John Ens and David Schroeder Test ’66 Corvette to Prepare for 2024 Season
We reported just a few days ago that the team of David Schroeder and John Ens will debut a new C7 model Corvette at the 2023 Performance and Racing Industry (PRI) show on December 7th through the 9th. This car will replace their previous C7 Corvette from earlier this year.
While there has been a good amount of positive feedback and excitement already about the new car announcement, Schroeder and Ens plan to press their storied 1966 Corvette into service to start the 2024 season.
“The new car will require a bunch of passes before we put it in any competition,” said David. “So, we decided to run the ’66 Corvette in Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive for 2024.”
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As before, the two Corvettes will be virtually identical in their set-ups, with the only differences being the C7 can take a 36-inch-tall tire versus the 33-inch height max tire on the ’66, about 100 pound weight difference and a foot longer wheelbase in favor of the C7 Corvette.
“The best pass on the ’66 Vette was 6.52 in 2019,” David said. “We were planning to run it at Hot Rod Drag Week this year, but I got Covid, and then gave it to John.”
After missing their chance at Hot Rod Drag Week, the team rolled the ’66 out at Bradenton Motorsports Park with a lock-up transmission for testing, along with some assistance from Chris Bell at Kenetic Engineering.
“Chris was a big help, as we had zero experience with the lock-up,” David explained. “He also gave us some tips on nitrous programming and suspension. These cars are so sensitive to small changes, and Chris helped makes those changes a bit easier.”
Bradenton testing showed the converter was a little too loose, but the team produced a fistful of 1.07 60 foot times, so they know there’s more available, and David is ready to be back in the car for another drag-and-drive.
“Sick Week in Florida is just amazing,” David admitted. “It’s the best tracks, everything is so nice, you don’t stress yourself out with ultra-long drives between tracks. We’re definitely looking forward to it.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Schroeder Ens and David Williams.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com