Garcia, Magnussen look for ALMS GT drivers’ title at end of 1,000-mile enduro

DETROIT (Oct. 14, 2014) – Only one more race separates Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen from the American Le Mans Series’ GT drivers’ championship. Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is the site of the final round of the 2013 ALMS but also the series’ finale as well. The 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic has been a staple at Road Atlanta – an hour northeast of Atlanta – since its first running in 1998.

After nine of 10 rounds in this year’s championship, Garcia and Magnussen in the No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R lead their sole remaining challenger – Dirk Muller – by 16 points with 24 available to the winner at Petit Le Mans. The Corvette Racing camp is aiming for a second straight clean sweep of the ALMS GT titles. It clinched a 10th series team championship and won Chevrolet’s 10th manufacturer title in the previous race at Virginia International Raceway. The championship chase concludes at Road Atlanta with live coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 2; the race’s broadcast alternates between it and FOX Sports 1.

No duo in the GT class can match Garcia and Magnussen’s three victories in 2013: Laguna Seca, Baltimore and Austin. For Petit Le Mans, they will team with newly crowned GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype champion Jordan Taylor. The group must finish seventh or higher at Road Atlanta for Garcia and Magnussen to win the driving title; they were second last year.

If they do, the duo would succeed Corvette Racing teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner as champions. Richard Westbrook returns to join them in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette; the trio opened the ALMS season with a remarkable, come-from-behind victory at Sebring. Gavin is the team’s winningest driver at Road Atlanta with five victories.

With five wins on the season, Corvette Racing is assured of being the ALMS’ most successful entrant in series history. The list of achievements is remarkable – 82 victories, 10 team and manufacturer titles, and 64 pole positions. All are American Le Mans Series records.

Starting in January, a new era begins with the debut of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – a result of a merger between the ALMS and GRAND-AM. The season will open with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and close with Petit Le Mans.

EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

(Championship strategy) “We need to keep racing as we have up to this point. We need to use a percentage of caution; we won’t risk as much during the race as we normally would. But in this case, you can’t hold back and wait. If you hold back a little too much, you become vulnerable. We need to keep the same strategy – try to be up front and stay out of trouble.”

“We all just need to stay calm and relax. The key is to remain consistent and keep doing the same things we have earlier in the year.”

(Being successful at Road Atlanta) “The key thing is that we normally have a few more cars and new people running in the race. The amount of traffic rises, as does the risk. Because Road Atlanta is not so easy on traffic due to the layout, you need to take it easy. You also need to have a smart, safe strategy and don’t try to do something out of sequence and completely different than anything from the season.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

(Championship strategy) “We will have to keep our eye on the ball and win the championship. That’s not to say we can’t go for a victory, but we do need to make sure we get the championship. The situation is looking quite good for us but it is a long race. Our main competitors will be strong but our car is usually excellent as well at Road Atlanta. We need to be clever about it – push when we need to but also smart when need to.”

(Keys to victory) “Because of the race’s length, the team plays a much bigger part. There is a ton of strategy involved and there are more pit stops. Fortunately for us, we have been able to do a really good job at both. The longer distances will suit our team even more and usually we are quite strong. We do put a lot of time and effort into stops and making the right strategy calls.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“Finishing the last three races in the Rolex Series and winning those races, there isn’t a much better feeling. Having those victories and a championship is the best possible way to come into Petit Le Mans. I’m really excited to get back to the Corvette and the team since the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 3 team has had a great season so far. My job is to help them to win a championship.”

(Taming the track) “Road Atlanta is one of the more traditional courses we have in America. There is a lot of speed, and the track flows very well. It’s a fun track to drive but when you get into a race situation with traffic, it can be frustrating and stressful if you’re stuck behind a slower GT car or trying to hold off a prototype in certain sections. Things can get pretty stressful and it’s easy to lose a ton of time. If you lose a little bit of rhythm or momentum at a place like Road Atlanta – where you are going by rhythm or momentum – you can lose sync of everything and wonder where your lap time went. It’s a big track for confidence and believing in yourself and the car.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“The race really is one of the crown jewels of the sports car racing world. It’s an event many teams from outside the series want to do. A thousand miles around Road Atlanta is a great challenge. The track is fast and unforgiving. It can frustrate you when you’re in traffic, but sometime you can use that your advantage if someone is chasing you. It’s a track that is suited for this race with the fact you go from starting in the middle of the day and ending at night. Those last couple of hours, you know is going to be hard and tough after racing all day. It will be a fine way to finish off the story that has been the ALMS.”

