Chevy took a tour across the country with its development drivers to set some runs for the books.
By Zac PalmerPublished: Feb 11, 2025 11:24 AM EST
Chevrolet is out for blood with the 2025 Corvette ZR1, and on Tuesday, the automaker announced that the 1064-hp affordable hypercar has set a slew of new production car lap records at some of America’s most famous racetracks.
Do note, for what it’s worth, that this barrage of lap records is entirely domestic; it doesn’t include the big one in Germany yet. Chevy hasn’t announced or even teased a Nurburgring Nordschleife record attempt, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. For now, Chevy is claiming the following production car lap records:
-Watkins Glen Long Course: 1:52.7
-Road America: 2:08.6
-Road Atlanta: 1:22.8
-Virginia International Raceway Full Course: 1:47.7
-Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3
All of those lap times were set with various General Motors engineers at the wheel — no professional race car drivers involved. “From design, engineering, development, validation, to driving and setting incredible lap records like these – we do it all in house,” Corvette executive chief engineer Tony Roma said
All of these times were set with ZR1s equipped with the track-friendly (and admittedly pricey) Carbon Fiber Aero Package and the ZTK Performance Package. The former tacks on a high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes, underbody strakes and a more aggressive front spoiler, while the latter nets stiffer springs, a specific Magnetic Ride Control calibration and Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP tires. You won’t achieve the ZR1’s incredible 233-mph top speed with this high-downforce kit, but it certainly facilitates the sort of record lap times on display here.
We’ll need to wait and see what other lap records Chevy vies for with the ZR1. Notably, Laguna Seca is not among the American tracks listed today – the Czinger 21C currently holds it. Ford recently put up an impressive number with its Mustang GTD by taking the American production car lap record at the 'Ring, and we see no reason why Chevy shouldn’t swat back with its 1064-horsepower supercar.
Chevy took a tour across the country with its development drivers to set some runs for the books.
By Zac PalmerPublished: Feb 11, 2025 11:24 AM EST
Chevrolet is out for blood with the 2025 Corvette ZR1, and on Tuesday, the automaker announced that the 1064-hp affordable hypercar has set a slew of new production car lap records at some of America’s most famous racetracks.
Do note, for what it’s worth, that this barrage of lap records is entirely domestic; it doesn’t include the big one in Germany yet. Chevy hasn’t announced or even teased a Nurburgring Nordschleife record attempt, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. For now, Chevy is claiming the following production car lap records:
-Watkins Glen Long Course: 1:52.7
-Road America: 2:08.6
-Road Atlanta: 1:22.8
-Virginia International Raceway Full Course: 1:47.7
-Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3
All of those lap times were set with various General Motors engineers at the wheel — no professional race car drivers involved. “From design, engineering, development, validation, to driving and setting incredible lap records like these – we do it all in house,” Corvette executive chief engineer Tony Roma said
All of these times were set with ZR1s equipped with the track-friendly (and admittedly pricey) Carbon Fiber Aero Package and the ZTK Performance Package. The former tacks on a high-downforce rear wing, front dive planes, underbody strakes and a more aggressive front spoiler, while the latter nets stiffer springs, a specific Magnetic Ride Control calibration and Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP tires. You won’t achieve the ZR1’s incredible 233-mph top speed with this high-downforce kit, but it certainly facilitates the sort of record lap times on display here.
We’ll need to wait and see what other lap records Chevy vies for with the ZR1. Notably, Laguna Seca is not among the American tracks listed today – the Czinger 21C currently holds it. Ford recently put up an impressive number with its Mustang GTD by taking the American production car lap record at the 'Ring, and we see no reason why Chevy shouldn’t swat back with its 1064-horsepower supercar.