O’Connell wins, Cooper second

AUSTIN, TEXAS -Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell won round two of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series Championship race today at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Teammate Michael Cooper drove to his second podium finish of the weekend finishing in the runner-up position.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) started his No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe from the third position on the grid based upon his fast lap from race one yesterday. The field took the green flag and there was contact sending yesterday’s race winner Patrick Long’s Porsche into the wall and bringing out a full course caution. On the restart O’Connell was third with teammate Cooper (Syosset, Ny) behind in fourth. On Lap 5 the leading Nissan of JD Davison was called to pit lane for avoidable contact on the first lap putting O’Connell into the second position. On lap 13 he was able to get by the leading Nissan of Bryan Heitkotter into turns 13 and 14 and take the lead. In the next five laps Cooper was engaged in a three way battle with the McLaren of Alvaro Parente and the Bentley of Andrew Palmer. Both drivers received drive thru penalties for contact putting Cooper into second behind O’Connell for a Cadillac one – two finish. The last time that Cadillac Racing went one – two was at Long Beach in 2014.

“I started the race in third and was able to stay there exiting Turn 1,” said O’Connell. “I was focused on driving my Cadillac smart and taking care of my tires. I was waiting for the opportunity to get by Heitkotter. I set him up for a couple of laps and made the pass. When you get the lead you just focus on hitting your marks and being smooth. I was able to do that and Michael was in quite a battle behind me so that allowed me a little space to take care of my car. When I saw that Patrick Long was out of the race, I thought this is a championship opportunity. You don’t want to wish ill will on a competitor, but when something like that happens to a driver as fast as Pat you have to capitalize on the points and we did that today. A great one – two finish to start the year for Cadillac Racing.”

Cooper completed a double podium finish weekend.

“It is was a great one – two finish for Cadillac Racing,” said Cooper. “A lot of guys making some big mistakes out there today and we were able to collect a lot of points on some good cars. We were able to keep our heads cool and take a great finish on the weekend. It got real hairy there in the middle of the race. After Johnny went into the lead Hietkotter backed up to me and he was slowing. Then the McLaren and the Bentley got really aggressive and got into me. They served their penalties and we finished second.”

Cadillac Racing will have little time to celebrate as they travel directly to St. Petersburg, Florida for rounds three and four next weekend, March 11-13.

O’Connell going for five, Cooper ready for debut

NEW YORK – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Michael Cooper are ready to kick-off of the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GT Series Championship with a double race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas this weekend, March 3-6.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) enters the 2016 World Challenge season, for a fourth year in a row, as the reigning GT driver champion. He will be making the race debut of the newly colored No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe at the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit located southeast of Austin.

Cooper (Syosset, Ny) will be making a debut of his own, his first racing start at the wheel of the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. The New Yorker had an impressive run last year in the rain at COTA to win the GTS race and is looking for a strong run in his first outing in the top World Challenge class.

“For some reason or another this has seemed like a long off season,” O’Connell said. “I’ve made a few appearances for Cadillac, including going to the Barrett Jackson auction where I gave hot lap rides in an ATS-V. That was pretty cool as it really allowed me to show consumers the mind blowing performance that is now Cadillac.”

Cadillac Racing tested at the COTA three weeks ago. “I think the test went well,” he continued. “We logged a ton of laps and gained a fair amount of data. It was definitely good that we went there as the circuit is no longer billiard table smooth like it used to be, so I’m sure we found some things that will help us for this weekend.”

O’Connell is going for a fifth straight World Challenge GT championship. “There are always challenges that you need to overcome throughout the season. Last year it was the development of the new Cadillac ATS-V.R race car and coming back after the fire at Barber and the wreck at Long Beach. The field has gotten more competitive with the addition of a couple of McLaren’s driven by fast drivers and two new Mercedes coming, again with top drivers. Perhaps our biggest challenge, besides the other 18 drivers, will be the unknown. However, with the Cadillac Racing team behind me we have been able to handle those unforeseen factors, overcome them and put ourselves in a position to win it all at the end of the season. I see no reason why that should change for 2016. The team, myself and everyone at Cadillac is focused on going for a fifth consecutive championship.”

Cooper is looking forward to returning to COTA, this time in GT and a Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe.

“Last year’s season opener was my first time racing at COTA and my first time racing the Camaro Z/28,” Cooper said. “While we struggled for pace in the dry, we were lucky enough to get some rain for one of the races, which leveled the playing field. I was able to win my first GTS race by passing nine or ten cars in the first two laps. It was nice to get back there and run some laps in the Cadillac ATS-V.R. The test went very well, I was able to spend a lot of time in the ATS-V.R and gain some confidence heading into the season. We ran through countless changes and gathered a lot of data. I’m sure the guys have been spending a lot of time analyzing the data, which should aid our performance for the upcoming race weekend. “

Cooper has set high goals for his first season in GT. “I’m used to having consistent strong finishes and fighting for race wins over the course of the season. I expect no less from myself now that I am in the GT class. I am anxious to prove myself as a driver capable of competing among the best at this level of GT racing and of course helping Cadillac Racing win another manufactures championship.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Championship will open the season at the Circuit of the America’s with a double race weekend March 3-6, 2016. The race will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, Sunday March 13 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Live steaming can be viewed at World-ChallengeTV.com, live timing and Scoring at WorldChallenge.growsites.net.

