By Zach Bowman, Autoblog.com - As you may have heard, Motor Trend recently threw the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the 2013 SRT Viper GTS at each other. And while it was somewhat shocking to hear that the aging ZR1 actually managed to narrowly walk away as the winner of this particular scrap, something else interesting happened during the dust up. Motor Trend called on pro driver Randy Pobst to thrash the two bruisers around Laguna Seca, and thrash he did. Pobst managed to bolt out a time of 1:33.70 in the ZR1, besting the old record of 1:33.99 set by Chris Winkler some three years ago. Winkler managed the task in a 2010 Dodge Viper ACR.
Pobst managed to pull down a 1:35.77 in the SRT Viper GTS, making it the sixth-fastest car M/T has ever put through its paces at Laguna Seca. Don't shed a tear for the terror from SRT, though -- the 2013 Viper is still quicker than hardware like the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lexus LFA and Nissan GT-R.
Unsurprisingly, the record-breaking story has triggered defensive posturing from the SRT camp, with none other than brand boss Ralph Gilles leaving comments on his Twitter feed like "There is a lot more left in the car, Randy has always struggled with the Viper" and "We've tested both cars at several tracks and never seen a gap like that. Many drivers needlessly fear the Viper.
The ZR1 may have drawn first blood on its way out the door, but one thing is for sure -- this is only the first skirmish in what looks to be a long and highly entertaining battle.
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