Tire Fire: Meet the C6 Corvette Burnout Champion from LS Fest West 2022
This 600 horsepower C6 Corvette was built for drifting competition, but it turns out it is also capable of dominating a burnout contest.
LS Fest West 2022 may have ended a few months ago but the stories of some of the competitors are still coming out. Tim Wallin is one of those competitors. And he ended up winning the burnout contest in his fascinating C6 Corvette. It is an impressive feat considering the level of competition at LS Fest. But it is even more impressive when you consider that this car was not even built for burnout duty. This C6 Corvette was built to compete in drifting competitions. Of course, a drift in many ways is just like a prolonged sideways burnout so it does make some sense that this car can be competitive. And what a car it is.
The Camaro is what began the love affair Wallin has with Chevy. They got him to start playing around with LS engines and he was hooked. Naturally this love of the Camaro and the LS engine eventually led him to the Corvette. The winning car is a 2005 C6 that Wallin bought for his little brother to drive while he was in high school. But his little brother lost interest (what high school kid ever loses interest in a Corvette?) and that is when the heavy modifications began. Wallin wanted to get his drift license and figured this was the car to get him there.
600 HP C6
At the heart of this burnout contest winning C6 is a 427 cubic inch LSX fortified with a crank and rods from Callies. The cylinder heads, camshaft, and other valvetrain components are also upgraded. This is all controlled with a Holley Terminator X Max ECU. This all-motor beast is good for 598 horsepower at the rear wheels. And that power is sent to those wheels via a six-speed manual transmission lifted from a 2011 Corvette. And as you would expect the suspension has been heavily modified as well. Part Shop Max supplied most of the suspension upgrades including coilovers, billet aluminum knuckles, sway bars, and adjustable upper and lower control arms.
More Modifications
The changes to this C6 Corvette include a ZR1-style widebody kit. This kit makes the car six inches wider front, and rear compared to a stock C6. Climb inside and just incase you missed all the exterior clues you will see right away that this is a car built for competition. The factory seats are long gone and replaced with racing bucket seats with harnesses. And if you were hoping to keep cool and listen to some tunes you are out of luck. The A/C and audio system were removed and replaced with a custom center console and switch panel. A Holley EFI Pro Dash helps Wallin keep tabs on the Corvettes vital signs.
Not Done Yet
A racecar is never done being built and this Corvette is no exception. Despite winning the burnout contest twice (Wallin also won in 2019) there are big changes planned for this car. Wallin does still want his Formula Drift license. So, he plans to cutoff the back half of the body so he can install a rear firewall. He also plans to build a bash bar system to protect the inner structure of the car. This thing will be hitting some walls and he wants to try to limit damage to just the bumpers. The biggest change though is the plan to ditch the current LSX for a Chevy 502 big block. The goal is to dial up horsepower to around 900. We can’t wait to see this baby again, but this time on the Formula Drift circuit. Is there anything a Corvette can’t do?
Images: Holley.com
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