Gavin second-quickest in GTLM during the weekend ahead of Rolex 24

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 10, 2016) – Corvette Racing ran through a three-day testing program as part of the Roar Before the 24 – the final opportunity for track time ahead of the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona. The two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs completed a total of 449 laps between them on a weekend focused on development and preparation for the start of the 2016 season.

Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R set the second-fastest GT Le Mans (GTLM) time of the weekend and quickest Sunday during the morning session – a 1:45.106 (121.934 mph) lap in the car he will share with Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler at The Rolex 24.

Gavin and Milner will drive together in the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Fässler joining for Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Antonio Garcia was the fastest of the drivers in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R that he shares with Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller. Like Gavin, Garcia’s best effort came Sunday morning and was a 1:45.124 (121.913 mph) lap around the 3.56-mile circuit. It was good enough for fourth on the weekend.

Garcia and Magnussen won the Rolex 24 in GTLM a year ago. It was the first leg of Corvette Racing’s Triple Crown season as it also won at Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. No team had accomplished the feat in 15 years.

The No. 4 Corvette C7.R team rebounded from an incident Friday in the morning session with Milner behind the wheel. A check valve malfunction ignited a small fire in the right-rear compartment of the race car. It was quickly extinguished, and Milner was uninjured in the incident. The car returned to the track Saturday morning after the team thoroughly checked the Corvette and made the necessary repairs.

The 2016-spec Corvette C7.R is an updated racecar due to changes in Automobile Club de l’Ouest regulations for top-level GT cars that compete in the IMSA GTLM class. There are a number of aerodynamic changes 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 GTLM cars.

The powertrain on the Corvette C7.R is unchanged from 2015 with a 5.5-liter V-8 Chevrolet small block powering the race car. The Corvette C7.R will use E20 fuel during the IMSA season and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Rolex 24 was the site of Corvette Racing’s debut on Jan. 31, 1999. Since that first race, the team has competed in more than 170 events around the globe with 97 victories worldwide – including three wins in 2015 – along with 10 team and manufacturer championships in the American Le Mans Series and eight victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “We always want more track time. But this weekend was very good. The weather gave us a chance to carry on with some things that may help us in the race. It has been a very productive Roar, which is unusual. You tend to lose a lot of time to things like red flags and weather. We have worked through a lot of things that need to be analyzed in order for us to be quicker for the race. We have a good baseline and I’m sure the Corvette engineers will make the right decisions to put us in an even better position for the Rolex 24.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “We’re getting through a lot of items on our list that we wanted to try here. The track is probably pretty representative of what the race will be like with the amount of rubber – there have been lots of cars on the track. I think we are moving in the right direction. We’re going through our program – we’re trying to be fast all the time, but sometimes we just need to concentrate on the setup and try to learn more about the car and disregard the time. We’re very happy with the way things are going. We have more aero this year and more grip. The power is the same and these cars are never easy to drive, but they now just feel a little nicer with the added downforce.”

MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “You always want to have more and more laps, especially when you are in a car like the Corvette that is fun to drive. You always want to be in the car. As we all know, we have to get our work done and I think these three days were quite productive. We were lucky with the weather so we could do a lot of work and check off our boxes. Personally, I feel quite good in the car. I’m still learning lap to lap but I’m already looking forward to the race week.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “We’ve made some good progress over the weekend. It’s been good to get Marcel in the car. It’s great to have him back on the team. Tommy and I have been working away on the car – some suspension stuff and aero bits and pieces. Everything is pretty much going to plan. We recovered from the incident Friday where we lost some track time. It doesn’t appear that has set us back too much. It’s very positive. We all seem pretty happy and confident in the car. All in all, we’ve made some good steps forward.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “The best part about this whole weekend so far is how the guys have done such a great job after the issue we had on Friday. We got it fixed and the car was basically perfect once we got back on track Saturday. 1-2 in this test is not a bad thing, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot because we are going through our laundry list of items of things to try. The fact that we are fast is a good thing – it’s better to be fast rather than being not quick and scratching our heads. We felt like we should have been quick coming here because these cars were a known quantity to us. On the outside they are a bit different with the new aero but underneath they are pretty similar. This is now year three for the C7.R and we’re fine tuning these things now rather than finding big things any more.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “For sure, this still feels like a Corvette! The car has changed a bit since I was with the team last. For me, I’m having to learn the car and the track at the same time. It wasn’t easy to go in immediately and be on pace. I’ve progressed a bit and still have to learn a lot. It’s been really good fun to drive this weekend. I ask a lot of myself but need to be patient to continue learning to understand the car. The team organized a good test plan – mainly Olly and Tommy did some of the baseline and tuning work as I needed to keep learning about the Corvette. Now I can speak on what I’ve felt in the car. All this information will definitely help on the race weekend; you don’t want to try new things once the race gets here. The good thing is that the team knows the car so well. It gives us a lot of confidence.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “When you come into a weekend like this, there are a number of boxes you want to check off as part of the testing program. As Corvette Racing leaves Daytona, by and large we accomplished all the items on our checklist. With the regulation changes in our class, there are a number of things we needed to understand. Some of those include how our Corvettes react in traffic with the aerodynamic changes, how certain adjustments make the car behave and where we stand against our competition. I’m confident saying that based on the last three days, this will be the toughest Rolex 24 we will face but everyone at Corvette Racing is looking forward to that challenge.”

