Nürburgring takeover: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X and ZR1 now the fastest cars from an American manufacturer
2025-07-31
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X took over the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit where, for the first time in the track’s history, an automaker brought three different cars with three non-racecar drivers to record three lap times in a single visit. Three of the Chevrolet engineers who helped develop these cars, and have extensive experience and advanced driving credentials, piloted them during the fast laps, highlighting the depth of talent and performance within General Motors.
The Chevrolet team now has the fastest official laps set by an American manufacturer at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
America’s sports car, unleashed in Germany
Corvette ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell completed a 6:49.275 lap in the electrified all-wheel drive ZR1X and now has the fastest lap time of any non-professional racecar driver at the Nürburgring in the list of official record laps. ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace set a 6:50.763 time in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1.
The 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever put in a production car, set a lap of 7:11.826 with vehicle performance manager Aaron Link behind the wheel.
“No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period.”
The new documentary “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story” goes behind the scenes and showcases the journey from GM’s Milford Proving Ground to Germany, illustrating the intensity and precision of pursuing three lap times with three separate Corvette variants and three different drivers. In addition to the engineers who set the lap times, the film features Reuss, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports Ken Morris and Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma.
The cars
The Corvettes at the Nürburgring were all U.S. production-spec vehicles, with the only modifications being the safety equipment recommended by the track. This includes a roll hoop, full containment race seat, fire extinguisher, and a six-point safety harness. All three set lap times for the Prototype/Pre-Production category, since the ZR1 and ZR1X are not sold in Europe and the Z06 was a North American variant.
The drivers
Link (800 laps), Wallace (425 laps) and Cattell (600 laps) have extensive experience behind the wheel on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and have gone to the Nürburgring a combined 31 times to develop and test GM vehicles. The track offers unique road dynamics that challenge both the drivers and vehicles, and it is an important part of tuning Corvettes to deliver the on-track performance our customers expect.
Link, Wallace and Cattell are among the most seasoned Nürburgring-certified drivers at GM – with a combined 36 years of experience working on Performance Cars. Wallace also leads GM’s high performance driver training program.
“We’ve created a different kind of relationship between our cars, iconic tracks, and our engineers, it is how we develop our vehicles,” said Morris. “These Corvettes weren’t piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered and tuned them. Brian, Aaron and Drew have grown into world-class drivers and even better engineers. Their lap times now rank among the fastest ever recorded by non-professionals at the ‘Ring, which is so cool.”
The Green Hell
Since 2019, lap times have been officially recorded, confirmed and published by the Nürburgring, with carmakers providing video proof from the world’s most demanding racetrack. Below are the fastest production cars on the 12.9-mile full circuit of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, also known as the Green Hell, according to the Nürburgring’s website.
1 Do not use summer-only tires in winter conditions, as it would adversely affect vehicle safety, performance and durability. Use only GM-approved tire and wheel combinations. Unapproved combinations may change the vehicle’s performance characteristics. For important tire and wheel information, go to chevrolet.com/support/vehicle/driving-safety/tires-wheels/tire-types or see your dealer.
Corvette development engineers and engineers from Michelin pictured with the Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X (pictured left to right).
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X took over the 12.9-mile Nordschleife circuit where, for the first time in the track’s history, an automaker brought three different cars with three non-racecar drivers to record three lap times in a single visit. Three of the Chevrolet engineers who helped develop these cars, and have extensive experience and advanced driving credentials, piloted them during the fast laps, highlighting the depth of talent and performance within General Motors.
The Chevrolet team now has the fastest official laps set by an American manufacturer at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
America’s sports car, unleashed in Germany
Drew Cattell, vehicle dynamics engineer and driver of the Corvette ZR1X. Closed course.
Corvette ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell completed a 6:49.275 lap in the electrified all-wheel drive ZR1X and now has the fastest lap time of any non-professional racecar driver at the Nürburgring in the list of official record laps. ZR1 vehicle dynamics engineer Brian Wallace set a 6:50.763 time in the 1,064-horsepower ZR1.
Brian Wallace, vehicle dynamics engineer and driver of the Corvette ZR1. Closed course.
