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Three C6 Corvettes Engage in a Virtual Challenge at the Nurburgring, Z06 Is Triumphant

Our most recent interview with Jim Mero has been incredibly inspiring. Talking to someone who has driven more than 40,000 laps in Corvettes around various racetracks is a humbling experience. Knowing that about 10% of those laps were performed at the Nurburgring is even more amazing. As the track is now closed for the off-season, there was only one way to blow off some steam until 2023: Assetto Corsa.
Three C6 Corvettes Engage in a Virtual Challenge at the Nurburgring, Z06 Is Triumphant 84 photos
Photo: Autoevolution
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This is our seventh virtual Corvette test so far, and it has been quite an exciting journey. We've looked at three different ZR1s: the C3, C6, and C7. We've also had a bit of fun in the first-generation model, and two of Chevrolet's race cars.

Most of these cars are mods created by the racing community for Assetto Corsa, while some are available in-game as soon as you get them. When we started this journey, we decided we'd only take each car around the Nordschleife for a maximum of two laps, but we've sometimes gone over that limit for one reason or another.

For today's test, we've opted to look at three variations of the C6 Corvette. You can download this mod over at RaceDepartment, and you can thank the Estonian artist that goes by the nickname of Some1 for the work behind it all.

He mentioned that David Dominguez handled the physics for these cars initially, with more help from users aphidgod and mclarenf1papa. One of the things that you might not like about the mod is that the sound file used for these vehicles comes from the Kunos-developed Corvette C7 Stingray.

Three C6 Corvettes Engage in a Virtual Challenge at the Nurburgring, Z06 Is Triumphant
Photo: Autoevolution
Looking at the stats of the C6 Coupe you'll notice that the engine specs are a bit off at 270 hp and 210 lb-ft (285 Nm) of torque. This should have read 400 hp and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm). In-game stats reveal that this car weighs 3,042 lbs (1,380 kg), which is also less than expected.

Even so, that wasn't going to stop us from taking it out on the track. There are eight colors to choose from, and we went with Arctic White. The car looks nicely done once you're in the game, and it seems to be running California plates. And there's also a Heads-up-display inside.

The car feels decently fast up until 124 mph (200 kph), and we've managed to take it up to 171 mph (276 kph) down the main straight. While it's somewhat predictable to drive, you should be aware that most of the time you'll be fighting understeer.

And in certain corners, it will start going sideways if you're too eager with your throttle inputs. After our time with it was over, it felt like it was slower and less exciting than the 1970 ZR1. We needed eight minutes and 29 seconds for the first lap but got it down to 8:20 on the second one. But it could be even faster if you don't go off track at all.

Three C6 Corvettes Engage in a Virtual Challenge at the Nurburgring, Z06 Is Triumphant
Photo: Autoevolution
We chose Jetstream Blue Metallic for our 2010 Grand Sport. Performance figures seem to be slightly more accurate this time, with 436 hp and 427 lb-ft (580 Nm) of torque on tap. Down the main straight, the speedometer was showing 172 mph (277 kph), so it's almost the same as the base-model.

It's worth pointing out that we've only activated the ABS going into this test, and that the cars also had tire blankets on beforehand. It may be just wishful thinking, but the Grand Sport does feel easier to drive at the limit. That should be an accurate representation of how things are in real life, too.

For the first lap, we stopped the clock at 8:25 after a few big offs. After messing up even worse on the second one, the third lap revealed a time of eight minutes and 17 seconds.

But it took quite a bit of effort to get there, so there might not be that big of a difference between the two cars after all. Either way, you'll notice that we used the Grand Sport as a benchmark for our Nürburgring test in the video below. So the next question that needed an answer was: How fast would the Z06 be under the same circumstances?

Three C6 Corvettes Engage in a Virtual Challenge at the Nurburgring, Z06 Is Triumphant
Photo: Autoevolution
The in-game description reveals it's a 2007 model, with 511 hp and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm) of torque. And that's almost what you would expect out of an LS7 V8. We opted for Victory Red this time, as tempting as it was to go for Velocity Yellow again. Looking at our post-lap report, it seems we've driven this vehicle for just under 37 miles (60 km) so far.

And the fastest it has gone at the North Loop is 182 mph (294 kph). This machine enjoys going sideways more than its lesser siblings, so controlling it via keyboard is quite a handful. Drifting is fun, but it's counterproductive when you're trying to set a lap record. Even so, we set a decent time of 8:06.

That's ridiculously slow compared to what Jim Mero managed to achieve, but it was the best we could do under the given circumstances. We still have a few more tests coming up, and we're thinking about driving a ZR1 next. After that, perhaps one or two more racecars, and we'll call it a wrap.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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