Latest news with #laprecord
The Herald
01-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
The Chevrolet Corvette is now the fastest American car around the Nürburgring
The 500kW Corvette Z06, driven by Aaron Link, completed a lap in 7:11.826. Meanwhile, Brian Wallace clocked a 6:50.763 in the 782kW Corvette ZR1 — 2.691 seconds quicker than the 608kW Ford Mustang GTD managed in May. This makes it the fastest lap recorded at the Nordschleife by a vehicle from an American manufacturer. The standout performance came from Drew Cattell, a GM vehicle dynamics engineer, who recorded a 6:49.275 lap in the electrified, all-wheel drive 932kW Corvette ZR1X. According to Chevrolet, this is the fastest Nürburgring lap by a non-professional driver on the list of official records. It's also 0.053 seconds quicker than the time set by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. All three Corvettes used were US production-spec models, with modifications limited to track-mandated safety equipment, including a roll hoop, full containment race seat, fire extinguisher and six-point harness. The lap times were recorded under the Prototype/Pre-Production category, as the ZR1 and ZR1X are not sold in Europe and the Z06 used was a North American variant.
The Drive
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
The New Chevy Corvette Nurburgring Time Drops Tomorrow and It Might Be a Track Record
The latest car news, reviews, and features. About a month ago, we found out that the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X was officially challenging the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife to set a lap time. Tomorrow, that time will become public, which has me sitting here studying the teaser posts for clues. It seems like a long shot, but if my hunch is right, the new Ultimate Vette might be the fastest production car to get around the Green Hell. On June 28, the Corvette Instagram account posted a quick clip with the caption 'fast as green hell,' confirming that the mighty ZR1X would be setting a time on the auto industry's favorite benchmarking track. June 28 is 6/28—and a time of six minutes, 28 seconds could set a new track record if it's achieved. Forget passing Mustangs—on the full 20.832 kilometer track, that would pass the almighty Mercedes-AMG ONE, which ran it in 6 minutes and 29.09 seconds with AMG racer Maro Engel last year. Engel and AMG also laid down a 06:24.03 time on a slightly abridged, 20.6 version of the 'Ring. Today, a new post went up, showing a few different versions of the new Corvette, implying that we'll get times for ZR1X and the ZR1. But of course, if a 6:28 time is even possible, only the 1,250 horsepower ZR1X would have a chance. Such a time would be an absolutely incredible feat, and even if it's close, the new Corvette will be impressive. But it'd be very exciting to hear of a new production car record—from a Chevy, of all things. To add a little more context to 'Ring times, the Ford Mustang GTD did it in 6:52.072, a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS did it in 7:09.300, a Honda Civic Type R hit 7:44.881. Whatever the new Corvette's final figures are, it'll be cool to see where it lands among other titans of the track. Got any other time theories for the new ZR1X? Drop us a note at tips@ or open the comments!
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
We found the guy whose record Ollie Bearman stole. He already got it back!
Ollie Bearman may need to reconsider his summer break plans again – to come back to the small Swedish town of Varberg, where he already spent a few days ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Back then, his family vacation derailed after Bearman discovered a local karting track – a typical rental go-kart place you'd expect to find on the outskirts of a little town – next to the place he was staying at. The joking suggestion from his family members that he'd need to beat the lap record turned into a three-day mission, which involved – according to the F1 driver himself – taking fuel off the go-kart, cooling the engine with a leaf blower, taking some bodywork off to save weight, and even someone slipstreaming him on the straight – until he finally broke the previous record. 'He should be in F1!' Bearman laughed, talking to journalists in Spa, about the then-anonymous-to-him driver who held the record for Varbergs Gokart before Ollie turned up. Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team That guy, Elton Zevenwacht, a 23-year-old local, wasn't in town when the F1 driver let his obsession ruin a family holiday. But the news reached him quickly. 'I had no idea – until Christian Andersen, the owner of the track, sent me a photo of Oliver and the lap record board,' he laughed, as reached out to him while he was on his way back to Varbergs Gokart. 'I was away that week, so I couldn't come and try to beat it right away. But I'm going to try to beat it tonight.' And beat it he did. While Bearman was busy taking P7 in the Belgian GP's sprint qualifying, Zevenwacht was heading back to his local karting track. Read Also: Why Oliver Bearman spent his Swedish vacation grinding out a karting lap record A couple of weeks ago, Bearman managed to become the first driver to break the 29-second mark, setting a time of 28.97s during his vacation – shaving a tenth off the previous lap record – and Zevenwacht responded on Friday night with 28.95s. 'I'm a competitive person, too,' laughed the Swede. 