How bad did the motherfucker jerk when you dropped the clutch ?
I assume you were smart enough to pop into neutral or downshift lol ... Well it's bene about 2 years since I drove mine but I remember riding it hard and sure don't remember pushing 50 - 60 mph in 1st.
Then again, I RARELY used first almost ALWAYS started in 2nd gear damn thing was geared so low...
Out of curiousity, I assume it was a 6 speed Z06, no ? No way in fucking hell a 2002 that wasn't a Z06 meaning it was pushing 350 HP (versus the Z06's then 405 which is now standard in the new vettes) is gonna get that kind of power in first unless you were possibly driving a 4 speed or five speed last I checked they don't make those though.