In what was said to be a misunderstanding, the National Council of Corvette Clubs has reversed course on its ban of the 2024 Corvette E-Ray from competitive events, and now says that the first performance hybrid Corvette is welcome to participate at its track events.
Deb Murphy, President of the NCCC sent out an update late Friday evening with the following statement:
National Council of Corvette Clubs has adjusted section 1.8.14 of our event rules to allow for the inclusion of hybrid vehicles in NCCC events. The rule was originally intended to only apply to fully electric vehicles. The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will be allowed to compete. I believe the quickest Corvette in history will be a great addition to our future events.
Last week, the Corvette Forum was the first to highlight a change to the NCCC’s 2022-23 competition handbook back in November that would have banned all EVs and hybrids containing lithium type batteries from competitive events. The rule also stated that should EVs or hybrids appear at an NCCC event, they must be “parked 30 feet minimum from structures or other vehicles.”
Prior to Friday’s reversal, we spoke about it with Corvette Product Manager Harlan Charles, who says they had already discussed it with the NCCC and that it was all a misunderstanding. He said the rule change was passed before the E-Ray was revealed, and Chevy’s engineers maintain that the battery packs in the E-Ray are very safe for competitive events. Harlan points out that these same kinds of performance hybrids are currently racing in THE top classes at IMSA and Le Mans.
Corvette Chief Engineer Josh Holder touched on the safety aspects of the E-Ray as well during the NCM Bash, stating that the size of the battery pack is very small compared to that of fully electric EVs and that the pack itself is stored in the tunnel of the aluminum frame structure that runs through the middle of the car. Josh said they also purposely damaged the battery packs by driving nails through the cells and then charged and discharged the battery multiple times without causing a thermal event.
We are glad to hear that the NCCC is now welcoming the Corvette E-Ray to its events.
The NCCC will be hosting its 64th Annual Convention in Bowling Green on June 24th through the 30th, 2023. You can find more details at CorvettesNCCC.org.
Source:
National Council of Corvette Clubs
Related:
Denied! The National Council of Corvette Clubs Bans the 2024 Corvette E-Ray from Competitive Events
[PICS] 2024 Corvette E-Rays Arrive at the National Corvette Museum for the NCM Bash
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I bet they did….not as damaging as a “Bud Light” marketing decision, but not so smart either… People in leadership positions…a key element is to know your audience when making decisions. Duh…
Does Deb Murphy drive a Corvette….
Yeah, Chevrolet straightened out NCCC. Josh and Harlan Hair said the cars are safe and you will let them run or else. Just wait ’till someone gets fried after one of those batteries takes off.
Agree with you all….
Joe must have made a phone call. Giving 10% to the big guy sure helps, especially when it comes to bailing out GM. No EVs in my garage, home owners insurance is already pricey.
Sounds like someone got paid for reversing course when are corporations going to learn that “go woke go broke” is not just a phrase.
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