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Chevrolet Silverado Off-Road Racing Program Previews New Silverado ZRX Model

General Motors has announced the Chevrolet Silverado will go racing in the Best of the Desert off-road racing series this season, making its debut in the Laughlin Desert Classic later this month.

This racing program will help Chevrolet develop the Silverado into a formidable off-roader as it prepares to launch the Chevrolet Silverado ZRX model variant—which GM Authority exclusively reported on in September and also scooped the trademark filing for back in August.

The race truck will be based on a Silverado LT Trail Boss and will feature the automaker’s 420-horsepower 6.2-liter L87 V8 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. It will compete in the 1200 Stock class, which allows entrants to make minor changes to their vehicles in the way of suspension upgrades, underbody protection and safety items like a roll cage and fire suppression equipment. GM says the truck will feature a long-travel suspension, front and rear jounce shocks, 35-inch tires, underbody skid plates and, most notably, Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) dampers—the same dampers found on the Colorado ZR2.

The high capacity DSSV dampers to be used on the Best in the Desert Silverado have been specifically tailored for this truck by Multimatic, and are being described as “prototype” shocks for the time being.

“This is the next evolution of the DSSV off-road damper,” said Multimatic’s Vice President, Michael Guttilla. “We’ve taken everything we learned from the highly successful Colorado ZR2 program and scaled it to deliver next-level performance in the Silverado. Initial on-truck development has been successful, but competition will provide the true test.”

Hall Racing, which already campaigns the Colorado ZR2 in the Best in the Desert Series for Chevy, will also field the Silverado Trail Boss for the automaker. It will compete in six races throughout the season and will be driven by Frank DeAngelo.

“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished with the Colorado ZR2 race truck, and I’m excited to see what the Silverado is capable of,” said Chad Hall of Hall Racing. “With Colorado ZR2, we cut four hours off our race time from our first Vegas to Reno race to our second. When you marry that suspension design and expertise with the Silverado’s 420-hp V8 and even greater suspension travel, I believe this new race truck will be a beast on the race course.”

“Off-road racing is just brutal on vehicles,” added Mark Dickens, GM’s chief engineer for government programs, performance variants, parts and motorsports, “and a single race puts more wear and tear on trucks than most vehicles will experience in years. That makes off-road racing a valuable test bed to evaluate new components. What we learn while racing informs everything from future performance parts and accessories to GM Defense projects and production vehicle changes.”

As we reported previously, the production-ready Silverado ZRX is expected to arrive with the mid cycle refresh of the T1-platform Silverado, which will debut in time for the 2022 model year. Prices will likely start in the $50,000-$60,000 range.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. These offroad racing programs help engineers and designers to develop stronger durable parts and materials.

    Reply
    1. Got that right buddy!

      Reply
    2. @Evo69 That is so true

      Reply
  2. Please please GM make a Gmc Sierra version of the Zrx

    Reply
  3. This is a good way to go. This will undercut the price of the Raptor by a good bit. This should provide much higher volumes and make it so more people can afford the truck.

    The Raptor is selling at best 20K units. The ZR2 is 10-15 percent of production and if GM could sell even just 10 present of production at the ZRX will be a very common site on the roads and still make a pretty profit.

    Most Raptors are ordered in loaded and the stickers are near or at $80K.

    Also the ZR2 is a very sorted off road package but a very civil daily driver too. It is a well rounded package. The ZRX will prove to be the same thing.

    Flagship product are nice but if few can afford them what good are they?

    Also the ZR package is more real world. It is more for the trails real people so vs running dirt roads on the open desert. The ZR climbs and traverses like most of the country does off roading.

    Reply
    1. C8.R,
      Can you tell me what % of GM trucks are Denali – High Country ?
      What is the difference with giving the dash more in the Denali, than this !!
      Or are you on board with the dash upgrade, now that it is a GM decision ?
      Should be the same timeframe release, no.
      Why isn’t this a waist of money for GM like the dash is or was ?
      C8.R, Your opinion is whatever GM says is a good opinion, even when they admit their decision was wrong, its still your opinion.
      You know you could just comment
      GM is always right !! It would save you typing time !
      The customer is the one changing this stuff, not GM. The quicker GM would relies this and get in tune with the customer, not the dealer, GM would be able to release a product ahead of the competition not always 2 years behind, after wasting all that capital on the dealers opinion not the customers opinion !
      In my opinion.

      Reply
      1. Ever decision gm makes is a good decision even if it isn’t the best or right decision. They have panels of people who discuss and debate every decision who are smarter than you are. I prefer GM’s response to the raptor because I can afford a colorado zr2 and Silverado trail boss. Yes a zrx is cool, but it does nothing for the average American who wants one. IDK why gm is deciding to make the zrx now, as I will never be able to get one, but I am glad they focused on the trail boss first. For me a custom trail boss with the v6 is in my budget and has more capability than i need.

        Reply
        1. They will sell more trucks at the lower price and odds are they will make as much profit per unit sold.

          It is obtainable.

          Kind of like Ford doing a Ford GT vs the Corvette Stingray. Most will have a realistic chance of owning a Corvette vs the GT.

          Reply
        2. On what planet does the Trail boss have anything to do with off road capable? Adding slightly less crappy tires and the cheapest shocks they could does nothing for it. Its no different then GM adding a stupid Z71 sticker on the side of the Truck for people to feel like its tough. All full size pickups suck off road they are to long, wide, and heavy. Like the Raptors this just something for the cubicle cowboys to piss money away on.

          Reply
      2. Well since you asked the numbers reported are Denali account for 25%-30% in the full size trucks. If you add the SLT to the Denali it is over 50%. LTZ and High Country combined account for 20%. As you can see the numbers show where the money is spent.

        The difference is that they are trying to make GMC the premium brand and still keep Chevy the volume value brand.

        People sit here and complain there is no reason for GMC so they make a Denali line that has proven more profitable and nearly anything in the truck market. Now you complain that they are not alike. So what is it? You post nothing but conflicted comments that counter many things.

        Sorry but my cup is half full and I post on what I like and agree with and not sit and dwell on the things I have no control over.

        I could post like a whinny sniveling Bi%ch but I am not like that. I will leave that to others that are best suited to do that. No names mentioned.

        Well if you note the history here, The ZR2 tested the waters in 2017 and it has proven to be a solid seller. Even in Bison form it sold out to my surprise.

        Now GM could have done this in 2018 on the full size but wait what have we now a 2019 new full size truck so the proper business choice is to save the new package for the new truck once it arrives vs spending money on a package for a lame duck truck.

        Then you have the intro of the new truck and the Trailboss. You never show all your cards at one time and so they marketed it and introduced the market to the new model. Next they are now following up with the ZRX. This pattern is not any different than the Stingray then the Z06 and then ZR1 being introduced in order. It is called good marketing as even the Raptor did not come out the first year of the new F150.

        Then you also have to factor in cash flow as all models are not developed at one time. Even in the cars they were introducing one model and then other versions a year later or so. Development cost money and the money from one product gets put back into the next model they are working on. It is how the industry works.

        Should they have better interiors Sure. I am more about more colors than anything as I tire of the dark colors but we have enough complaining about that now so I leave it to the experts of complaining. There are somethings I see different but I generally like what I see.

        Sorry if I am not a web site dreamer. I balance my ideas with business realities.

        I learned the hard way as GM made a lot of really cool cars in 15 years ago with the GM Performance division. Things like the Trailblazer SS were great cars yet they still went bankrupt. You have to make money with the common product first and then worry about the special products.

        Toyota at the head of the pack volume wise and did it building nothing but boring appliances.

        Reply
        1. Well at least you complained some on the color options !!

          Also agreed with me that the interior, should have been better in the Denali trucks !!

          And managed to slip in some personal attacks while you were at it !!

          Great job scott3 AKA C8.R !!

          Have a good one !

          Reply
          1. You balance your ideas with business realities !!

            Yes but its your ideas and your business realities !!

            Not good ideas or all business realities !!!!

            Not everyone wants a old ICE performance vehicle !!!

            You do, its your business !!!

            That is the definition of a bias opinion !!!!!

            Reply
            1. At this point 98% of the market does as only 2% of the market is EV.

              It will change but not overnight.

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          2. No problem on the Denali interior. They have HUD and that is all I really miss.

            No need for a bigger screen it would just eliminate buttons I rather have and add more finger prints.

            Now now I did not mention names. Feeling guilty?

            Reply
  4. Will this truck have front and rear differential lockers?

    Reply
    1. If they follow the ZR2 pattern I would say yes. Based on what is shown here there is a good chance.

      Since the Bison has done so well could there may even be a AEV version?

      Reply
  5. As a current Gen 2 Raptor owner, I love where GM is headed w/this concept..RAM is on deck as well w/there TRX. Will be fun to see how everything shapes up.

    Reply

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