Fastest Lap
| Categories: Alumni Achievements
Vehicle Dynamics Engineer Drew Cattell, ME 08, completed a 6:49.275 lap in a yellow Corvette ZR1X at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring this summer in Germany. Cattell, who is not a professional racecar driver, broke the record for the fastest lap in an American car.
“Achieving our Team Corvette goal of being the fastest North American production car around the Nürburgring was a mixture of pride, joy, and honestly some relief that everything came together on this trip!” Cattell says.
Cattell says it was the experience of a lifetime to drive the ZR1X around the Nürburgring, which has the highest number of high speed corners of any track. As an engineer, he was able to connect the dots between the driving experience and the analytical and design side of developing a vehicle.
“Both aspects are crucial in combining the vehicle’s hardware and our many active control systems in to one coherent driving experience that is both enjoyable to drive while also breaking track records,” he says.
Cattell’s passion for race cars started when he was 5 years old and went to his first racetrack with his father. “Tech has allowed me to expand that passion into a successful career.” While a student, he was part of Georgia Tech’s Formula SEA team (FSEA). He interviewed with General Motors through the company’s sponsorship of Tech’s FSEA team. His time spent working with his Formula SEA team has paid off in his career. “The long hours, relative design freedom and team atmosphere in FSAE taught me the value of hard work, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of performance.”
