Yahoo Autos Corvette Gave Porsche Time for GT3 RS 'Ring Run
Performance-car engineers are naturally very competitive, but that doesn't mean those from rival automakers can't be friendly. Case in point-while testing the new ZR1, the Corvette team gave Porsche an hour of Nürburgring time to test its new 911 GT3 RS, when it set a stunning 6:56.4 lap time.
This story comes to us from Porsche GT project manager Oliver Berg, who relayed it to Motormouth. We confirmed the story's authenticity with a Porsche spokesperson, who told us there's a "good friendly rivalry" between the Porsche GT and Corvette teams. The Corvette folks agreed to give Porsche 'Ring time, so long as it could watch the German automaker work.
Apparently, Porsche didn't need the full hour granted to it by Chevy to go sub-seven on the Nordschleife. Test driver Lars Kern went out and set a 6:59 in his first run, at which point Porsche GT cars boss Andreas Preuninger told his team they could pack up and go home. Kern and factory driver Kevin Estre thought there was more time in the car, though, so they went back out for three more laps. The next lap was another 6:59, then a 6:57, and finally, Estre set a 6:56.4. At that point, the Porsche team left, and as Motormouth reports it, the Corvette crew was left stunned.
We don't know for sure what the Corvette team ended up running with the ZR1 at the Nordschleife. There's a rumor the ZR1 set a 7:12 at the track, but that's unconfirmed. The only lap time we know from the ZR1 so far is a 2:37.5 at Virginia International Raceway, which beats the Ford GT's time there by over a second. So there's no doubt the ZR1 is fast, even if we don't have a representative Nordschleife time for it.
And while a lot of the car internet was debating (rumored) lap times, it's fun to know that the Porsche and Corvette people were just hanging out, each admiring each other's work. Kinda makes the whole debate seem trivial, huh?
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