Preparations well under way for attempt at ninth class victory at 24 Hours

• Jordan Taylor part of winning Le Mans lineup in 2015 and returns for fifth straight year

• First start for Corvette Racing at Le Mans for Ricky Taylor

• Corvette Racing full-season drivers to lead charge again at Le Mans

DETROIT (Nov. 17, 2015) – Corvette Racing has confirmed its lineup for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor as third drivers in the team’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs. They will join full-time Corvette Racing teammates Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the 84th running of the 24 Hours race in France.

Corvette Racing is the defending race winner in the GTE Pro class. In addition to going for a second straight victory, Corvette Racing will try for a ninth class win since 2001. Gavin, Milner and Jordan Taylor scored a victory in the No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in June.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a key part of Corvette Racing’s schedule,” said Mark Kent, Director, Chevrolet Racing. “Racing against the best teams, drivers and manufacturers in the world on the demanding 8.47-mile circuit is something that we look forward to each year. It allows us to demonstrate, on a global stage, the performance, reliability and efficiency of the Chevrolet Corvette. Corvette Racing has eight class championships at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and our goal is to repeat as champions in 2016. We hope that the addition of Ricky and the return of Jordan help us achieve our goal of a ninth class victory.”

Jordan Taylor is part of Corvette Racing’s Le Mans lineup for the fifth consecutive year. In addition to this year’s victory, he finished second with Garcia and Magnussen in 2014. Ricky Taylor will race at Le Mans with Corvette Racing for the first time; he will make his third start in the race and last competed there in 2014.

The Taylors have raced together the last two years in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette Daytona Prototype. The pairing have played key roles in the development of the Corvette DP and won four races the past two years in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – including a pair of victories this season.

Ricky Taylor claimed two pole positions in the 2015 TUDOR Championship, and Jordan Taylor is a past Driver’s Champion in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. They will drive the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP again in the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Corvette Racing continues its preparation for the 2016 season in an open IMSA test today and Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. Corvette Racing’s first race of the season is the 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.

JORDAN TAYLOR, CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – LE MANS: “It’s always great to go back to Le Mans, especially with Corvette Racing. This time we go back looking to defend our victory from last year after one of the most mentally draining weeks that I’ve experienced. Looking back on the race, it’s amazing what the entire Corvette Racing team accomplished. I will never forget the feeling of being on the top step of the podium and I know we all are going for the same result this year. The updated Corvette C7.R looks stunning and I can’t wait to get my first laps in it. Having Ricky be part of the team also is great, and I’m confident he will fit in and perform well. We’ve been a part of many big moments racing a Corvette DP in IMSA. Hopefully we can carry that over to Le Mans.”

RICKY TAYLOR, CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – LE MANS: “I’m honored to be chosen to represent Chevrolet and Corvette Racing at Le Mans. I’ve raced there twice but nothing compares to going there as part of this team. It means a lot to me to have this opportunity, and I fully intend to support my teammates to the best of my abilities. Getting time in the Corvette C7.R this far ahead of the race is a huge benefit. This is a great car and it’s easy to see why it has had so much success. Le Mans is like no other race in the world. It was special to see Jordan, Oliver and Tommy stand on the podium after winning last year’s race. I hope we can join them there this time around.”

Action Express Racing wins Prototype race and titles; Gavin/Milner third in GTLM

• Barbosa, Fittipaldi take second straight Prototype Driver’s Championship and Tequila Patrón Endurance Cup; win Prototype race with Sebastien Bourdais

• Garcia, Magnussen claim Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in GT Le Mans

• Gavin, Milner bookend season with GTLM podium finishes in No. 4 Corvette C7.R

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 3, 2015) – A damp Petit Le Mans ended Saturday with Corvette Racing and the Corvette Daytona Prototype program claiming titles in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Action Express Racing’s Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais won the Prototype class of the rain-shortened race – it ran just shy of eight hours of its 10-hour duration. Driving the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, Barbosπa and Fittipaldi also captured their second straight Prototype Driver’s Championship as well as their second straight title in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

“Congratulations to Joao, Christian, Sebastien and the Action Express Racing No. 5 Corvette DP on their second consecutive championship,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The drivers and crew demonstrated an absolute ‘Never-Give-Up’ approach throughout today’s rain-soaked conditions. Their perseverance and consistent performance resulted in the team also winning the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

“Thank you to all the Corvette Daytona Prototype teams for their efforts to secure the Manufacturer and North American Endurance Cup championships once again for Chevrolet,” Campbell added.

Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed third in GT Le Mans after leading the race overall on multiple occasions. The No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R started the season with a podium at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and ended it in like fashion.

Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R also ended the season in championship style by winning the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in GT Le Mans. The competition consists of the TUDOR Championship’s four endurance races: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen and Petit Le Mans. Garcia and Magnussen won at Daytona and Sebring with Ryan Briscoe to put themselves in control of the championship.

“For the Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R teams, the 2015 season was filled with incredible successes and a few challenges along the way,” Campbell said. “The season started strong with the class win at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and Sebring 12 Hours, and it continued with the eighth class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours – sports car racing’s Triple Crown. And after some challenging races, it was great to have the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team clinch the GTLM title in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup championship. Having the No. 4 Corvette C7.R on the podium adds to a great close to our season.”

Gavin began from pole position in class and ran among the leaders for most of his double-stint. He recovered from a minor off in his second stint before handing off to Milner. He drove a storming double-stint to move into the class lead nearly the halfway mark and then the overall lead a couple laps later before handing back over to Gavin.

Not long after the pit stop, race officials threw a red flag to halt the race due to the deteriorating conditions. The stoppage lasted about 30 minutes before the race resumed under full-course yellow conditions. Two more yellows came out over the final hour before the race was called.

Garcia and Magnussen challenged for the class and overall lead at different points, as well. Magnussen led for two laps after the No. 4 Corvette pitted near the 4:15 mark. However a pair of unscheduled pit stops – one early and one with an hour to go hampered their chances.

The Prototype race was a back-and-forth affair with all four Corvette DPs battling for the lead throughout. Action Express Racing ended with two cars on the Prototype podium – the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP in first and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette Daytona Prototype of Dane Cameron, Eric Curran and Max Papis placing third.

In addition the results netting another title for Barbosa and Fittipaldi, VisitFlorida.com Racing’s Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante unofficially placed second in the Driver’s Championship with their No. 90 Corvette DP. Cameron and Curran, in their first season together in Prototypes, placed third in Driver’s points.

Barbosa and Fittipaldi also won the Prototype championship in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup for the second straight season, as well.

The VisitFlorida.com Racing No. 90 Corvette DP and pole-winner Westbrook led early and were out front for most of the first two hours. The treacherous track conditions induced a pair of spins for the VisitFlorida.com Racing Corvette DP.

The element of rain added extra drama for the other three Corvette DPs, as well. The Prototype race turned into mostly three-way battle between the two Action Express Corvette DPs and defending race winners Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli in the Wayne Taylor Racing No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP. They eventually placed fifth in class.

The 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opens with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31 from Daytona International Raceway.

CORVETTE RACING QUOTES

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTLM: “Finishing on the podium really bookends our season. We started off the year at Daytona with pole position and finishing third. We got pole position here and ended up finishing third. About 25 minutes ago before they decided to checker the race, we were in the lead. With strategy and such, it was going to come around to us again that we were going to be in the top two. The Porsche was quick. Were we going to beat them in these conditions? Unlikely. But it was all about survival today. When I had my off early on in the race I was thinking that maybe had blown it for us and I was thinking about what I said to people before I got in the car about being smart and surviving and not doing something crazy. Then I just got into turn one a little bit too deep and just ran a little bit wide and once it was on the grass, I was a passenger. That was frustrating. But Tommy (Milner) drove really well. We had a good strategy. The guys worked really well in the pits and we marched ourselves back to the front and then we were there genuinely on pace which was nice. You can take a lot of positives from the results we had here today. We had a strong start to the season, we are having a strong finish. We can carry that over to 2016 and look forward.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTLM: “The end result is good. There were good fights when the track conditions were good. I’m glad we’re on the podium because I think we earned it and deserved it. Our Corvette C7.R was great, and the Michelin tires were good. Our pit stops were great all day. We did everything we needed to do to have a good race. It would have been a shame to not get a podium after the pace we showed. I’m a little unhappy with how the race ended – staying out in track conditions that were pretty much undriveable. But we made it through and here we are in third.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SIXTH IN GTLM, TEQUILA PATRÓN NORTH AMERICAN ENDURANCE CUP GTLM CHAMPION: “My approach wasn’t quite like surviving; I was going. The car worked really good. All that I couldn’t do in qualifying yesterday I was able to do today. I had good rhythm, and everything seemed to be very good. I took every opportunity I had to pass the 25 BMW, the 62 BMW, and then closed up on Oliver (Gavin) in the 4 Corvette and the 24 BMW. Halfway through that stint, I felt something funny on the rear of the car, and I asked the team if there was something wrong with the pressures. We found out that the nut was loose and we lost track position. Thankfully it didn’t come all the way loose. I went all the way to the back again but was on the move again under green. That’s how good the car was.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SIXTH IN GTLM, TEQUILA PATRÓN NORTH AMERICAN ENDURANCE CUP GTLM CHAMPION (Winning the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup): “That’s definitely something. I am glad we came away with a championship this year. The way things were going it didn’t look like it. I’m so very happy and super proud for the whole crew to win that one.”

(On the race): “When the conditions were just a normal wet track, the car was really good and we were competitive. That’s a little bit new for us. But the conditions sometimes got so, so bad, and I don’t understand why they didn’t call a red flag or call the race earlier. At the end there I was screaming on the radio that they needed to stop this right now, it was so dangerous. They stopped the race and that was a good decision.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “Sanctioning bodies can control most everything in a racing event. What they can’t control is a team’s enthusiasm, passion and drive. Today, Corvette Racing once again demonstrated against insurmountable odds their ability to get the job done. Winning at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans, plus the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, shows why Corvette Racing is renowned as the world’s best endurance team.”

CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES

JOAO BARBODA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – PROTOTYPE RACE WINNER AND DRIVER CHAMPION: “It was just an unbelievable way to end the championship. Obviously we are super happy to win two championships in a row. This one was definitely really, really tough. It came down to checkered flag last lap. Conditions were really tough out there and very dangerous to be out there at the end. But overall it was a great effort to win the championship. Our goal in the beginning was to defend the championship, and we did it in kind of a dramatic way. It came right there at the end. I’m so proud to be a part of the Action Express guys and the commitment and passion they have for the sport. I think that is making all the difference.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – PROTOTYPE RACE WINNER: “These were very tricky conditions today for the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP. We did the job. There were different strategies out there, but when the second part of my time in the car, we were leading the race. The good thing is once the No. 90 fell back farther than a podium, it was an Action Express that was going to win the championship. We have something to celebrate tonight.”

ERIC CURRAN, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP – THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “Overall it was quite a day here at Road Atlanta. The weather conditions were absolutely insane. But as usual, the Action Express guys gave us a phenomenal Whelen Corvette Daytona Prototype. We were good all day and fought through the conditions. I’m just so happy that the No. 5 guys won a championship and Chevrolet won another manufacturer championship. It is a really big deal. Obviously on the No. 31 side, we would have loved to have won the championship, but it is give and take and it was such a successful season the first year out. To be fighting for a championship at the end of the year makes us all happy. I’m just really proud for Chevrolet, Action Express and our Whelen Engineering Corvette DP team.”

MAX ANGELELLI, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 CORVETTE DP – FOURTH IN PROTOTYPE: “It was very, very bizarre and very unfortunate for our racing team. We race with rain, that is not a problem, we always do. What was weird were some calls that were made today, like dropping the yellows only because of crashes even though the track was bad well before the crashes occurred, and then go green well before the track was good to go green again. That’s the only thing I would have a problem with about today. Otherwise, it was a very unsatisfying way to end the race and the season after all of the hard work we did to get to the front. The way the checkered flag came out before any kind of normal procedure was followed, as far as opening the pits according to the rulebook and giving other teams the chance to execute the strategy decisions they made to pit or not during that yellow. It was all just very, very strange – very, very bizarre.”

JIM LUTZ, CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE PROGRAM MANAGER: “To say it was a challenging day today at Road Atlanta is an understatement. But our Corvette Daytona Prototype teams performed and executed to the best of their abilities. Congratulations go to Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi, team owner Bob Johnson and everyone at Action Express Racing on another Prototype championship and class victory. It’s a great way to end the 2015 season.”

New Hudson, MI –Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) joined Northrop Grumman at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. as the global security company revealed their newest military ground vehicle, Hellhound.

Hellhound will serve as Northrop Grumman’s contender in the U.S. Army’s Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV) competition. The purpose-built truck was designed to meet the requirements specific to LRV, which include providing a vehicle with a balanced mix of capabilities in the areas of mobility, lethality, protection, and C4ISR.

In partnership with Northrop Grumman, PME supported the design, engineering, and fabrication of the vehicle including the innovative chassis, suspension, and drivetrain systems. PME also performed vehicle integration, development, and testing in support of the Northrop Grumman initiative.

“Partnering with Northrop Grumman on the Hellhound effort has been a great experience for our team. Seeing the overwhelming and positive attention from everyone at AUSA, but most importantly the reaction from the men and women that Hellhound was built for, was very rewarding,” said Ray Errer, Pratt Miller Program Manager on the project.

Pratt Miller Engineering

Pratt Miller Engineering – a dominant force in professional motorsports – designs, engineers, and manufactures world-class vehicles, components and software. The company is defining the future of mobility, survivability, occupant protection, electronics, and lightweight systems for vehicles. Pratt Miller serves a global customer base including those in the Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, and Powersports industries.

For more information on Hellhound please visit Northrop Grumman Media Page

O’Connell survives to win GT, Pilgrim finishes fourth

MONTEREY, Calif. -Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell survived the Pirelli World Challenge Series Monterey Grand Prix presented by Cadillac season finale to win his fourth consecutive GT drivers’ championship.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) took the standing start from his fifth place qualifying position. Coming across the line to complete

the first lap of the 50-minute timed race he was in second position, with his championship protagonist, Olivier Beretta, No. 61 Ferrari in seventh. As the raced progressed Beretta began to pick off competitors coming from seventh to behind the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R of O’Connell on lap 16, 27-minutes into the race. Over the next eight laps Beretta was charging after O’Connell. On lap 24, as the pair of championship challengers were coming through the famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Corkscrew turns, Beretta hit O’Connell spinning them both. Beretta was able to get his Ferrari restarted quicker as he rejoined the race. O’Connell restarted his ATS-V.R and rejoined the race in 14th. A few laps later Beretta was called in by the SCCA officials to perform a drive-thru penalty. However, he rejoined still in a strong points paying position ahead of O’Connell. On lap 32 as Beretta was feverishly trying to make-up positions he had contact with the Acura of P.D. Cunningham in the final turn forcing the Italian to pull his Ferrari off track, handing O’Connell his fourth championship in as many years.

“What a crazy race,” O’Connell said. “I was able to get a great start. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get Dalziel (Ryan, No. 31 Porsche). When we went into Turn 2 I was behind the silver Ferrari and the red one got into me a little. I was surprised how fast Olivier was coming through the field. I knew he would get to me. But getting there and getting bye is two different things. I was minding my tires as best as I could while digging as hard as I could. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking behind the wheel there in the Corkscrew. He took us both out. He wasn’t really close to me. When we crested the hill he was four or five cars back. It was a Hail Mary move. I didn’t get brushed I got drilled. There was so much time left, he just had to bide his time. The Cadillac Racing guys build a strong car. When I got back going the car was good and still quick. I was thinking he was going to get a penalty and he did.

“I am proud of everyone at Cadillac Racing. This whole team is made up of Joe Montana’s, we are a fourth quarter team.

“We had some adversity this year, the crash at Long Beach while running upfront. I had a car that could of won that race. When I got taken out, I got a huge fine and hit in the points. Then at Barber we were running fast and burned a car down. The spirit of the team came to the front at that point. What people don’t see is the hundreds of thousands of hours that the Cadillac Racing crew put into those race cars. I am just the guy who gets to put it on display for 100-minutes on the race weekend.”

Jim Campbell, GM vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsport, said “Johnny and the No. 3 ATS-V.R team’s focus, determination and never-give-up approach made the difference, right down to the last lap of the season. We are so proud of O’Connell’s fourth consecutive championship. His win in the all-new ATS-V.R makes the championship extra special.”

Campbell added, “the ATS-V.R’s LF4.R 3.6 liter direct injected, twin turbo V6 delivered the right combination of power, reliability and efficiency to help Johnny race to the championship.”

Cadillac Racing program manager David Caldwell said, “what a season! We introduced the all-new Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3 into competition at St. Pete. We had some adversity throughout the season when Johnny was forced into the spare car for three races. Through hard racing and a great team of professionals from Cadillac Racing, GM Powertrain and everyone involved on the marketing side Johnny was able to win his fourth drivers’ championship.”

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) posted his best finish of the year with a fourth place run in the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R.

“It was a good way to end the season with a fourth place,” Pilgrim said. “I really wanted a podium for my Cadillac Racing guys after such a difficult year. Dalziel was very good in the places where I needed more speed and where I was better I couldn’t get to him. He is very good and didn’t make any mistakes. We had a good run today. The last two races of the year I had two top five finishes. I am really happy for Johnny. Winning four championships in a row is outstanding.”

Since the team’s inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 30 wins, 96 podium finishes (including wins) and 27 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O’Connell.

