Noisy 1st gear on '06 Z06?

[Wade H]

I just took delivery of the 2006 Z06. I notice a pronounced "whirring/grind" in 1st gear and starting out in 2nd gear. Functionality is fine, and a local service tech said that it is normal noise having to do with the low gear cut/ratio and is "normal". My 2003 Z06 had a similar noise taking off in 1st but not as bad as this one.

Anyone with the new C6 Z96 experiencing the same noisy 1st gear?

Wade