SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 23, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished race one of two this weekend at the Pirelli World Challenge Series for the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma in fifth and eighth places this afternoon.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) started the 50-minute GT race from the fifth row based upon his qualifying time this morning of 1:34.341. Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla) took the standing start lights from the seventh row with a qualifying run of 1:34.762 around the 2.3-mile, 12-turn circuit located at the gateway to California’s wine country.
When the lights went out, O’Connell moved into eighth with Pilgrim following in tenth. By the time the field circled around they were greeted by a full course caution to start lap two. The SCCA Officials restarted the race on lap six. O’Connell was able to hold his position on the restart, but was soon gifted two positons by the Ferrari of Anthony Lazzaro and the Bentley of Guy Smith spinning in the oil dry that was put down on the track during the caution. As the race continued, O’Connell was able to hold his fifth place while Pilgrim was being forced wide by the Audi of James Sofronas and the Ferrari of Mike Hedlund.
“When you have a race car, a good race car that is 1.3-seconds back any movement forward is good,” O’Connell said. “I drove the Cadillac CTS.V.R as hard I could. I had some good battles on the track. The challenging thing is that we are the heaviest car on the track. With each successive lap I am sliding the car. If there were two more laps I probably would have been seventh or eighth. The two spins in the carrousel by Lazzaro and Smith were a gift. They are top line drivers. This is Guy’s first race on these tires and maybe he wasn’t familiar with the way they heat up. I think Lazzaro got caught out by the speedy dry on the track. Take those two, and the spin by Thorne and we are eighth. We optimized and maximized our Cadillac CTS.V.R today. A team that was winning races at the beginning of the year is now finishing 27 seconds back.”
Pilgrim was caught late as he was losing grip.
“I got a great start going from 13th to 10th,”Pilgrim said. “Then we got our, what seems like, mandatory yellow on the first lap. It is a tough deal for us out there now. I lost the tires really bad towards the end and got separated from Johnny. I did the best I could. I didn’t think that Sofronas could come by me from as far back as he was on the track. I didn’t know the Ferrari of Hedlund was right with him. When the tires are gone you are wounded duck and can’t be aggressive and can’t really defend.”
Race two of the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma will take the standing start at 4:40 p.m. PT. The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sat., Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. and are streamed live at worldchallenge.com.
Fuel strategy pays dividends again for Prototype championship leaders
•Three Corvette DPs in top-five at Road America
•Corvette Racing Corvette C7.Rs sixth, seventh in GTLM
•Chevrolet leaves Road America leading Prototype, GTLM manufacturer championships
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 10, 2014) – Action Express Racing played its strategy to perfection once again Sunday as Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi won the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America. It was the second straight victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for the No. 5 Corvette Daytona Prototype, and Barbosa and Fittipaldi increased their lead in the Prototype driver’s championship.
The victory was the first at Road America for the Corvette DP program and extended Chevrolet’s lead in the Prototype engine manufacturer championship.
Fittipaldi led the first 18 laps and Barbosa the final 15 as the lead cars made their final pit stops with 38 minutes remaining. Barbosa had pitted with a little more than an hour to go and benefitted from three caution periods in the race’s second half as Action Express Racing’s fuel and pit strategy worked just as it did in the last race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Congratulations to Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP team on the victory today,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Their win was special since it was the first at Road America for a Corvette DP team.”
Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante were fourth for Spirit of Daytona Racing in the No. 90 Corvette DP after starting 48th. From the rear of the grid, Valiante made it up to fifth prior to the team’s first stop 59 minutes into the race.
Marsh Racing scored its best finish of the season with a fifth-place result for the No. 31 Corvette DP of Eric Curran and Burt Frisselle.
Jordan Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP led with 46 minutes to go but crashed under caution with 30 minutes left due to a steering component malfunction. He and Ricky Taylor finished 10th in class.
The next race for the Corvette DPs is the Lone Star Le Mans on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Sixth, Seventh in GTLM for Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs
Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs placed sixth and seventh in a hectic GT Le Mans (GTLM) race. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen led the team’s charge in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette following at the finish.
The result was enough for Magnussen and Garcia to retain their lead in the GTLM driver’s championship, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in the team championship.
Both Milner and Garcia were jostled around on the opening laps. An early stop for two tires and fuel was a strategic move but it was undone by a tire going down due to debris on Garcia’s No. 3 Corvette and a one-minute penalty call on Milner for leaving pitlane with the exit closed.
Things settled down in the middle part of the race with Gavin running as high as fifth before a late-race incident with another GTLM competitor moved him back down the order.
The next TUDOR Championship event for Corvette Racing is the Oak Tree Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 24 at Virginia International Raceway.
CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“Definitely, back-to-back wins is awesome. I want to thank the team, Chevy and ECR Engines… what an effort by this whole group. We were suffering some brake problems early in the race, but we managed to fix it on the first stop. Joao drove two very strong stints that put us back up front again. We also had a small encounter with the No. 10 car, but it went the way it went. I don’t know what to say. We can’t be happier than this. We have to turn the page and move on to the next race, and just continue to do what we have been doing.”
JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP
“It was definitely when I got in the car for my last stint, the team said, ‘It is going to be really tight so save fuel as much as you can.’ That is what I was doing. Luckily we had the last few yellows that made us good to go until the end on fuel. The team said go full bore, go on whatever map you want, and go as fast as you want, so I had a blast at the end.”
MICHAEL VALIANTE, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP
“We just took a risk with the strategy and followed the No. 10 and the No. 01 on strategy, and in hindsight, that is what cost us the race. Had we stopped (earlier), we would have won. At the start, the main thing was to try and stay out of trouble and not lose too much time to the leaders. I was able to get through without any incidents and make up positions, and we came in to the pits in fifth so the race was going really well for us. But you win some, you lose some and it ended up we just didn’t make the right call with the strategy. On to COTA.”
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“It was good. We had a very good car. It was unfortunate with what happened with the No. 5. We both braked really late. I was committed and he was committed. Unfortunately we touched and it’s lucky we both didn’t go around.”
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 31 MARSH RACING CORVETTE DP
“I got a pretty good start and moved up from eighth to the top-five, and we were able to run in the top-five for a little bit. Those P2 cars, once they get rolling they have a lot of speed, and one of the P2 cars got by me. Then I had to follow the DeltaWing, which has some big straight-line speed and then holds you up in the corner. But this 31 Whelen Corvette was working really well. We still have some work to do. It’s the first season for us with the Corvette DP. There is some more time and speed to come from it.”
JIM LUTZ, CHEVROLET CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE PROGRAM MANAGER
“It’s great to score our first victory with the Corvette DP at Road America. The engineering and strategy by the Action Express Racing team was perfect. The number of cautions and debris on the track throughout the race made things difficult. But all four of our Corvette DPs showed well throughout the day. It’s always good to leave a track holding a championship lead, and that’s what Chevrolet has managed to do in the Prototype engine manufacturer’s standings.”
GTLM QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was quite a nightmare out there. The debris puncture on our tire put us out of sequence; we were already out of sequence a little bit. I found myself trying to defend even on new tires. The car was good but we were getting hammered out there.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was a very hectic and crazy race. We tried a gamble early by taking two tires. The second caution coming out soon after that hurt our chances, along with a piece of debris puncturing one of our tires. We scored the maximum amount of points that we could today, which was the goal. We will turn our focus to VIR now and hopefully be in better position to fight for a win and podium.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was another day that kind of summarizes our year. The call for two tires early was a good one but unfortunately the penalty pushed us back down the order. My stint started well and I could run pretty good lap times and stay with the cars directly in front of me. The incident with one of the Vipers ruined any chance we had for a good result. It’s a shame as the team did a fantastic job getting us up to fifth. But we will regroup and be ready for VIR and hope for a repeat of our 2012 victory.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“It was a pretty rough couple of laps at the start. Both the driver’s side and passenger’s side and the rear bumper and front bumper all had contact. In some places, I was trying to make room for myself around people who didn’t want to give me room. It’s how the racing is, trying to get around PC cars. The car wasn’t bad.”
Milner, Taylors to team in Corvette C7.R for Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas
•All-American lineup in lone U.S. race for FIA WEC
•Entry sponsored by Konica Minolta and Michelin
DETROIT (Aug. 8, 2014) – Corvette Racing will field a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the only race for the FIA World Endurance Championship in the U.S. The Corvette C7.R entry will have a distinctive American flavor with Tommy Milner, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor teaming in the GTE Pro class at the venue in Austin, Texas.
The All-American trio will also compete in the weekend’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship round, albeit on different teams – Milner with Corvette Racing in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R as part of that series’ GT Le Mans class and the Taylors in their Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype. The two-hour, 45-minute TUDOR Championship race will precede the six-hour WEC round that will offer the challenge of starting in the daylight to finish under the stars.
The TUDOR Championship, sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), is North America’s leading professional sports car series. The FIA WEC is a global championship that features the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sanctioned by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO).
Konica Minolta, full-time sponsor on the No. 10 Corvette DP driven by the Taylor brothers will co-sponsor the WEC effort along with long-time Corvette Racing technical partner Michelin.
“Chevrolet and Corvette Racing pride themselves on competing against the best sports car manufacturers and teams in the world,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “This is a great opportunity to race in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship at Circuit of The Americas. The event will shine a spotlight on Chevrolet and the Corvette brand domestically and internationally.
“Chevrolet is fully committed to help grow the stature of sports car racing in North America,” Kent continued. “It is important for us to support our partners in the TUDOR Championship as well as the FIA and ACO during one of the biggest weekend for sports car racing in North America. We greatly appreciate Konica Minolta and Michelin as without their support, this FIA WEC entry would not have been possible.”
CORVETTE RACING FIA WEC QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER
“Doing two races on the same weekend will be somewhat difficult. It will be made a little easier by going to and from essentially the same car. But I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge. It will be fun to have Ricky and Jordan in the car with us. Jordan obviously has time in the Corvette C7.R from Le Mans, and Ricky has time from last year at Le Mans in the C6.R. For Jordan, I’m sure driving the car in a full downforce spec will be quite a bit different than what he experienced at Le Mans. We’ll be helping them get going early on with lots of bouncing back and forth. It’s a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a great opportunity for the three of us to compete in this race for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing. I obviously know Jordan and Ricky pretty well. While the three of us will do everything we can do win in the WEC, our primary focus will be on the TUDOR Championship. We each are contending for championships in our respective classes, so doing what we can to score maximum points there is our primary focus.”
JORDAN TAYLOR
“This is an amazing opportunity. To be racing a Corvette in the FIA World Endurance Championship on American soil, with an all-American lineup… it couldn’t be any cooler. It will be my first time racing in the WEC, other than doing Le Mans the past few years, so it’s going to be a bit of a different feel racing in more of a sprint race format. We’ll be representing America on a world stage. I can’t wait.
“We’re obviously racing for the championship in the TUDOR race, so we’ll have to keep an eye on our main competitors to try and maximize our points. The WEC race is a one-off for us. We have nothing to lose, so we’ll be there with one goal – to win. It’s two different mentalities; both have their challenges.”
RICKY TAYLOR
“It is a very important weekend for us on many levels. For me it will be my first opportunity to drive for Corvette Racing and my first time in GTE Pro. I am really looking forward to getting to know the team and working with everyone on a race weekend. With three American drivers in an American marque, we have a really special opportunity here.
“We plan to sit in the car at Road America to figure out if we need to make a new seat. Jordan has been great; he keeps saying how much the car has improved and that I will be just fine in the car. Most of the learning will come after the first free practice when we are able to compare data and I have an idea of what the car does.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is a leader in information management focused on enterprise content, technology optimization and cloud services. Our solutions help organizations improve their speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. Clients trust Konica Minolta to help them envision how they can achieve their goals and deliver innovative solutions to give shape to their ideas. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition including being recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for seven consecutive years, and “A3 MFP Line of the Year” award winner from Buyers Laboratory LLC for an unprecedented four consecutive years. In 2012, Konica Minolta received “Document Imaging Solutions Line of the Year” recognition from BLI. Konica Minolta, Inc. has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for two years in a row. For more information, please visit www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
About Michelin
Michelin has served as the exclusive tire technical partner of Corvette Racing since 2004. Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelinman.com) employs more than 22,200 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 16 locations.
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LEXINGTON, Oh. (Aug. 3, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished fifth and sixth respectively in race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge Presented by StopTech this afternoon.
The grid was set by fast lap from yesterday’s race. Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started his No. 3 Cadillac CTS.V.R fourth and teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was tenth on the grid in his No. 8 Cadillac CTS.V.R. At the start of the 50-minute race O’Connell was able to squeeze his Cadillac by two competitors in front to duel for the overall lead going into the second turn. Like yesterday’s race a caution flew after the first lap bunching the field. On the restart O’Connell was second and teammate Pilgrim was fifth. The next stretch of laps to the next yellow on lap 22 had the FIA GT3 cars getting by the performance balanced Cadillac CTS.V.Rs who were running fourth and sixth. On the last restart, with just seven minutes remaining, O’Connell got a shove from Andrew Palmer and dropped one more position. The Cadillac CTS.V.R duo came across the finish line in fifth and sixth.
“I had another good start,” O’Connell said. “I was able to challenge the Porsche for a few hundred yards at the start. The yellows helped me today. With all of the weight we carry I can hang at the front for about two or three laps and that is really working. After that our cars really fall off and they get stronger. I left everything out on the track today. I felt I ran good races this weekend. We came here knowing that we would have our work cut out for us. When you can have the eighth fastest cars and score a podium and a top five on the weekend that is attributed to the team. I am driving as well as I ever have. I came into this event thinking we would leave not in the championship lead, but we still are leading.”
Pilgrim had to pull an evasive maneuver at the start.
“I had to make a split second decision at the start,” Pilgrim said. “The Bentley was stalled on the line and I decided to go right with two wheels on the grass, which was the right move as I was able to move up five positons by the second turn. My car was good early, but then it got a little tail happy and the FIA GT3 cars got warmed up. Sadly we are racing as well as we have ever raced, the cars are running as good as they every have and we are racing for fourth and fifth. I had a great race car. The Cadillac Racing guys did a great job this weekend. I am happy with the way I drove, but just not with where I finished. I am hoping they rebalance and help us a little to be more competitive for the last two weekends.”
The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sun., Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Sonoma Raceway in California for the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma Aug. 22-24.
O’Connell second, Pilgrim seventh in rain drenched GT race
LEXINGTON, Oh. (Aug. 2, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell finished second in race one of the Pirelli World Challenge Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge Presented by StopTech today.
After a difficult qualifying session this morning that had Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) seventh and teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) ninth the duo took the standing start in their Cadillac CTS.V.Rs in dry conditions from the fourth and fifth rows on the GT grid.
O’Connell was able to get a strong get away and was into second place by Turn Three of the opening lap. A full course caution stopped the action after just one circuit of the 2.2-mile, 13-turn track. On the lap seven restart O’Connell slipped to third and feverishly defended his position. On lap 13 sprinkles of rain began to fall and three laps later a full course caution flew for wet conditions. As some competitors decided to pit for rain tires, including Mike Skeen the overall leader of the race, the Cadillac Racing crew had O’Connell stay out as the clock was still ticking. On lap 20 a red flag flew stopping the action with O’Connell being the first car behind the Cadillac CTS.V Pace Car. Minutes later the checkered waved and per the rules the finish was set based upon the last lap run classifying O’Connell in second position. Pilgrim pitted for rains a lap earlier, returned to the track and was classified in seventh.
“I was able to get some good traction at the start and go from seventh up to second at the start,” O’Connell said. “The effort from the team has been great here this weekend. The car is as good as I have ever had at Mid-Ohio. Although we only qualified seventh, that is a balance of performance result. Like race number one in Toronto, we were able to hang around the front and it came out better than expected. When the rain started I had a couple of big moments. Going into Turn One I was crossed up a little and I think guys were going off behind me. When they stopped the race I was first behind the CTS.V Pace Car. But per the rules they revert to the last complete lap. We brought home maximum points on a day when it was better to be lucky than good.”
Pilgrim pitted for rains costing him track position.
“I was able to get a pretty good start,” Pilgrim said. “I was back in ninth so there were a lot of cars ahead of me. Going into Turn Two it got stacked up pretty good. I was around seventh at that point. We had a long yellow after one lap. On the restart I got passed by the Bentley and an Audi. It is hard to pass here when you don’t have a lot of straight away speed. That is frustrating. When the rain came I got by a couple of cars. We made the call to come in late for rains and that cost me a few positions.”
Race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix presented by StopTech from Mid-Ohio will take the standing start at 1:40 p.m. tomorrow, Sun., Aug. 3. The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sun., Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
TORONTO, (July 20, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Andy Pilgrim finished fifth in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy Toronto through the streets of Exhibition Place. Teammate Johnny O’Connell came in eighth.
Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started his No. 8 Cadillac CTS.V.R from eighth position based upon his fast lap from yesterday’s race. Teammate O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started the shortened 37-minute race from the ninth grid positon. Although there was a dry line, off the racing line there was still some wet spots prompting the series officials to deviate from the standing start and green flag a rolling charge to Turn One. As the race progressed Pilgrim and O’Connell, held back by performance adjustments, were subject to taking what the over exuberance of their competition would provide. The positions made up from their starting positions were “gifts” from car contact and spins.
“It was really a tough race,” Pilgrim said. “We are down on performance everywhere. I can’t stay with a guy on the straight-away to get in a position to make a pass. It is difficult to compete at the front with these top drivers when you are so handicapped. Fifth place is an absolute gift. A couple of guys went out and that is my fifth place. I think I passed one car. It was the second race of the weekend and there was a lot of rubbing going on out there today. The front guys were really mixing it up good.”
O’Connell also had trouble coming back from the ninth position on the grid.
“A standing start would have helped us a lot,” O’Connell said. “It is so hard to pass here on this track. We are usually good on a standing start. I am not sure why they went to a rolling start. We don’t have pace really with anyone. I have never worked so hard for an eighth place finish. The race was cleaner than I thought it would be today. I was hopeful after the last caution that there would be some fireworks and there was. Without the craziness in front of us we were a tenth place car.”
The Pirelli World Challenge races from Toronto will air on the NBC Sports Network, Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 p.m. Race two will tomorrow, Sunday, July 20 at 12:15 p.m.
The series will travel to Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course for the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix presented by StopTech August 1 – August 3.
TORONTO, (July 19, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell finished third in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy Toronto through the streets of Exhibition Place. Teammate Andy Pilgrim came in sixth.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) had a good start that saw him go into Turn One in second, from his third row starting position. Just after Turn One he had to surrender the second place spot to the Viper of Kuno Wittmer who motored by on the next straight. O’Connell had to weather two restarts and pressure late from the Audi of Mike Skeen to keep the last step on the podium earning valuable points. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was able to make up a position on the start and then inherited two more positions as competitors running in front him were overcome with street racing enthusiasm and had issues.
“Week in and week out there is a lot of things that you can count on, one is that the sun will come up and the other is that we will get a good start,” O’Connell said. “We really focus on the first third of these races and the start is just the beginning of that component. The race pretty much went to plan today. I was able to get a good run on the Viper into one and then on the next straight he just out horse-powered me into the next turn. I had some brushes out there with the wall, and with a few cars, but the CTS.V.R stayed under me. The Cadillac Racing engineers improved the handling of the car and I am glad we have a super strong Cadillac. Position is everything racing on the streets. I had it and was able to keep some good cars behind me. A good points day.”
Pilgrim took what was given and was able to improve three positions and finish a solid sixth.
“Unbelievable out there today,” Pilgrim said. “Johnny moved up a couple of position to get a podium for Cadillac which is great. I was able to move up from ninth to sixth and I am actually happy with that run. I was able to improve on the start and I was getting pushed by Sofronas (James) in his Audi all race. My car wasn’t handling the best, I had some oversteer. I was able to take advantage of some situations from people banging into each other. I saw some ridiculous driving out there today. We are struggling a little right now. Johnny and I had the eighth and ninth fastest laps in the race. We are supposed to be strong on the street courses, eighth and ninth fastest is tough to take.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy at Toronto will air on the NBC Sports Network, Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 p.m. Race two will tomorrow, Sunday, July 20 at 12:15 p.m.
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered an historic renaissance led by artful engineering and global expansion. Visit cadillac.com to view the full Cadillac line-up.
Additional information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com. Multi-media and team information can be viewed at Cadillac.com GM.com, media.gm.com,
world-challenge.com, andypilgrim.com, johnnyoconnell.com; Facebook GM, Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O’Connell, Cadillac.
Win equals GT Le Mans championship leads; Gavin and Milner fourth after penalty
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 29, 2014) – In its 15 years of existence, Sunday marked Corvette Racing’s first event at Watkins Glen International. The team made its debut one to remember with a dominating GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
The duo led most of the day to earn their third straight class victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. In the process, Garcia and Magnussen moved into the lead of the GTLM driver’s championship, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in team points.
“The Corvette C7.R team’s first race at Watkins Glen was exciting given the challenging track and intense competition that kept the pressure on all race,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Antonio and Jan drove a great race and the crew executed quick pit stops. We are thankful to come out of The Glen with a GTLM class win and the class championship lead.”
Garcia and Magnussen also won the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – a four-race championship made of the TUDOR series’ four endurance events.
The Garcia/Magnussen combination led 154 of the 185 GTLM laps. Magnussen drove the opening stint and took the lead from the pole-sitting BMW on the first lap. Despite holding as much as a 30-second lead at various points, the final minutes were tense ones. A full-course caution with 25 minutes left brought the Corvette inside its fuel window for the rest of the race. A final yellow period just after the restart meant a final-lap dash that saw Garcia hold off the second-place Viper by 0.185 seconds.
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished fourth in their No. 4 Corvette C7.R after running second to their teammates for most of the day. A stop-and-go penalty inside the last hour for what race officials judged to be avoidable contact halted their podium charge.
The day wasn’t a complete loss. Gavin and Milner moved into the lead of the Patrón Endurance Challenge with just the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans remaining at the end of the season.
The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race, which Gavin and Milner won last year as part of the American Le Mans Series, is set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 13.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“The car was really good. I was running perfect. Jan (Magnussen) made perfect start and pulled a gap. Then we got a caution but we made the gap back up from zero to almost 20 seconds. Whenever I was able to go full-on we went up to almost a 30-second lead. Strategy-wise we were like two or three laps short (on fuel) I believe. We decided because the Viper … maybe they gambled a little bit more at the beginning so they were out of sequence to stretch their fuel to start with; they were good to go to the end. We decided to go too, and it was hard. To go through traffic, it was really difficult to save fuel. At the end we would have been OK to the end (without the last caution). That yellow obviously helped us a little bit more just in case. We weren’t really on it, but I believe Corvette Racing again did a perfect race. I think we led everything but qualifying.”
