We had an incredible event, with several drivers on Vitour P1 tires securing wins across multiple classes! Among the cars competing on street tires, four of the top five overall were equipped with Vitour P1 tires. I finished as the fastest on street tires, with a few other Corvettes close behind.
E-Ray Performance
The E-Ray performed exceptionally well on this familiar track, and the P1 tires complemented its capabilities perfectly in a Time Trial environment. The E-Ray excelled on the exits of corners 2, 3, 6, and the stretch from 8 to 9. When it comes to low-speed digs, the more, the better, and Gingerman has several. However, the E-Ray does tend to run out of steam quickly as it approaches 100 mph.
While following Jimmy Rauck's incredibly fast Unlimited/Time Attack Civic, I managed to close some distance coming out of these corners. However, as soon as any significant cornering force was applied, he pulled away—thanks to his slicks, wings, and being about half the weight of the E-Ray.
Session Highlights
During the first session, the conditions were excellent! I managed a conservative 1:35 on my opening lap, which exceeded my expectations. Following that, I recorded two more laps in charge plus mode, both in the 1:34s. After a couple of cooldowns, I switched to qualifier mode / PTM Race 2 and achieved my best time of the event at 1:33.9, securing 2nd overall by a decent margin.
In the next session, I began in qualifier mode and clocked a 1:34.1 on my first lap, followed by two cooldowns and another 1:34.1. As the track heated up in the subsequent session, I logged two laps at 1:35.1 with cooldowns in between. I finished these sessions with laps in charge plus mode.
After some testing, I found that charge mode typically lagged qualifier mode by about a second at Gingerman. I could manage three flying laps in charge mode back-to-back from a full charge. Engaging qualifier mode with 100% charge just before turn 11 allowed me to complete the track while the AWD boost conveniently (or inconveniently) became limited around the start-finish line.
Strategy for Success
I later discovered that lightly dragging the brakes after completing a flyer for a full cooldown lap helped me reach a full charge before turn 11. This strategy made it possible to alternate between cooldowns and full-send laps, likely aiding in keeping the temperature down in the car, tires, and brakes, resulting in fast lap times consistent within tenths.
I experimented with throttle input and found that the E-Ray drove more like my low-power RX-8 than the Stingray. It didn’t seem to mind going hard on the throttle pedal instead of rolling on. There wasn’t much difference between everything off and Race 2 mode, but given the car's value, I kept it in Race 2 for added safety throughout the event.
The next day, I recorded lap times in the low 1:35s in the morning and 1:36s in the afternoon, largely depending on the track conditions.
Tire Wear Insights
One downside I noticed with the E-Ray is significantly faster tire wear compared to the Stingray. Given that the E-Ray is a 4,000-pound AWD torque monster, this isn't surprising. After approximately 45 autocross runs at Grissom and two days of five sessions each, I estimate I could get another ten sessions from the front tires. The E-Ray is particularly tough on the front tires, which are wearing down much faster than the rears, unlike the Stingray, which exhibited more even and slower wear.
Get Your P1 Tires!
If you're interested in the Vitour Tempesta P1, check it out at VitourP1.com and use coupon code TEAMP1 for a discount!
Don't miss the fast lap of the E-Ray with just Apex VS-5RS and Vitour Tempesta P1 295/345-19 in action! Watch it here!