{"id":34554,"date":"2025-05-31T09:57:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T13:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34554"},"modified":"2025-05-31T09:57:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T13:57:13","slug":"payne-flat-out-on-circuit-of-the-americas-in-the-1064-horsepower-corvette-zr1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/payne-flat-out-on-circuit-of-the-americas-in-the-1064-horsepower-corvette-zr1","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Flat out on Circuit of the Americas in the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circuit of the Americas, Texas<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 RAAAAAWWWWWWRGH! At 155 mph, the glorious sound of my 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1\u2019s V-8 echoed off Circuit of the Americas’ pit straight grandstands before climbing 13 stories into the Formula One race track\u2019s iconic Turn 1. At the 150-foot marker, I buried the left pedal, and massive brakes slowed my rocket ship to a crawl for the 90-degree hairpin \u2014 the automatic gearbox downshifting rapidly from 5th<\/sup>\u00a0to 4th to 3rd to 2nd \u2013 WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!<\/p>\n

At the turn\u2019s 133-foot summit, the King of Corvettes seemed to pause, as if surveying its domain, before plunging down to Turn 2.<\/p>\n

This is rare air.<\/p>\n

\"Before<\/p>\n

Before cresting Turn 1 at Circuit of the Americas, Detroit News columnist Henry Payne hit 155 mph the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1. Top speed on the back straight? 175 mph.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

With an astounding 1,064 horsepower, ZR1 is the most powerful \u2018Vette ever and the latest member of an elite club of quadruple-digit-horsepower supercars. Down the slope through Turn 2, the \u2018Vette\u2019s acceleration was ballistic. With the V-8 howling behind my ears, I stormed towards the technical Turn 3-4-5-6 esses complex like a four-wheeled tsunami. Powerplant engineer Dustin Gardner says it \u201cfeels like you’re strapped to an aircraft carrier. You’re getting fired off in a jet plane.\u201d I\u2019ve never been launched off a carrier, but ZR1 feels like it must be close.<\/p>\n

Credit the addition of the largest pair of turbochargers on the planet to the screaming, 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank engine out of the Corvette Z06\/C8.R GT3 race car. But this is no stoplight drag queen.<\/p>\n

At $174,995, King ZR1 goes toe-to-toe on the world\u2019s greatest tracks (like COTA) with $1 million-plus cyborgs like the 1,063-horsepower, $2.7-million Mercedes-AMG One\u00a0and 1,160-horse, $3.5 million Aston Martin Valkyrie.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/figure>\n
\n
With 1,200 pounds of downforce and sticky Michelin Cup 2 R tires, the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 changed direction quickly in the Circuit of Americas esses.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The \u2018Vette\u2019s secret sauce? The same mid-engine chassis that undergirds the standard, $70,195, Corvette C8 \u2014 the first \u2018Vette in eight generations to move the engine from front to rear. Then Corvette engineers weaponized it.<\/p>\n

This thing has more artillery hanging off it than an F-15 fighter jet.<\/p>\n

Sticky 10.8-inch wide front\/13.6-inch rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires (Pilot Sport 4S standard). 15.6-inch carbon-ceramic brakes (the largest in Corvette history). Towering rear wing, dive planes and a wing-shaped front splitter for sucking the beast to the ground. Then there\u2019s the LT7 engine \u2014 turbos wrapped around its sides like a pair of pythons.<\/p>\n

The result is the \u2018Vette changes direction through COTA\u2019s esses like Cade Cunningham doing a dribble cut down the lane for a slam dunk. This dexterity of power and nimbleness enables inane performance (not unlike 6\u20196\u201d guard Cunningham).<\/p>\n

The ZR1, driven by its own engineers, has clobbered production-car lap records from coast to coast.<\/p>\n

Road America, Wisconsin:<\/strong>\u00a02.08.6 minutes. That\u2019s seven seconds quicker than the Sports 2000 SCCA race class I compete in with 1,350-pound, bespoke race cars that weigh nearly a third less than the 3,950-pound \u2018Vette (but ZR1 has\u00a0seven<\/em>\u00a0times the horsepower).<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The split window on the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Coupe helps the big mid-engine breathe.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Watkins Glen, New York:<\/strong>\u00a01:52.7 minutes<\/p>\n

Virginia International Raceway:<\/strong>\u00a01:47.7<\/p>\n

Road Atlanta, Georgia:<\/strong>\u00a01:22.8. To put that in perspective, Lead Development Engineer Chris Barber\u2019s lap time was just shy of the fastest race lap of 1.22.1 recorded last October at the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Series Petit Le Mans race by the 2,700-pound Corvette C8.R race car on racing slicks driven by pro factory drivers Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia. I\u2019m not making this up.<\/p>\n

