Experience the Corvette E-Ray at the NCM Motorsports Park!

Earlier this month, Corvsport.com traveled back to the NCM Motorsports Park (MSP) in Bowling Green, Kentucky to drive the all-new 2024 Corvette E-Ray on track. The MSP has recently introduced a pair of brand new driving experiences that allow enthusiasts to encounter Chevrolet’s latest Corvette in ways that promise to get the adrenaline of even the most seasoned track veterans pumping!

When the NCM Motorsports Park announced that they were acquiring a pair of 2024 Corvette E-Rays earlier this year, we knew we had to get up to the track and drive one of them.  Like so many other enthusiasts, our excitement and anticipation around the E-Ray’s arrival was mixed with some uncertainty about GM’s decision to build a “hybrid” Corvette.  With all the controversy that has surrounded so many manufacturers’ decisions of late to move away from internal combustion (gas powered) engines and towards electric platforms, we had seen/heard/read a lot of early criticism that the E-Ray was nothing more than Chevrolet’s executives desire to  “jump on the electric car bandwagon” with an abomination of their flagship sports car.

Instead, the world has been graced with a new Corvette that could be, for all intents and purposes, the most capable production sports car that Chevrolet has ever produced.  And yes, I include the Z06 in that remark, at least in terms of off-the-line acceleration and overall handling capabilities….but we’ll get to all of that shortly.  We’re also going to dive into the two incredible driving experiences that the NCM Motorsports Park has available to anyone looking to drive one of these amazing “electric” Corvettes.  But before we unpackage all of that, I thought it prudent that we take a couple minutes to clarify what distinguishes the E-Ray from both the eighth-generation, mid-engine Stingray and its big brother, the mid-engined Z06 Corvette.

The 2024 Corvette E-Ray

The Corvette E-Ray is a “sophisticated supercar” (from the GM website) that was inspired by the C8.R race car, as well as F1 and Le Mans prototypes.  The car is powered by a 495 horsepower, 470 lb.-ft of torque, 6.2L small block engine.  What sets the E-Ray apart is that the car also features an electrified drive motor that powers its front wheels.  With an estimated additional output of 160 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft of additional torque, the electric powertrain helps the new E-Ray to post some truly remarkable acceleration numbers, both from a standstill or when running at speed.  The all-wheel drive setup (with the addition of the electric front motor) also improves the car’s handling at speed, especially when entering and exiting corners at high speed or during passing maneuvers on the road or the track.  What’s more, this setup also offers drivers a limited EV-only drive mode which allows for near-silent departures – a nice feature for those early morning trips to the local Cars and Coffee when the rest of the household is still sleeping.