Most famously, the Indianapolis 500 is a place where the pace car is one of the most idolized and admired cars on the field and it’s usually driven by a celebrity. During Memorial Day weekend, Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers drove the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 around the track perfectly. His novice driving credentials and celebrity NBA status didn’t result in an embarrassing incident of crashing this pace car, but it was one that was extremely similar to the famed car that was crashed over this past weekend.
At the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, which is held near the General Motors’ headquarters, the pace car that was crashed was an unlikely one and driven by an experienced driver that certainly understands track driving and the challenges that come with it in order to create the right lines and make a fast run around the track. Even so, a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 as the car that crashed before the race began, causing delays in the start of the race and embarrassment for the driver that was behind the wheel of this exceptional car.
The Man and the Machine on the Track
The man behind the wheel of the pace car that crashed was none other than the high-ranking GM executive Mark Reuss who currently holds driving certification on the North Curse of the Nurburgring along with FIA C and IMSA Road Racing licenses. He’s been one to race around this track many times and he’s extremely familiar with the course which made him the perfect choice for the ride around in front of the pack as the Belle Isle Grand Prix was to get started, but unfortunately, the day would end early for Mark in the Corvette.
The car that was chosen as the Pace Car was a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 which makes use of a 62-liter supercharged V8 engine under the hood to pump out an absurd 755 horsepower. This car is built to rip and roar its way around many tracks and is one of the most fearsome cars ever built by GM. Thankfully, it’s also one of the safest cars offered as the car was crashed headfirst into a wall during the starting lap of the race. The impact destroyed the front of the car and the airbags were deployed, which helped to make sure Reuss and his co-driver weren’t hurt at all.
Mark Reuss took full responsibility for the car being crashed into the wall and stated he was extremely embarrassed and sorry to let down his family, friends, and company in the car that he was honored to drive. He also thanked the engineers for providing him with a car that reaches the highest level of safety in the world. Thankfully, no one was hurt in this crash and the car can be replaced. It seems the car was turned a little loose when it hit a small crest in the bumpy track as it rounded the corner, which caused the crash.
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