The Corvette community has been waiting for this day for years, five to be exact, when a first-year Z51-equipped C8 ran around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:29.90. That was the last time GM posted an official Corvette time around the infamous track in Nürburg, Germany. And now, in one fell swoop, we eager enthusiasts get not one, but three new blistering ‘Ring times! As with most of CorvSport’s digital content, this ZR1 and ZR1X coverage is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any pop-ups appear, please click to dismiss them and continue enjoying the article.
This journey to the American Nürburgring record was not without controversy–if you are around social media every day like me, you may have noticed these questions and sentiments:
- Why can’t GM produce a competitive Ring time with the C8 platform?
- Are the old knees starting to buckle with nearly two tons to carry around the 12.9-mile “North Loop?”
- They are having to slow down in the corners–is it the tires?
Well, they can! No, the knees are just fine! Slow down… said who?!?
It just goes to show that many of us need to get our heads out of the social media echo chambers and simply be patient, having confidence in the engineers and masterpieces they are driving. Let’s take a look at the new kings. Then, we’ll jump into the times and TWO feature videos from Chevrolet, the first named ‘Homegrown Speed,’ and if that isn’t enough fun for you, we have the ZR1 in-car hot lap from Brian Wallace, GM’s Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer.
The New Kings of the Ring: Just How Badly Did The Corvette Beat The Mustang GTD?
The first thing that jumps out at me after these new American Ring records is that, once again, Chevy did it with their engineers, not some professional hired guns who circle around tracks for a living. As you’ll see in the chart below, both the ZR1 and ZR1X mopped up the GTD, with the 1,250-horsepower ZR1X doing so handily. Two tons? Pfft, the eAWD beast said, Hold my beer!
For some context, the new Mustang GTD, with its 815 supercharged ponies, was the first American car to slay the Nürburgring in under seven minutes, with a front engine and 4300 lbs to carry around. Sure, Ford has caught some grief for outsourcing most of the GTD’s awesomeness to the Canadian company, Multimatic. However, I was reminded while watching Jay Leno’s newly released GTD video just how significant a role Ford played in its development.
Are there asterisks? GMAuthority lists both the ZR1 and ZR1X as prototypes/pre-production vehicles. Does that make a difference? Here is the full list of all-time best Ring times. I could go on and on about how remarkable these times are–and CorvSport will have many deeper dives to come–but for now, let’s just enjoy the moment.
Feature Video #1
Video Preview From Chevrolet:
“Three drivers. Three Corvettes. One mission: reinforce Corvette as a dominant force in American performance. Join our homegrown engineering team—and the Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X—as they journey to the Nürburgring to conquer the unthinkable.”
Video Stats (as of 7/31/2025):
- Views: 40,584
- Likes: 2,500
- Comments: 595
- Length: 17:29
Top Video Reactions:
- “I’m a Ford guy through and through, but this was awesome. When they showed the leaderboard of times, it made me genuinely happy to see 3 of the top 8 fastest production cars be American cars. Ford and Chevy really out here building some cool stuff.” @synergize548
- “The cost of entry for a sub 7 second production car just got reset. The fact they did it without a professional wheelman is even more impressive and shows there is still more time on the table.” @Better_Car_Control
- “Thank you Vette, for your comeback in the green hell. We’ve been waiting. Amazing production and congratulations.” @Carvlogger
Homegrown Speed by Chevrolet
Feature Video #2
Video Preview From Chevrolet:
“With nothing but our own team, we took the Corvette ZR1 to the Nürburgring to test its speed on the world’s most demanding racetrack. Watch Brian Wallace, our Lead Vehicle Dynamics Engineer, break seven minutes with a lap time of 6:50:763 through the ZR1’s Performance Data Recorder.”
Video Stats (as of 8/01/2025):
- Views: 61,752
- Likes: 2,100
- Comments: 680
- Length: 7:19
Top Video Reactions:
- “I’m always impressed that these Corvette lap times are set by their development engineers. Highly skilled drivers. Hands on, they make the Corvette better. Great job Mr. Wallace.” @robertfoster3384
- “Somewhere up in the Big Sky, Zora is damn proud of y’all. Congrats, Team Corvette!” @Lesevesel
- “The mustang GTD with a pro driver did it in 6:52 and this with a development driver and not the higher trim did 6:51. This is wild.” @edwardoaviles
Nürburgring Hot Lap
The Record-Setting Result & Engineer Who Pulled It Off!
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