As the owner of the Ariel Atom pulls out onto the Green Hell’s start-finish straight, a menacing, black and prepped Z06 nudges in front of him in the queue. Though the C6 Z06 has been praised as a stellar track machine, most would likely bet their bottom dollar on the lighter, nimbler Atom with a similar power-to-weight ratio thanks to its bare-bones construction and supercharged Honda motor.

Despite the longer section on the Nurburging, the Atom does have a certain advantage – at least against the standard Chevy. This one, however, seems to have a little more performance than that.

Although it’s much heavier, the wing and big tires help this American monster corner with the precision of the minute Atom.

On what appears to be your standard touristenfahrten, these two manage to displace the hordes of 911s, Evos and 3-series that make up the ranks on track days like these. The Z06, though seldom in front of the Atom – passing rules seemed to be strict that day – he manages to keep up with the lithe little Ariel through even the most technical sections.

When the Atom’s driver gives the point-by, the Z06 shows remarkable agility and grip, and when the road begins to unwind, it simply hauls. Hard to argue with 7.0-liters of pushrod punch.

Ultimately, both show masterful driving skills with immaculate lines and great traffic management. Either way you go, it seems that the right combination of assets in a track car can vary from platform to platform. As this event was not a serious track event, determining the actual quickest car out there would be tough, but based on the information available, there is but a small margin between these two trackday tools.

Observational readers will notice the video poster’s account name, we are left questioning who is really driving the Atom?