Track night – Corvette ZR1 & Camaro ZL1
Did you see our video driving these musclecars at the Dubai Autodrome?
By Shahzad Sheikh
Click below now to watch the video of our track night experience at the Dubai Autodrome with the mighty 650bhp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the menacing 755bhp Corvette ZR1.
Back on one fiery hot evening during Ramadan, I was invited to a Suhoor by Chevrolet Middle East at the Dubai Autodrome. Bonus fast-breaker? Getting track time in the two maddest cars that Chevrolet offers – the Camaro ZL1 and the Corvette ZR1.
In the video above you see me at the wheel and giving my initial reactions on the Corvette ZR1, I had driven the ZL1 just before this one, but did not have a camera set up. In the conclusion piece of camera I took about the different personalities of both cars.
Here are the salient facts you need to know.
Camaro ZL1
6.2-litre V8 LT4 Supercharged, 650bhp, 650lb ft (881NM), rear wheel drive, 10-speed automatic (also available with 6-speed manual with Active Rev Match). 11 heat exchangers for cooling.
0-100kph in 3.5 seconds, 319kph top speed, quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at 204kph, 1.02g max cornering forces.
20-inch wheels with 285/30ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tyres developed for Camaro.
Brembo brakes with six-piston monobloc front calipers.
Recaro front seats with flat-bottom steering wheel. Performance data recorder available.
Corvette ZR1
6.2-litre V8 V8 LT5 Supercharged, 755bhp, 715lb ft (969NM), rear wheel drive, 8-speed automatic (also available with 7-speed manual with Active Rev Match). 13 heat exchangers for cooling.
0-100kph in 3 seconds, 345kph top speed, quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds at 216kph, 1.11g max cornering forces, 430kg of downforce at top speed.
19-inch front wheels with 285/30ZR19 tyres and 20-inch rear wheels with 335/25ZR20 tyres shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.
Carbon ceramic brakes, two-piece, fixed six-piston aluminum front calipers and fixed four-piston aluminum rear calipers.
Carbon fibre-rimmed steering wheel, performance data recorder.
Verdict
Keep in mind that this is not a review – I’ve already done a review on the Camaro ZL1 and you can read that here, or watch the video below. We’ll try to bring you a road review of the ZL1 soon.
Both these cars are exceptional muscle- and sports cars. But they do have very distinct personalities that become even more apparent on the track. Driving the Camaro hard is about utilising its pulverising momentum, understanding its braking and managing its mass. It’s pretty awesome on the track, but it’s even better as a road car. It delivers sensational performance in a highly accessible and manageable package, that’ll flatter most drivers.
The Corvette ZR1 however, is far-more track-orientated. It’s all about speed, grip and aerodynamics – it’s about comprehending that you’ve got to go faster to grip harder! To really exploit the incredible abilities of this car, you need the skills to match. In other words racing drivers and track-heads will get the best out of the ZR1. It’s a ferocious and frenetic machine that seems almost too fearsome to deploy on public roads.