ZR-1; A great race car?

[LGAFF]

Well if you went purely by history, not too impressive......

4th & 6th place in GTO class at 24hrs of Daytona

6th Place at Sebring

Not too impressive, but then you look into the facts....the ZR-1s ran in the GTO class with mildly modified ZR-1s.......about 425hp-450hp, vs 600hp cars that ran will full tube frame chasis.

The program was also started 6 weeks out from Daytona and one car rolled off the assmebly line a few weeks before the first race.

Suddenly the showing is not too shabby.


Read all of this in the old Keepin Track of Vettes magazine I picked up on Ebay. Some good ads also

It was the Toledo Pro ad with the Snake skinner Kevlar/Carbon fiber hood.....it was $1500......how much are they now:)

The Tommy Morrison Aero package also added 4MPH to top speed per the ads.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Morrison really knew how to make cars perform. A maverick, to say the least.

[LGAFF]

Its funny, I noticed they did not even do the coolant bypass trick.

[LGAFF]

I was looking at one of the articles, during the IMSA races the Z had to run at 3950lbs sans driver and was competitive.

[LGAFF]

Read an interesting article on the 1993 ZR-1 effort at the 24hrs of Daytona. The cars were actually converted LT-1 cars with upgraded panels.

Within their class the ZR-1 was actually a pole sitter....however simple issues failed the ZR-1...namely the fuel lines kept coming apart and needed to be changed during the racr.

The Z placed 2nd in class at Sebring.....however the first place Porsche was actually a turbo ringer that was allowed to run despite being outside the class specs.

[Kevin]

without the morrison racing and pirate racing efforts, we wouldn't have the c5/c6 factory teams

[A26B]

Wish you could hear the story of Rippie & VanDorn with the ZR-1 at Lemans and no factory support, surrounded by the biggest names in motorsports. I've heard parts of it from both Rippie & JVD. One can only imagine what it must have been like.

[XfireZ51]

Wish you could hear the story of Rippie & VanDorn with the ZR-1 at Lemans and no factory support, surrounded by the biggest names in motorsports. I've heard parts of it from both Rippie & JVD. One can only imagine what it must have been like.

Jerry,

PLEASE! Do tell!!!!

Lee,

Thanks for these lovely little tid bits of ZR-1 history.

[tccrab]

Jerry,

PLEASE! Do tell!!!!

Lee,

Thanks for these lovely little tid bits of ZR-1 history.

'Tis the season for gathering 'round the fire and the telling of stories.
I'll rattle the 'ol Pirates cage, see if he's in the mood for Holiday sharing.

TomC
'Crabs

[LGAFF]

Robert Tomzak has promised to spend an evening with the FBI crew talking about ZR-1 racing next year over some BBQ

[tomtom72]

Cool thread Lee! I must have been asleep when this was started. I had the pleasure of JVD telling me a bit about the racing efforts while they were working on my car this past Gathering.

He said two nagging issues were the oil blow by and the cooling system were the biggest obstacles on a constant basis. They had a trick for the blow by issue I though was fairly neat. Used a recovery bottle with a washer pump in it. They put it where the OE battery was and they could see it as the car passed the pits. When it got full they radioed the driver to hit the pump switch and put the oil back into the pan. That was Pirate racing's answer!
Next time I'm down there I'm going to ask his thoughts on the cooling system.

:cheers:
Tom

[vandornjim]

'Tis the season for gathering 'round the fire and the telling of stories.
I'll rattle the 'ol Pirates cage, see if he's in the mood for Holiday sharing.

The Beagle goes over to the sleepin 'ol Pirate and passes a huge cloud of gas. :censored:After two snorts he comes alive, grabs a flip flop and throws it at the crazy hound. "What the heck is wrong with you, you die or somethin'??"

There's a beeping noise. "What? Do I finally got me a email??" So they wants me to tell 'em a story do they....lemmee see.....a CHristmas story....how about a January story...heck before I had this mutt to mess with, I messed with somebody else. What was his name again.....

