In a wide-ranging interview on Matt Farah’s TST Podcast, Indy Car and IMSA racer Alexander Rossi let spill a rumor he’s heard about the new C8 Z06. And it sounds pretty special.
Speaking about supercars and how ridiculous they are today, Rossi perked up and shared a piece of gossip he’d heard from an unnamed friend who drives the C8.R Corvette in IMSA’s GTLM class.
“Check this out, he’s like, the C8 Z06 that’s going to come out is legitimately the C8 race car with, like, stickers removed,” said Rossi about 50 minutes into his conversation with Farah.
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Rossi drives in IMSA’s top DPi class for Acura, but he admitted to being a little envious of the Corvette drivers.
“It’s very annoying because we’re actually pitted next to [the Corvette] at Daytona and when they do their launches from the pit stop it literally blows up your soul,” he said. “Every time it happens you just jump back and shake inside. It’s awesome but also so upsetting.”
Rumors have long suggested that the C8.R’s engine, a flat-plane crank V8, will be the same one that goes into the C8 Z06. Rossi stops short of confirming that (though, whether or not he’s in a position to do that is another question) but his comments certainly lend more credence to those reports.
Indeed, spy footage has shown test cars revving what certainly sounds like an exciting engine. And if Rossi’s gossip is right, it sounds like it’s shaping up to be a very exciting car indeed.
The Z06 was supposed to launch about midway through this year, though Covid-19 has reportedly pushed that date back. We still anticipate that the first Z06s will be built for the 2022 model year, though.