(Photo: ABI Photography) NCM Motorsports Park’s proximity to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant (read: Corvette Plant) isn’t by coincidence. The road course isn’t just for enthusiasts, hoons in cheap cars, track-day rentals and it’s Tuesday bike/walk exercise afternoon, it’s also a perfect testing ground for vehicles where they can push the limit in a closed and controlled fashion with safety crews at the ready in case things go wrong. It’s also a place where a car can be cut loose in the hands of a professional driver for lap testing.

Andy Pilgrim, NCM’s in-house pro driver, recently went out on the track in GM’s newest track scalpel, the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, and on the factory tires, ripped a 2:05.59 lap time on the 3.15 mile, 23 corner Grand Full layout. Make no mistake, that’s a blistering lap. According to Pilgrim, “I knew the new ZR-1 was quick from my first drive at the Media Launch at Road Atlanta. Setting a production car lap record on OE tires at MSP by turning a 2:05.59 lap, let me know just how quick. The ZR-1 is an amazingly capable track car and phenomenal bang for the buck.” NCM is planning on using Pilgrim’s ZR-1 time as a benchmark for a series of production car lap times on Grand Full that NCM will record.

Hopefully soon they let us know how that mid-engined thing that doesn’t exist does on a flying lap!