As you probably already know, Rippie and I go back a long ways. I don’t know what it was exactly, I kinda feel sorry for old guys sometimes…. J

So one day I get this call from Rippie. I didn’t want to answer it but I did. J
He says Motor Trend wants to do a story on some specialty Corvettes. He says they told him it’s NOT a comparison, more of a highlight story….and he wants to use my car, Black Widow #8. MY CAR!? NOT!!
He bribes me into it, promising numerous upgrades and benefits, fame and fortune. Oh here we go again….
So Rippie comes out for a week or so and we start “prepping” the car. Our competition is a “Lister Corvette”. Funny looking re-wrap LT1, had a supercharger on it. So I knew it really WAS a comparison after all.
I got a call from Motor Trend and I told them I had one condition to use my car. Whatever THEY do with my car, I get to do too. They reluctantly agreed.
The day finally arrives and Mac Demere, Senior Road Test Editor, tells us what all we’ll be doing.
First, the slalom test. A set course of cones, set distance. Next was the skid pad and braking tests. How fast until you leave the circle and 70mph to 0 braking. Then a “top speed” run followed by a road course, and finally, the quarter mile. Impressive list and all on the same tires! The Lister smoked a PS pump and had to retire.
So we did the slalom, braking and skid pad tests in the L.A County Fairgrounds parking lot. It was rough and had lots of loose gravel but they were very impressed with the ‘ol Weekndr. She did 70+mph in the slalom, over 1g on the pad, and stopped like a rock with those huge Wilwoods on her. Then we went next door to the L.A. County Raceway (Winternationals) and we ran 12.8 all day on street Goodyears. They gave us directions and told us to meet some 100 miles away in the middle of the desert near Barstow. Now please understand that following directions is NOT one of Rippie’s strong suits. Especially when he’s got one hand on his phone…
We get up early and find this place. It’s about 35 degrees. It’s called “Mrs Orcutt’s Driveway”. What happened was when they put in I-40, they cut off Mrs Orcutt’s house from the road. So, they had to make her a 3.2 mile driveway to her house from the next off ramp. It was pretty straight but hilly and full of bumps and low points, then finally ended up on a flat dry lakebed for the last 1/2 mile. I was driving and Rippie had his laptop hooked into the ECM when I pulled up to some MT guy and told him we wanted to “check out the track”. He said OK but go slow. Sure we will…
I had it at 170mph and Rippie never looked up. We didn’t even have seat belts on….
Well, Demere did 180mph and came back ecstatic. Now it was my turn. Suddenly they handed me the radar gun and the “parade permit” (for shutting down the road) and they left! I wasn’t gonna miss my chance so Rippie ran the gun and I went to the beginning of the road. I turned on the in-car camera and then let her RIP. At 165 I took out my camera and took a picture of the speedo but I was being knocked round pretty good so it wasn’t easy. I stayed at 170 until I got to the smooth lakebed part and I opened her up in 5th. I remember seeing the cars up ahead on the side of the 40ft wide road and I thought it was like threading a needle. The last I saw was 179 on the speedo before I began the shutdown. The radar gun said 180…
So then we were told how to get to the road course at Willow Springs. I had the Weekndr in the trailer and Rippie was back there in a rental doing his cell phone thing. I looked over and saw a train running with us and I knew there was a crossing up ahead, so I slowly out ran the train and left Rippie quite a ways back. I timed it just right and we barely made the crossing before the barriers went down. Rippie was trapped waiting for the train. Perfect.
We put down the hammer and got to our turnoff at Mojave and headed south to Willow. We got there and everybody showed up but Rippie. We had a great time running the course. The coil overs and Willwoods were awesome. Finally Rippie shows up and tells us he missed the turn and ended up in Bakersfield!! I’m dyin’ here!
The day ended with beauty shots on the paddock and Demere comes over and tells Rippie he’s never tested an overall faster Corvette. (All tests averaged).
It all came out in Motor Trend’s April ’95 issue. “This is the fastest Corvette we’ve ever tested and the fourth fastest car in Motor Trend’s history.”
The morale to the story? Driving at 180mph is a rush and nearly uncontrollable even in a straight line. The car lifts, the rear hatch spreads causing massive airflow and noise within the cockpit, and the suspension buffets you around like an astronaut on liftoff.
Now imagine doing it for 24 hours….with four corners!!
Merry Christmas Everybody!
(You too Rippie…)

[XfireZ51]

"Driving at 180mph is a rush and nearly uncontrollable even in a straight line. The car lifts, the rear hatch spreads causing massive airflow and noise within the cockpit, and the suspension buffets you around like an astronaut on liftoff. Now imagine doing it for 24 hours….with four corners!!"

