{"id":34576,"date":"2025-06-04T21:18:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T01:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34576"},"modified":"2025-06-04T21:18:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T01:18:33","slug":"how-track-licensed-gm-president-reuss-helped-develop-the-233-mph-corvette-zr1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/how-track-licensed-gm-president-reuss-helped-develop-the-233-mph-corvette-zr1","title":{"rendered":"How track-licensed GM President Reuss helped develop the 233-mph Corvette ZR1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas \u2014<\/em>\u00a0General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss has seen the King\u2019s moods both high and low.<\/p>\n

Licensed to test on the world\u2019s 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 \u2014 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\u2019s improved grip to the test \u2014 a direct consequence of its mid-engine layout, a first for Corvette and a significant evolution from the seventh-generation car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you firsthand the C7 was a little light in the rear end. Really light,\u201d laughed Reuss in a presentation to media here \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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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<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2019s engine with the biggest twin turbochargers in the industry,\u00a0producing an astonishing 1,064 horsepower<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 over 300 more than C7.<\/p>\n

With such ballistic power on tap, Reuss piloted the King to 233 mph \u2014 a record for a sub-$1 million production car \u2014\u00a0last fall on the high ovals<\/a>\u00a0of the 7.6-mile Papenberg test track in Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something we targeted from day one with the C8 architecture,\u201d Reuss said in an interview in COTA\u2019s paddock while a squadron of ZR1s thundered around the track. \u201cThe day (we) pulled over 1,000 horsepower . . . was a big day for the whole company. It’s a miracle engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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 \u2014 or the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Nu\u0308rburgring in Germany, considered the most daunting circuit in the world.<\/p>\n

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is an active race driver who recently competed in IMSA\u2019s Michelin Pilot Challenge\u00a0with a Mustang GT4. Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda has competed at the 24 Hours of the Nu\u0308rburgring endurance race, and former Stellantis NV executives \u2014 ex-CEO Carlos Tavares and ex-Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato \u2014 shared a car at the 24 Hours of Nu\u0308rburgring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s an honor, and I take that certification and use very seriously,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Those engineers include four Level 6 drivers \u2014 lead performance engineer Bill Wise, lead vehicle dynamics engineer Brain Wallace, lead development engineer Chris Barber and global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link \u2014 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).<\/p>\n