Falling in Love with a C7 Corvette Z06… One Track Day at a Time
From first launch, to going from ‘bad’ to ‘mediocre’; there’s a lot to learn. But we ain’t complaining about putting in the work!
When you own or drive a performance vehicle, there is a built-in temptation for more. If you are lucky enough to own a Corvette, that temptation is even more impossible to ignore; it is in the DNA.
Thankfully, there is the track, where you can really go full throttle. But running laps is not the easiest thing to learn. Especially when you start off with a mighty C7 Corvette Z06. But the right car and the right driver can go from newbie to new menace. It just takes a little work.
Maiden Voyage
As the owner of two Z06s, we’d say Rico750sxi is an enthusiastic Corvette man. But, one day he started getting the urge to let that sports car do what it was built to do.
Documented his story on YouTube and in the forums we learned how the journey of a thousand miles began with one lap. And along the way, he picked up some great advice.
After owning the 2016 Z06 for a year he was ready.
“July of 2017 … I attended my first track day at New York Safety Track. I cannot say enough about my instructor, who was awesome all day long and helped me make huge gains all day long. Holy cow was I nervous at first, but he made me feel a lot better right in the first session. It was a blast and I was hooked.”
After another session of driver’s education, he knew the car was going to need a few upgrades to make some real impact. First, he updated the wheels and tires, and got a trailer.
The Best Homework Ever
But after a few track days–and a few mishaps–he learned a few things.
“A couple things I’ll get out of the way: Yes, I should’ve started with a lower powered car. I know that, but I didn’t buy the car planning to track it; I planned to attend track days because I have the car and it begs to be on the track. Yes, the car’s nannies are saving me and are preventing me from learning all I need to about car control. As I get better and more comfortable I dial them back. Finally, yes, I’m slow. Again, I’m learning and I’m having a blast. I’d rather be slow than be a guy who drives over his head and is a danger out on the track.”
If nothing else, the lesson is clear: Slow and steady wins the race. This is the best way to achieve maximum performance. First, slow down. Well, not literally.
First, learn about your car. Professional driving classes, research, and practice offer the best results in tracking a Corvette. Practice driving your Corvette–we know, it is a burden.
Mods, Track, Test, Repeat
Rico750sxi continued and was making progress. “I’m still slow but I did improve seven seconds throughout the day which means I went from bad to merely mediocre by the end of the day.” And he’s humble. But he made a great point.
“I had the most fun when I let a faster car by then pushed myself to try to keep with them. This helped me a lot and I feel led to a lot of improvement. I also tried to focus on braking later and trusting the brakes more. I felt I improved a lot in this regard too but still feel I can brake even later once I can more comfort/confidence. Also, after viewing some video footage I need to work on using more of the track and getting on the throttle sooner.”
Great advice.
With time and practice, of course there are mods. Some track-focused mods made to the 2016 Z06 M7 2LZ include Corvette Performance splitter and skirts, stage 2/3 spoiler, Borla x pipe, Katech TB, green filter, Ace Alloy AFF02 wheels.
Of course, now it is all old hat to Rico750sxi. In the past three years, he has seen some remarkable performance on the track. Yes, the C8 Corvette rocks our world, but don’t sleep on the Z06. It still can throw down. But above all else, this is the way to do it. Take your time, learn, practice, learn from your mistakes and your triumphs…and have a blast.
Photos: CorvetteForums; General Motors
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