Exactly!

[Kevin]

Jim,
In the road atlanta dvd you sent me, as well as the corvette challenge ones, the c4's spent a lot of time sideways when driven really hard, was this a chassis problem or a brake problem?

[vandornjim]

Jim,
In the road atlanta dvd you sent me, as well as the corvette challenge ones, the c4's spent a lot of time sideways when driven really hard, was this a chassis problem or a brake problem?

Yes. :-D

It was a chassis problem when you nailed it (not enough tire) and it was a a brake problem when you drove it in really deep and hoped for the best!

[Kevin]

were ya'll allowed to run the stock size tire?

[vandornjim]

were ya'll allowed to run the stock size tire?

They let us run 315's and 275's but they were nothiung more than junk shaved Toyo street treads. Very much junk tires.

[Kevin]

They let us run 315's and 275's but they were nothiung more than junk shaved Toyo street treads. Very much junk tires.
i bet that black 911 got better tires

[vandornjim]

i bet that black 911 got better tires

Oh yeah, they had HUGE tires....but for some strange reason they didn't do to well......in the sand!

[Kevin]

Oh yeah, they had HUGE tires....but for some strange reason they didn't do to well......in the sand!

shoulda gone for m+s tires :dancing

[Aurora40]

Jim,
In the road atlanta dvd you sent me, as well as the corvette challenge ones, the c4's spent a lot of time sideways when driven really hard, was this a chassis problem or a brake problem?

Assuming the owner of the intellectual property (I assume JVD) is ok with it, would it be possible to post up ISO files of those DVD's? I'd love to see them, as I'm sure others would.

[Kevin]

Assuming the owner of the intellectual property (I assume JVD) is ok with it, would it be possible to post up ISO files of those DVD's? I'd love to see them, as I'm sure others would.

email jim for his pp addy, send in a donation to charity of his and you'll get them in the mail. everyone wins :)

[LGAFF]

Some very interesting conversation with someone who played a big role in ZR-1 racing, apparently the ZR-1 not only has a big ARSE but also top heavy. They apparently tried to overcome the massive weight of the LT-5 by dropping the engine lower and even moving it back.....to no avail they could not get it to handle the way they wanted....

Also the 93 race cars were LT-1 bodies as they discovered that the big back was slowing the car by some 12 MPH.....


More to come at a later

[vandornjim]

They apparently tried to overcome the massive weight of the LT-5 by dropping the engine lower and even moving it back.....to no avail they could not get it to handle the way they wanted....

Well...uh....that is illegal according to the rules! That would be CHEATING!! (I think I still have the ladder bar we used in ours. It was 4 inches shorter than a stock one....:)

[LGAFF]

The IMSA ZR-1s had to run with an additional 500lbs of weight above the stock 3450......it would actually warp and break pads, which is why they eventually withdrew from the series.

[vandornjim]

The IMSA ZR-1s had to run with an additional 500lbs of weight above the stock 3450......it would actually warp and break pads, which is why they eventually withdrew from the series.

Yep, that’s why we left in 2001 after just a few races. They had us a 3rd place car at best. Funny thing was they didn’t even have a dyno capable of doing a AWD car like the Turbo Audi. Why then were we tested?
They put weight on us (3100lbs) a 52mm air restrictor, made us run street tires, etc. But it was all for show. IN reality they gave the races away to those who advertised on Speedvision and in the series. You guys would SH&T if you really knew how they worked it. At Sears point, when we had both cars there, they asked me how light I could get the ZR-1. I told them 2600lbs and then was told that I wouldn’t be weighed after the race….
If you don’t have a chance to win, you stay home. 2nd place is the first loser….:iroc: