C4mem_1

I have so many great memories of the C4 years that it is hard to choose just one. There was my first job at Corvette, when I managed a terrific group of Engineers at the Proving Grounds in 1983 and '84. Those were real formative times for the car. It had just been introduced and we worked on the great stuff that followed in succeeding model years. Another is returning to the Proving Grounds in 1989 to reorganize, train and manage a "new" Corvette Development Group. I started with mostly inexperienced people. During those years, when C4 became a mature platform, watching them blossom into top-notch development engineers ready for the C5 program was a memorable time for me. However, my best C4 memory is the "Corvette Endurance Epic." Using a near-stock ZR1, we set three World Speed Records at Fort Stockton, Texas on March , 2, 1990.

For a couple of years before that I had been thinking about and talking with friends about breaking world records with a Corvette. As the idea gelled, Dave McLellan, Chief Engineer at the time, encouraged me to do this. When the ZR1 arrived, setting these records became possible. The bullet-proof LT5 engine had proven itself in testing by running at high power levels for hundreds of hours. That engine in the Corvette chassis, which had won every SCCA 24-hour race it had entered between 1984 and 1987, made for a perfect combination.

The 24-hour World Speed Record had last been set by Ab Jenkins at Bonneville way back in 1940. A mark that had withstood 50 years of failed attempts was a formidable obstacle, indeed. Breaking the "24" and two other major records in the 5000 kilometer and 5000 mile distance categories, along with several other lesser marks was certainly not blind luck. To do it, took a unique combination of the C4 platform, proven in six years of racing; the impeccable preparation and flawless execution by Morrison Motorsports and the outstanding effort of a team of eight talented drivers. I had the high honor of being one of those drivers.

Everyone associated with Corvette feels tremendous pride about those records. Of all the successes in motorsports that the Corvette has had in its 43 years, they are some of the most significant. Setting those records will provide me with a great C4 memory I will carry for the rest of my life. Besides that , the ZR1 was a blast to drive!

-John Heinricy, Corvette Assistant Chief Engineer