Yesterday, GM had some of the media out to its proving grounds in Milford to ride and drive in the new 2009 Corvette ZR1 and despite the fact that embargos were in place, several videos of the event are already making the rounds. Driving the Corvettes is Jim Mero, the GM Development Engineer who drove the new King of the Hill around the Nurburgring's 13 mile course in 7:26.4.

Jim was one of the designers for what the test drivers call the LutzRing, a high speed road course at GM's Milford Proving Grounds that's nicknamed after GM's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. Despite knowing the course like the back of his hand, he does manage to appear human by knocking over some of the cones set up. He jokes that the "cones don't apply him" which is quite funny when you're doing 120 and can't see over the next hill.

This video features WXYZ-TV's Mary Conway riding shotgun with Jim Mero. And for the first time, we actually get to see more of Jim than his hands on the steering wheel as he appears on camera talking about the ZR1.

Finally, WWJ Newsradio 950's Jeff Gilber goes for a high speed run around the LutzRing and the in-car video shows that he's clearly uncomfortable with the speeds and G-forces that Jim Mero subjects him too.

After watching the videos, I pulled up Milford, Michigan on Google Earth and here is a satellite photo of the LutzRing. Amazingly, this is but one section of the entire Milford Proving Grounds area.

Source:
Motive Magazine
VetteTube.com

Related:
[VIDEO] Official Video of Corvette ZR1's 7:26.4 Nürburgring Lap

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