The Story Behind The Incredible 1,300-HP Time Attack Chevrolet Corvette

Key Takeaways

• Feras Qartoumy’s C6 Chevrolet Corvette is a constantly evolving race car that has seen success in various racing series, including time trial-style competition.
• The Corvette has achieved global time attack success, competing in events like the World Time Attack Challenge in Australia, where it won in its class in 2023.
• Qartoumy is focusing on setting new track records and has accumulated 28 records since 2020, with plans to build a second racing car.

In this article, we look briefly at an ongoing success story, not just for one man’s dream, but also for the American sports car. Specifically, a C6 Chevrolet Corvette, which through many changes and challenges has only continued to get better over time.

The Chevrolet is Feras Qartoumy’s time attack racing car that recently underwent some interesting changes before taking part in the World Time Attack competition in Sydney, Australia. We take a quick look at some of the car’s history, go over the short update in the video below courtesy of Larry Chen’s YouTube channel, to find out what Feras has to say about his career so far and the car’s current setup.

The Story Behind The 1300-HP Time Attack Chevrolet Corvette

Qartoumy’s C6 Corvette is a constantly evolving race car, and it’s been through some big changes inside and out, some of which are visible on the outside. According to American performance company Holley, who published this article on Feras’ career in 2022, he began with autocross in an LS-swapped ’72 Chevy Nova. Since then, the 2008 C6 Corvette has seen success in series such as the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge, but time trial-style competition became a focus, the article says.

Global Time Attack Success For The Corvette

The Global Time Attack is a worldwide racing series hosted by various nations, including Australia, where officially sanctioned events pit some of the fastest cars against each other in a time attack-style format. Australia hosted the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) which Qartoumy appears to be practicing for in the video above. That was at the start of September this year. Split into different classes, the relatively relaxed rule set allows teams and drivers to build extremely quick and potent machines, which is an interesting change to other rule-heavy racing series such as Formula 1.

Feras Qartoumy’s Ongoing Quest For Speed

• As he says in the video interview, Feras is living the Gran Turismo video game dream. He races to win parts or money to continue to upgrade his car.
• The goal is to set new records for individual tracks, and according to the video, he has accumulated 28 records since 2020.
• Fast-forward to December a few months on and the racing driver from Dallas, Texas managed to place first in the Plazmaman Pro-Am class, and a 1:27.0160 time.
• Next, he hints, is the completion of an ongoing project: a second racing car. He doesn’t reveal anything more, but we can’t wait to see what it is.

Changes For The C6 Chevy Corvette Z06 Time Attack Car

In the video courtesy of Larry Chen, Qartoumy shows off the car, which to those who were familiar with it previously, will look pretty different. We reported on this Corvette back in 2020 and it has changed quite a bit. Instead of the black finish, it is now rocking a green carbon-Kevlar body. It features many areas that Feras himself cut out or modified to fit new bolt-on parts or improve its function. Around 80 lbs were saved by moving from carbon fiber to the new Kevlar one.

The latest iteration of the car includes a big change around the back, where the rear window section now features a rear scoop for airflow to the radiator in the back. It’s a setup that works well despite being at the back, he says.

Air flows into the duct from the roof into a channel that cools the big unit, and the air gets blown down via two fans over the diffuser (the diffuser may even help to passively pull the air away, he admits). Pipes channel the water between the rear and the engine bay up front. The new setup is more efficient than before and allows more hot laps before the system needs to cool down, meaning more practice and less downtime.

Highlights Of The 2023 Time Attack Corvette Changes

• Weight saving thanks to the carbon-Kevlar body (80 lbs) and removal of Corvette rear tub and replacement with aluminum (42 lbs)
• New rear radiator setup improves cooling efficiency and allows more hot laps
• The car looks distinctive with the new green color scheme

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 runs 800 hp during practice but can get wound up to a top output of 1,300 hp. Feras says the car is capable of topping out at about 190 mph on the straights. Ballast needed to get added due to regulations, which stems from the tire size that Feras is using to achieve the high speeds.

The Tech And Features That Make Up Feras Qartoumy’s Time Attack Corvette

The car started way back with its original ‘LS7’ engine, which thanks to lifter failure, got swapped for a big 7.7-liter LS engine from Horsepower Research. Now it’s running a 7-liter ‘LSR’ V8 from Late Model Engines, making between 800 hp and up to 1,300 hp at full boost. Qartoumy says that the engine is good for up to around 2,000 hp, so he is operating at relatively safe levels of power for increased reliability. Many of the parts are bolt-ons, which includes the twin-turbo kit that uses Garrett G35-900s.

Feras Qartoumy’s Time Attack C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Specifications

Figures courtesy of Larry Chen

Feras Qartoumy’s Time Attack C6 Corvette Z06 Highlights

• Holley EFI system onboard, wheels from Finspeed
• The Carbon-Kevlar body from HGK is drifting setup
• Cut-outs in the front fender for exhausts
• Custom rear-mounted radiator with roof duct
• Engine from Late Model Engines runs up to 1,300 hp, but the block can take up to 2,000 hp

The C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Behind The Time Attack Corvette

2005-2013 C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Specifications

Figures courtesy of Chevrolet / Classic.com / Hagerty

Although the Time Attack Corvette is based on a C6 Corvette, the car is significantly modified from the engine to the drivetrain, to the bodywork, and even down to some of the structure itself. The old C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was no slouch in its day, with power, performance, and focus that made it the most impressive Corvette to date. Here, we compare it to the current C8-generation Z06. Today represents a good investment thanks to average values of around $35,000-$50,000.

C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Highlights

• Second last generation of Corvette before Chevrolet switched to a mid-engine format
• Makes 10 lb-ft more than current C8-generation Corvette Z06, but 165 hp less
• Extensive mod-tuning community and parts available such as turbo kits to turn up the power

Sources: Chevrolet, Holley, World Time Attack Australia, Larry Chen, Hagerty, Classic.com