[VIDEO] Emelia Preps Her 2026 Corvette ZR1 for the Pike Peak International Hillclimb

May 7, 2026

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[VIDEO] Emelia Preps Her 2026 Corvette ZR1 for the Pike Peak International Hillclimb

Emelia Hartford is back with a new Corvette-centric video and she tells her viewers that she’ll be returning to take on the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb later next month in a 2026 Corvette ZR1. We checked the entry list and found her entered under the Time Attack 1 category for the June 21st competition.

The C8 ZR1 should provide plenty of power to take on the 156 turns while ascending to the 14,115 ft summit, but what if you could make it better? One of the points of the rules for competitors is that that are no restrictions to the type of exhaust system a vehicle can have. In true Emelia style, she sets out to build an unrestricted “F1” exhaust for her ZR1.

The system she puts together featuring Valvetronic pipes and a custom-made X-pipe. After a misalignment during the test fit due to utilizing the same measurements from her Z06, the new exhaust is finally installed in the ZR1 and then it’s time for a test drive.

[VIDEO] Emelia Preps a 2026 Corvette ZR1 for the Pike Peak International Hillclimb

Next up for the ZR1 is the safety equipment and the regulations call for a full roll cage. She says not even the Nürburgring ZR1 had a full cage installed, so this will be a first for new King of the Hill.

With the seats and rear carpet removed, they test fit the 1 5/8-inch chromoly roll bar, and she says it will also require NASCAR door bars which means the factory door cards must come out. And finally, we see the test fitting of the race seat.

“This is such a nice car,” Emelia says and adds, “I don’t want to ruin it or damage it in any way. Obviously, not all of this is going to be replaceable, but the idea is that this is OEM factory race car spec.“

Check out the full episode below: