[VIDEO] Porsche 911 GT2 RS Overtakes the Corvette ZR1 for the Lap Record at Road Atlanta

By
Keith Cornett
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5
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[VIDEO] Porsche 911 GT2 RS Overtakes the Corvette ZR1 for the Lap Record at Road Atlanta

Photo Credit: Porsche / Twitter


It’s a rivalry that goes back over 50 years, but the fire between Porsche and Corvette is just as hot today as it was back in the 1960’s.

News comes this week that the 2019 Corvette ZR1’s track record at Road Atlanta has fallen to the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and it wasn’t really close according to the video you’re about to see.

It was back in April 2018 when Motor Trend’s Randy Pobst was with Tadge Juechter and others for the media ride and drive at Road Atlanta when Pobst announced on Instagram that he had broken the Viper ACR’s track record by .1 sec in the 755-hp ZR1 with a time of 1:26.45.

[PICS] Motor Trend's Randy Pobst Breaks Road Atlanta's Track Record in the 2019 Corvette ZR1


Almost a year later and Randy Pobst finds himself at Road Atlanta once again, but this time he’s behind the wheel of the 700-hp twin turbo 911. With a set of street-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, Pobst was able to improve the Porsche’s time over the Corvette by 1.57 seconds with a lap time of 1:24.88.

GM Authority tells us that the Corvette ZR1’s track record actually fell first to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS by .21 seconds (1:26.24) before the experienced Porsche driver went back out in the GT2 RS and set the track record for production cars. Times were validated by Racelogic’s Vbox HD2.

“We are thrilled to set the production car lap record at this iconic track located just 60 miles from our U.S. headquarters in Atlanta – a track that holds so many great memories for Porsche, such as the overall victory with the 911 RSR at Petit Le Mans in 2015,” said Porsche North America CEO Klaus Zellmer.

Randy Pobst chimed in via YouTube comments and said, “A pure pleasure and a high honor to drive the incredible Porsche RS’s flat out at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Thank you, Porsche, for the opportunity to be part of this amazing speed project.”


The Corvette Team has said they aren’t really interested in track records, and so we doubt there will any serious attempts to retake the Road Atlanta record. Porsche has made a heck of racing machine with the 911 GT2 RS as proven with its Nurburgring time of 6:47.3.

By the way, what the ZR1’s official Nurburgring time? Oh that’s right, the Corvette team doesn’t publicize their Nurburgring laps anymore…

The Corvette ZR1 record run at Road Atlanta in 2018 can be seen here:

[VIDEO] Watch Randy Pobst Break the Road Atlanta Track Record in the 2019 Corvette ZR1


Source:
GM Authority

Related:
[PICS] Motor Trend’s Randy Pobst Breaks Road Atlanta’s Track Record in the 2019 Corvette ZR1
[VIDEO] Watch Randy Pobst Break the Road Atlanta Track Record in the 2019 Corvette ZR1
[VIDEO] 2019 Corvette ZR1s at the Nurburgring

 



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5 COMMENTS

  1. Kudos to Porsche for throwing down the glove at the same track with the same great driver. Maybe the new mid-engine C8 can grab the title back… 🙂
    In the meantime, it is hard to believe those speeds on that track with a street-legal car as an amateur visiting for track days at Road Atlanta in my own humble street-legal ride.

  2. That’s OK. I am loading my girlfriend’s golf clubs along with mine and all our luggage into my Z06 and heading down to Florida to play some golf and buy a new condo with the money I didn’t have to spend on a Porsche. BTW: interesting that they had to move their engine Into the back seat to make a competitive GTLM racecar….just sayin’.

  3. Kudos also to the professional drivers of the Corvette C7 Z06’s and ZR1’s who manhandle these cars to near record track times. It took a year after production started for the ZR1 for a professional race car driver for GM to publicly state the Z06 and ZR1’s chassis and tires are not up to track racing; while praising the lower powered GS as a very well balanced car on the track.

    ” With horsepower numbers nestled snugly amid super-car status, it could be said that Corvette’s chassis configuration was left wanting. A scenario that Andy knows all too well. Andy Pilgrim was selected for Corvette Racing’s first factory ALMS effort in the 1999 Corvette C5-R. He has since driven various race cars for GM. He resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky and offers driving safety and performance driving instruction at the NCM Motorsports Park. (his comments on the current C7’s) “The current Grand Sport is superb on the racetrack. It’s a well-balanced package and you can utilize ALL of it,” he adds. “I can be extremely aggressive with a Z06 or ZR1; I know what they’ll do. But with the additional power of the Z06 and ZR1, after a hot lap or two, they totally over-drive the tires. Even in a straight line, cars with 250 less horsepower can out-power a ZR1 for loss of traction.”

    https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c8-general-discussion/4244833-andy-pilgrim-says-me-needed-but-risk.html

  4. The Corvette Team might not care about their cars track times, but it’s customers do. If you market your cars as track focused weapons, than you should backup your claims. It’s like a boxer saying they’re the best but never getting in the ring. Please someone let Randy Pobst take the Senna for a lap around Road Atlanta.

  5. It’s a pity and disappointing but I’m not surprised. The C7 ZR1 is simply too heavy. 250 kg more than the GT2 RS and 200 kg heavier than the C6 ZR1. The car looks so amazing and is very beautiful but the overweight is really an issue. When even a GT3 with “only” 520 HP overtakes the C7 ZR1 with 765 HP, then it’s bad and a serious problem.

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