The Pirelli World Challenge finale will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The team will be presenting their Hands-free Automatic Coupling Restraint System (HACRS)

New Hudson, MI – Pratt Miller Engineering will be presenting their Hands-free Automatic Coupling Restraint System (HACRS) at the Association of the United States of America (AUSA) Annual Meeting on Monday, October 12th. The HACRS team is being included in the Monday morning Innovator’s Corner session that focuses on the US Army’s TRADOC Technology Imperative: Conduct Expeditionary Maneuver and the Army’s technology focus area; Mobile Protected Precision Firepower. The objective of the Innovator’s Corner is “to pro-actively identify innovative technologies/approaches to address our Army’s top challenges and provide a forum to encourage dialogue between industry, academia, and military stakeholders.”

HACRS (pictured) was designed under a SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program to address the limited use of seat belts in military ground vehicles by providing soldiers with an easy to use, comfortable system.

The HACRS briefing will begin Monday at 12:00 p.m. in the Innovators Corner booth #3725 (lower-level). Following the presentation the system will be on display in the Med-Eng booth #8342 throughout the remainder of the show.

Pilgrim fifth, O’Connell eighth in second race at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell will leave the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series race weekend at Sonoma Raceway with a slim 26 point lead in the GT Class with one race remaining after posting an eighth place finish today.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) took the standing start from ninth on the grid. As the lights went out, O’Connell was able to make up a position going into Turn 2 when a car spun in front of his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R and the pair had contact. The resulting contact affected the downforce of the ATS-V.R making it less than optimal for the remainder of the race.

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started from the eighth position and also had contact going into Turn 2. He was able to come out of the melee in fifth position where he would eventually finish.

“I had a good start off of the line,” Pilgrim said. “I went right then Mike Skeen in the Audi went right, so I went left and then I got hit pretty hard going into Turn 2, put sideways. I was able to pass Montecalvo (Frank, No. 66 Mercedes) down in Turn 3. I slotted in behind Beretta (Olivier, No. 61 Ferrari) and then the yellow came out. When it went green I tried to get by Beretta to help Johnny’s cause. His car was good at the exit of the corners. I really couldn’t get close to make a move. Pretty frustrating.”

O’Connell will go into the final race of the weekend in two weeks at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca leading the GT points by 26 over Beretta.

“I had a good run up to Turn 2 at the start,” O’Connell said. “Andy and Skeen got together and I had light contact with him as well. The hit took off the dive-planes at the front of my car. My car was a little better yesterday. I didn’t leave anything on the table today. It would have been nice to protect my lead a little more than I did today. I will tell you it is a real seesaw of emotions. We run great at Miller last weekend and then struggle here. So we are coming down to a one race shootout in two weeks. Cadillac Racing will be ready.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the season finale to run Sept. 11-13. The races from Sonoma Raceway will be televised on CBS Sports Network, Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. ET.

Garcia, Magnussen lead GTLM efforts for Corvette Racing

• Wayne Taylor Racing, VisitFlorida.com Racing second and third overall

• Tough fight for both Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs in GTLM

• Chevrolet closes in on Prototype Engine Manufacturer title

AUSTIN, Texas (Sept.19, 2015) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen remain in the hunt for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s title in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship headed to the season’s final race.

The pairing led the team’s efforts with the two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs on Saturday in the Lone Star Le Mans race at Circuit of The Americas. Winners of the first two events of 2015 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – Garcia, Magnussen and the rest of Corvette Racing can now turn their attention to the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in two weeks time.

Also in Saturday’s TUDOR Championship race, Wayne Taylor Racing and VisitFlorida.com Racing scored podium finishes with their Corvette Daytona Prototypes to move Chevrolet closer to clinching its fourth consecutive Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship.

Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor placed second in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP for their third runner-up finish of the season. Prototype championship leaders Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante were third in VisitFlorida.com Racing’s No. 90 Corvette DP and unofficially increased their points lead to six points heading to Petit Le Mans.

Action Express Racing’s two Corvette DPs are tied for second in the championship after Saturday’s race. Eric Curran and Dane Cameron were fifth in their No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP after leading the race early, while defending Prototype champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi were sixth in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP.

In GTLM, Garcia started fourth and drove the first 90 minutes in the oppressive heat and was able to stick with the lead cars during his double stint. Magnussen took over at that point and attempted to keep the No. 3 Corvette close in the race’s final hour. However he had to stop two laps from the end for a late splash of fuel and finished sixth.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jordan Taylor in the GTE Pro class, placed eighth in GTLM with their No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. Milner started the race from sixth and gained a spot early. After struggling early in the week, the stronger pace for the No. 4 Corvette was evident early on.

Milner drove the opening 80 minutes before the No. 4 crew called him to pitlane in a strategic call. Gavin replaced Milner on the stop and rejoined the field just before the race’s second and final full-course caution period. Gavin ran second on the restart and tried to hold his position on older tires compared to the rest of his competitors.