Want more numbers?<\/p>\n

I hit 176 mph on the back straight at Circuit of the Americas. That is 40 mph faster than both my Lola S2000 racer and the standard, 495-horse \u2018Vette Stingray.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 will vault from 0-60 mph in just 2.3 seconds using launch control.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

It\u2019s 20 mph faster than the Corvette Z06 equipped with similar tires and 670-horsepower V-8 engine revving to 8,600 RPM.<\/p>\n

At Road America, the ZR1 hit 188 mph on the front straight, faster than an IndyCar\u2019s 185 mph. Lucky the ZR1 pace car pulled off after its pace laps at this year\u2019s Indy 500 \u2014 or it might have won the race.<\/p>\n

Yet, thanks to its 1,200 pounds of downforce, magnetic ride shocks, electronic limited slip differential (eLSD for short) and other performance toys, the ZR1\u2019s ballistic power was surprisingly easy to drive fast around this high-speed F1 circuit. It\u2019s predictable and well balanced, with linear acceleration courtesy of no discernible turbo lag.<\/p>\n

Just respect the 828 pound-feet of torque.<\/p>\n

Unlike my, ahem, Lola\u2019s normally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine, the beast behind your ear in the ZR1 must be let loose progressively, not all at once (or be prepared for lurid slides).<\/p>\n

Take it to a track day, and ZR1 won\u2019t wear you out. Neither will it wear out \u2014 a key competitive advantage of Corvette\u2019s development by one of the world\u2019s best manufacturers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1’s twin-turbo V-8 packs 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound feet of torque – but still leaves room for a trunk that can fit two golf bags.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

This is a point of pride to Porsche GT2 and GT3 owners as well. Those cars run like trains, which is why you find so many at race clubs. Porsche (and Corvette) put their cars through extensive, grueling 24-hour, high-speed durability tests. There\u2019s nothing worse than buying your expensive, exotic dream car and taking it to the shop all the time.<\/p>\n

After finishing a track day on America\u2019s premier F1 circuit (or M1 Concourse in Pontiac), King Corvette is comfortable commuting home with the rest of the peasants.<\/p>\n

The interior houses the same luxurious stitched leather and digital screens that you\u2019ll find in the base Stingray. It\u2019s a personal favorite (only to get better with a 2026 update) with its square steering wheel for better viewing of the instrument display, thoughtful ergonomics, and camera mirror to see out of the narrow greenhouse. Magnetic ride shocks come with a variety of drive modes for everything from track performance to comfort on the street.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1’s cockpit boasts excellent ergonomics and an array of digital features.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

That\u2019s a contrast to Porsche GT3 cars \u2014 my benchmark for the best handling supercars \u2014 but that come with compromises like harsh suspensions, stiff rides, uncomfortable sets. Corvette engineers call them \u201c20-minute cars\u201d: they\u2019re supreme for 20 minutes on track, but drive them any longer than that on street and you\u2019ll be black and blue.<\/p>\n

Corvettes are big cars made for big folks. Like me. The rear hatch will swallow my big tennis bag \u2014 or your golf bag. Need more storage? There\u2019s a frunk like a Porsche 911.<\/p>\n

Purchase a ZR1 and you gotta track it. Allow me some suggestions: 1) Buy the coupe for better headroom (over the convertible); 2) set aside money for tires (Cup 2 Rs don\u2019t last long channeling 1,064 horses); and 3) sign up for the Corvette Racing school in Pahrump, Nevada (free for ZR1 buyers).<\/p>\n

Because you\u2019ll never know the envelope of quadruple-digit horsepower until you\u2019re at triple-digit speed on a racetrack.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 options Michelin Cup 2 R tires for maximum stick around big tracks like Circuit of the Americas in Texas.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1<\/h2>\n

Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger supercar<\/p>\n

Price: $174,995 base including $1,395 destination ($189,680 LT1 coupe and $200,180 convertible models with ZTK Package as tested)<\/p>\n

Power plant: 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8<\/p>\n

Power: 1,064 horsepower, 828 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.3 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 233 mph<\/p>\n

Curb weight: 3,800 pounds (Coupe est.)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 12 mpg city\/18 mpg highway\/14 mpg combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

Highs: Ballistic acceleration; state-of-the-art interior<\/p>\n

Lows: Will drink the Permian Basin oil field dry for a track day<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Circuit of the Americas, Texas\u00a0\u2014 RAAAAAWWWWWWRGH! At 155 mph, the glorious sound of my 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1\u2019s V-8 echoed off Circuit of the Americas’ pit straight grandstands before climbing 13 stories into the Formula One race track\u2019s iconic Turn 1. At the 150-foot marker, I buried the left pedal, and massive brakes slowed my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34555,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34554\/revisions\/34555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}