Photo by Richard Prince
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“I have to say I am so pleased for how things have gone for the team this year, with the No. 3 car especially, but how we have developed a new car and we keep finding better things to do with it. We are finding better race speed over one lap over the whole distance and making the Michelin tires last for the whole stint. We have a fantastic race car. It’s a very competitive category and you have to be on your game with everything you do. There is no room for any mistakes otherwise you lose it.”
(First race in the Corvette C7.R at The Glen) “I have been here before in other categories, the GRAND-AM GT and also the GRAND-AM DPs earlier. Driving the Corvette C7.R around here is just a fantastic feeling. It’s such a fast race track. It’s almost like there is a part missing of the corner – normally you would have a big braking zone downshifts and everything getting the car ready to rotate and then shoot out the corner. Here that little bit is gone so basically for every corner you barely touch the brake, downshift, back to full throttle. It’s all about the momentum here to build the speed, and that is where dealing with all the traffic was very important; you didn’t get bogged down too much because it would kind of ruin your rhythm. I think both of us did that really well today.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“Certainly we made a step forward with the car after yesterday morning. We went back to basics with stuff, we changed a lot chassis-wise with the car. So was it the perfect setup? No because it was just really a bit of a stab at it, but it was good enough to race and be in the hunt. I genuinely think we should have had a second-place. Tommy (Milner) did a great job at the start and really got us in a fantastic position. It looked like we were going to be able to race cleanly for second.
(Race impressions) “On the double stint that I did, the first on the medium tire was good and I hung with Jan (Magnussen) pretty much. And then on the harder tire it was trickier. It made it a lot more difficult. But we were still there still in second-place looking like we were going to be able to fight for that and then Tommy (Milner) just got a crazy decision with the penalty. We went back and forth for a long time and it’s a great shame that it ruined our race. We went from second to fourth and I think we should have really had a second. That would have been a great result for the team and the guys. They worked so hard over the whole weekend.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
“First and foremost, I’m very proud of our guys. After Oliver (Gavin) and I were not very happy with the car in practice they put a lot of work into trying to fix the car and it seems like that we have done that. The car was certainly quite a bit better in the race. We were just kind of behind the eight ball – just needed some more practice time to kind of fine tune it, but I think we are back in the ballpark again. That is obviously really encouraging for going forward.
(Race impressions) The race was pretty good. I had a really fun start there. It was just a shame that I got a penalty for something that I don’t believe should have been a penalty. Obviously the race control saw it differently. We can only just move on and kind of put that behind us and be proud of what we achieved. Obviously a great job by the No. 3 car guys; they executed very well. Our guys did as well. We had great pit stops, great strategy calls… they did everything right. We deserved a podium today, but we had it taken away.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“Today was emblematic of one of my key racing axioms – 25 percent great car, 25 percent great team and 50 percent good fortune. We had all those in our corner today, backed up by flawless pit stops and a great strategy by our engineers. With plenty of power from GM Powertrain, you add all that up and it’s a victory in our first visit to Watkins Glen International in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for standing on that top step. Everyone worked very hard to earn this one.”
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 21, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell finished second and third respectively in the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge Series presented by Cadillac GT weekend at Road America this morning.
The field for the second race of the weekend was set by fast qualifying laps from Saturday’s race. O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the second row in fourth with teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) taking the lights from the eighth position. Both Cadillac drivers were able to get strong starts. O’Connell passed Mike Skeen’s Audi for the lead with a brave move on the outside of Turn Five. Pilgrim was passing cars throughout the lap and slotted into third going into Turn One on the second lap. On lap four a full caution flew and lasted most of the race, accounting for eight laps. When the race restarted on lap 12 (16 total laps were run) the field went into Turn Eight. O’Connell got pushed wide from his second place position and Pilgrim was able to squeak by and take the runner spot to the finish.
