2009 Corvette ZR1 the Test on the Road Course

  Barring a full on financial meltdown, GM will build between 1,500 and 2,000 ZR1 Corvettes for the '09 model year. While those numbers aren't sufficiently scanty to qualify the car as a genuine exotic, they nevertheless represent but a tiny fraction of the Corvette typical yearly production total. Factor in the Z's stupefying performance and six figure price tag, and it's easy to see why access to examples for use in instrumented testing is severely limited.

  The unrepentant Corvette kook Kevin Helmintoller, whose exploits behind the wheel of various high performance Vettes have been documented. In September, the Tampa area native lit out for the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to take delivery of his own ZR1 Corvette, a very early production example done up in cop bait Victory Red. Shortly after arriving back in Florida, he set up a battery of performance tests on the new Corvette.

   The plan was simple in theory, if not in execution. Helmintoller would wring out the Z in three separate test environments, dyno, dragstrip, and road course and would document the results. The project required no small amount of creative scheduling, but when the tire smoke had dissipated, it was clear that Chevy's new King of the Hill Corvette was worthy of its regal appellation.

Road Course

  Straight line acceleration testing is instructive, to be sure, but the ZR1's real test is road-course dicing, and any proper evaluation of the car would be incomplete without the inclusion of a proper open track session. Helmintoller enrolled himself and two of his Corvettes, the ZR1 and a mostly stock '06 Z06, in a high performance driving event hosted by Chin Motorsports and held at Sebring International Raceway. The event promised the opportunity to unleash both cars on one of North America's oldest and best known motorsports venues, and to draw some informed comparisons between the two.

  Helmintoller explains,  "The Z06 Corvette is quite tossable, and when it breaks away, it is quite easy to recover. Keep in mind this car has minor mods and makes 490 rwhp and 450 rwtq. It's also equipped with Nitto 285s in the front and 345s in the rear, along with Hawk ceramic brake pads. I felt comfortable pushing that car for all it was worth and in fact pushed it past that point at least twice.

  With the ZR1 Corvette, I was definitely more conservative and, frankly, nervous when unleashing the power in traffic. The car's output is phenomenal, and I learned that downshifting was really not necessary. Keeping it in Third gear even in low speed turns saved time, thanks to the available torque. As for my official times, I was consistently 10 to 15 seconds slower with the ZR1 vs. the Z06. On the other hand, when exiting Turn 16 down the long straight, I was pushing 155 mph with the ZR1 but only 140 mph with the Z06. Down the main straight, the ZR1 hit nearly 140 mph before Turn 1,while the Z06 was closer to 125 mph.

  I'm certain that with more track time, braking much later into the turns, I could shave substantial time off my laps. The ZR1 definitely moves around more as it works the track. There's more side to side and front to rear motion. The Z06 tracks much more flatly. Both cars were run in the Competitive Driving setting, with the ZR1's magnetic suspension set to Sport.

  In normal driving, the ZR1 can demonstrate truly bipolar behavior. Driving her home from Bowling Green, she was quite docile: quiet, comfortable, and easy to drive, with a feather light clutch and low effort shifter. But when you want to switch to Mr. Hyde, the flaps open on the pipes, the supercharger winds up, and the suspension anticipates your needs.

  The Z06 is one car a track car and it's quite good in that role. But the ZR1 is truly more car. Honestly, I feel I could part with both my '06 Z06 Corvette and my 700hp '01 Mallett Z Corvette and have all my motoring needs fulfilled with the ZR1 Corvette. But variety is the spice of life".