The final race for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is Petit Le Mans on Saturday, Oct. 3 from Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.

CORVETTE RACING GTLM QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “At the start, everyone seemed to be aggressive. Early on everything seemed to go as planned. Going into the race we didn’t know what kind of pace we would all have. The Porsches had speed and were either controlling the pace or running their own pace. I was mostly able to match. In the opening stint, I opened a gap on the 25 car and learned what our Michelin tire would do, and that helped on the second stint. There isn’t much you can do at that point except try and stay with the lead pack. Once I was there, it was a matter of how much risk you would take to gain a position versus saving fuel.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “It was a difficult day for our Corvette. Honestly that wasn’t unexpected given the current rules. We tried to save fuel after the driver change but just didn’t have enough to get to the end. The way the race played out, it was the only chance we had to score decent points. Now we will head to Road Atlanta and do our best to end the season with another win, just like how we started it.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH: “Tommy drove a very good stint to start, and full credit to our Corvette Racing crew on improving the car as much as they did from the opening practice. We tried to make something happen with an earlier second stop than the rest of the class. Unfortunately the strategy went against us with the second yellow and we had to stop late. Whenever you are experiencing a gap in performance, you have to think outside the box to try and create your own luck. It just didn’t go our way today. So we’ll look forward to Road Atlanta and Petit Le Mans to end the season on a high note.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH: “The car was the best it’s been all weekend. That’s what you want in the race, obviously. These Corvette Racing guys worked really hard. We were pretty far off the pace all through practice, but that ‘never-give-up’ attitude never went away. We worked really hard on the setup to get something that would be optimal for the race. We tried to go a little off-sequence on pit stops but the last yellow kind of did that in. I’m proud of the job the team did to get the car as fast as it was. Traffic was a little weird. I had two prototype cars… one got in the way and the other one wasn’t paying attention. It was hot and I’m sure people were fatigued. The class was so close. In that heat, things kind of normalized.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “I can’t remember a time when everyone on the Corvette Racing team worked this hard for a less productive result than today. They have had their shoulders to the wheel the last three months trying to overcome the performance challenges we face. There were some bright spots that we absolutely will take to Road Atlanta for what we do best – long-distance endurance racing. We’re thankful for the support of our Corvette fans for sticking with us and cheering us on. They can rest assured that we’re doing everything we can to get Corvette Racing back to the podium.”

CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES

RICKY TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP – FINISHED SECOND: “We had a good day. I think the team maximized our performance for the day. The stops were great. The strategy was good. We didn’t have the car to win, I don’t think, today, but the team gave us a shot and that’s all you can ever ask for. It’s nice to get on the podium again in front of all of our Konica Minolta partners who came out in full force this weekend to cheer us on. We’ll go on to Petit and build on this momentum and hopefully close out the year on a positive note like we did last year.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP – FINISHED SECOND: “It was a good stint. It was a hot day so we were trying to extend my stint to make Ricky’s a little bit shorter. I did two stints and they were pretty clean for the most part. We ran second for pretty much the whole day. I was behind the 01 for my first one and then was somewhat stuck behind the 31 for my second stint. That kind of opened up strategy a bit and stopped us early from behind the 31 when he couldn’t jump into the pits. And Ricky pretty much kept it clean from there. The 31 pretty much took himself out of the race. Same for the 5 car. And the 01 was too far ahead to catch. Second place, I think we’re pretty happy with that today.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, VISITFLORIDA.COM RACING NO. 90 CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD: “Michael drove like a champion today. We were dead set on getting good points today. It seemed like the other two contenders got a bit hot-headed out there. We had a good VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP today until the tires started to go off; we chose not to take tires on the last stint. In the end I had nothing, so I didn’t know if I could hold Oz Negri back. I love racing Oz and would have loved to have seen that Justin Wilson logo on the podium but it wasn’t meant to be. I enjoy racing Oz. He’s so fair and I could race him all day. Thanks to VisitFlorida.com and Team Chevy today. We want to finish up the season strong for them.”

MICHAEL VALIANTE, VISITFLORIDA.COM RACING NO. 90 CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD: “It’s been a tough weekend for us. We had a number of problems. These are the weekends where you don’t have the speed that you just need to finish. It was a hard race for us in the VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP. Richard drove extremely well and the team performed really well. On now to Atlanta where anything can happen.”

JIM LUTZ, CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE PROGRAM MANAGER: “We achieved our goal of collecting valuable Manufacturer Championship points today. You never want anything less than a win but second and third is the next best result. Congratulations go to our partner teams at Wayne Taylor Racing and VisitFlorida.com Racing on today’s solid results. It puts us on the doorstep of another Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship at Road Atlanta.”