C8 Corvette Holds Its Own Against Teutonic Giants
Only milliseconds separate the C8 Corvette from the Porsche 911, Audi R8 after hot lap upon the Hockenheimring in Germany.
If there was one specific reason to move the engine to behind the cabin in the C8 Corvette, it would be to better dominate the track. The Father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, knew this specific placement was the way to go decades ago. Even some of the ‘Vettes ever to hit the track placed the engine in middle behind the driver.
Thus, we can now see how such a move pays off against similar machines. German publication Sport Auto (via AutoEvolution) recently took the C8 Corvette to Germany’s Hockenheimring for a hot lap against two Teutonic titans: the Audi R8, and the Porsche 911. Let’s see how well America’s Sports Car fares, shall we?
The one common factor at Hockenheim each of the three possess is their driver, Christian Gebhardt. Gebhardt scored two class victories at the 2016 and 2018 Nurburgring 24; thus, these cars are in capable hands.
Speaking of capable, the C8 Corvette held its own in Hockenheim. Of course, it helps that the 6.2-liter LT2 V8 delivers the goods on power. This ‘Vette has the Z51 package, meaning 495 horses and 470 lb-ft of torque at the ready for the hottest laps, all sent through an eight-speed dual-clutch unit. Gebhardt brought the C8 home in 1:54.6.
Alas, the C8 Corvette wouldn’t be taking the top spot this day. The all-new 911 Carrera S, despite possessing the lowest power output of the trio, took the gold with a time of 1:53.5. The silver R8, fittingly, took silver with a time of 1:54.2, despite it having the most power on tap.
What gives? Perhaps it’s the tires. The ‘Vette wears Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 4S tires, the R8 is shod in Pilot Sport Cup 2 AOs, and the 911 lights it up with a set of Pirelli P Zero NA1s. Different compounds, different brands, different outcomes. We wonder if the results would be the same if they all had the same tires.
Despite the third-place finish, though, the C8 Corvette proved it belonged among the best the world had to offer.
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