Corvette ZR1 Takes on Ford GT in Series of Roll Races

LT5 Corvette stays with the twin-turbo Ford Le Mans car for the road.

The C7 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful American supercar of all time, while also being the most powerful production road car in the storied history of General Motors. With the demise of the Dodge Viper, the only competitor in the battle for America’s top supercar is the Ford GT, but with a twin turbo V6 making “only” 647 horsepower, is it really competition for the 755-horsepower Vette?

To find out, Brooks Weisblat of the DragTimes YouTube channel went to a roll racing event at Palm Beach International Raceway, where he lined up three times with a new Corvette ZR1. The results were nothing short of shocking.

The Competitors

The supercars battling in the video above are a new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe and a Ford GT.

The C7 has the high performance aero package (thus more drag) and the 8-speed automatic transmission while the GT is run in ‘V-Max’ mode, keeping the wing down and lowering the car for better high speed aerodynamics. The Corvette owner has also removed the secondary catalytic convertors along with the resonators, so the car might be making a bit more than the stock 755 horsepower, while the Ford is completely stock.

The Ford GT has far less power, but it should be noted that it weighs roughly 500 pounds less than the ZR1.

The Rules

These races take place as part of the International Roll Racing Association. The format has the cars starting well-back of the actual drag strip starting line, where they accelerate to 40 miles per hour. As they approach the starting line for the quarter mile drag strip, the light turns green and both cars hammer down. The car that gets to the finish line first wins, but the top speed through the final traps is recorded as well.

The Action

The Ford GT and Corvette ZR1 race three times from a roll and the story is pretty much the same in each run. The GT is quicker to get up to speed on green, allowing it to jump out to a small lead on each run. From there, the two cars appear to be almost even, with the Ford getting to the finish line with a slightly quicker trap speed on each run.

On the first run, the Ford runs a 128.98 to the Corvette’s 128.63 for a difference of just 0.35 miles per hour. On the second run, the numbers are 130.57 to 130.14 for a difference of 0.43 miles per hour and on the final run, when the ZR1 has a problem with the first shift, the Ford is still only 0.60 faster on the top end, running a 130.62 to the Chevy’s 130.02.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com