Corvette ZR1 Blows Away Ford GT Lap Record

Well, this is embarrassing. After Ford made a big deal about the GT setting a new lap record at the Virginia International Raceway, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 broke it by 1.37 seconds. That might not sound like much, but anyone familiar with racing and lap times knows every hundredth of a second counts.

The 2019 ZR1 that pulled off a 2:37.25 lap set the new record for production cars at the track. It was outfitted with the optional 8-speed automatic transmission, which I know is no fun, but stupid computers shift faster.

The fastest ‘Vette ever also had the optional ZTK performance package. That includes Michelin Sport Cup 2 summer tires, a carbon fiber rear wing, front splitter, plus unique suspension tuning for better track performance. Oh, and of course the ZR1 had a harness bar and five-point harness, which is a requirement at pretty much any legit track.

Chevrolet was thorough in its disclosures, because the Blue Oval crowd’s going to scream fowl. The aero and alignment settings were to spec, not set extra aggressive.

Making this situation even funnier is the fact that Chevrolet set this lap record earlier in January, before Ford started bragging about the GT’s performance. What’s more, Chevrolet noted it had engineer Jim Mero drive the ZR1, while Ford used Billy Johnson, a professional racer, to take the GT around the track.

And so the rivalry continues!