2020 GT500 competes in The World's Greatest Drag Race!! [Motortrend]

[rj45]

I noticed a similar situation during the Ferrari/Porsche half mile race. The Ferrari was charging up hard on the Porsche and then that hard charge appeared to stop when it drew even with the Porsche (one of the final scenes shot from the Ferrari), like the driver backed off the throttle. At the end, it only won by five feet. Didn’t seem right. Considering the F8 already has a significant 7 mph advantage in trap speed in the quarter mile (while being only a couple of tenths down), and likely a far greater trap speed difference in the half mile, it should have been ahead by more than five feet.

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[Classic Lover]

My guess is you aren’t seeing the real races in the video just runs to simulate the times the cars ran. I could be wrong but that is my best guess.

 

[martinjlm]

My guess is you aren’t seeing the real races in the video just runs to simulate the times the cars ran. I could be wrong but that is my best guess.

Nailed it.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Since it was not a continuous shot of the race, it‘s hard to tell where on the track the GT500 was making the move on the Corvette. The way they assembled the footage makes it seem like it was earlier in the run than it actually was. No doubt it was gonna catch it not far beyond the quarter, but it apparently didn’t catch it before the quarter. Other head-to-head runs have shown similar results.

Yep. It just looks like just some odd/confusing choices in terms of video production/editing. You can't tell where in the run or track anything happening, if it's the same/difference runs. I bet they did a batch of start / finish shots, then another round of rolling shots.

Heck, the documented 1/4 mile time/MPH may not have even been head-to-head, and so they went out and tried to record some simulated comparisons of the data, i.e., showing the C8 with a notably better launch, but attempting to show the much better GT500 MPH by having it running down the C8.

 

[Hack]

At some point in time some of you just need to give the Corvette engineers their due. They take a car with a 265 hp disadvantage riding on all season tires end eek out a close quarter mile win. Consistently. This wasn’t the first test where C8 edged GT500 in a quarter mile. We all know GT500 catches it shortly after and crushes it on trap speed, just as it’s supposed to. Not a whole lot different than the “cowboy racing” head to head a couple years ago. It doesn’t make GT500 any less of a car. The Corvette guys just seem to know what they are doing in terms of chassis dynamics and how to tune the mid engine mass setup to launch the car like a fiend. After that, it’s how long will it take the GT500 to overtake. Test after test has shown it’s a little more than a quarter mile.

Instead it boils down to a “they must be cheating “ whinefest. What would have to be true for that to be the case? Post, Lieberma, and the other two drivers would have to all agree to keep their mouths shut in order for a cheat to work. And of all the cars they had in the competition, why make this the cheat race? Neither car factored into the final results, so who gains what from cheating this particular race?

Here I thought the Z51 Performance Package version of the C8 used in the test came with Pilot Sport 4S summer only performance tires. I think it also has a steeper 5.17:1 final drive ratio and a special limited slip differential to improve launch.

And yes, GM could only get 500 hp from a 6.2 liter engine, but that's what they decided to use in their world-beating American mid-engine super car. It's a $60K car, they could choose to use a different engine if they wanted to.

I don't think there's any cheating. I think on the street if you break the law and do a full on quarter mile race the mid-engine aluminum chassis Corvette with Z51 performance package is slightly faster than the GT500. It won't be on a drag strip where you can legally run a 1/4 mile drag race. On the drag strip in a real 1/4 mile race the GT500 will win easily.

And the past Motor Trend world's greatest drag races have always been 1/2 mile. Odd that they decided to change that, BUT ONLY for the elimination part of this film.

 

[Skwibbs]

Yeah, if it was the classic 1/2 mile, all cars on the same playing field with the same rules at the same time, would've been a very interesting watch. Some good fights in there, 911 turbo vs supercars, GT500 nipping at their heels, seeing how far the launch got the C8, Cayenne vs. Ram, etc. etc. etc.

 

[martinjlm]

Here I thought the Z51 Performance Package version of the C8 used in the test came with Pilot Sport 4S summer only performance tires. I think it also has a steeper 5.17:1 final drive ratio and a special limited slip differential to improve launch.

And yes, GM could only get 500 hp from a 6.2 liter engine, but that's what they decided to use in their world-beating American mid-engine super car. It's a $60K car, they could choose to use a different engine if they wanted to.

I don't think there's any cheating. I think on the street if you break the law and do a full on quarter mile race the mid-engine aluminum chassis Corvette with Z51 performance package is slightly faster than the GT500. It won't be on a drag strip where you can legally run a 1/4 mile drag race. On the drag strip in a real 1/4 mile race the GT500 will win easily.

And the past Motor Trend world's greatest drag races have always been 1/2 mile. Odd that they decided to change that, BUT ONLY for the elimination part of this film.

Good point about the tires. I was conflating this video with another video featuring a base car with all-season tires. And you are correct about the FDR. I guess you can get away with that sort of gearing sitting behind an 8-spd DCT.

 

[Hack]

Yeah, if it was the classic 1/2 mile, all cars on the same playing field with the same rules at the same time, would've been a very interesting watch. Some good fights in there, 911 turbo vs supercars, GT500 nipping at their heels, seeing how far the launch got the C8, Cayenne vs. Ram, etc. etc. etc.

I kind of like the elimination thing, but I agree it's fun to see all the cars together. And typically I think they've done a better job with video editing so it's more clear what is happening through out the race.

Good point about the tires. I was conflating this video with another video featuring a base car with all-season tires. And you are correct about the FDR. I guess you can get away with that sort of gearing sitting behind an 8-spd DCT.

Yes and it's amazing how great of a launch they were able to get especially with it being the first year. We've come to expect that from Porsches for example, but they've been fine tuning for years.

 

[Saratoga87]

Somebody’s foot got lighter when that 500 started pulling on the C8, I have no doubts.

Oh no doubt. Racing Randy definitely rolled out of the throttle just as the 500 was overtaking the C8. Obviously they had a predetermined outcome.

 

[biminiLX]

Oh no doubt. Racing Randy definitely rolled out of the throttle just as the 500 was overtaking the C8. Obviously they had a predetermined outcome.

I think that’s a clip of the finish line and it’s just the editing messing with us, me included.
On a true 1/4 mile a car with that much more trap speed comes around noticeably.
-J

 

[Saratoga87]

I think that’s a clip of the finish line and it’s just the editing messing with us, me included.
On a true 1/4 mile a car with that much more trap speed comes around noticeably.
-J

Good point J, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[GT 500 760]

That’s a base C8 wait till the Z06 comes out and bring on those exotics. $309K comparison with a Shelby GT500 and a C8. Come on. Plus on a proper prepared track the Shelby GT500 is 10.5 all day.

 

[JT1]

IMHO, it needs to be all the cars side by side at the same time. That's the whole point that makes it special and it needs to go a full half mile.

 

[kilobravo]

Probably not likely to find that sort of pavement available. Hell, even most runways wouldn't be wide enough.

 

[JT1]

Probably not likely to find that sort of pavement available. Hell, even most runways wouldn't be wide enough.

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