Lotus Elise Battles C7 Corvette Grand Sport on Track

Corvette has huge aftermarket tires and gobs more power, but the Lotus driver makes up the difference.

The video above comes to us from the ZentRose YouTube channel and it features a Series 2 Lotus Elise showing off its capabilities on Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Southern California. To be specific, the Toyota-powered sports car is scooting around configuration 13 at Buttonwillow with a Corvette Grand Sport, and while the Chevy packs 271 more horsepower, the “driver mod” allows the Elise to close the gap and pass the C7 within the first lap after a staggered start.

The Competitors

The camera car in this video is a Series 2 Lotus Elise with the 189-horsepower Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine and while the engine is stock, this car is sporting adjustable JRZ RS1 dampers and Federal RSRR tires measuring 225-45-15 up front and 255-40-17 out back. We learn as the in-car footage begins that the driver recently made some adjustments to the suspension with the hopes of better lap times.

The car being chased is a C7 Corvette Grand Sport, which is powered by the modern LT1 V8, delivering 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. This car is stock, with the exception of aftermarket 18-inch wheels and a set of Nitto NT01 with 315s up front and 335s out back, but this Chevy is built to shine bright on a road course. As a result, the Lotus driver expects the struggle to keep up. In fact, he goes so far as to say “I’m not going to be able to keep up with this Grand Sport, but we can try, it will be fun,” only to catch the Corvette on the first lap.

As it turns out, the suspension adjustments made a big difference, allowing the Lotus to do better than just keep up with the Grand Sport.

Hitting the Track

The track footage begins with the Corvette heading out onto the track first and while the video jumps, it looks like the cars are being sent out 15-20 seconds apart. We can still see the Chevy off in the distance when the Lotus heads out, but it is quite a bit ahead, making it a chore for the less-powerful Elise to catch up.

Fortunately, within the first few turns, the Lotus driver realizes that a combination of a drying track and suspension adjustments have made the car faster than it had been in previous sessions. This allows him to quickly catch up to the Grand Sport and by the end of the first lap, the Elise is all over C7. As they head into the long straight that leads to the start/finish line, the 460-horsepower Chevy pulls aside and signals for the Lotus to pass (in the still above).

Over the course of the next lap and a half, the Elise stays out front under the driver slows to let the Corvette pass. Unfortunately, as the Corvette takes some odd entries to corners, it kicks up water that makes it hard for the Elise to hit the turns as hard as the driver would like. That prevents the Lotus from closing the gaps in the turns while the big power of the Corvette allows it to pull away on the straights.

While the end of the video shows the Lotus struggling, the Elise clearly out-shined the Corvette until the Elise driver let the Chevy pass.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com