How track-licensed GM President Reuss helped develop the 233-mph Corvette ZR1

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 4, 2025

Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas — General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss has seen the King’s moods both high and low.

Licensed to test on the world’s greatest race tracks, the engineer-cum-product chief has been intimately involved in the development of multiple generations of the King of Corvettes, the ZR1 — the mightiest sportscar GM has ever made. On the 3.4-mile Circuit of the Americas Formula One track here, Reuss put the eighth-generation Chevy C8 supercar’s improved grip to the test — a direct consequence of its mid-engine layout, a first for Corvette and a significant evolution from the seventh-generation car.

“I can tell you firsthand the C7 was a little light in the rear end. Really light,” laughed Reuss in a presentation to media here — a reference to his infamous looping of the seventh-generation ZR1 pace car into the Turn Two wall in front of the IndyCar field at the 2018 Detroit Grand Prix.

GM President Mark Reuss is a track-licensed test driver who clocked a record 233 mph in the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1in Germany. He recently tested the 1,064-horsepower beast at Circuit of the Americas.

GM President Mark Reuss is a track-licensed test driver who clocked a record 233 mph in the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1in Germany. He recently tested the 1,064-horsepower beast at Circuit of the Americas. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Now, with the mass of the engine pushed rearwards, traction has improved. As has engine packaging. Without the weight limitations of the front-engine, seventh-generation car, Chevy engineers wrapped the $174,995 C8’s engine with the biggest twin turbochargers in the industry, producing an astonishing 1,064 horsepower — over 300 more than C7.

With such ballistic power on tap, Reuss piloted the King to 233 mph — a record for a sub-$1 million production car — last fall on the high ovals of the 7.6-mile Papenberg test track in Germany.

“This is something we targeted from day one with the C8 architecture,” Reuss said in an interview in COTA’s paddock while a squadron of ZR1s thundered around the track. “The day (we) pulled over 1,000 horsepower . . . was a big day for the whole company. It’s a miracle engine.”

At 233 mph, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is now the fastest car ever built by an American auto manufacturer. It achieved the feat on the 50-degree banking of Papenberg, Germany.

At 233 mph, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is now the fastest car ever built by an American auto manufacturer. It achieved the feat on the 50-degree banking of Papenberg, Germany. Matt Beard, Chevrolet

Reuss is one of a few suits in the industry licensed to test his products to the limits. He holds a so-called Level 6 driving license (an internal GM designation that connotes a high-level of race track skill) that allows him to test, for example, Corvettes on tracks like 20-turn COTA — or the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Nürburgring in Germany, considered the most daunting circuit in the world.

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is an active race driver who recently competed in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge with a Mustang GT4. Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda has competed at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring endurance race, and former Stellantis NV executives — ex-CEO Carlos Tavares and ex-Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato — shared a car at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

“It’s an honor, and I take that certification and use very seriously,” Reuss said. “I love to do it, but it’s not for me personally. It’s for being part of the development team and giving direction to our engineers. Doing that is highly satisfying, but also I think we get the best out of our engineers for our customers with that approach.”

A lineup of 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1s at Circuit of the Americas. The supercar makes 1,200 pounds of downforce at COTA with an aero package that includes a huge rear wing.

A lineup of 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1s at Circuit of the Americas. The supercar makes 1,200 pounds of downforce at COTA with an aero package that includes a huge rear wing. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Those engineers include four Level 6 drivers — lead performance engineer Bill Wise, lead vehicle dynamics engineer Brain Wallace, lead development engineer Chris Barber and global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link — who, along with Reuss, hosted media at COTA for a first test drive of King Corvette. Link piloted the C8 ZR1 pace car for Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix (Reuss did the honors in the 670-horse Corvette Z06 sister car for the 2023 race).

In a testament to their skill, engineers not only traveled with Reuss to Nürburgring and Papenberg to test the ZR1, but set production car lap records at five U.S.  tracks where Chevrolet tests. Those records include:

– Watkins Glen, New York: 1:52.6 minute lap (Wise)

– Road America, Wisonsin: 2:08.6 lap (Wallace)

– Road Atlanta, Georgia: 1:22.8 (Barber)

– Virginia International Raceway, Full Course: 1:47.7 (Link)

– Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3 (Link)

Global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link tests the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas.

Global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link tests the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The times are notable for how close they are to times set by pro drivers who race the Corvette Z06 GT3.R race car in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar series. Barber’s Road Atlanta time, for example, was just 0.7 seconds off GT3.R race laps at last fall’s Petit Le Mans race. Also notable: Wallace’s 188 mph top speed on Road America’s front straight eclipsed that of IndyCar’s 185 mph.

“To really show the product that we have, this is the place to do it — COTA or the Nürburgring,” said Ken Morris, a GM engineer and senior vice president of product Programs, Product Safety and Motorsports. “A place that has a lot of different conditions that you’re going to exercise the car.”

Morris credits the C8’s mid-engine layout for better weight distribution, which enables better front corner turn-in and better rear traction.

“Putting turbochargers on was a big reason for doing the mid-engine car,” said Reuss, who also lauded the magnetic shock-equipped supercar’s dexterity as a daily driver on Michigan roads. “I drive one every day.”

Reuss redeemed. After his 2018 pace car incident on Belle Isle, GM President Mark Reuss returned to lead the IndyCar field to green in a Corvette Z06 in 2023.

Reuss redeemed. After his 2018 pace car incident on Belle Isle, GM President Mark Reuss returned to lead the IndyCar field to green in a Corvette Z06 in 2023. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The Circuit of the Americas test was a first for the GM president.

“I’ve never been here, but I watch it on TV — whatever series it is at this track,” Reuss said. “The elevation piece of this is way different in person than you see on the track on TV. That’s been pretty spectacular.”

“We’re getting right around 1,200 pounds (of downforce) off the rear wing,” he continued, noting how COTA’s fast corners complement the ZR1’s aerodynamics. “How hard you can accelerate out of a corner (and get) top speed on a straightaway is one thing. But where you really make hay . . . is in these corners, and that wing helps you.”

Circuit of the Americas also holds special meaning as GM gears up for entry into Formula One racing with its Cadillac brand in 2026.

“I’m really excited when we bring Formula One and Cadillac (here) next year,” Reuss said. “To be in America at this track is a huge deal. It’ll be sort of our home track.”

Maybe Reuss will take the F1 car for a few laps around COTA as well.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

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