A General Motors engineer from Windsor is going nowhere fast after he and a colleague were allegedly caught racing sports cars.
Automobile magazine first reported that two GM engineers were allegedly caught racing brand-new Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingrays on a public street in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Kentucky State Police later told WBKO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Bowling Green, that the pair were arrested. GM's Bowling Green facility builds the Corvette.
Mark Derkatz, 30, of Windsor, and Alexander Thim, 27, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, were each charged with racing on a public roadway, reckless driving, and speeding at 26 miles per hour (42 kilometres per hour) over the speed limit.
According to the citations issued, the racing took place on a street with a 45 mile-per-hour (72 kilometre-an-hour) speed limit. Derkatz was allegedly racing one of the Stingrays in the right lane of that street at speeds up to 100 miles-per-hour (161 kilometres per hour). WBKO also stated that Thim was allegedly running another Stingray in the left lane and was clocked going up to 120 miles per hour (193 kilometres per hour). WBKO also reported that alcohol could allegedly be detected on both drivers' breaths, though impaired driving charges were not filed.
Both men are employed as non-union engineers. Deadline Detroit reported that Derkatz is a 2015 graduate of the University of Windsor. He is employed at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, working as an electrical system troubleshooter. Thim is a design engineer.
The GM plant in Bowling Green issued a statement through WBKO, which read, "We are aware of an incident involving our test vehicles and are currently investigating. Safety remains our overriding priority at General Motors. We have no further comment at this time."
The television station reported that both men were released on $1,000 bond, and are to appear in court to answer to the charges on February 18.
Mark Derkatz, left, of Windsor, and Alexander Thim of West Bloomfield, Michigan, are charged with racing Corvette Stingrays on a street in Bowling Green, Kentucky on January 8, 2020. Photo provided by Kentucky State Police, via WBKO-TV in Bowling Green.