The 670-horsepower Corvette Z06, with the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever put in a production car, set a lap of 7:11.826 with vehicle performance manager Aaron Link behind the wheel.
“No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Green Hell, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period.”
Aaron Link, vehicle performance manager and driver of the Corvette Z06. Closed course.
The new documentary “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story” goes behind the scenes and showcases the journey from GM’s Milford Proving Ground to Germany, illustrating the intensity and precision of pursuing three lap times with three separate Corvette variants and three different drivers. In addition to the engineers who set the lap times, the film features Reuss, Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports Ken Morris and Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma.
Corvette Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X (back to front) at the Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack in Germany. Closed course.
The Corvettes at the Nürburgring were all U.S. production-spec vehicles, with the only modifications being the safety equipment recommended by the track. This includes a roll hoop, full containment race seat, fire extinguisher, and a six-point safety harness. All three set lap times for the Prototype/Pre-Production category, since the ZR1 and ZR1X are not sold in Europe and the Z06 was a North American variant.
Corvette Model
|
Horsepower
|
Propulsion
|
Wheels/Tires
|
Brakes
|
Z06 with Z07 Performance Package
|
670 hp
|
5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V8
|
Available Carbon Fiber wheels with Michelin Cup 2R summer-only tires1
|
6-piston front, 4-piston rear carbon ceramic brakes
|
ZR1 with ZTK Performance Package
|
1,064 hp
|
5.5-liter twin-turbo charged flat-plane-crank V8
|
Carbon Fiber wheels with Michelin Cup 2R summer-only tires1
|
10-piston front, 6-piston rear carbon ceramic brakes
|
ZR1X with ZTK Performance Package
|
1,250 hp
|
5.5-liter twin-turbo charged flat-plane-crank V8 and front axle electric motor
|
Carbon Fiber wheels with Michelin Cup 2R summer-only tires1
|
10-piston front, 6- piston rear carbon ceramic brakes
|
The drivers
Link (800 laps), Wallace (425 laps) and Cattell (600 laps) have extensive experience behind the wheel on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and have gone to the Nürburgring a combined 31 times to develop and test GM vehicles. The track offers unique road dynamics that challenge both the drivers and vehicles, and it is an important part of tuning Corvettes to deliver the on-track performance our customers expect.
Link, Wallace and Cattell are among the most seasoned Nürburgring-certified drivers at GM – with a combined 36 years of experience working on Performance Cars. Wallace also leads GM’s high performance driver training program.
“We’ve created a different kind of relationship between our cars, iconic tracks, and our engineers, it is how we develop our vehicles,” said Morris. “These Corvettes weren’t piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered and tuned them. Brian, Aaron and Drew have grown into world-class drivers and even better engineers. Their lap times now rank among the fastest ever recorded by non-professionals at the ‘Ring, which is so cool.”
The Green Hell
Corvette ZR1X at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.
Since 2019, lap times have been officially recorded, confirmed and published by the Nürburgring, with carmakers providing video proof from the world’s most demanding racetrack. Below are the fastest production cars on the 12.9-mile full circuit of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, also known as the Green Hell, according to the Nürburgring’s website.
Fastest Production Cars at the Nürburgring
|
|
#
|
Time
|
Vehicle
|
Category
|
1
|
06:29.090
|
Mercedes AMG One
|
Super Sports Car
|
2
|
06:43.300
|
Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit
|
Sports Car
|
3
|
06:44.749
|
Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR
|
Modified Vehicles
|
4
|
06:48.047
|
Mercedes AMG Black Series
|
Sports Car
|
5
|
06:49.275
|
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X
|
Prototypes / Pre-Production Vehicles
|
6
|
06:49.328
|
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
|
Sports Car
|
7
|
06:50.763
|
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
|
Prototypes / Pre-Production Vehicles
|
8
|
06:52.072
|
Ford Mustang GTD
|
Sports Car
|
1 Do not use summer-only tires in winter conditions, as it would adversely affect vehicle safety, performance and durability. Use only GM-approved tire and wheel combinations. Unapproved combinations may change the vehicle’s performance characteristics. For important tire and wheel information, go to chevrolet.com/support/vehicle/driving-safety/tires-wheels/tire-types or see your dealer.
