First class win of season for No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
•Winning duo leads 84 laps in GT-only event and solidify third in GTLM points
•Third straight win and fifth of season for Corvette Racing
•Chevrolet increases lead in GTLM Manufacturer Championship
•Gavin, Milner remain first in GTLM Driver Points
ALTON, Va. (Aug. 28, 2016) – Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Sunday, the second overall victory for Corvette Racing in its history and the first for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of the season.
It was Win No. 102 for Corvette Racing, which has won five times in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class this year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The victory also was the second for the team at Virginia International Raceway.
Garcia and Magnussen combined to lead 84 of the 90 laps including the last two following a late-race caution period. The margin of victory was 0.802 seconds although Garcia’s lead before the yellow flag was a steady 3-4 seconds.
It capped a highly successful weekend for the No. 3 Corvette team. Garcia was quickest in Friday’s practice, and Magnussen claimed pole position. The duo won at VIR together for the first time after placing third in the 2013 American Le Mans Series GT class.
Magnussen set the tone from the outset by leading from pole position. He drove the first 49 minutes – most of the time with a lead of less than a second. Garcia drove a double-stint to close in what he described as qualifying conditions. The final stop with 53 minutes remaining proved to be key as the No. 3 crew performed one of its best fuel and tire stops of the season to solidify Garcia’s lead.
Class championship leaders Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner retained their GTLM points lead despite a ninth-place class finish for the 2012 ALMS GT race-winners at VIR. Gavin set the fastest lap of the race but had an unfortunate crash that brought out the race’s only caution. The incident came moments before reports of fluid down near that area of the track.
Milner qualified second behind Magnussen but fell back at the start in a frantic run through the first corner. He remained steady and moved back up through the field to fifth before a small off-track excursion just past the 40-minute mark. With two races to go, they still unofficially lead the GTLM Driver’s Championship by seven points with two events remaining.
The next event for Corvette Racing is the Lone Star Le Mans on Saturday, Sept. 17 from Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – OVERALL AND GTLM RACE-WINNER: “We were all pretty equal all day in the class. The Corvette Racing team did a great job with the tire pressures. We had a plan where we would be better from the middle of the stint and not so much in the beginning. It wasn’t much fun early on with the tires but as things went on our Corvette got better and better. I’m super happy. It’s our first win in a long time. We have had plenty of opportunities, so I’m really pleased and hopefully this starts a streak for us now!”
WE TALKED EARLIER AND YOU THOUGHT THE FIRST STINT WAS SPECTACULAR, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ANTONIO’S STINT? “It was a fantastic drive by Antonio. He kept the gaps and opened them a little bit. I know it got a little scary at the end with one lap to go. It scared the hell out of me. But he did a fantastic drive and always does.”
WINNING FIRST RACE OF 2016: “Oh man! It’s about time! It was a great job by the whole team all week. Green with one lap to go… I don’t know what that was about; it scared the hell out of me. The No. 3 Corvette team has had a tough run this year and it’s great to be back in the Winner’s Circle.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – OVERALL AND GTLM RACE-WINNER: “It was really hot and super close. It was a very difficult, tricky race. The racing line was super narrow; I think that’s why we saw some mistakes at the end. I had a few up and downs in the race. Our pit stops were perfect. After the tire pressures went up and stabilized, the Corvette felt great. I was able to make a little bit of a gap in traffic but it went back and forth. It was just like qualifying except you are trying to save fuel. Luckily I was able to run a good pace and economy with our Chevy engine. I got a really good job on the restart and already had a good gap at the start-finish line. I’m happy for Jan and everyone at Corvette Racing. We have been so close so many times this year that I really think our No. 3 Corvette crew deserved it today.”
YOU HAD TO SAVE FUEL AT TIMES AND THEN YOU SAW THAT FULL COURSE CAUTION AT THE END. FUEL WAS NO LONGER A CONCERN, I THINK IT WAS MORE ABOUT THE CARS BEHIND YOU? “Yeah, it was a very hard race. My team got me a three- to four-second gap and then it was a classic green/white/checkered. Not even green then white, it was like white and checkered. It was an amazing race and the Corvette was brilliant. So I just need to thank the whole Corvette team and Chevy. Corvette Racing did a fantastic job today. It really paid off to be out testing on Monday and Tuesday (at Road Atlanta). I have to say, because the car was fantastic.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “It’s obviously a disappointing way to end the day. We heard reports that there may have been oil or fluid down near the final turn so maybe that contributed to the incident. The Corvette C7.R is a very strong and well-built car, and we are always thankful for that. It seemed like today we got behind and never could catch up. That is how difficult it is in this championship. We are still thankful to maintain a points lead and will do whatever we can to protect that lead over the final two races.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “It’s hard to pass and make up ground. I kind of got hung out at Turn One and didn’t have much grip. I had to play some avoidance also with a couple of the cars in there and had some junk on my tires. My first lap free from the pitlane was a case of me going too fast and got loose. The car would understeer behind everyone else, and I didn’t realize how loose it was. It was a mistake on my part.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “This race today was victorious today on two different levels. Obviously for the Corvette Racing team, Jan and Antonio to bring the No. 3 Corvette home first after battling all day against the best competition of the world speaks very highly of not only the crew work but the engineers that put together a setup that they could race for an entire day in this extreme heat. That should never be overlooked. On another level, I think this is one of the best races we have had since the sports car merger in 2014. The Balance of Performance was very, very tight. You only had to look at the practice times, qualifying or the race times to see that any of the cars that started the race today had the capacity to win. And that’s what makes great racing. So we were all winners today – everyone who participated today in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”
Landmark achievement for sports car GT racing’s premier team
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 23, 2016) –Already sporting an unmatched collection of historic moments, Corvette Racing added another today by claiming its 100th race victory by winning Saturday’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Drivers Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner piloted their No. 4 Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to the landmark triumph.
It is the third win of 2016 for Corvette Racing, which opened the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season with back-to-back GT Le Mans (GTLM) victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Corvette Racing is the first team in IMSA history to score 100 event victories. The team’s first win came Sept. 2, 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway. Saturday’s victory also was the team’s 60th 1-2 class finish with Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen runners-up in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
“Achieving 100 victories is a tremendous accomplishment for Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It’s a testament to the dedication of all the crew members, engineers, drivers and our engine team members over the past 17 years. We certainly couldn’t have achieved this milestone without the support of our partners at Pratt Miller, Mobil 1 and Michelin. Everyone with Corvette Racing operates as one team and embodies the competitive spirit of Chevrolet. We’re happy to share this success with our passionate Corvette owners and supporters.”
