![[VIDEO] The C7 Corvette Chassis Development Seminar from the 2013 NCM Bash](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2013/050113_1.jpg)
The opening seminar at the 2013 National Corvette Museum’s Bash Event was the C7 Corvette Chassis Development with Mike Bailey and Jim Mero. Bailey talks about the design and engineering aspects of the new chassis while Mero’s focus was test driving to tune and refine the driving experience.
![[PIC] Black 2014 Corvette Stingray Testing in San Diego](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2013/021713_4.jpg)
Are these GM engineers and their pre-production Stingray Corvettes everywhere? Here is a black 2014 Corvette Stingray that was spotted in the San Diego area this weekend by some Camaro enthusiasts and their pics were are posted on Corvette7.com. The Camaro guys say they blocked the exits of a parking lot so they could talk with the driver who is none other than Jim Mero.
![[VIDEO] A Trio of 2014 Corvette Stingrays Caught Testing in Arizona](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2013/012413_10.jpg)
Check out this video of the three 2014 Corvette Stingrays testing in Arizona. You can hear an exclamation followed by a few expletives from the driver when he first views the Stingrays and then he follows them into a parking lot and strikes up a conversation with the drivers.
At the 2012 NCM Bash held last weekend at the National Corvette Museum, GM test driver Jim Mero and engineer Jeff Mosher talked about their last visit to the Nurburgring in 2011 where the 2012 Corvette ZR1 lapped the famous circuit in 7:19.63, beating their previous run in 2008 of 7:26.4 and claiming the unofficial title as the fastest production car on the ‘ring.
![[VIDEO] Hotlap with Jim Mero in a Corvette ZR1 at GM's Milford Proving Ground](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/072911_3.jpg)
Last week, attendees to the NCRS National Convention had the opportunity to visit GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. One of the highlights of the visit was an opportunity for a hotlap in a Corvette ZR1 with Jim Mero, the GM test driver who piloted the Yellow Corvette ZR1 around the Nurburgring in 7:19.63. Twelve raffle winners were selected for the hotlap opportunity and lucky for us, one of them uploaded the video of their hotlap to YouTube.
![[VIDEO] Corvette Z06 Laps Nurburgring in 7:22.68](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/062311_15.jpg)
When GM returned to the Nurburgring to validate the 2012 Corvettes, the ZR1 wasn’t the only car driven by test driver Jim Mero. Mero also drove a black 2012 Corvette Z06, outfitted with the Z07 chassis package, and posted a lap time of 7:22.68. The new lap time for the Z06 is just 3 seconds off the record-setting 7:19.63 time Mero recently recorded in the ZR1 while besting the previous Z06 record at the Nurburgring by nearly 20 seconds.
![[VIDEO] GM Returns to the Nurburgring with the 2012 Corvette ZR1](http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/060911_3.jpg)
Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter said at the Corvette Museum’s C5/C6 Bash in April that they would be looking to make a trip to the famous 12.9 mile Nordschleife for final validation of the supercharged C6 ZR1. We just didn’t realize it would be so soon! Judging from the new official video from Chevrolet showing test driver Jim Mero piloting the 638-hp Corvette to a time of 7:19.63, an 6 second improvement over the famous high speed run in July 2008, I would have to say that final validation was most definitely a success.
The Corvette ZR1′s Nürburgring lap time of 7:26.4 last month has indelibly cemented the fact that this is the fastest Corvette ever produced by General Motors. Driven by GM Development Engineer Jim Mero, the Corvette ZR1 ran a blistering lap with speeds approaching 180 mph on the 12.9 mile, 100 corner Nordschleife besting the previous fastest Corvette, a Z06 driven in 2005 by Jan Magnussen by nearly 17 seconds. The video of this historic run was released this afternoon by GM and can be viewed after the jump.
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