'But it was just really fun for me to hear that Ollie came to the track and had to work hard for the record. And with all these tactics – like cooling the engine and changing tires and stuff. But I respect that! I have no bad feelings or anything. It's just really, really cool that Ollie had to work for the lap record.' He also took his chance to respond to some of Bearman's light-hearted claims. While speaking to the media on Thursday, the Brit suggested that the previous lap record holder must weigh '20 kilos' or that the time was set in more favorable conditions in the spring – 'when it's like minus 20 there'. 'That's how he did it, I think. That's my excuse!' Bearman quipped. 'Christian called me when he saw your article,' Zevenwacht told 'So, it was really fun to read.' 'It's amazing, really. I follow Formula 1 every weekend – from like 2017 – and I haven't missed a race on TV since. And I was also following Ollie from when he first jumped in for Carlos Sainz. 'I'm just a Formula 1 fan. So it was really, really cool to find out that I had the chance to kind of compete with him on the same track. And also that he had to work for the lap time! It's a very cool feeling.' 'But when I set the lap record last time, it was in a so-called 'Le Mans race', where we raced two hours. And I think I was like one and a half hour in, and then I got the record. I wasn't going for it. It was a 29.07, I think, and it was with eight other karts on track. And I just got the lap time. It was in August, in similar conditions. 'And I can add to that – I read that he also said like, 'he should be in F1 or he's 20 kilograms' – my weight is like 60 to 65 kilos. So I'm not 20 kilograms!' Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team Zevenwacht's undeniable advantage is that he, of course, knows every inch of his local track – yet, he's never raced competitively in his life. Having his own business, which offers local homeowners exterior and roof cleaning, he occasionally shows up at the local kart track. 'When I have the time, I try to visit Christian and do some laps. I haven't raced in any competitive category. The only thing I've raced in is rental cars. But I've always had a car interest and always wanted to race competitively in karting. But I never had the chance.' Such a chance may never occur for Zevenwacht, but there aren't many amateur go-kart drivers who can claim to have beaten an F1 driver's record at any given track. Zevenwacht now can. Until, of course, Bearman – now inevitably – shows up in Varberg again… To read more articles visit our website.
The Independent
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Oscar Piastri sets new record in Belgian GP sprint qualifying
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, setting a new lap record at Spa-Francorchamps. The championship leader, who holds an eight-point lead over teammate Lando Norris, was over half a second faster than Max Verstappen, who qualified second. Piastri expressed his satisfaction, stating the car felt "mega" and that Spa is his favourite track. Lewis Hamilton will start 18th after spinning at the final chicane during qualifying, with replays suggesting a mechanical issue. Max Verstappen was content with second place despite the large gap to Piastri, while neither Mercedes driver made the top-10 shootout.
France 24
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- France 24
Piastri outpaces Verstappen in opening practice at Belgian GP
The 24-year-old Australian, reacting positively to his disappointment at Silverstone where he was handed a controversial penalty, clocked a best lap in one minute and 42.022 seconds to beat the four-time champion by four-tenths of a second in a keenly-contested session. Verstappen was driving for the first time since Red Bull dismissed former boss Christian Horner two weeks earlier. Frenchman Laurent Mekies took his place on the pit wall. Piastri's McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari seventh. Lance Stroll was eighth for Aston Martin ahead of team-mate two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar and the two Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. On a cool misty morning in the forests of the Ardennes, Antonelli set an fast lap before Norris and then Verstappen took command on mediums as the heavy mist began to lift with intermittent sunshine lighting up the majestic circuit. The champion remained in charge as he trimmed his time to 1:44.236 until Leclerc went quicker in 1:44.148, running his Ferrari on a hard compound tyre as Hamilton, his team-mate, complained of instability and 'rear locking'. 'Nose for success' Norris, bidding for a third consecutive victory to overhaul Piastri in the title race, laughed at suggestions that he had developed a 'nose for success' – the scarred result of a facial injury suffered after winning the British Grand Prix. "It's healing nicely," he revealed. "I had a professional repair job. If I ever want to look in the mirror and think of something great, I look at my nose!" His misfortune, when a photographer fell on him as a trackside fence collapsed, had no apparent effect on his upbeat mood at a circuit revered by the drivers. With 10 minutes remaining, as most teams switched to race simulation work, some took softs and this resulted in Stroll going top in 1:43.112, a full second faster than Leclerc's previous best to spark a spate of more late fast laps on softs. Piastri and Verstappen led the gang with the Australian going top in 1:42.123, half a second faster than the Red Bull driver who went second, before the Mercedes of Russell and Antonelli climbed to second and fourth on mediums. Norris made a mistake at Stavelot where he dropped two wheels into the gravel, as compatriot Oliver Bearman ran off, but he recovered to go third behind his McLaren team-mate and the Dutchman.
