C8 Corvette Takes Flight In Record Jump Attempt: Video

The C8 Corvette has a mid-engine layout that helps it carve up the race track with ease, lending it loads of grip and balanced handling at the edge of adhesion. The question, then, becomes this – what happens when the rubber leaves the ground entirely? Now, one group of enterprising thrill-seekers is aiming to find out in the following video.

Coming to us from the Channel 199 YouTube channel and motocross legend / rally racer / NASCAR driver / all-around wild man Travis Pastrana, the video is about 31 minutes long, and chronicles the team’s effort to make the C8 Corvette fly. The goal is to see how far they can send it through the air, pushing the sports car’s limits in a way that, so far at least, has been untested by other adrenaline junkies.

Not that Pastrana and his crew are unfamiliar with this sort of stunt. After some careful calculations, the team suggests a sweet spot between 70 and 72 mph for a clean landing. Too slow and the car will fall short, too fast and it could overshoot dangerously.

The team preps the course over several days, tweaking the ramp, smoothing the dirt trail, and testing speeds with other vehicles to dial in the right approach. Pastrana has made a few dicey jumps in his career, and it’s clear these folks are taking the whole thing seriously.

Eventually, stunt driver Jim York is selected to attempt the jump in the Corvette. The Corvette used is a mostly stock Stingray, with some spray paint and stickers added for patriotic effect. Originally, the team had planned to jump a Z06, but they eventually had a change of heart and decided not to destroy such a valuable car.

Even though the C8 has plenty of power, the trail is narrow, rough, and unpredictable, which adds a major challenge.

How will the C8 Stingray take to the air? Check out the full video and jump attempt right here: