As I strapped myself into the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, I knew I was in for a wild ride. The car's 1064-hp monster made the section from Hog Pen through Horse Shoe feel like one giant arc, with sidestepping through the kink in the Front Straight suddenly a 1.04-g event. It's followed by a sustained 1.50 g's of braking into Turn 1, just shy of the 5 marker. The ZR1's average speed before the hairpin right off the Back Straight is 102 mph, and after it's 88 mph. With the big-speed events behind us, the rest of the lap becomes a series of apexes to connect, if in very rapid succession. The ZR1 crosses the finish line with a 2:34.2, which is 0.7 second faster than the McLaren Senna and a new Lightning Lap record. But what really sets the ZR1 apart is its ability to handle the high-speed corners ...
As I strapped myself into the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, I knew I was in for a wild ride. The car’s 1064-hp monster made the section from Hog Pen through Horse Shoe feel like one giant arc, with sidestepping through the kink in the Front Straight suddenly a 1.04-g event. It’s followed by a sustained 1.50 g’s of braking into Turn 1, just shy of the 5 marker.
The ZR1’s average speed before the hairpin right off the Back Straight is 102 mph, and after it’s 88 mph. With the big-speed events behind us, the rest of the lap becomes a series of apexes to connect, if in very rapid succession. The ZR1 crosses the finish line with a 2:34.2, which is 0.7 second faster than the McLaren Senna and a new Lightning Lap record.
But what really sets the ZR1 apart is its ability to handle the high-speed corners with ease. The Climbing Esses record, averaging 141.2 mph, 5.2 mph better than the Porsche GT3 RS from two years ago, is a testament to the car’s prowess. And when I finally managed to clip the curbing’s leading edge in the Climbing Esses, I was left shaken but exhilarated.
The ZR1’s brakes are a bit uncommunicative, which erodes trust, but this is a gripe consistent with other electro hydraulically boosted brake systems. We would also prefer a stiffer bucket seat that’s mounted lower, a circular steering wheel, and rearward visibility objectively better than ‘legal’.
Despite the low grip in Turn 1 (a 2026 anomaly), the ZR1 makes use of its power so effectively out of Turn 1 that we hit 118.9 mph before squeezing the brakes at the apex of Turn 2 to prepare for the sweeping NASCAR Bend left-hander. Performance Traction Management’s Race 2 mode nurtures right-foot confidence with every lap.
The Corvette ZR1 hit 179.0 mph, unseating the McLaren 765LT for highest observed speed at Lightning Lap. The Lamborghini Temerario had a good showing too, its 173.6 mph nabbing third overall. Still, McLarens dominate the top-five list.
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