[VIDEO] 2012 NCM Bash – Record Setting at the Nurburgring

Photo Credit: BridgetoGantry.com

At the 2012 NCM Bash held last weekend at the National Corvette Museum, GM test driver Jim Mero and engineer Jeff Mosher talked about their last visit to the Nurburgring in 2011 where the 2012 Corvette ZR1 lapped the famous circuit in 7:19.63, beating their previous run in 2008 of 7:26.4 and claiming the unofficial title as the fastest production car on the ‘ring.

Since then, a special factory race-prepped Viper ACR reclaimed the title with a run of 7:12.1. But the ZR1s 7:19.63 lap is one that owners and enthusiasts point to as validation of everything the Corvette is known for.

This seminar was probably the one I enjoyed the most as it provided Corvette owners an in-depth look into all the work and preparation that is required for Mero and the ZR1 to put down a sub-7:20 lap time at the Nurburgring.

Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter provides the setup for the seminar, giving the background on all the things that the “Track Ratz” do when it comes to engineering the Corvettes. By their own admissions though is one of the most fun things they have the opportunity to do is validating the ZR1 and Z06 at the Nurburgring.

The process that the team prepares for running on track like the Nurburgring is the same as how Corvette Racing may prepare for a long track like Sebring or Le Mans. By segmenting the track into sections and analyzing the data within those key areas of the segment, they can concentrate on determining the best braking spots, where to shift and where to stay on the throttle to achieve the best possible time.

Utilizing all the data collected and running simulations of all the segments, Mosher determined that the Corvette ZR1 is capable of lapping the Nurburgring in 7:16 seconds.

Here’s the one-hour video of the seminar, uncut and unedited, from the National Corvette Museum’s Chevrolet Theater:

Now that you’ve seen all that goes into a record setting Nurburgring lap, click the link to watch the 2011 run of the 2012 Corvette ZR1 on YouTube.com.

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