Need the perfect rally car recovery rig? It’s a ZR2
2026-03-18
GM's Off-Road Driving Team (ORDT) took on stranded rally cars and a Northern Michigan winter when they supported the Sno*Drift rally last month. Over the course of an icy weekend, Chevy’s ZR2 truck lineup stepped up and into a starring role at the rally. Sno*Drift is a two-day timed rally race held each February, wherein performance vehicles compete on closed-down, snow-covered Michigan forest roads.
This year, the ORDT put three very different Chevy trucks to work as part of the rally’s official Recovery Team, dragging stranded cars back onto the rally stage and even helping spectators return to safety. The Colorado ZR2 Bison, Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison, and Silverado HD ZR2 Bison each brought a different flavor of muscle to the task at hand.
The ORDT crew also brought a pair of Chevrolet Traverse Z71s along for additional support, expanding the team’s capabilities across the ice-covered rally stages.
The Colorado ZR2 Bison served as the team’s “safety sweep” truck, driven to reach stranded drivers quickly with a medically trained co-driver riding in the passenger seat. The truck’s smaller size and off-road chassis tuning allowed it to navigate the tight rally stages with ease, making it the perfect tool for the job. Just behind, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison handled a mix of sweep and recovery work. This Bison grabbed plenty of attention from spectators, courtesy of its growling 6.2L L87 V8 engine.
Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison on a snowy road at Sno*Drift Rally.
When cars became truly stranded, the Silverado HD ZR2 took over. Due to the slippery conditions, the HD’s weight, torque and towing capability proved invaluable for freeing rally cars from the course’s many ditches and snowbanks. The ORDT even used the HD ZR2 to help a few stranded spectators’ personal cars when they got stuck on an unplowed road late at night.
To say the ORDT was impressed with the performance of these Chevy trucks is an understatement.
“The suspension of the Colorado ZR2, with the DSSV dampers, was phenomenal on the rally stages,” said ORDT member Doug Shepherd, who is also an organizer for Sno*Drift. “The power delivery and torque of the Silverado 1500 ZR2 with the L87 V8 definitely gets the job done, and spectators loved how it sounded.”
“And then the Silverado 2500 HD ZR2, it was just an absolute unit pulling the rally cars out of the snow banks and ditches. It was exactly what you want for a recovery vehicle.”
Caption: ORDT helps recover a stuck rally car during a night stage at Sno*Drift Rally.
Together, these trucks turned demanding volunteer work for the ORDT into a live demonstration of Chevrolet’s tough, capable, winning vehicles. In real winter rally conditions (not on a proving ground or in a simulation) these trucks demonstrated the capability and durability that our customers have come to expect from Chevy pickups.
GM's Off-Road Driving Team (ORDT) took on stranded rally cars and a Northern Michigan winter when they supported the Sno*Drift rally last month. Over the course of an icy weekend, Chevy’s ZR2 truck lineup stepped up and into a starring role at the rally. Sno*Drift is a two-day timed rally race held each February, wherein performance vehicles compete on closed-down, snow-covered Michigan forest roads.
This year, the ORDT put three very different Chevy trucks to work as part of the rally’s official Recovery Team, dragging stranded cars back onto the rally stage and even helping spectators return to safety. The Colorado ZR2 Bison, Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison, and Silverado HD ZR2 Bison each brought a different flavor of muscle to the task at hand.
The ORDT crew also brought a pair of Chevrolet Traverse Z71s along for additional support, expanding the team’s capabilities across the ice-covered rally stages.
The Colorado ZR2 Bison served as the team’s “safety sweep” truck, driven to reach stranded drivers quickly with a medically trained co-driver riding in the passenger seat. The truck’s smaller size and off-road chassis tuning allowed it to navigate the tight rally stages with ease, making it the perfect tool for the job. Just behind, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison handled a mix of sweep and recovery work. This Bison grabbed plenty of attention from spectators, courtesy of its growling 6.2L L87 V8 engine.
Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison on a snowy road at Sno*Drift Rally.
When cars became truly stranded, the Silverado HD ZR2 took over. Due to the slippery conditions, the HD’s weight, torque and towing capability proved invaluable for freeing rally cars from the course’s many ditches and snowbanks. The ORDT even used the HD ZR2 to help a few stranded spectators’ personal cars when they got stuck on an unplowed road late at night.
To say the ORDT was impressed with the performance of these Chevy trucks is an understatement.
“The suspension of the Colorado ZR2, with the DSSV dampers, was phenomenal on the rally stages,” said ORDT member Doug Shepherd, who is also an organizer for Sno*Drift. “The power delivery and torque of the Silverado 1500 ZR2 with the L87 V8 definitely gets the job done, and spectators loved how it sounded.”
“And then the Silverado 2500 HD ZR2, it was just an absolute unit pulling the rally cars out of the snow banks and ditches. It was exactly what you want for a recovery vehicle.”
ORDT helps recover a stuck rally car during a night stage at Sno*Drift Rally.
Together, these trucks turned demanding volunteer work for the ORDT into a live demonstration of Chevrolet’s tough, capable, winning vehicles. In real winter rally conditions (not on a proving ground or in a simulation) these trucks demonstrated the capability and durability that our customers have come to expect from Chevy pickups.
