

Car and Driver just held their annual Lightning Lap competition for 2015 and according to the results, the 2015 Corvette Z06 not only won its class, but dominated the entire competition by finishing fastest overall. Not only that, the Corvette Z06 was so fast that in the nine years of Car and Driver’s Lightning Laps, only one other car has finished faster.

The Lightning Lap competition by Car and Driver is now in its ninth year and the goal is to gather the hottest performance cars produced during the model year and to see how fast they can make a lap around VIR’s 4.1 mile Grand Course. For this year’s Lightning Lap, 18 cars are featured and they are grouped by their price points.

The Corvette Z06 was grouped in the $65,000-$124,999 class and the competition included two Cadillacs, a CTS-V and ATS-V Coupe, a Mercedes-AMG C63 and a Lexus RC F.

When it was all said and done, the Corvette Z06 ran a blistering 2:44.6 at VIR, handily beating the other four cars in its class as well as finishing ahead of the supercars in the upper classes like the $350K McLaren 650S Spider and the $275K Lamborghini Huracan.

While the full results from the three-day test will appear in the October issue of Car and Driver, they did send out an email with this year’s participants and their times:

Up to $34,999

Volkswagen GTI – 3:14.6

Mini Cooper Hardtop John Cooper Works – 3:15.4

Ford Mustang Ecoboost – 3:15.6

Mazda MX-5 Miata Club – 3:20.8

From $35,000 to $64,999

Cadillac ATS-V Sedan – 2:59.8

Ford Mustang GT – 3:05.2

Alfa Romeo 4C – 3:08.8

Audi S3 – 3:11.3

Volkswagen Golf R – 3:12.3

From $65,000 to $124,999

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – 2:44.6

Cadillac CTS-V – 2:56.8

Cadillac ATS-V Coupe – 2:59.2

Mercedes-AMG C63 S – 2:59.2

Lexus RC F – 3:05.8

From $125,000 to $249,999

Porsche 911 GT3 – 2:50.4

Mercedes-AMG GT S – 2:51.0

From $245,000 and above

McLaren 650S Spider – 2:45.8

Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 – 2:47.5



In an article at the Detroit News, Henry Payne quotes Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman, who said this about the run:

[quote_box_center]”It’s incredible how much performance they pack into that $100,000 price point,” Alterman said. “One of the interesting things about the Z06 is it proves the car with the highest top speed is not necessarily the fastest car around a race track. The McLaren (top speed: 204 mph), for example, was faster on the straights, but the Z06 with more down-force and grip just dominated on the more technical parts of the track.”[/quote_box_center]

The Corvette Z06’s lap was also significantly faster that previous Corvettes that have run the course. The 2014 Corvette Stingray ran a 2:53.8 while the 2012 Corvette ZR1’s time was 2:50.7.

In the nine year history of the Lightning Lap competition, only one car has run a faster time – the $875K 2014 Porsche 918 Hybrid which was faster by only 1.5 seconds.

While the Corvette Z06s time was damn fast in the Lightning Lap competition, in the hands of someone that has spent a lot of seat time in the car, it has the potential to go even faster. Chevrolet test driver Jim Mero’s fastest lap in the Z06 at VIR was an even quicker time of 2:41.3 which he ran last year.

So congratulations to Tadge and the gang and here’s another feather in Chevrolet’s cap for the Corvette Z06. We look forward to seeing the video of the Corvette Z06’s 2015 Lightning Lap when it’s released by Car and Driver.



Source:

Car and Driver



Related:

[VIDEO] Watch the Corvette Stingray’s Run at VIR for Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap



Corvette Stingray Runs Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap but the Camaro Z/28 Steals the Show

