| kaisen |
12-17-2012 12:17 PM |
Pushrods, leaf springs, cheap interior....and the fastest lap record at Laguna Seca
Pushrod 2 valve motor, leaf sprung suspension, balsawood floor, plastic body, plastic interior, eight year old platform.....
Yet more than 3 seconds faster around Laguna Seca than a (much more expensive) new 911 GT3 RS with the same sticky tires
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1355774850.jpg
2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vs. 2013 SRT Viper GTS - Motor Trend
Quote:
My first big story at Motor Trend pitted the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 against a Porsche 911 Turbo. Much to most peoples’ surprise, the Porsche was faster in a straight line, yet the mighty American absolutely wiped the track with that German missile. We stuck Justin Bell behind the wheel of both, and he made the Corvette go 3.6 seconds per lap faster around Big Willow than the Porsche Turbo. A year later, during the 2011 Best Driver’s Car competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a Corvette Z06 with sticky, semi-slick Cup tires ran away from the rest of the field, posting a freaky fast 1:34.40 lap time with Randy Pobst behind the wheel. Not only was that time almost 2 seconds per lap faster than the second-fastest car (the Ferrari 458 Italia, 1:36.20) but the 505-hp Z06 had less power than the second- through fifth-place cars (458, Audi R8 GT, Lexus LFA, Nissan GT-R). Today, for the first time ever, we get our hands on the 638-horsepower, 604-lb-ft ZR1 with those same sticky, 80 treadwear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup ZP tires.......
...Let’s talk Randy Pobst, who set the new Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca lap record in the Corvette ZR1 with a time of 1:33.70. The old record of 1:33.99, set by Chris Winkler in a 2010 Dodge Viper ACR, stood for more than three years. I asked Randy for his thoughts on setting the new record. “First, thanks to Motor Trend for the opportunity. Second, this lap record is reality. I’m proud of that. Just five laps, flat-out, in a ZR1 straight from the showroom. No three days of setup, testing and practice. Third, the thrill of taking 638 horsepower foot-to-the-floor around Mazda Laguna and coming back in one piece and on top. Especially the no-lift jump over turn 1. As brave as I’ve ever been. Fourth, satisfaction. Yeah, we got this.“ As for the new Viper, Randy ripped off an even braver (says me) lap of 1:35.77. To put that in perspective, the SRT would be the sixth-fastest car we’ve ever lapped at Laguna Seca, behind the aforementioned Aventador (1:34.50) and Randy’s own effort in the old Viper ACR (1:35.10). That said, the 2013 Viper is faster around Laguna Seca than the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lexus LFA, Audi R8 GT, Porsche GT3 RS, and Nissan GT-R. As Randy shouted when he learned this fact, “God bless America!”
...the old, about-to-be-discontinued ZR1 performs 2.1 seconds per lap better (than the new Viper). On Randy’s fastest ZR1 lap, his top speed was 140.4 mph over turn 1. Wicked fast! For comparison, in the Viper, Randy’s top speed at the same point was 138.4 mph, a seemingly small but significant difference. Interestingly, like me, Randy thought that the Viper felt quicker than the ZR1 in a straight line. Carlos chalks that up to the near complete lack of sound deadening in the cabin. The noise is brutal. Regardless, we know the cars are just as quick as each other. It was the SRT’s inferior shocks and brakes that prevented Randy from going totally flat in the Viper. Years ago, a Ferrari engineer was explaining to Randy, Angus and I that they (Ferrari) simply couldn’t figure out how the Nissan GT-R is able to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife so quickly. “Oh, I know why,” Randy piped up. “Confidence. You can drive it faster because you’re more confident.” This seems to be exactly the case here with these two muscle-bound freaks. While eerily similar in almost every respect, on the track the ZR1 is the clear winner. Of course, we’ve known how good big-dog Corvettes are as track monsters for some time. Remember, the second-fastest car Randy’s ever flung around Laguna Seca is a 2012 Corvette Z06.
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