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Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Corvette Boss Downplays ZR1's Chances Of Beating AMG ONE Record
With 1,064 horsepower, a mid-engine layout, and plenty of downforce, the C8 Corvette ZR1 is one of the most exciting cars to come off a production line, American or otherwise. All of the ingredients add up to something so spectacular that former Corvette engineer Jim Mero speculates it might even dethrone the $2.8 million Mercedes-AMG ONE at the top of the Nürburgring leaderboard. But according to someone who works at GM right now, specifically Tony Roma, who replaced the legendary Tadge Juechter as executive chief engineer for the global Corvette and performance cars team, that may be a bridge too far. Speaking with CarBuzz, he said, "I wish the car was that fast. I've seen so many things online, but just stay tuned." Car enthusiasts love to form a good conspiracy, and automakers (particularly American ones) love to hide Easter eggs in announcements, so when Chevrolet teased news from the Green Hell on June 28 (6/28), it naturally led to speculation that this was a coded message indicating a time below that of the AMG ONE (6 minutes, 29 seconds). But just as Ford downplayed the Mustang GTD's chances on the Nordschleife before setting the first sub-7-minute time for an American manufacturer, Roma reminds us that this is a unique place at which to seek a record, with numerous complexities. "It's more difficult than it's [ever] been to set a record at the 'Ring. They charge you a lot of money to talk about it, and they want to have certified timing and scoring," said Roma. "You have to rent the track, get the safety marshals, pay the licensing fee, pay the filming fee. And if your day rains, oh well. We are not based in Stuttgart [where Mercedes is], so we can't just go back next week. That's why you haven't seen us set a lap record attempt." Related: Can't Get A ZR1? This Tuner Has A Solution For Any C8 Corvette These issues are all pertinent. While we would all love to see a plucky, twin-turbo, V8 supercar with a six-figure asking price be an American David to the German Goliath of a multi-million-dollar hypercar built by the might of Mercedes with the powertrain and expertise of a Formula One dynasty behind it, the reality is that mastering the Nürburgring with minimal real-world practice is a feat in itself. However, Roma suggests that the ZR1 should comfortably improve on the front-engine GTD's time. "You can see the effort Ford had to put into the GTD. And they had to go back twice to get decent weather," said Roma, possibly suggesting the ZR1 could outpace the GTD even in less-than-ideal conditions. "All I can say is, stay tuned. We did go and drive around the Green Hell, and we're pretty proud of how the car did. And so, we're going to release more details when the time's right. Very soon, very soon." Corvettes wearing Stingray, Z06, and ZR1 badges have been spied on the Nürburgring, so perhaps multiple announcements will be made at once... Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Auto Blog
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Corvette ZR1 Could Smash AMG ONE Nürburgring Record, Claims Engineer
ZR1 Backed To Beat Nürburgring Record The Nürburgring's Nordschleife is still the golden standard by which performance cars are often judged. Setting a time below 7 minutes is a feat reserved only for the most focused of performance cars, and according to ex-Corvette engineer Jim Mero, the new ZR1 could blast well past that barrier. In fact, he believes the 1,064-horsepower C8 can beat the lap time set by the Mercedes-AMG One, a record for production cars that was reset on September 23, 2024, with the watch stopping at 6:29.09. According to Mero, using some very sketchy car enthusiast math, the ZR1 could probably do a 6:23 lap. Not-Very-Scientific Sums, But The ZR1 Might Surprise Speaking on the HorsePower Obsessed podcast, Mero suggested that, if the gaps between C8 Corvettes are roughly similar to the gaps between C7 Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1 variants, which he helped develop, then that scale should mean that the C8 Z06's time of 7:10.52 (set by Auto Motor und Sport's Christian Gebhardt, it must be noted) would translate to a ZR1 lap time of 6:23. 