The Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 has been trying for quite a while to set a Nürburgring lap time, with previous attempts not fairing well due to unexpected circumstances. This year, the high-powered ‘Vette had a shot at Green Hell and the result was outstanding, setting a lap time of 7:10.51 in the hands of Christian Gebhardt of Sport Auto with the car wearing a set of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R rubbers.
The Corvette C8 Z06’s recent Nürburgring lap time was a few seconds better than its predecessor, which recorded 7:13.90 in the hands of the same driver. With the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in use, a quicker 0-60 mph sprint of 2.6 seconds (versus the C7 Z06’s 2.9 seconds), and a higher top speed of 195 mph (vs 185 mph), the lap time improvement wasn’t as great as we expected.
So What Went Wrong?
After the release of the video, Sport Auto explained what transpired during the lap. The German publication said that the C8 Z06’s long gear ratio at the fifth gear didn’t allow for faster runs on the high-speed sections of the Nordschleife. In a side-by-side comparison video that Sport Auto posted separately, you’ll notice the C8 Z06 did not go as fast as the C7 Z06, only achieving 151 mph in the Kesselchen section – a tad short of the C7 Z06’s 158 mph.
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Keen observers will also notice that Gebhardt didn’t use the C8 Z06’s paddle shifters to toggle its 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, which was a bit odd considering that seasoned drivers would choose to use manual mode in these hot laps to maximize the rev range for each gear. The publication explained that the car was left in automatic mode as this is recommended by Corvette development engineers for the fastest time.
The Conditions Weren’t Ideal
Sport Auto offered more explanations about the C8 Z06’s not-so-stellar performance at the ‘Ring. The Michelin tires weren’t at the “perfect working temperature” during the first part of the lap, despite being preheated before the run. The Nürburgring also did not have a perfect grip when it did the hot lap on September 17, 2024.
“But that’s part of the Sport Auto Lap/Supertest, that we can’t set lap times countless times like a manufacturer. We only get one day for the fast lap and have to live with the external conditions,” the publication explained.
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To be fair, Sport Auto added that Aaron Link, global vehicle performance manager of Chevrolet Performance Cars, shared that the company’s own testing also achieved a 7:10 lap time, shown through an unpublished onboard video. The Corvette C8 Z06 may not have joined the list of fastest Nürburgring lap times for production cars, but that 7:10.51 run was still an impressive feat – just not impressive enough for Chevrolet to be proud of since the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 has clocked the lap at 6:55.3.