The Corvette Racing team made its first start Jan. 31, 1999 at Daytona. Since that time, the program has claimed championships and victories on endurance racing’s most prominent stages:
• Ten manufacturer and team championships in the American Le Mans Series, plus nine driver titles
• Eight class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
• Three wins in the Rolex 24 including an overall victory in 2001
• Ten class wins at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Corvette Racing also claimed endurance racing’s Triple Crown in 2015 with wins at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. It was the first team in 15 years to accomplish the feat.
The tally of Corvette Racing victories spans a number of different series. In addition to its record at Le Mans, Corvette Racing has nine wins in the WeatherTech (formerly TUDOR) SportsCar Championship, 82 in the American Le Mans Series (a record for entrants) and one in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
No matter the series or continent, however, the aim of Corvette Racing has remained the same, according to Campbell. “Importantly, technical learnings gained from racing directly benefit our production Corvette and powertrains,” Campbell said.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from Road America on Sunday, Aug. 7.
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -Cadillac Racing driver Michael Cooper drove to a seventh place finish in the first of two Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship presented by Cadillac races today at Road America. O’Connell suffered an engine misfire believed to be from a throttle position sensor and was classified in 19th place.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) started today’s 50-minute race from the third row in fifth and sixth. At the drop of the green flag both Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe drivers looked to improve their positions. Cooper had a run on the outside of Turn 1 and was blocked going into Turn 3 sending him back to ninth. O’Connell was able to move up to fourth position, having an optimistic start. On lap four, O’Connell reported an engine misfire that proceeded to get worse, forcing him to drive around slowly to try and accumulate as many points as possible. The team believes the issue to be a malfunctioning throttle position sensor. Meanwhile Cooper was able to improve two positions to seventh when the checkered flag dropped.
“At the start the inside line got held up into Turn 1,” Cooper said. “I got a good run on the outside, up to about fourth. I was side-by-side with Pat Long going into Turn 3 and he didn’t give me any racing room that forced me back to ninth. The Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe was handling pretty good. I just didn’t have the big straight line power to keep in touch with the front runners.”
O’Connell’s quest for his fifth driver championship in as many years took a blow today.
“Even the best teams have days where things don’t go their way,” O’Connell said. “We picked up an engine misfire on lap four. Damn I had a good car. I was excited about the handling and I was feeling good about things early in the race. I was trying to keep it up there, but the misfire got worse and worse. The Cadillac Racing team will get it fixed and be ready for the 10:30 a.m. start tomorrow. I took a big hit in points toward the championship today, so we will just have to fight that much harder the rest of the season.”
The second race of the Pirelli World Challenge Road America Grand Prix presented by Cadillac weekend will take the green flag at 10:30 a.m. ET tomorrow and can be viewed via live stream at http://world-challenge.com/streamvideo/. The race will be televised on the CBS Sports Network on Sunday, July 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Third place for Cooper, O’Connell electrical issues
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -Cadillac Racing driver Michael Cooper drove to a podium position of third in today’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship presented by Cadillac race at Road America. O’Connell’s electrical issue resurfaced and he was classified in 20th place.
Based upon their fastest lap in yesterday’s race, O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) started sixth and ninth respectively for today’s 50-minute event. At the drop of the green it appeared that O’Connell’s electrical woes from yesterday were fixed. However, as a full caution flew on lap one he reported that the misfire was back. On the restart Cooper was in sixth and focused on getting to the front. On lap nine he passed the Porsche of Pat Long and soon after the Nissan of Bryan Heitkotter slowed on the track putting the New Yorker into fourth. Four laps later around the four-mile, 14-turn undulating road course he was able to pass local hero P.D. Cunningham’s Acura for the final podium position finishing in third.
“I got less than an ideal start,” Cooper said. “I got squeezed into the grass at the start and I didn’t want to push the issue. Pat and I had a good race down into Turn 5. I could tell I had a little more pace and I was able to set him up going into Turn 1. I chased down Cunningham and was able to get him into Canada Corner. The Bentley was very strong with their big downforce. Going through the Carrousel it would upset the front of my car. Finishing on the podium almost feels like a win today.”
O’Connell had his electrical Gremlins return.
“Clearly disappointed,” O’Connell said. “It is not an easy sport. We have a lot of technology in these cars. The Cadillac Racing guys replaced everything they could last night. It is tough. That is three races in a row that I felt like I had a podium car and something happened. I am happy for Michael to get his Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe up on the podium. For me, my championship hopes for five in a row are pretty much over. We will come back at Mid-Ohio in four weeks and go for wins.”
The race from Road America will be televised on the CBS Sports Network, Sunday, July 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course for rounds 14 and 15 to run July 29-30.
Mission accomplished for two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs ahead of 24 Hours
• Oliver Gavin fourth-quickest in class as No. 64 team goes for second straight Le Mans win
• Focus turns to race-week preparation for what will be hard-fought class battle
• Team going for ninth class win in 17th Le Mans appearance
• Corvette Racing with five straight Triple Crown event victories
LE MANS, France (June 5, 2016) – Corvette Racing ended the Le Mans Test Day with the fastest time in the GTE Pro class as Antonio Garcia set a lap of 3:55.122 (129.680 mph) in the No. 63 Konica Minolta/Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. Garcia, who celebrated a birthday Sunday and will team with Jan Magnussen and Ricky Taylor, led a Corvette Racing effort that focused on race setup and strategy as the team works toward what it hopes will be a ninth victory at the French endurance classic.
Both Corvettes were among the four fastest cars in what should be a highly competitive fight in GTE Pro. Oliver Gavin in the No. 64 Corvette C7.R was fourth-fastest with a lap of 3:55.837 (129.245 mph). He, Tommy Milner and Jordan Taylor are the defending class winners at Le Mans, and Gavin and Milner won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring to open the season.
Both Corvettes recorded significant mileage around the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. The No. 64 Corvette turned 81 laps while the No. 63 Corvette posted 73 laps. The entire day was run in warm, dry conditions which allowed the team to maximize its efforts to find the best race setup for the 2016-spec Corvette C7.Rs.
Sunday marked the first time at Le Mans for the cars, which feature a number of changes from 2015 including a larger splitter at the front and diffuser at the rear of the Corvette. Side skirts and a repositioned wing also are among the most notable changes, along with updated safety features that are now mandated on all GTE Pro cars.
Corvette Racing engineers, crew and drivers will spend the days leading up to next week’s practice and qualifying sessions pouring over data to fine-tune the performance, reliability and efficiency of the two Corvettes. The task is monumental given the quality and quantity of the other manufacturer-based teams in GTE Pro.
The 84th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours is set for 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 18. Practice and qualifying sessions are scheduled for June 15-16.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It’s been a while since we’ve had such a clean test day with no worries. That helped us a lot in going through our test program. We’re happy with where we are, and we’re well prepared for the race. Now we have a ton of data to go through, but it looks like it will be a great race with a very competitive field in GTE Pro.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I’m quite happy with what we’ve achieved today. We had a problem-free test and tried some different possibilities for the race. It’s always a bit of a guess to know how much grip the track will gain throughout the race week, but we’re in good shape.”
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It was great to be in Le Mans with the Corvette Racing team for the first time! The balance of the car was very good, so I could take my time to get up to speed. It’s a pity about the red flag which cut short the last session while I was driving, but I’m sure the car will be very strong.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It’s been a productive day. It’s very close between all competitors in the GTE Pro class. I feel that we’ve learned a decent amount and that we’re in a good spot. The weather was quite stable throughout the day and we’ll have to see what the race week brings.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It was great to be back and get the Le Mans experience going again. It’s nice to come here with a car that’s a bit different from what we had here in last couple of years with the new aero package. We were trying to make sure we ticked all the boxes, and we did that. We also tried some different things and learned a lot from that. We were pretty quick and finished fourth in class which is a good place to be in. We’re all fairly comfortable with the car, so it’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ as far as the Test Day went.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It was good to be back. It always takes some ten laps to get back into the rhythm of things, but the car felt very good, so I’m happy. You do feel a little bit better aero. At Le Mans you’re completely trimmed out so any additional downforce you can get without the drag is important, and I think that’s what Corvette has done with this new C7.R – increased the level of downforce and reduced the drag.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “We come to Le Mans each year with our list of items and settings to work through to put us in the best possible position for when we come back for the race. That is what we accomplished today with both our Corvette C7.Rs. Antonio going quickest in the class is a good indication of the quality of the effort our engineers and crew have put forward. Although we are pleased with today’s results, we realize we still have more work to do. Preparation, strategy and execution are what we have used to win eight times at Le Mans, and it’s what we will count on again this year.”
LAKEVILLE, Conn. -Cadillac Racing drivers Michael Cooper and Johnny O’Connell finished 14th and 17th respectively in race two of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship race weekend at Lime Rock Park this afternoon.
Based upon their fast laps from yesterday’s race O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the third grid position and Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) took the green in from the seventh. On lap one, Cooper got hit by JD Davison in the No. 33 Nissan and was pushed off the track and back to 17th position. O’Connell was able to keep his inside second row starting position and come around in third place. On lap 18 O’Connell reported a “funny motion in the rear” of his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. On lap 24 he was going into Turn One when the right rear tire went flat. He had to pit for a new Pirelli P-Zero tire and returned to the race a lap down in 17th.
“At the start we went into Turn 1 and Turn 2 racing two wide and running pretty clean,” said Cooper. “Going into Turn 3 I got tagged from behind by Davison and he sent me off the track spinning. It put us in a hole that we couldn’t recover from. It is tough to pass with where we are at with our performance. Tough for Cadillac Racing, but we will back at Road America.”
O’Connell had a good start going.
“At the start I was able to hold my third place starting position,” said O’Connell. “Alvaro (Parente, No. 9 McLaren and eventual winner) got a jump, Patrick Long in the Porsche followed and I was in third. Right around lap six or seven I started to feel something funny in the car. I was talking to the guys to see if they could find anything with the telemetry. I must have picked up something early in the race and it finally went flat. I am proud of everyone at Cadillac Racing. We were running third today. I had a good car. It’s a shame. There are nine races to go. We need some help to get us back where we are supposed to be with performance, especially heading into Road America at the end of next month.”
The Pirelli World Challenge series will travel to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for rounds 12 and 13, June 23-26.
The Pirelli World Challenge series races from Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut will be televised on CBS Sports Sunday, June 5 at 4 p.m. ET.
Cameron, R. Taylor fill up all-Corvette DP second row in Prototype
• Magnussen to line up behind teammate in No. 3 Corvette C7.R
• Three Monterey class wins in last four years for both Corvette Racing, Corvette DP
• Corvette Racing with 99 victories in program history
MONTEREY, Calif. (April 30, 2016) – Corvette Racing will challenge for its fourth class victory in five tries at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday from the second and third rows of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) grid for the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Monterey. Tommy Milner qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R fourth in class Saturday with a lap of 1:23.385 (96.622 mph).
Meanwhile, Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype teams will look to match Corvette Racing’s mark with another overall victory in the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Monterey. Dane Cameron in the Action Express Racing No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox entry led the four-car Corvette DP contingent by qualifying third at 1:19.072 (101.892 mph). He will team with Eric Curran.
Milner will have Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R behind him at the start. Magnussen qualified sixth in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R at 1:23.450 (96.546 mph). He and Antonio Garcia were class winners at Laguna Seca in 2013 and 2014.
Milner and Oliver Gavin won in 2012; the pairing came to Monterey with two victories and a runner-up finish in the first three races. They lead the GTLM championship as a result.
A victory Sunday would be Corvette Racing’s eighth at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit on the Monterey Peninsula and fourth in five seasons. This also is the team’s last race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The second row of the Prototype grid will feature two Corvette DPs. Ricky Taylor in the Wayne Taylor Racing No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP, last year’s Monterey pole-winner, qualified fourth Saturday with a lap of 1:19.119 (101.831 mph). He will drive with brother Jordan Taylor, and the two are coming off a victory in the most recent IMSA round at Long Beach.
Christian Fittipaldi in Action Express Racing’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP qualified fifth at 1:19.214 (101.709 mph). He and teammate Joao Barbosa are the Prototype points leaders entering Sunday.
In the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP, Ryan Dalziel qualified seventh with a best lap of 1:19.652 (101.150 mph). He and Marc Goossens will share last year’s race-winning Visit Florida Racing Corvette DP.
The Continental Tire Grand Prix of Monterey for GTLM and Prototype entries is set for 11:15 a.m. PT on Sunday. It will air live on FOX Sports 1 with audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED FOURTH IN GTLM: “It was better than we expected! We’ve been fifth or sixth all weekend, and we ended up fourth. So it’s not a huge gain but in this class, every position matters. In the end, I was really, really happy with that. In the last practice session we did a lot of work on long runs. It looks like that is going to be a challenge here tomorrow – managing tires, getting the car to last to the end and have it be driveable. It is going to be a long race tomorrow I feel like with how the tires are acting. We’re not really sure where everybody else is with tires and what they are doing as far as their long-run pace. I think we’re fairly happy here with the No. 4 car where it is; it’s as good as we’ve had it. And certainly getting a good qualifying effort will be massively helpful once we get to the race. Hopefully we will be able to keep this spot on the start or even gain a spot of two if we are lucky and just try to get it half way to hand it over to Oliver.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SIXTH IN GTLM: “Obviously I’m not so happy about qualifying sixth, but I think we probably got the most out of it. We improved the Corvette in certain areas but didn’t really make any headway in others. It is what it is. Maybe we can improve a little bit in the race tomorrow, but it starts to be a little bit of a gamble – we can make small changes, but that’s about it.
CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP – QUALIFIED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “I think we maximized the potential for what we have for our type of car. I’m pleased to be starting near the front and doing something a little bit different – shuffling the driver order a bit. We’ll see what shakes out tomorrow. We’ve made a ton of progress on our Whelen Engineering Corvette over this weekend and even compared to last year where we struggled a little bit. We’re a lot happier to be a lot further up the road than we were this time last year. We’re looking for a strong race and another podium and trying to jump in points on the rest of these guys and win this championship.”
RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP – QUALIFIED FOURTH IN PROTOTYPE:” It was good. I think it is interesting what the No. 31 is doing with drivers – qualifying with the fast guy. I think a good advantage for us is we have two good, strong drivers. It is a bit of a shame not being third because I had a lap going that would have probably put us there. I made a little mistake, but that is my fault. When we get to the race, anything can happen. The first two sequence of corners, Turn Two and Turn Three are always a bit messy. Your starting position hardly ever stays the same here after the first lap. I think we’ll have a good race tomorrow. We have a lot of confidence in that we have two strong drivers and the other teams are starting their fast guys. We aren’t really racing the Mazdas so I think we are in good shape. The Corvette DP has been solid. Reliability is a given for us because the guys always prepare such a good car.”
Gavin, Milner second in GTLM despite late-race contact while leading
• Gavin, Milner retain GTLM points lead with two wins and runner-up in 2016
• Dekra Green Award for No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
• First Corvette DP podium sweep since Sebring 2015
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 16, 2016) – Wayne Taylor Racing won its second straight race at Long Beach to lead an overall sweep for the Corvette Daytona Prototype program, and Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner extended their GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship lead with a runner-up finish in their No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R at Saturday’s Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix.
Jordan and Ricky Taylor won by 2.958 seconds in their No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP with Action Express Racing’s Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa second in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP. Eric Curran and Dane Cameron finished third in Action Express’ No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP. It’s the first 1-2-3 finish for Corvette DPs since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2015.
The GTLM race was a Corvette 1-2 for most of the race’s second half. Milner and Gavin appeared headed for their third straight victory to open the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season until Milner was hit from behind by Fred Makowiecki’s Porsche entering the final turn with two minutes left in the race. Despite the contact, Milner recovered to finish second.
Corvette Racing was going for the 100th victory in program history. Starting fourth in class, Gavin had to pit 30 minutes into the race with a suspected left-front tire puncture. It changed the strategy of the race with Milner having to go 70 minutes on a tank of E20. He took the lead with 53 minutes remaining. The race’s only full-course caution erased an 11-second lead over teammate Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette, which Jan Magnussen qualified and started from fifth.
The restart saw the two Corvettes nearly nose-to-tail for the better part of 20 minutes. Unfortunately Garcia’s Corvette spun at Turn 4 with nine minutes left. He made it back to pit lane but the car couldn’t be repaired. He and Magnussen finished ninth.
The race stayed green until the finish despite the incident in the final corner that knocked Milner from the lead. The No. 4 Corvette did win the Dekra Green Award, which goes to the GTLM car that best combines performance with efficiency.
In the Prototype race, Ricky Taylor made an opening-lap, Turn 1 pass stick as he and brother Jordan led all but three of the race’s 75 laps. What’s more, the Wayne Taylor Racing and No. 5 Action Express Corvette DPs ran 1-2 for 57 laps including the final 36. Fittipaldi had qualified on pole position.
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marc Goossens placed sixth for Visit Florida Racing in the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP.
The Taylors have now been either first or second the last three years at Long Beach. Cameron set the fastest lap of the race in the Action Express No. 31 Corvette DP for the second straight year. Unofficially, the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP has moved into first place in the IMSA Prototype Championship while the Whelen Engineering Corvette DP moves into second.
The next race for Corvette Racing and Corvette DPs is the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 1.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was fairly well under control until I had a wiggle apparently. But that wiggle was tiny. I just got wrecked basically. Two Porsches running nose to tail… it is pretty clear what happened there. It is pretty disappointing that this is the kind of racing we have here where we are better than that for sure. At the end of the day, it could have been worse for us for sure. Second place is obviously great points. Oliver was unlucky there with the puncture (tire) and it was looking pretty bleak for us for a little bit there. But with the yellow, and we were at the right spot there at the end. There were very difficult conditions there after the yellow flag I was locking fronts all over the place and then the tires came back and they were good. Then with three to go, just taken out. It’s disappointing but certainly could have been a lot worse. I don’t mind finishing second if it is clean and it happens the right way, but that wasn’t the right way. It hurts a little bit to be second in this case the way it happened, but again, end of the day second place is great points for us. We can hold our heads high that we raced as hard as we could today, the right way.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “When you look back on today at the end of the year, we would hope that this was one where we ended up getting a good result from it. Yes, we felt like we got robbed of the victory. But with the puncture we had early-on and the pit stop, Tommy having to save fuel, the tires only lasting for so long… for us to come away with second place is a very good result. If you had asked us after the pit stop or told us we were going to finish second, yes we would definitely taken that. It is a little hard to swallow right now. We felt like we were going to win and we were robbed of that.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “It was not the outcome we expected. We played our strategy very smart. With the pace we had early, we showed that we had to do something. We didn’t have the fastest car but we were – up until the yellow – first and second. For sure the first yellow helped the 4 car stay in the lead. The Porsches were very fast. If I wanted to stay ahead of them, I needed to have the best drive of my career. There was a lot of pressure from them. Maybe there were some taps but nothing special. Then a mistake happened. I can’t say I felt contact. We probably need to view the replay but I was driving the whole race on the limit. That’s what happens on a street circuit sometimes. It can bite you at some point. I wasn’t going to be happy to finish second, so I was doing all I could to try to win the race.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “My stint itself was pretty uneventful. I wasn’t really in a position to attack anybody. We started getting messed up in traffic and lost a lot of ground to the guys in front. I tried to take care of things, but it was difficult. We did a bunch of laps in qualifying, so we were starting to lose a lot of performance in the tire. I was just taking care of things.”
CORVETTE DP QUOTES
RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP – PROTOTYPE RACE WINNER: “I don’t know, ever since Konica Minolta has been with us starting at this race three races ago, we always perform really well. The guys give us an awesome car. It was a Corvette DP 1-2-3, which is very special. We couldn’t be happier. Jordan did and awesome job. Everybody was fantastic.
“I was devastated after qualifying. It’s nice to start on pole at Long Beach because track position is so important. I was thinking about that all night and, a 4 o’clock race start gave me all day to think about it. I had every situation planned in my head except for that one where (Fittipaldi) accelerated right out of (Turn) 11 and was a bit early, I thought. We were a bit trimmed out, so I was able to stay close, and it’s actually easier sometimes to be second because you’re not the first one feeling the new grip, so I had a little bit of an advantage just being able to attack. He didn’t give me a whole lot of room, but that’s racing. It’s good stuff.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP – PROTOTYPE RACE WINNER: “The 5 was on me pretty much from the get-go when I got in the car and was putting a lot of pressure on. And then when the yellow came, I really didn’t know what to expect on cold tires. Once we got going, I saw the 31 was behind the 5 and that kind of helped take his focus off me a little bit and he was probably having to look both front and rear. I was able to pull a little bit of a gap thanks to the 31 and kind of maintain that until the end of the race. Thankfully, we didn’t catch too much traffic in the last 10 to 15 laps and we were basically able to hold our pace and get to the end.”
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “We managed to get by the Mazda going into the hairpin. The No. 10 was about FOUR seconds ahead or something like that and we managed to close it down a little bit. It was a pretty solid race. Hats off the them (No. 10); they didn’t have any mistakes. They deserved to win today. We finished second. If you can’t win, finish second and collect the points. I’m pretty sure that these points are going to make a big difference at the end of the year and that is key. We will keep rocking and see what happens the next race.”
JOAO BARBOSA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “Once I got in the car, I could see the No. 10 car really close, but it is very hard on a tight street course. I was trying to judge the slower cars to see if I could get an advantage but sometimes it actually works against you. It’s racing. I think we did everything we could and it was good racing. The Mustang Sampling Corvette was good all race long. The Action Express guys did a great job and we got great points today.”
Gavin, Milner, Fässler win again in No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
• 10th class victory at Sebring for Corvette Racing
• Team claims fifth straight Triple Crown victory
• Action Express Racing Corvette DPs take two Prototype podium spots
SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2016) – Corvette Racing’s Triple Crown streak continued Saturday with a 10th class victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler in the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R won their second straight race to open the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season to go along with a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
It is the second straight victory at Sebring for Corvette Racing and the third in four years. Milner drove the final two hours and 50 minutes to win by 2.882 seconds. The team has won the last five of the world’s top endurance races – Daytona and Sebring in 2015 and 2016, plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.
“Great driving, teamwork and execution in the pits were keys to today’s GTLM class victory for the No. 4 Corvette C7.R team in the 12 Hours of Sebring,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “To come from two laps down and win in a field as competitive as the IMSA GTLM class is a true reflection of the never-give-up attitude of the Corvette Racing team.
Campbell added, “This win is special because it Corvette Racing’s second consecutive win at Sebring and follows win at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The IMSA season is off to an exciting start.”
Milner drove the first two hours, 50 minutes in Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and was third at the time of a red flag for lightning and track conditions. Milner had led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class midway through the opening quarter thanks to a strong first pit stop by the Corvette Racing crew and being able to take on wet tires 90 minutes into the race just before the pit entry closed due to a crash on track.
Fässler got in the No. 4 Corvette not long after the two-hour, 15-minute stoppage and drove in some of the most challenging conditions. He switched from slick to wet and back to slick Michelin tires during his stint as the track surface and weather changed throughout with his pace improving as his stint wore on. Gavin then took over on a dry track with less than five hours to go. He drove two-plus hours and got the Corvette back on the GTLM lead lap before Milner drove to the end.
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller also was a contender for a repeat victory at Sebring before the car suffered heavy damage when another GTLM competitor hit Magnussen at the entry to Turn One, which sent both cars hard into the outside tire barrier. Magnussen, part of the GTLM-winning effort with Garcia a year ago, had just taken the lead in class with less than a little less than five hours remaining in the race.
Magnussen was evaluated and released from the Sebring infield care center, but the car suffered significant damage to the driver’s side and rear internal components. The No. 3 Corvette Racing crew worked feverishly to repair the car, and it returned to the race less than 45 minutes after it arrived in the team’s paddock.
Despite the setback, the No. 3 Corvette completed enough laps for ninth-place points.
Action Express Racing Nets Two Podium Finishes
A year after claiming Chevrolet’s first overall victory at Sebring in 50 years, Action Express Racing again climbed the overall podium with both of its Corvette Daytona Prototypes. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP of Dane Cameron, Eric Curran and Scott Pruett placed second overall. The trio finished just 2.926 behind the race-winning Prototype.
“I am proud of how the Corvette DP teams and drivers raced at Sebring,” Campbell said. “They raced hard all day long and secured two podium positions at this challenging track.”
Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, last year’s winners in the Action Express No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, teamed with Felipe Albuquerque to finish third overall Saturday. Their Corvette DP led the most laps.
Marc Goossens, Ryan Dalziel and Ryan Hunter-Reay finished fifth in Visit Florida Racing’s No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP; Wayne Taylor Racing’s quartet of Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello placed 12th in class in their No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP.
The next event for Corvette Racing and the Corvette DPs is the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, April 16 from the Long Beach (California) street circuit.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
OLIVER GAVIN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “The race started with us not knowing how much pace we were going to have compared to our competition. Then Tommy and Antonio were both marching up the order. Tommy got us into the lead with some great pit stops and some good strategy. Then of course the rain came and we had that big stoppage. It is hard to get yourself focused after that. But you do, you manage, you use your experience and you get going again. Then it was a case of us battling away with a few things – some bits and pieces – the weather; the track; the tires – generally the conditions. I got the car back onto the lead lap and got us into the top-three. Then I handed it over to Tommy and he did a great, great job. I knew we were in great position toward the end of my double-stint because I knew the car was good because it was underneath me. It had a little bit too much understeer hear and there, but the car was really strong. We got back on the lead lap and into the right spot. Tommy could then get it and run to the end. He had been on fire all day. I had to do exactly what he did at Daytona which was sit on the pit box and watch and fret and pace and stress about is there going to be another yellow. Or is this going to happen, or is that going to happen? Is the last pit stop going to go okay. The guys did a brilliant job with that. Once again the team had their stresses and strain through the day. Jan’s accident was huge and it just shows the quality of the car and the ability of the team to bounce back from that and get that car back out. It was just an exceptional day again. This is 60 hours of racing that we’ve won with the No. 4 with Le Mans, Daytona 24 Hours and now Sebring 12 Hours. That is just amazing that we have been able to do that in the last 12 months. I am very, very happy with the performance of the whole team.”
TOMMY MILNER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “What a race. We sort of had an up-and-down race. At the start of the race the car wasn’t super quick, but we weren’t bad by any means. We had a great pit stop there and got me to the lead. Then the rain came, and we weren’t super good in the wet for sure… third or fourth quick there for sure. But then when I got in at the end, I’ve NEVER had a race car that good. That Corvette was absolutely on rails and I could tell as soon as I left pit lane… I knew we had a fast race car. I just immediately knew – the car felt that good. We didn’t have the best car at the start; certainly not in the rain. But at the end we had THE best car – here we are P1. I’m super, super happy for these guys – for Oliver and Marcel. And for all the crew guys. They have worked super hard. Just fortunate to be in the car there at the end and get to have some fun like that.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “It’s an amazing day. Two events with Corvette Racing and two wins. I’m really, really happy and proud to be a part of this winning team. Looking back at my race, it was quite tough after the red flag for me. I had never driven this track in the wet, especially not in a GT car. It was difficult to find the right racing line early but after that I felt OK. On my last stop, I think we went a little too early on slick tires, and it was really tricky for me to stay on track. Unfortunately I went off and hit one of the banners. We had to stop because the engine was getting warm. So yes it was a tricky situation. We lost some laps but we were able to catch up. Oliver and Tommy did a really good job out there. It was great to watch them, especially Tommy. I think he did half the race which was really impressive and an unbelievable job. The team made no mistakes and the car was a rocket.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “When the rain came, it was a bit of a disaster. It looked from the outside like it was hero time for everybody wanting to take a risk. I wasn’t that keen on doing that. I stayed safe but aggressive. I stayed in touch with the leaders. But it was very, very difficult with the conditions. I don’t know how the 25 BMW and I didn’t crash at the end of the straight. We were literally navigating for half a straight not controlling the car at all. I was able to come to a full stop before the tire barriers. Luckily some other GT cars avoided me spinning, and I had a couple of cars going by sideways and backward. I avoided the wall but unfortunately the pits were closed at that time so we had to go back around on slick tires.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “It’s such a huge shame for everyone on the team really. The weather made it really difficult out there. The decision to go to slicks felt wrong, but we did it. After awhile I could see that times were coming down and I could build a little bit of temperature. I kept working at it. I don’t know how far back we were but we were a long way but caught everything up. We got into the lead there for a very short while and then it all went south. It’s a shame. (Kevin) Estre (911 driver) came and apologized. That’s nice enough but it doesn’t change the fact that we are in here building the car. I really, really feel bad for the crew because man we were fast.”
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “Congrats to the No. 4 team. They did a great job. Like Daytona, we had a chance to win the race but it didn’t work out. The result for me was quite frustrating, but overall it was great to be with this team and to be part of it. I tried to everything I could. Two races… unfortunately not the results I was hoping for. But in Sebring we had all the chances. We had a car that could win especially in the dry. That is a positive.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “Just when you think you’ve seen it all – with the tremendous wins at Le Mans and Daytona – Corvette Racing comes back from one of our cars being taken out and the other two laps down with six hours to go and standing here in Victory Lane… it’s a great team, great drivers, tremendous strategy and engineering, flawless execution on pit stops. It takes an effort like this to win in this race and in this series. We’re racing against the world’s best. And today we demonstrated why Corvette Racing is the world’s best GT racing team.”
CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
SCOTT PRUETT, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “It would have been awesome to win. We felt like we could win. We went to a knife fight with a gun. The guys did a great job! Dane did a really nice job there at the end. Realistically this is probably my last Prototype race so it would have been nice to be on the top of the podium, but I couldn’t be happier with second place and this great group of guys. Everybody at Action Express has been a real pleasure and welcomed me in as part of the family. I had so much fun today racing hard and taking the lead in my stints. It was a great day!”
ERIC CURRAN, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “The day ended up great. The No. 31 was good and the Action Express guys kicked butt all day long. We ended up with a top-notch finish. It would have been nice to pull out a win there. He was pedaling hard to keep the thing out front, but he didn’t have anything for the Patron car. Dane did all the heavy lifting today to be honest. He drove almost half the race. Scott did a great job and I did my best to try and screw it up for everybody. We got back on track and Dane had a good car for the end. Hats off. It was a good day for us. I look forward to going to Long Beach here in a month or so.”
DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “It was a long day. I drove a lot and I am going to sleep very well. I am really proud of the effort we put forth today in the Whelen Action Express Corvette today. I really think that was an excellent effort for today. I think we can be quite proud all around for the effort – all the drivers, all the guys in the pits, spotters. Everybody was really really great today. We just didn’t quite have enough in the last couple of laps which is obviously very disappointing to come so close. It was a strong endurance race for us so we can push on toward the championship.”
JOAO BARBOSA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was good to be back in race conditions. The team did a tremendous job today with our team being the only team fighting with the P2 cars to the end. We were definitely the class of the field as a team – no problems. The car ran flawlessly, no problems at all. The car ran great. We ran as fast as we could, as strong as we could without any mistakes but it wasn’t enough today. We definitely felt like we are in a gun fight with a knife, but we came up a little bit short. It is a little bit disappointing. A little bit frustrating. We did our best and still not up there even close enough to win. But we are looking ahead to the season and the championship. We have a strong team, even stronger than last year so the future looked really great.”
FELIPE ALBUQUERQUE, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was a hell of a day. Crazy weather for everyone. We survived everything. We led a lot of the race. I think Joao and Christian and the team did a great job, but in the end it was just strategy and place. The P2 car was same story as Daytona. He went way too quick. I could expect him to brake so late into Turn Seven. I was at my limit. I couldn’t even brake later. It’s like that and it is so frustrating to see last seven laps with the win so close but at the same time so far because the guy was pulling so much. It is what it is. P3 was what we had.”
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was an awesome day for the whole team for Action Express to finish two and three. We definitely managed to get into the mix with the other cars. The P2s were definitely very, very strong in the race. I am very proud of everything we did this week. So close but no cigar. And unfortunately that’s the way it went today. I’m happy to collect the points we did today. Now we’ll turn the page and prepare for Long Beach.”
Gavin, Milner, Fässler take 0.034-second victory in No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
• Closest finish in Rolex 24 race history
• Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller second in No. 3 Corvette
• Second straight Rolex 24 win for Corvette Racing and third since 2001
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2016) – A 24-hour race came down to 0.034 seconds Sunday as Corvette Racing won the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona when the team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race cars finished 1-2 in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.
Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler drove the winning No. 4 Corvette C7.R with Gavin holding off teammate Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R. The two finished side-by-side with Gavin taking the checkered flag by a matter of inches. Each of the Corvettes completed 722 laps for 2,570.32 miles. The margin of victory set a Rolex 24 record.
“We thought this was going to be a great weekend because we had a couple of additional competitors in the series this year,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors Executive Vice President, Global Product Development. “I’ll tell you, this is the second year in row we placed both Corvette C7.Rs on the podium. I couldn’t be prouder of the team because they all worked so hard. They know how to win because it is a great team, and it is a great car. Honestly, that is what it is all about. It was an outstanding weekend.
“This is Daytona Rising right here,” Reuss added. “I just couldn’t be prouder of everybody, our drivers and team members executed with perfection.”
It is the second time Corvette Racing finished 1-2 in class at the Rolex 24; the first came in 2001 when a pair of Corvette C5-Rs placed first and fourth overall. This was the first Rolex 24 victory for the Gavin-Milner-Fässler trio.
The No. 4 Corvette C7.R also took an early lead in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup’s GTLM standings. The competition is a four-race series of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s four long-distance events with points for segment winners that go toward an end-of-season championship.
The No. 3 Corvette C7.R also won the DEKRA Green Award for best performance combined with fuel efficiency in the GTLM class.
Both Corvettes showed impressive reliability and performance throughout the race. The final three hours told the story, as the No. 4 Corvette rebounded from a pitlane penalty with a strategic plan that allowed Gavin to drive the final one hour, 45 minutes on one pit stop.
He made the winning pass with 35 minutes left and had to contend late with the hard-charging Garcia, whose No. 3 Corvette was on a slightly different fuel strategy. It stopped three times in the final two-and-a-half hours. Rockenfeller drove a three-hour, 20-minute triple stint before handing off to Garcia for the end of the race. He pitted for the final time with 37 minutes left – 12 minutes later than Gavin. With a tank of E20 and fresh Michelin tires, Garcia re-entered the race third but moved up to second with 26 minutes left.
He steadily reeled in Gavin, and the two Corvettes were nose-to-tail with 10 minutes left. Garcia moved ahead with a late-race pass into Turn 1 on Gavin, who battled back at the exit of the corner to retake the lead.
“Today was an exciting day as our Corvette Racing team won the iconic Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona for the third time in six attempts,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It was extra special with a 1-2 finish in front of all of our Corvette fans.
“Watching the No. 3 and No. 4 C7.R teams race to the end was thrilling for all of us and I’m sure for our fans as well,” Campbell added. “It was an exciting finish, and we’re so grateful there were so many Corvette owners here and watching from around the world cheering us on.
“The entire Corvette Racing team did an exceptional job of executing all day long, and our powertrains delivered the right combination of power, durability and efficiency,” Campbell said. “They got the job done. I am so proud of them.”
Both Corvette C7.Rs took turns leading in GTLM in the opening 12 hours. Milner drove two triple-stints into the night while Gavin and Magnussen battled in the opening hours. Even near the 20-hour mark, the top five in GTLM were within a minute.
The next event for Corvette Racing is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 16-19 from Sebring International Raceway, were Corvette Racing also is the defending GTLM winner.
TOMMY MILNER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C.7R
TOMMY, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CORVETTE TODAY THAT MADE THE CORVETTE THE CLASS IN THE FIELD AND THE CAR TO BEAT?
“I think it was just our ability to drive the car at the limit every lap and do it comfortably and not sort of put ourselves in a position where we were fighting the car too much. I think we all had our gripes with the car in places, but the car was comfortable to drive the whole race. I mean, the guys worked super hard for us in the pits just making small tweaks however they could to make the car better.
“At the end of the day, I know Oliver before he got in the car he was kind of humming and ho ing a little bit about getting in. He was a little bit tired and things like that. I didn’t give him a pep talk so to speak, but I tried to cheer him up a little bit. And I know (Doug) Fehan gave him a little bit of a pep talk, basically, and here he is now. Beating our teammates for giving us all heart attacks.
I think my dad, and my sister and my family were texting me saying, ‘Thanks, Oliver, for just about killing me (laughing).’”
OLIVER GAVIN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C.7R
OLIVER, I MUST SAY, THAT WAS SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE RACING WE’VE EVER SEEN HERE IN THE ROLEX 24. IT HAD TO BE REALLY INTENSE FROM THE COCKPIT. WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY GOING INTO THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THAT RACE?
“Don’t let him by. It was going to always be intense because we’re teammates. The cars are very equal. I know Antonio really well. We run all the time together and we’re good friends, and I’ve raced with him for many, many years. I know how smart he is in the car, and I knew he was going to be looking for a weak spot and he would just try and pounce at the right point. Just that one lap coming down into turn one and coming off the tri oval, and he got really good tow by me and he was by me, and he left his brake just a tiny bit too late as he went into turn one. He was almost on the lock stop sideways and he just lost the rear of the car. I managed to sneak back the inside, and he was really close as we came off the corner.
“But we didn’t touch. All I could think about was my boss, Doug Fehan and what he would say if we did touch. But, no, it was all good and clean.
“Then on the last lap I was thinking I had just enough on him, but then he towed up behind me. It was like the line was just going away from me. I couldn’t get to the line fast enough. I’ve just seen a picture of it, actually, and it was pretty close.
“So, yeah, obviously thrilled, thrilled to get the victory. My first one here. Great to share it with these two guys; Tommy and Marcel drove brilliantly throughout the race. And it was an amazing effort by everybody at Corvette Racing, and I’m thrilled to be able to stand on the top step there and get an amazing victory here.”
THEY MADE A BIG DEAL ON TV THAT YOU GUYS WERE GIVEN CLEARANCE THE TWO CORVETTES WERE GIVEN CLEARANCE TO RACE EACH OTHER AT THE END. WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? WHO SAYS GO AHEAD AND RACE EACH OTHER?
“It comes from Doug Fehan, our boss, the program manager. As soon as Antonio had passed the Porsche, I asked my engineer, I said how’s this going to work? And my engineer then said, okay, Doug Fehan has said that you will race and you’re clear to race clean and fair, but don’t touch one another and certainly don’t take one another out.
“We’ve raced like this many years now, and I’ve already said that to race against Antonio is a pleasure. He’s an amazing teammate. I knew I was going to have my work cut out to beat him, and I suppose that does make it a little bit sweeter for me that we’ve come away with the win.
“It was all full clearance, the race. So that’s always fun to see. And like Marcel says, it’s what the fans want to see is great racing.”
TALK ME THROUGH THAT BATTLE AT THE END.
“It was crazy. Antonio (Garcia) was coming so quickly. I think he had fresher tires. He has been so good in this car for the last couple of years and I knew I was going to have a battle on my hands. Then when he caught me and we got in a bit of a tow. He tried to pass me around the outside of Turn 1 and he was almost on the lock-stop sideways. I was still trying to get the spot back. It was as close as it possibly could get to us touching. He is a fantastic teammate and an amazing guy. I wouldn’t really want to race anybody else. I am just thrilled for everybody at Corvette Racing and our C7.R. Tommy (Milner), Marcel (Fässler), all the guys at Corvette Racing. Just a brilliantly, the whole day, it’s been tooth and nail the whole way with Ferrari, BMW, Ford, it’s been extraordinary.”
WHAT MAKES THIS WIN SO SPECIAL?
“It’s very special. I’ve had atrocious luck here in the past. My best result was last year, a third place. So for me to get a win here today is just amazing. I’m just so thrilled and happy for everyone – the whole team.”
