First to the 8s: C8 Corvette Project Car Breaks Record

It is Official—the FuelTech C8 Corvette is the first to eclipse the 8-second zone when Anderson Dick piloted it to an 8.973 at 160.9 mph while racing at Orlando Speed World.

It has been a longtime coming as the team added a twin turbo system last year and integrated the award-winning FT600 engine management system to the vehicle. The inclusion of the PowerFT engine management system is a feat upon itself as it works in conjunction with the PCM, providing the proper fuel, spark, and power management to keep the turbocharged LT2 running smoothly.

The previous best elapsed time was a stout 9.01 at 153 mph, which came shortly after the FuelTech group pushed the hub dyno numbers to a jaw-dropping 1,350 WHP. The factory PCM runs most of the vehicle systems and Anderson and his crew developed a work-around to avoid the factory-programmed torque management. A second FuelTech ECU was installed for drivetrain management, allowing the vehicle to be used in dedicated drag strip or road course applications.

Understandably, Anderson wouldn’t reveal too much on the drivetrain control until as they continue to develop it into a turnkey solution for the motorsports world. He did admit that a major component to the transmission performance is the ability to tune the clutch- pressure and take full advantage of the Stage 2 Dodson clutches, which utilizes 9 and 10 frictions in comparison to the OEM clutch setup with 5 and 6. The team also added a newer, taller rear tire size; 305/45/18 Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag radials help apply the power, a step up from the 325/35/18 drag radials the team ran this past summer. The new tire size allows for a longer first gear and helped knock back the ratio on the top-end for bigger speeds. The Mickey Thompson rubber is mounted on a pair of stylish Weld Laguna wheels.

The engine combination is a simple one as it uses two Garrett G35-900 turbochargers mounted topside and they are capable of providing plenty of boost to the fortified LT2 engine. The engine components were sourced from Gwatney Performance and the line-up includes forged Diamond Pistons that are mated to extremely strong Wiseco Boostline connecting rods. Anderson also consults with Pro Line on the engine platform for optimum durability.

The engine compartment is very straightforward—the turbo kit doesn’t have an intercooler due to the use of methanol fuel to help cool the incoming air. Late Model Racecraft’s Steve Fereday was a heavy influence when Anderson embarked on building the turbo combination. The turbo package relies on Turbosmart wastegates, which are essential components due to the extreme demands for this combination’s power management. The quick response is paramount to accurate shifting and drag strip performance. The next step is to switch to Turbosmart’s new electronic wastegates for even better control and the FuelTech FTManager software includes that option already.

A couple of turbochargers are almost not enough when chasing records. Nitrous Outlet provides extra air to the engine through chemical enhancement, which also helps cool down the non-intercooled turbocharged air. Anderson has been adamant that the reason for the exceptional launches and quick 60-foot times are due to the instant hit of nitrous off the starting line.

The Corvette features a unique dual fuel system setup that uses the factory direct injection and the stock fuel tank for primary fuel delivery. A complete second fuel system has been added to the Corvette with an Aeromotive brushless pump delivering VP Racing Fuels M1 to an independent set of fuel injectors, which are mounted in a custom sheetmetal intake manifold.

The team relies on the primary FT600 as a data logger to record factory sensors at a high sampling rate in addition to an assortment of FuelTech sensors. The Corvette employs two WB-O2 Nano meters that monitor the air/fuel ratio through Bosch LSU 4.2 sensors in the exhaust. Other sensors wired into the FT600 include backpressure canister, 0-150 psi pressure sensor to monitor the port fuel injection, two backpressure sensors for each turbocharger as well as turbocharger speed sensors. Anderson also added two FuelTech EGT-4 kits, which allows individual cylinder EGT monitoring for all eight cylinders, aiding in complete data collection and engine safety.

The R&D team also disclosed a major accomplishment and improvement—they have the ability to fully control ignition timing and throttle position, this enables the power management required for the ultimate in track-focused performance.

From breaking barriers in the professional motorsports worldwide to breaking records with America’s supercar, FuelTech is ready to develop solutions for all types of performance vehicles and that is the reason you’re seeing #FuelTechEverywhere