Poor-sha

First off, let me apologize for not sending out updates sooner. I had big plans to do some live streaming from the event today and to post videos throughout the day but between making setup changes, driving, and talking to the many folks that came by I never had a chance.

So let's start with some numbers:

Minutes on track: 93
Laps driven: 80
Best lap time: 1:15.58
Max speed: 158 MPH
Max lateral G: 1.51G
High temp: 84F

The motor really is the star of this car. The car pulls and pulls hard at high RPM regardless of speed. My max speed at the end of the straight was 6 MPH faster than I'd seen in my Z06 even though I am still lifting earlier and braking earlier than I was in the Z06 (driver needs work). 6 MPH may not sound like a lot but remember that you enter the front straight at about 100 MPH and the speed trace shows the ZR1 immediately gaining speed on the Z06 and this only widens once the cars get above 120 MPH.

Smaller straights like the run from T2-T3 and T3-T4 where it was marginal to stay in 3rd gear in the Z06 I now find that I am either having to short shift or bouncing off the rev limited before the braking zone. I still haven't figured out how to make these sections work without messing up T3 so there is definitely time to be had and an A8 would frankly make this a lot easier. Then again, so would staying at home and being a keyboard jockey

I started the day in stock trim on the Cup 2 tires, an alignment performed by TPC Racing, stock brakes, and the wing at the more aggressive position. The wing definitely works and I could feel its effect in corners as slow as the carousel which has speeds in the 60's MPH. In fact, I quickly realized that with the wing at its most aggressive setting it was causing some pretty bad aero push (understeer). Most of the high speed corners the car would run out of front grip long before rear grip. I came in and moved the wing back to the lower setting and this was much improved. At this point I don't see any benefit in the more aggressive wing angle but perhaps it's worth playing with dropping the front end more than the 3/8" we already did.

I still think the car tends too much to understeer in factory trim, particularly when you are accelerating through a sequence of corners like 7, 8, 9 at Summit Main. This is exacerbated with the Cup 2 tires because they would really fall off after about 4 laps with the way I was pushing the front end around and the grip would just get worse and worse. Even with this my lap times fell each session from 1:18.44 with full wing, 1:17.06 with lower AoA, then 1:16.66.

I decided to move to the slicks early so I could have more consistent grip during the session and not feel like I was just grating away rubber after the first 5 laps. It's worth noting that max G was the same for both tires at 1.51G, it's just that the slicks held up to abuse lap after lap better. The slicks also had a wider front (305) and a smaller rear (315) which also helped the balance.

I have to admit that I am also a little spoiled by the DSC Sport controller in the Z06, particularly when you doing heavy braking followed by a quick transition like T3 and T10. I decided to put the DSC controller in for the last two sessions of the day and it definitely helped with that issue as well as helped the front grip through 7-9. Tomorrow I'm going to work on tuning the setup a bit.

As far as the brakes go, the CCBs worked well as expected and unlike my recollection of previous generations this one seems to have a torque characteristic that is easier to modulate and felt a lot more like the DS 1.11/AP Racing setup. I'll update everyone after tomorrow but from looking at the pads this evening I don't expect they will last much past this event. I'll probably just put the AP Racing kit I already own on for VIR later this month rather than drop $500 on a set of factory pads.

Finally, let's talk lap times. My best lap time in the Z06 was a 1:15.0 earlier this year also on slicks. It would have been great to have immediately blown away that time but there are a couple of factors. First, because of the gearing issue I mentioned earlier most of the lap time benefit from the extra speed is on the long front straight and the data shows it's worth about two tenths the way I'm driving. I've also compared the data from today to my Z06 run and frankly I'm overslowing the car in a lot of corners. I have no doubt the ZR1 will be down in to the 1:14's once I get my act together.

I'll put up more videos later but here's a taste from one of my sessions where I had multiple back to back to back 1:15s. Enjoy!

Rumba

Mu$cle

Poor-sha

Honestly I didn't run many long sessions to really get a good handle on fuel consumption. The downside to a mostly empty track is that you get kind of bored unless you are really focused on putting down a fast lap. I do want to try and run through a full tank at least once tomorrow.

I'm considering a harness bar and harnesses. Right now I'm still running the stock belts and the Simpson hybrid. I don't see myself ripping out these really nice comp seats.

Mu$cle

spearfish25

Fun to watch. Thanks for sharing. The ZR1 really is a different car than the Z06. Clearly it requires different technique, braking points, etc. It's like learning the track and your technique all over again. The fact you're close to your Z06 laptime on your first outing is a feat of its own. We're not all Randy Pobsts laying down a lap record after a few warmups and you have a LOT more experience in your Z06. It'll be interesting to see your progress and where you ultimately end up in comparison to the Z06.

This also gives me some reassurance that my buddy won't drive away from me in my Z06 once his ZR1 arrives. He's going to have his hands full .

Did you have a harness bar in either of your Z06s? That's my 'off season' plan this summer (track days during florida summer = sweaty misery and rainy afternoons).