OLIVER, WE SAW DURING THE LAST LAPS AND GTDs THAT A LOT OF CARS HAD FUEL CONSUMPTION PROBLEMS AND SLOWED DOWN. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FUEL CONSUMPTION? IT SEEMS YOU WERE PRESSING ALL THE TIME AND YOU HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL ON FUEL CONSUMPTION?
“I think we had stopped the last so we were good to go till the end. Didn’t have a problem. Just the way that the strategy worked out for us, it was good. I think that the 3 car did have a problem with fuel pick up, so they weren’t getting all the fuel out of their tank, and that’s why they had to stop again. So that was unlucky for them, but somewhat a lucky break.”
OLIVER, IT SEEMED THAT THE VIBE ON THE GRID PRE RACE WAS REALLY STRONG, AND I ASSUME SOME OF THAT MIGHT BE BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF NEW CARS HERE. I’M CURIOUS, DID HAVING NEW CARS HERE INTEREST YOU AT ALL JUST FROM A CAR PERSPECTIVE OR IS IT JUST TOTALLY AS A RACER PERSPECTIVE WONDERING WHAT THEY’VE GOT?
“I think it’s fantastic for the series. I think it’s fantastic for all of us. We, as a team, Corvette Racing have embraced the Ford coming into the series. It’s a fantastic car. It’s a proper effort. Their car was very fast today when we got out there on track against it, you could see it’s still got great potential.
“I think the GTLM class is amazing. It’s a wonderful class to race in. All-pro drivers, all-pro teams, factory efforts. The cars look great. I think it’s great to see how they’ve been developed aero wise. They’re really sexy, and great for the fans to look at. They’re aggressive. They’re a lot of fun to drive now. They’re really, I think it’s a really great step forward. So, yeah, very happy.”
IT IS A GREAT CLASS. CONGRATULATIONS OLIVER AND TO THE OTHERS. OLLY, COULD YOU TALK FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE BUMP AND RUN WITH THE PORSCHE DOWN IN THE WEST HORSESHOE TOWARDS THE END?
“Yeah, so, Earl (Bamber) and I were racing hard, and there had been a couple of spots and times where I’d got on the brakes and Earl was able stop his car quicker than I was, and I just managed to miss him. But the one time into Turn 5 I knew that we were quicker. Our car was better, and it was getting towards the end of the race. We know that it’s going to be the gloves are off.
“So I just left my braking a little bit too late. He opened the door just a tiny amount, so I just stuck my nose in. Yes, we had some contact and it nudged him wide. I was given a warning by the officials, and if he wanted to do the same back to me they wouldn’t necessarily do anything about it.
“I think it’s all part of racing. When it’s that close at the end of a 24-hour race, you’re racing for the Daytona 24 Hours. It’s not just a club race or whatever. It’s big international Sports Car Racing. There is an awful lot riding on it for everybody involved. Whether it’s the team, the drivers, the manufacturers. The drivers end up getting a very nice Rolex watch, so that was foremost in my mind.”
ANY SURPRISE THAT THE GTLM PODIUM IS FILLED WITH CARS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE THAT AREN’T NECESSARILY NEW AND YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT TO HAVE TEETHING PROBLEMS?
“Yeah, I suppose so. It’s always nice to come with a somewhat proven package. I think that was a confidence for everybody at Corvette Racing coming into the season that, yes, we’ve got a great base, with got a great car in the C7R. It was strong last year at this race. It was strong at Le Mans last year. It was strong at Sebring.
“We know that with our updates, aero updates that we were going to be strong. But the rest fundamentally was very much the same. Whereas a number of manufacturers have come in with some very different and unique cars. And there are going to be some teething problems, and they, I’m sure, will be extremely strong at different points in the season, and they will be a serious thorn in our side.
“So, yeah, you can’t rest on your laurels. Yes, we’ve won, but the work now is straight on to Sebring. We’re testing there in about a week’s time, so there’s no sitting back and just resting on it. We’re flat out with the testing still.”
MARCEL FASSLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C.7R
MARCEL, HOW NERVOUS WERE YOU DURING THOSE CLOSING LAPS?
“I think I lost two of my years in my life. No, it was just thrilling. I could not see anymore to the TV. If I checked the watch, it was always the same time on it. It felt like it never stops. Yeah, it was just amazing to watch actually this nice battle. It was really great motorsport what we could see, especially in between teammates. It was really great to see that.
“Luckily Oliver did a good job out there and he brought us the win. It was really, really exciting. But it’s not easy to watch as a teammate in the pit to see that it’s going that close.”
BRIAN HOYE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
HOW PROUD ARE YOU OF THIS TEAM?
“Oh my gosh. I just can’t believe that we were racing that hard to the end. Nobody was holding back. We had all the GM and Chevrolet leadership here; we had Mark Reuss, Jim Campbell and Mark Kent. We put on a great show. It’s is so hard to have everything sink in because nobody has really slept since yesterday morning when they got up. It takes a while to absorb it, but it just feels fantastic.”
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“To be honest, it was a great race for all of us – the fans and the team. For us drivers, it’s a bit bittersweet. To lose a race by that amount especially after we had led for quite some time and had the pace today to win. But we had some issues; we had to pit earlier that planned a few times, so we had to do an extra stop. As we know, it counts when the flag drops at the end and we were just a little bit behind. Congrats to the other three drivers and the whole Corvette Racing team. For me, the first experience of a race event with the team was great. A 1-2 finish at Daytona… you can’t ask for more. Well I could ask to have the watch! I don’t so that’s a little frustrating. But looking at the big picture, this was absolutely fantastic.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was a fantastic race all day long. The team performed all year long. We managed to improve the car through the race through small changes and adjustments. It put us in a position to be fast at the end. We stayed out of trouble to make sure we had a good and fast Corvette at the end. A photo-finish like that… wow that’s unbelievable and crazy!”
ANTONIO GARCIA, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The whole race was nearly perfect for us. We only had a couple ups-and-downs, like when I got turned around by another car. With 70 minutes to go, we got a fuel alarm that we thought was wrong. But later on we discovered that we weren’t using all our fuel in the fuel cell. It put us back on strategy, and that was why I had to push a lot late in the race. Before my last stop, I knew I had to build a big enough gap where I wouldn’t be too far behind the lead when I rejoined. I almost achieved that. The last stop was good and put me in a situation to gain back track position. I still had to get around the Porsche and catch Oliver. We had a really good setup and car. I was proud and happy to have the chance to battle for the win with Oliver. It was one of the best races I’ve ever had. Oliver is very experienced and didn’t make any mistakes, even though I was really pushing him very hard. We put on a mega show for all the Corvette fans. It is amazing that we have a Corvette 1-2. I feel very good about it. I’m happy for Oliver, Tommy and Marcel. We’ll be ready to fight back at Sebring.”
