Monday, February 13, 2017

What Makes The Corvette Such A Great Race Platform?


I ran upon this article by Jonathan M. Gitlin at arsTECHNICA titled:

Consulting the engineers on what makes the Corvette C7.R such a good race car
 
The article is summarized by "This front-engined American racer has notched up over 100 wins since 1999."

The article by Mr. Gitlin starts off:

"The latest-generation Chevrolet Corvette is a wonderfully good sports car, thanks in large part to the long-running Corvette Racing program. The team—a partnership between Chevrolet and engineering firm Pratt and Miller—debuted at the 1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona, campaigning a pair of C5-R race cars. The wins started the following year and haven't stopped; 102 to date, including eight class wins at Le Mans.

But the Internet lately has been abuzz with increasingly fever-pitched rumors and spy shots of a mid-engined Corvette. While we think it's increasingly likely that an 8th generation 'Vette will indeed have its engine behind the driver, the old-fashioned front-(mid)engined, rear-wheel-drive layout of the C7.R hasn't done too badly the last few years. Competition has gotten particularly fierce in the Corvette's class; 2016 saw the arrival of the Ferrari's 488 GTE and the Ford GT, an all-carbon fiber affair purpose-designed for winning on track."

This is well worth reading to appreciate the amazing engineering by the Corvette Race Team!