Not One, But Two Corvettes Break Ford Mustang GTD’s American Nürburgring Record

Not One, But Two Corvettes Break Ford Mustang GTD’s American Nürburgring Record originally appeared on Autoblog.

Corvettes set new records without the help of professional drivers

When Chevrolet unveiled the Corvette ZR1X recently, it immediately moved to the very top of the C8 pile with its insane power and performance. We knew it was only a matter of time before Chevy let the ZR1X loose around the Nürburgring, where we fully expected it to destroy a number of exotics.

Well, the manufacturer decided to take no less than three C8s to the famous Green Hell: The Z06, ZR1, and ZR1X. The results, as you can well imagine, are explosive. And, to prove how great these cars are, Chevy used three non-racecar drivers to make history. Their achievements were covered in a fascinating new documentary titled 'Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story.'

Related: Every Corvette C8 Ranked By Horsepower

Top Corvettes Now Fastest American Cars Around Nürburgring

View the 1 images of this gallery on the original article

All three Corvettes proved their worth around the full-length, 12.9-mile track. The only modifications were recommended safety equipment like a roll hoop, a fire extinguisher, a six-point safety harness, and a full containment race seat. The times below were set in the Prototype/Pre-Production category, given that the ZR1/ZR1X aren't sold in Europe and the Z06 was a US-spec model.

The 670-horsepower Z06, the mildest of these three, set a time of seven minutes and 11.826 seconds. That’s already a spectacular result, but everyone knows that a sub-seven-minute lap time is what legends are made of.

The ZR1 accomplished that easily by setting a time of six minutes and 50.76 seconds, and the mighty ZR1X accomplished a time of six minutes and 49.275 seconds. Both the ZR1 and ZR1X were faster than the Ford Mustang GTD on the all-time list of Nürburgring production cars. Here’s the top 8 and their times:

1. Mercedes-AMG ONE: 06:29.090

2. Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Kit: 06:43.300

3. Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR: 06:44.749

4. Mercedes-AMG Black Series: 06:48.047

5. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X: 06:49.275

6. Porsche 911 GT3 RS: 06:49.328

7. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 06:50.763

8. Ford Mustang GTD: 06:52.072

While some hinted that the AMG ONE’s record was under threat from the ZR1X, it’s worth remembering that the Mercedes is a $2.8-million hypercar with an F1-derived powertrain featuring a 1.6-liter V6 and four electric motors. It’s like nothing AMG has ever developed, and for an (expected) fraction of the price, Chevy’s supercar offers a similar level of performance. Even the Corvette boss himself downplayed the ZR1’s chances of beating the Merc, but being faster than the GTD will be immensely satisfying.

What’s perhaps interesting is that the ZR1X was just barely faster than the ZR1, despite having 186 more horsepower. This closer-than-expected result likely has to do with the added weight of the ZR1X’s hybrid powertrain.

Why Did Chevy Choose Not To Use Professional Drivers?

View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article

Generally, Nürburgring lap times are set with experienced professional drivers behind the wheel, who have the skill and quick reflexes to deal with the demanding track and a powerful supercar. Chevy went in a different direction, though, and wanted to set the lap times with its own people, so chose to do it with three engineers instead.

These drivers were Brian Wallace, Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer and ZR1 driver; Drew Cattell, Vehicle Dynamics Engineer and the ZR1X driver; and Aaron Link, Vehicle Performance Manager and the driver of the ZR1. Chevy’s not-so-subtle flex to the rest of the sports car world is simple: The top Corvettes are so good, they don’t require racecar drivers to extract record-breaking performance out of them.

“We’ve created a different kind of relationship between our cars, iconic tracks, and our engineers, it is how we develop our vehicles,” said Ken Morris, senior vice president of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports. “These Corvettes weren’t piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered and tuned them. Brian, Aaron and Drew have grown into world-class drivers and even better engineers. Their lap times now rank among the fastest ever recorded by non-professionals at the ‘Ring, which is so cool.”

One can’t help but wonder what time might have been set with a pro driver behind the wheel of the ZR1 and ZR1X, though.

Taking Three Corvettes To The Nürburgring Was A Logistical Nightmare

Three months before the trip to Germany, the Chevy team began preparations for the Nürburgring run by practicing with simulations, as they did everything possible to familiarize themselves with the track and the cars.

Already a logistical nightmare with one car, the team’s three-car trip involved many moving parts with the shipping department and via customs. Eight tire ovens were needed so that the three ‘Vettes always did a lap on warmed-up tires, and each car required its own team to get the cars ready for when the track surface temperature was ideal. At the end of each lap run, large fans had to be brought in to cool the engines down, all while the team kept a close eye on changing weather conditions.

Chevy previously hinted that the ZR1X wasn't the peak of the Corvette C8 platform, and when asked again what’s coming next, they did the same, but without providing any details as to what else could be lurking in the future.

We highly recommend watching the full documentary to appreciate Chevy’s effort, in what is an iconic achievement for American sports cars.

Not One, But Two Corvettes Break Ford Mustang GTD’s American Nürburgring Record first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025

This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.