[1]AutoGuide ran these half-naked shots of the ZR1 last Friday.
The latest chapter of the C7 ZR1 saga came and went with barely a peep.
It was rumored by veteran auto journalist Don Sherman that Chevrolet would throw a bone to Corvette fans and trot out a ZR1 mule at the race as a form of automotive sustenance to tide us over until the dang car debuts.
Queue the cricket SFX…
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Not that the race was a dud though… Corvette Racing was out in full force and according to their PR folks, “Our drivers Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen extended their GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s Championship lead Sunday with a fourth-place finish at Road America in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase.extended their GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s Championship lead Sunday with a fourth-place finish at Road America in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase.
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An early strategic call and some late-race luck propelled the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R from eighth at the start to just off the podium in the seventh GTLM round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were fifth in their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R despite late-race contact that sent Milner off track on the final lap.
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The two Corvettes qualified seventh and eighth, but the No. 3 Corvette went on an alternate pit strategy early following a full-course caution 15 minutes into the race. The strategy paid off with three yellow-flag periods in the final hour, which allowed the No. 3 Corvette to gain two positions in the pit lane with 45 minutes to go.
The No. 4 Corvette stayed on the same pit strategy as the lead cars, and Milner found himself fourth with 37 minutes to go. He was able to hold off a challenge from the much-faster, fifth-place car over the last 10 minutes until the late touch.”
For more detailed coverage of the race, check out our deep dive Corvette Racing update tomorrow.
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Photos - AutoGuide
What about the C7 ZR1?
The next logical stop for a ZR1 intro would be at the Detroit Auto Show in early 2018. Some colorful comments over at CorvetteForum speculated that the Road America Continental Race was too small of venue for something as seismic as the ZR1 intro…
Some folks have also lamented that they’re tired of all the speculation and are suffering from “swirly camo fatigue.”
Ditto.
Look at the bright side. At least we know we can take a breather from now ’til January 2018 and everyone can get on with their lives.
For us auto scribes, all this speculation is grist for the mill and between the ZR1 and the mid-engine car, it’s the lifeblood of the automotive journalism industry. After these two super ‘Vette are released, what ever shall we do?
Or put another way, what do you do when the revolution is over?
[9]Photos – AutoGuide