New 2009 ZR1 in the Flesh

Got these pictures from Winding Road and Jalopnik. I am psyched to see this car in person $135k for a corvette its has to be a beast! There has never been much room for weight savings on corvettes so hopefully this car is going to be lighter and still have all the comforts of a corvette. With Ceramic brakes I hope they will finally shake those leaf springs and put a set of coil overs on it too. I still would like to see a 6 speed manual (trying my hardest to resist technology), but I recognize it will help almost every driver post faster lap times. More power, weight savings, better brakes, better handling, while hopefully maintaining the reliability corvettes are known for...this corvette is a roll cage away from being my...

John Force trys out Chevy

I was at a recent event promoting Crest White Strips outside NYC where I was hired to autocross people around the Meadowlands parking lot in my corvette. John and Ashley Force (sponsored by Castrol Syntec) were also hired to be there and were floating around, just being famous for the TV cameras. After they were there for about 45 minutes one of the people working the event approached me and asked if John would be allowed to drive my corvette. Mind you I've only trusted 3 people to drive my car; Chuck Mallett www.mallettcars.com, Doug Ring www.eastcoastsupercharging.com , and my friend Dan Coyle (I've driven road rallies with and owns a supercharged mallett c6). Now I know John Force is a drag racer but I don't know about his...

A few crazy commercials

Vette Dog style!

When Patrick starts going through several stacks of video all in the same day, he can't help but show some of it off.

No geckos with British accents and no saluting guys that wear too much cologne... just highway patrolmen, failed drifts, off-road excursions and screaming tires.

Sounds like the perfect recipe for a Vette Dogs' commercial.

As he was eager to share, Patrick posted the clips this evening in thread below:

Here are 6 "Vette Dog" commericals

Hopefully you'll start seeing these puppies pop up around the Internet...

Check 'em out, spread the word and tell us what ya think!

                                                         by Daniel Bowler
 

"The Twizzler Story"

As in any epic tale, there’s a chapter that stands out among all others, bounded with sentiments of courage, strife and heroism.

Shame there wasn’t any of that during One Lap of America but the DC Crew did manage a gross one to tell! The daylight was coming to a close and the DC Crew was preparing to pull an all-nighter from Peublo, Colorado to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Steve Hardy, who was in the driver’s seat of the DCZ at the time, reflects back on that night through "Texlahoma":

So I'm driving, the sun is setting in the rearview and Patrick and I are discussing important things like heel toe down-shifting and where the meat in Taco Bell tacos come from. Then Pat reaches down and pulls out a bag of Twizzlers; my wife had packed...

"Does this thing get cable?"

Granted, he wasn’t about to sneak up on anybody with that exhaust note… but Patrick’s 2002 Z06 always grabbed a second look by everyone during the One Lap trek, simply because of all the gizmos on the dashboard.

What you’re seeing on the dash of the DC Z is the Garmin Nuvi 660 GPS, Cobra CB radio and a Valentine V1 radar detector. All were life lines during One Lap of America, where communication is as much a necessity as it is the only viable source for sanity.

The Garmin Novi 660 GPS proved to be pinpoint accurate in getting the DC Crew where they needed to be and added the convenience of changing a displayed route whenever desired. This was important in making it through One Lap simply because fundamental changes...

Hungry for more?

Then pull up a plate, cause Vette Dogs just announced that they're dishing out more!

Starting this week, all Vette Dog episodes will now be at least 10 minutes long!

Thanks to all the viewers who left comments, you were heard loud and clear! There is certainly a ton of great footage screaming to be released!

Definitely keep sharing your thoughts about the show, and join in on the blogs for addition updates and episode details.

                                                           by Daniel Bowler
 

"Straight talk: Circle tracks"

Vette Dogs interviews Steve Hardy, DC co-pilot!

In Episode 3, we saw Steve giving Patrick the essentials to running on a banked 1/4 mile track. There was only enough time to walk the track once before Patrick had to toss on the firesuit and churn out some laps. Steve had to take his years of experience and try to jam as much detail as possible into Patrick's brain about running a safe and fast line.

To Steve Hardy, racing is a passion in addition to work, raising a family and wrenching on a few projects. Luckily, he was more than willing to tell us a bit about his racing background down in Florida.

Do you...

"Roaring into Michigan"

Sneak Peak!

Leave it to the Vette Dogs to ruin a peaceful sunrise over Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Michigan.

The '02 DC Z06 was back on the track accompanied by its '07 C6 brother for some serious thrashing. While the One Lap of America Cannonball had taught Patrick a lot about his Corvette (and Physics), he was anxious to find out what his abilities were leaving on the table. So, in an attempt to put his mind at ease, Vette Dogs rented the entire 1.88 mile track for the day.

Gingerman Raceway turned out to be the perfect layout to take a high performance vehicle onto a new level. No concrete barriers or over-grown trees to sweat about as your sliding sideways passed your apex. Oops. Every Corvette present took a...

Faster than a Cannonball

more powerful than a locomotive, it's a Supercell!

There weren't any worries about apexes, tread or brakes that night...the DC Crew was busy making calls to loved ones and saying their prayers. Thankfully, there was a meteorologist willing to overlook the time zone difference for several late night updates. After locking his radar onto our exact location he concluded that it was a shame it wasn't brighter outside, cause we'd see a tornado.

Gee, thanks bro.

The drive West across I-80 was the ultimate test for these Vette Dogs. Multiple lightning bolts branched across the entire horizon in a mesmerizing show as the DC Crew drove towards the storm. The steady companionship of the Corvettes was a relief as the rain intensified and...

"A 'Jake' of All Trades..."

...no bones about it!

It can be tough to take your Corvette with you every where you go, though many of us try. Let’s face it; bringing a life-size Corvette into the house, store, or work is heavily frowned upon. People don’t seem to get it and hallways just aren’t made for it. Luckily, the crew over at Chevy’s C6.R Racing Team found us a way to bring the Corvette spirit along and it’s catching on like glow sticks at a rock concert.

Check out the article below from Autoweek that follows the C6.R “Jake” emblems from napkin-sketch to smash-merchandise hit

“Skull Success”
by Travis Braun

Corvette C6.R celebrates anniversary