[VIDEO] Veteran NASA Racer Evaluates the 2020 Corvette Stingray on the Track

By
Mitch Talley
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[VIDEO] Veteran NASA Racer Evaluates the 2020 Corvette Stingray on the Track


Add veteran racer Paul Costas to the ever-growing list of drivers enthralled with the new mid-engine Corvette.

The two-time NASA Nationals Champion recently enjoyed some spirited sessions pushing GSpeed’s new 2020 Stingray around the track and found none of the complaints some have posted on the Web about understeer and the brake by wire system, for example.

The car’s power, tires, magnetic ride, ride height, and brake pads were stock, with the only changes being straight pipes from exhaust manifold out the back “DP-Style,” as well as brake fluid and alignment shifts during some sessions.

Thanks to the C8’s impressive Performance Data Recorder, we get to see firsthand what Costas was seeing – and how the car was performing – as he pushes this Corvette around the track in four sessions.

[VIDEO] Veteran NASA Racer Evaluates the 2020 Corvette Stingray on the Track


His comments are pasted over the action, and he notes at one point that despite hot and some long sessions, the car never ran hot, with oil temperatures never over 225 and water temperatures never past 207 – good news for those who complained of cooling problems with some of the early C7 Z06s.

Costas also notes that despite the hype on social media about the braking by wire, he found the brakes to be “flawless” and always feeling “normal” with no fade warnings or any other issues.

The “huge understeer” problem that was mentioned by some early drivers wasn’t found on this example, according to Costas. “We are incredibly happy with base handling and are already working on upgrades to get more sport out of this sports car,” he said.

Times progressively improved with each session as Session 1 with Stabilitrak on ended at 1:24.7, Session 2 with Stabilitrak off ended at 1:23.8, Session 3 with alignment change front and rear ended at 1:22.8, and session 4 closed at mid 1:22s.

Overall, Costas rated the power “excellent” with broad flat torque delivery, transmission “excellent” with smooth rapid shifts and instant response, and brakes “excellent” for street tires and likely OK for 200tw tires. He also replied an enthusiastic “YES!” to the competition seats, “especially when belt pulled out and ratchet function used.”

In an interview with Andy Bolig of LSX Magazine, Costas summed up his experience with the C8:

“While a LOT of the pre-launch hype was not too kind to the car in regards to understeer and the new brake-by-wire, I found neither of those to be an issue. We started with a stock car and did a performance alignment in the middle of the day with another slight adjustment later on. Altogether, we found 1.5 seconds on this short 1.7-mile track.”


Source:
lsxmag.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Doug DeMuro Reviews the 2020 Corvette
Randy Pobst Drives the C7 and C8 Corvettes at VIR for MotorTrend
[VIDEO] Matt Farah: The C8 Corvette Democratizes the Mid-Engine Sports Car

 



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4 COMMENTS

  1. Understeer,,, there are people that write about cars, and people that know how to drive them. The understeer quoted by the Some writers seem to not be a problem for those that know how to drive fast.

  2. Once the Text was off the screen I could tell that Paul really knew how to pull to the Apex. I would like to see that run with no text on the screen

  3. Bob,
    As the driver in the video I could not agree more. We’ve all seen folks go too fast into a corner and cut the wheel and the car pushes and OF COURSE it is the car’s fault. LOL!!
    Hope you enjoyed the update and we’ll be back on track VERY SOON to test the first round of upgrades! Stay tuned!

    Full writeup here: http://www.witchdoctormotorsports.com/ch281.htm

    Paul Costas

  4. Agree with Dave, the text on the screen was what we had already read in the write up and compromised an otherwise excellent video. Got me to thinking what I could do with my ’07 Z06 on a road course, looks like fun. Also not being a road racer, I’d like to know what “DP-style” means in reference to the straight exhaust pipes along with “brake fluid shifts” between sessions. Thanks, RF

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