'If I put the C8 Z06 at seven minutes and use a scale factor, I get a 6:23,' he said on the show. He added that he's probably going to 'get into a lot of trouble for that, but it's speculation with some background.' Interestingly, he believes that the AWD, hybridized ZR1X might not set a faster time around the track, citing concerns over how long the electric motor's 186 horsepower would be available during the lap, as well as the question of how any extra weight may impact handling when the battery is depleted. Again, this is pure speculation from somebody who has no hands-on access to the car, and underestimating what the Corvette team has achieved there may be to one's chagrin. We'll Know The ZR1's Nürburgring Time Soon Enough According to CorvetteBlogger, the team behind the ZR1 is preparing to set a lap time very soon, but until it's close to achieving its goals, we doubt we'll hear anything about their own official estimates and expectations. The publication says that the Corvette team has booked a session at the track for some time this month, and if that's true, we can expect YouTubers and trackside photographers to have news for us before the official word is out, just as was the case with the Mustang GTD's sessions at the Nordschleife. Ford's 850-hp GTD set a time of 6:52.072, and you can be absolutely positive that the Corvette team will be aiming to smash that by a long distance with its 1,064 ponies and mid-engine layout, among other tricks. As Ford and Multimatic engineers can attest, the toughest foe to overcome at the Green Hell is typically the weather. Thus, any theoretical lap times may still be impossible to achieve without perfect timing, maximum commitment, and a dash of luck. Hopefully, we'll know the truth within a week, but if the ZR1 does beat (or even come close to) the time set by the $3 million AMG One, it won't matter when we find out – it'll still mean something epic for American performance. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Corvette ZR1 Could Smash AMG ONE Nürburgring Record, Claims Engineer
The Nürburgring's Nordschleife is still the golden standard by which performance cars are often judged. Setting a time below 7 minutes is a feat reserved only for the most focused of performance cars, and according to ex-Corvette engineer Jim Mero, the new ZR1 could blast well past that barrier. In fact, he believes the 1,064-horsepower C8 can beat the lap time set by the Mercedes-AMG One, a record for production cars that was reset on September 23, 2024, with the watch stopping at 6:29.09. According to Mero, using some very sketchy car enthusiast math, the ZR1 could probably do a 6:23 lap. Speaking on the HorsePower Obsessed podcast, Mero suggested that, if the gaps between C8 Corvettes are roughly similar to the gaps between C7 Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1 variants, which he helped develop, then that scale should mean that the C8 Z06's time of 7:10.52 (set by Auto Motor und Sport's Christian Gebhardt, it must be noted) would translate to a ZR1 lap time of 6:23. "If I put the C8 Z06 at seven minutes and use a scale factor, I get a 6:23," he said on the show. He added that he's probably going to "get into a lot of trouble for that, but it's speculation with some background." Interestingly, he believes that the AWD, hybridized ZR1X might not set a faster time around the track, citing concerns over how long the electric motor's 186 horsepower would be available during the lap, as well as the question of how any extra weight may impact handling when the battery is depleted. Again, this is pure speculation from somebody who has no hands-on access to the car, and underestimating what the Corvette team has achieved there may be to one's chagrin. According to CorvetteBlogger, the team behind the ZR1 is preparing to set a lap time very soon, but until it's close to achieving its goals, we doubt we'll hear anything about their own official estimates and expectations. The publication says that the Corvette team has booked a session at the track for some time this month, and if that's true, we can expect YouTubers and trackside photographers to have news for us before the official word is out, just as was the case with the Mustang GTD's sessions at the Nordschleife. Ford's 850-hp GTD set a time of 6:52.072, and you can be absolutely positive that the Corvette team will be aiming to smash that by a long distance with its 1,064 ponies and mid-engine layout, among other tricks. As Ford and Multimatic engineers can attest, the toughest foe to overcome at the Green Hell is typically the weather. Thus, any theoretical lap times may still be impossible to achieve without perfect timing, maximum commitment, and a dash of luck. Hopefully, we'll know the truth within a week, but if the ZR1 does beat (or even come close to) the time set by the $3 million AMG One, it won't matter when we find out - it'll still mean something epic for American performance. Related: This $760,000 Mercedes 190E Restomod is Coming For Supercars at the Nurburgring Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
