2019 Corvette ZR1 Dominates at Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap 2018

Finally a competition made for the 2019 Corvette ZR1!

We’ve seen Chevy’s supercar square off against some of the great sports cars of the day with roll races and quarter mile runs from diggs, but now we finally get to see the Corvette ZR1 compete in its natural environment – The 4.1 mile grand course at Virginia International Raceway.

Lightning Lap 2018 is here! Car and Driver’s annual test to see how classes of new cars rank against each other. The C7 Corvettes have proved to be great contenders in this annual competition and now it’s the Corvette ZR1’s turn.

Car and Driver organizes the Lightning Lap classes by the pricing of the cars and below we have the complete breakdown of this year’s participants and how they finished. This year’s competition includes some real heavyweights from McLaren, Porsche, and Ford.

So how did the Corvette do? The 2019 ZR1 would not only dominate the LL4 class with a time of 2:39.5, it would go on to trounce nearly everyone else, finishing second to the $332K Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach.

The High-Wing and other enhancements on the ZR1’s ZTK package make sure those Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires stay firmly planted in the corners and the 755-hp LT5 powers the car down VIRs long straights at wide open throttle. In this track environment, the ZR1 finally takes down the McLaren 720S. Even though it was only 0.2 seconds margin, a win is a win! The Ford GT was reminded once again who broke their one-week track record at VIR with the ZR1 finishing a full six seconds faster!

There is a dedicated feature at Car and Driver that details the Corvette ZR1’s pursuit of greatness at Lightning Lap 2018 and we highly recommend its reading. But first check out this video to watch the 2019 Corvette ZR1’s Lightning Lap at VIR:

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 is now the second all-time fastest car to compete in Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap competition. For reference, here are the previous times from other Corvettes that have taken part in the Lightning Lap:

• 2:39.5 – 2019 Corvette ZR1
• 2:44.6 – 2015 Corvette Z06
• 2:47.1 – 2017 Corvette Grand Sport
• 2:50.7 – 2012 Corvette ZR1 (Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Tires)
• 2:51.8 – 2009 Corvette ZR1 (Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 Tires)
• 2:53.5 – 2011 Corvette Z06 (Z07)
• 2:53.8 – 2014 Corvette Stingray (Z51)
• 2:58.2 – 2007 Corvette Z06
• 2:58.8 – 2010 Corvette Grand Sport
• 3:01.1 – 2006 Corvette Z06
• 3:01.2 – 2008 Corvette Z51
• 3:03.6 – 2007 Corvette Z51
• 3:09.3 – 2006 Corvette Z51

2018 Lightning Lap Results

LL1: Up to $34,999

2019 Chevrolet Camaro Turbo 1LE – 3:05.6
• 2018 Subaru BRZ tS – 3:14.0
• 2018 Honda Accord Sport 2.0T – 3:18.4

LL2: From $35,000 to $64,999

• 2018 Ford Mustang GT Performance Package Level 2 – 2:53.8
• 2018 Honda Civic Type R – 3:03.9
• 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA – 3:04.9
• 2017 Audi RS3 – 3:05.6
• 2018 Kia Stinger GT – 3:11.6

LL3: From $65,000 to $124,999

• 2018 BMW M5 – 2:56.2
• 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS – 2:56.7
• 2018 Audi TT RS – 2:58.5
• 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody – 2:59.8
• 2018 Audi RS5 – 3:03.9

LL4: From $125,000 to $249,999

• 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – 2:39.5
• 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 – 2:47.0

LL5: From $245,000 and above

• 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach – 2:37.8
• 2018 McLaren 720S – 2:39.7
• 2018 Lamborghini Hurracan Pefromante – 2:44.0
• 2018 Ford GT – 2:45.5

LLU/SUV: Unlimited

• 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S Coupe – 3:01.7
• 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk – 3:06.9

Source:
Car and Driver

Related:
[VIDEO] 2017 Corvette Z06 with New Magnetic Shock Calibrations Runs 2:39.77 at VIR
[VIDEO] 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Runs 2:47.1 at Car and Driver’s 2016 Lightning Lap
2012 Corvette ZR1 Runs Fastest Time at Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap #6 at VIR