Newton06

Sean, have you tried no-lift shifting?

I started using this technique & I believe it's been good for at least a couple of 10ths.

On my Z, when I lift for shifting I would sometimes notice a slight throttle lag after returning to WOT, probably as the intake charge re-pressurizes...

heavychevy

Never heard the pirellis talk so much. Hard to tell if it's grip or understeer.

Mad Dog 24

Sean, OMG... i can see the acceleration when over 130 is so much more than the Z06! I fall asleep watching mine climb after 140. You will surly get it dialed in soon. Glad to read your comments on the CCB's were positive and just as i have always thought. I love them!

I agree with others on the harnesses. I've had them now for 2 years and would feel naked in a car without them. You first notice your not using your core muscle to work the car and instead just your arms. Now that you own one of the worlds fastest cars on a track safety should be at the top of your list. I would keep the comp seats too they are great and well bolstered. It would burst all our bubbles hearing of one of our CF track buddies get hurt. So many senior instructors have had that serious talk to me many times and i have a puppy compared to your beast.

Please keep the post coming

Questar

Sean, have you figured out how to get the lap timer to work in this screen? For the life of me I can’t get it... nothing I try will get it to start?

Questar

I thought we couldn’t use our old DSC Controllers in the new ZR1? I have the one from my 2017 Z06 and miss it terribly... did you plug in your old unit or did Mike give you a new Beta to test?

djnice

range96

I went to Summit Point today to check out the new ZR1 in its native environment. Met JVP after 7-8 years when we both had our C6 ZR1's, but he moved up to the C7 Z06 while I still putz around with my C6. I was on the fence about getting the new ZR1 or wait for the C8 version. I realize the C8 may take a few more years before the Z06/ZR1 option is becoming available.

I got to the track just as JVP was heading out in Sean's car and I'm thinking he is a brave soul to do it, my hands would have been shaking! Meantime, I met Sean and got his impression of his new car driven on the track for the first time. He graciously offered a ride after lunch and I could hardly wait. Little I knew what was waiting for us! But, I'm jumping ahead. First, I want to express my gratitude to Sean for sharing his experience and his car with me. I found him an easy going, experienced driver, all around nice guy! I can't thank you enough for the opportunity to see what this car can do on the track in the hands of an experienced driver.

This was my first time seeing the Sebring Orange in person. Today was a wonderful low humidity, sunny day and the car looked stunning. That was a big surprise to me, since I wasn't a fan of orange before. I would not hesitate to go with SO after seeing it in person. GM certainly got it right with this color.

After Sean put on Pirelli DH slicks (305/660/18 and 315/680/18) on the car we went out for a session. I immediately noticed how much tighter the car was compared to my C6 ZR1. I have very limited experience with the C7 Z06, but noticed the ZR1 was pulling harder than the Z06. We did our first warm up lap and Sean opened it up on the front straight. He was accelerating around 130 when out of the pits pulls out this car and instead of MERGING with the traffic pulls out to the middle of the track. I was SO glad Sean burnished the brakes on his car before. After the session, as we pulled off the track, the steward ran up to our car and apologized on behalf of the doofus driver who pulled out right in front of us. She let us know how unpleased she was with him and that he was black flagged immediately. So, after that exciting first lap Sean decided to just continue with the session as if nothing happened. We got several clean laps and learned that the new ZR1 is really a track monster. It cornered like a race car and pulled like a bullet train. The acceleration out of turns (he used PTM Sport 2) was something I never experienced before. We saw over 1.5 lateral G's and it felt stronger than my C6 ZR1 with Hoosiers! The C6 ZR1 computer shows max 1.28 lateral G's (computer limitation), so I can't compare it quantitatively.
I did see a 1:17 lap time with two 200lb+ guys on board and with a considerate driver for his passenger's safety. I can easily see Sean doing 1:13-1:14 after he familiarizes himself with the new car.

My assessment from the passenger's seat is that if you're on the fence about getting one for the track you needn't be concerned about the capabilities of this car.

jvp

Sean posted that little "event".



There was an epic amount of "stupid" with that stunt, right there. Hopefully that Miata driver has been excused from the Driver's Club.

jvp

The only problem with this whole thing, of course:

the color of the car. Really. Who buys an ORANGE CAR?!

Poor-sha

Mike texted me Monday afternoon and said the 12-17-2017 firmware was working on the 2018+ cars, you just might need to drive it a couple of miles the first time before the PTM modes work. I flashed the firmware on the same unit I had in my 2017, installed it sitting in the paddock, and it just worked without having to do anything.

meadowz06

I love your reviews and write ups. You are also one hell of a driver. Man I wish I had the money for a ZR1!

Poor-sha

Quick update on this before everyone gets too excited. Yesterday I did two sessions in PTM modes with the DSC controller and had no issues. This morning I can't get the PTM modes to come up. I've put the stock controller back in for today while we figure this out.

Bwright

So now I know that the car goes from 126 mph - 50 mph in 3.5 seconds. WTF indeed.

Bwright

1.51G in the turns. Christ.