“The start was interesting,” Pilgrim said. “I was going to go right and then Tim Bergmeister went right and I had a better launch and he was a little hesitant and gave me room into three and I went by. I made a move on the Bentley going into eight and then on the Ferrari later. It just opened up for me early. On the restart, Johnny got pushed wide out of eight and he had to get off the gas and I was able to get by him. The long yellow was a gift from the racing gods. After ten laps yesterday we lost a lot of ground. The long yellow helped to keep the tires cool and the car under me. A good weekend.”
O’Connell had no trouble with the start today.
“I had a great start, went from fourth place to the lead,” O’Connell said. “The Cadillac Racing guys gave me a great hot rod today. I am pleased with the result. Congratulations to Mike Skeen on a double win. I am thinking championship. We helped ourselves today with the points that we are taking out of here. I was able to get by Skeen on the outside of Turn Five. Our best opportunity to move up is early in the race. I was able to do that and got by him for the lead. His tires came in and he found a way back by me. Without the yellow he would have really checked out. Later I went into eight and got shoved wide and Andy got by. We had a good points weekend.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Series presented by Cadillac from Road America will be televised on NBC Sports, Friday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The series will travel to Toronto for the Grand Prix of Toronto, July 18-20.
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 20, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim will start first and fourth for this afternoon’s Pirelli World Challenge Series GT race at Road America. Due to rain the SCCA officials cancelled qualifying and have set the grid based upon driver points.
The World Challenge Series FIA GT3 specification cars topped the time sheet in yesterday’s practice sessions. O’Connell was ninth fastest in practice with a time of 2:09.453, Pilgrim was tenth with a 2:09.495 lap. Tomas Enge paced the GT field in his Lamborghini with a time of 2:08.222. The high downforce of the FIA GT3 spec cars are showing their strength around the four-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course located 30-minutes north of Milwaukee.
“We kind of lucked into the pole,” O’Connell said. “We have some amazing handling Cadillac CTS.V.Rs here this weekend. The engineering staff at Cadillac Racing have us really feeling good about the cars. We came here thinking that the GT3 cars would have a big advantage on us here at Road America. They showed it yesterday with Andy and I being ninth and tenth on the time sheet. I love to qualify, but getting a pole when you are ninth in practice due to weather, heck I will take it.”
O’Connell would welcome a rain race.
“Right now for the race it is looking like it will be dry,” he continued. “It is easier to hold position as opposed to making it up when your hot rod is a little down to the competition. We just have to execute. We will have to perform perfectly at all ends from car preparation to race craft. The wet might work to our advantage with our driving experience and the knowledge of our CTS.V.Rs in the wet. We will take whatever Mother Nature gives for the race this afternoon. I applaud the officials for making the call on qualifying, you don’t want to lose cars in bad conditions when you don’t have to.”
Pilgrim will take a fourth place starting position today.
“It is excellent to start fourth today,” Pilgrim said. “It is a shame we didn’t qualify, everyone likes to push themselves and their cars in qualifying. If it was damp it would have been interesting, but there was just too much water. So we lucked out a little bit with that call. I think we would have qualified in the top six somewhere. We now have to take advantage of the starting positions in the race.”
“It is still raining,” he continued. “The last time I ran here in the rain was more than 10 years ago. This place can be tricky in the wet. In the previous touring car session they lost a couple of cars because of standing water. Standing water is tough to deal with. The rain will level the playing field for sure. I think it is looking like it will be dry for the race. Johnny and I will have our work cut out for us to keep the positions we have been given. My Cadillac is good in the dry, so we just have to take advantage of what has been given to us.”
Race one of the Pirelli World Challenge Series at Road America will take the standing start this afternoon at 3:15 p.m. CT. Tomorrow’s race will go off at 9:10 a.m. The race weekend will be televised on NBC Sports, Friday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
