Corvette C7.R Photo Courtesy of IMSA.com

It’s no mistake that the C7.R Corvette race car competing in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship Series closely resembles the Corvettes produced for the street. The C7.R was co-developed next to the new 2015 Z06 Corvette. The two cars share the same technologies in engineering including chassis layout and design, engine, and aerodynamic packages.

Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President for GM performance vehicles and motorsports stated, “When it comes to endurance racing Corvette has been the benchmark of success for nearly 15 years, a huge part of this success relates directly to the relationship between Corvette Racing and the production vehicles.” Chief engineer for Corvette, Tadge  Juechter added, “We are always taking what we learn from racing and applying it to improve the production vehicles. As a result of this collaboration, the new Corvette Z06 is the most track-capable production-vehicle ever produced.”

The sleek 2015 Corvette Z06 Photo Courtesy of GM.com

As in previous model years, the production Z06 and the C7.R race car share the same production based aluminum frame now being built at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. A new patented  GM spot welding process makes the new frame much stiffer than in previous model years.

Another improvement related to the shared technologies is the addition of direct fuel injection to the new 2015 Z06 production car, this will allow the technology to return to the Corvette race car since the GT1 days in 2009. Direct injection offers several advantages including more precise throttle response, greater efficiency and more miles per gallon for the Z06, and less time consuming pit stops for the C7.R

New direct fuel injection will mean less pit stops for the C7.R Photo Courtesy of IMSA.com

Aerodynamics for the Corvette Stingray were a direct result of the previous C6.R with functioning hood and front quarter panel vents. The new Z06 and the C7.R take this foundation to another level with aggressive strategies for better cooling and aerodynamic down force with similar front splitters and front and rear brake cooling vents.

The new 2015 Z06 features a 625 horsepower, supercharged 6.2 liter engine, while the C7.R race car, by rules, is limited to a total displacement of 5.5-liters, and forced induction is prohibited.

Sweeeet!! The 2015 Z06 convertible. Photo courtesy of GM.com

Very few will ever have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the C7.R, however, a test drive in the new 2015 Z06 is as close as your local Chevrolet dealer, and other than the bright yellow paint and the roll cage it’s as close as you can get to driving the C7R.