This 900 Horsepower C6 Z06 Is An All Natural Track Weapon

Jake Ertel’s 900 horsepower C6 Z06 Corvette didn’t start out as a race car. After the engine in his C8 Corvette blew and caught fire at Thompson Speedway, General Motors bought the car back from him. Ertel took that payout and found a different project: a C6 Z06 Corvette listed on Corvette Forum for $38,000. The car already had a built engine and a rebuilt transmission when he flew to Indianapolis to buy it and drive it home.

Two Winters Of Upgrades Before The 900 Horsepower C6 Z06 Rebuild

That first winter, Ertel and his son upgraded the car’s cooling system with a G-Speed oil cooling kit and a Mishimoto radiator, along with suspension work that included a T1-style sway bar and G-Speed Penske double-adjustable 8300 coilovers. A splitter and a small wing added the car’s first bit of downforce. The following winter turned the C6 Z06 into a proper race car with a roll cage and a race seat, and Ertel went on to set track records running the car throughout New England.

Building The C6 Z06

Last winter, Ertel stripped the Corvette down to its frame and body panels for a full rebuild that turned it into the 900 horsepower C6 Z06 it is today. Louis Gigliotti Racing supplied the radiator layout kit, paired with a Faircloth Composites carbon fiber duct that ties into a one-of-one C6.R-style hood. Behind that sits a Borowski-built, naturally aspirated LS7 making 900 horsepower, built with a Dart block, All Pro heads, and a billet Plazmaman intake. Faircloth Composites headlight blanks replaced the stock headlights to save weight.

Power runs through a 6XD sequential transmission rated for up to 2,000 horsepower and a Winters quick-change differential, which lets Ertel swap gear ratios at the track by pulling the rear cover off the differential. Faircloth Composites also supplied a full carbon fiber package, including a 78-inch, 14-inch chord wing, carbon fiber uprights, hatch, B-pillar, roof, and epoxied fender vents that pull air from the oil cooler in the wheel well. AJ Hartman canards add further downforce.

The rebuild also brought a complete rewire, with Louis Gigliotti Racing supplying the harnesses and MoTeC components, including a MoTeC M150 ECU and PDM 30 power distribution module. Tilton triple pedals replaced the stock pedal assembly. By the time the rebuild wrapped, the only factory parts left on the car were the front and rear quarter panels and the frame.

Dialing In The Car’s 900 Horsepower At Watkins Glen

Ertel’s first outing with the rebuilt Corvette came at Watkins Glen International, and he needed only small adjustments to get the car balanced. After adding two degrees of front splitter angle to fix understeer through the carousel, he backed it off one degree and left the setup alone for the rest of the year.

The changes were dramatic. The 900 horsepower C6 Z06 lost 500 pounds over the winter while gaining about 200 horsepower, a combination Ertel says took time to learn to manage. At GridLife Time Attack at Watkins Glen, he ran a 1:51 lap, three seconds off his personal best at the track. Ertel said the car’s confidence-inspiring grip lets him hold the throttle flat through the esses at around 150 MPH, an experience he says keeps him coming back. He added that pushing himself in the car is also about setting an example for his two daughters and son.