional racecar driver to ever lap the Nürburgring. A professional driver would probably be even faster, but it's still pretty cool to see an amateur set a record like that.
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Seriously Experienced Amateurs
That said, with an estimated 600 laps under his belt, Cattell isn't exactly new to this whole "lapping the Nürburgring" thing. Meanwhile, ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace, who set the fastest lap in the regular ZR1, has been around the 'Ring an estimated 425 times. And yet, vehicle performance manager Aaron Link, who piloted the Corvette Z06, reportedly beats them both with roughly 800 laps under his belt. Now that's a lot of laps.
According to Chevrolet, while the Corvettes it brought to the Nurburgring weren't 100% stock, they were still pretty darn close to it, since they started as U.S.-spec cars and were only modified to add "the safety equipment recommended by the track." Those changes include "a roll hoop, full containment race seat, fire extinguisher, and a six-point safety harness," which is typical for road cars that set 'Ring times. All three Corvettes ran their laps on carbon-fiber wheels wearing Michelin Cup 2R tires.
"No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before," GM President Mark Reuss, said in a statement. "From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period."
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