• The Corvette Z06’s Nurburgring lap time of 7:10.51 is impressive but not a record.
  • Christian Gebhardt set the time during a test for German magazine Sport Auto.
  • Manufacturer lap times can be up to 10 seconds faster than those recorded by publications.

While Chevrolet tested and developed the Corvette Z06 extensively at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, it’s never actually released an official lap time at the circuit. However, thanks to German publication Sport Auto, we now have a good idea of just how quick the mid-engined supercar is around the circuit.

With Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel, the Corvette completed a lap of the circuit in 7:10.51 seconds. This time was recorded over the shortened 20.6 km distance, rather than the full 20.832 km primarily used by car manufacturers for their flying laps. So, how does this stack up against the competition?

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Comparing times set by Sport Auto and those by the manufacturers themselves is troublesome, to say the least. Whereas car brands often spend days fine-tuning vehicles for laps of the circuit, Gebhardt completes a single flying lap of each car he tests. In the case of the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, Gebhardt set a best time of 6:52.54 back in 2021, whereas Mercedes-AMG itself set a best time of 6:43.616 with Maro Angel behind the wheel. Similarly, Sport Auto’s best lap of 6:54.99 with the 911 GT3 RS was 10 seconds slower than Porsche’s official time of 6:44.848.

Using this logic, it’s possible Chevy itself could knock off upwards of 10 seconds from the Corvette Z06’s lap time if it were determined enough to do so.

The best way to compare the Z06’s time is with other vehicles tested by Sport Auto and driven by Gebhardt. For example, in 2023, he piloted a Ferrari 296 GTB around the circuit in 6:58.70, quite a bit faster than the Z06. Rewind to 2019, Gebhardt set a best lap of 7:06.60 in the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro and in 2018, piloted a McLaren 720S around the circuit in 7:08.34. The Z06’s time of 7:10.51 is almost identical to the 7:10.92 lap that Gebhardt set in the original Mercedes-AMG GT R back in 2016.

Clearly, the Corvette is fast, but it’s no record-breaker. Or at least it wasn’t on the day of this test, as weather conditions are another variable that can impact lap times.