First off, the '02 Z06's are already here. My buddy Bob in Atlanta traded his '01 in for an '02 in July.
Second, IMO, the '02 is not all it's cracked up to be, at least in terms of improvements in raw power. Most '01s dynoed in the 335-345 rwhp range (bone stock) with around 340 rwtq. See my dyno run from my '01 Z06 (sold) below. Note that at 336 rwhp/338 rwtq, I was at the low end of the spectrum for '01s. Bob's dyno pull on his '02 (~600 miles) was 349 rwhp and 341 rwtq. Since most guys were in the 340 rwhp range with their '01s, they were already sitting at 400 fwhp (or 15 above Chevy's claim). Now with '02s at 350 rwhp, that equates to about 412 fwhp, or 7 hp above Chevy's claim. So, the performance improvement is a small true improvement, plus less margin on the claimed performance. I know peak numbers don't tell the whole story, but I would be willing to bet that what we're looking at is a very modest improvement in the overall torque curve and a slight improvement in peak power.
Therefore, do not expect the '02s to be running much better ETs than the '01s, IMO. With a good driver and track conditions, stock '01s run around 12.6 sec ETs. A tenth or two better with intake mods. I'm betting on seeing '02s coming in around 12.4-12.5 sec ET's bone stock, with the occasional lower-12 run under ideal conditions with a 6-sigma driver.
But of course I am happy for GM if they prove me wrong and Bob's car is a weak example. I have no loyalties to any manufacturer, and I still get the GM employee discount.
BTW, you didn't tell us what the ET's were in your race. I am very eager to hear!!!
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