In the American road racing scene, Mike Skeen is a young, talented driver who has garnered a reputation for being willing and able to drive just about anything. The car in focus here is a World Challenge-spec C6 Vette. Fitted with a modified LS3 motor as well as a Holinger sequential transmission, this Corvette is supremely rapid in a straight line. It’s also quite similar to the road-going ‘Vette in the way it handles.
Not the stiffest or grippiest car out there, the car has some rough edges. In other words, though very quick and capable, a World Challenge car is not the thoroughbred that an Indycar is, and therefore, it slides and moves around in a fashion like that of a street car. This isn’t really a hindrance though, because a production-based car often looks more dramatic on the limit as the driver wrestles with his machine.
After the first two laps, Skeen really begins to push and the car responds beautifully. Hints of oversteer are noticeable when applying the throttle in the middle of quick corners, when braking over crests and even when turning into some of the slower corners.
Though the car looks planted, Skeen’s smooth driving coaxes the rear end to step out, dancing away subtly under his masterful control. Though Corvettes are often thought of as cars only quick in a straight line — and this one certainly flies down the straights — this particular racing car shows that they can be quick and engaging in the corners, too.