(Adding a Petit Le Mans win to Sebring) “That has to be the goal. We’ve had some ups and downs starting at Sebring. We had a great victory in Canada before things started going downhill for us. When you have three bad races in a year, you have to be super-lucky to come away with a championship. Considering how difficult this class is, you get one ‘get out of jail free’ card. Jan and Antonio played their card at Sebring, but since then they have nailed it every single weekend. They’ve had a very strong season and deserve to be leading the championship with one race to go. Let’s hope they can seal it at Petit Le Mans and get us all three championships again for Corvette Racing. It would be an amazing feat to close the American Le Mans Series with Corvette Racing and Chevrolet as champions in everything we can win.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“There is a lot to race for, that’s for sure. We can’t win the championship – we’re one point out of having a chance. We’d love to be second in the final standings. But from my perspective I’d rather go for a win at Petit Le Mans – the last ALMS race and one race I haven’t won yet. That’s higher on my list than finishing second or staying third in the standings. It’s a big race – where the ALMS started. Sebring and this one were races coming into the year that I definitely wanted to win. We got Sebring in March and if we can get Sebring, I’d be able to look back on this season and be satisfied with what Oliver, Richard and I have accomplished. There would be nothing better to end the season and the ALMS’ run with a victory.”

(Track characteristics) “Road Atlanta is a track that suits multi-class racing. There is an ebb and flow with traffic throughout the race within our class. It’s one I’ve always enjoyed. It’s incredibly fast and fun circuit. For whatever reason, I seem to get a little more excited for Petit Le Mans. The whole picture of that event makes it pretty special. It’s always well-subscribed by fans.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“Petit Le Mans is one of the classics. In the sports car racing world, you’ve got the Le Mans 24 Hours, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. This is where the ALMS started. It will always be a very special event. Any driver that wins it will put it straight away on their CV. Driving a Corvette in Petit Le Mans also is a very special thing. We have a great turnout with the Corvette owners in the Corvette Corral – one of the biggest of the year. So being a Corvette driver at Road Atlanta is an incredibly special thing.”

(Dealing with traffic) “For a driver, and it’s something I have to be mindful of – you have to be patient. It’s a short track with a very large field. It’s easy to get bottled up for half your stint or even your whole stint in traffic. It’s so easy to be caught up in other people’s battles. You need to be patient early and let the racing take care of itself in the last couple hours.

(A good track) “This definitely is a track that suits our car. It’s has a long straight, a really fast section with a lot of high-speed corners. You also have the slow chicane where you are braking from very high speed. It’s a great indicator of how your car is generally because it has a bit of everything.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Over the years, Petit Le Mans has proven to be one of the most exciting events on our schedule. From a driver’s perspective, the Road Atlanta circuit presents an extremely difficult challenge featuring a lot of elevation change mixed with very high-speed corners. And none of that is wasted on our fans who truly understand how important this year’s race will be to Corvette Racing. We come in having wrapped up both the ALMS manufacturers’ and team championships, which leaves the all-important drivers’ championship still up for grabs. Jan and Antonio have fought back all year to take the lead in points and Petit Le Mans will decide who goes home with the crown. You can’t ask for any more drama than that!”

Petit Le Mans (all times ET)

Wednesday, Oct. 16-Saturday, Oct. 19

• • Test Session: 2:15 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 16
• • Practice 1: 10:45 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 17
• • Practice 2: 2:45 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17
• • Practice 3: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17
• • Practice 4: 10:20 a.m., Friday, Oct. 18
• • GT Qualifying: 2:05 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18
• • Warmup: 9:15 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19
• • Race: 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19

Petit Le Mans: Watch It!

Friday, Oct. 18-Saturday, Oct. 19 (all times ET)

• • Qualifying: 1:50 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18 (ALMS.com)
• • Race (TV): 11 a.m.-noon, 2:30-6:30 p.m. (FOX Sports 2); 6:30-8 p.m. (FOX Sports 1); 8-9:30 p.m. (FOX Sports 2)
• • Race (Web): 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19 (ALMS.com)

Corvette Racing History at Road Atlanta

Year Class Drivers Result Car Notes

1999 GTS Fellows/Kneifel/Paul Jr. 5th Corvette C5-R

Pilgrim/Collins/Sharp 4th Corvette C5-R

2000 GTS Fellows/Kneifel/Bell 3rd Corvette C5-R Fellows pole

Pilgrim/Collins/Freon 1st Corvette C5-R

2001 GTS Fellows/O’Connell 9th Corvette C5-R

Collins/Pilgrim/Freon 1st Corvette C5-R Pilgrim pole

2002 GTS Fellows/O’Connell/Gavin 1st Corvette C5-R

Collins/Pilgrim/Freon 3rd Corvette C5-R Pilgrim fastest race lap

2003* GTS Fellows/O’Connell 3rd Corvette C5-R

Collins/Gavin 1st Corvette C5-R

2003 GTS Fellows/O’Connell/Freon 5th Corvette C5-R

Collins/Gavin/Pilgrim 3rd Corvette C5-R

2004 GTS Fellows/O’Connell/Papis 2nd Corvette C5-R

Beretta/Gavin/Magnussen 1st Corvette C5-R Gavin pole, fastest race lap

2005* GT1 Fellows/O’Connell 1st Corvette C6.R O’Connell pole, fastest race lap

Beretta/Gavin 2nd Corvette C6.R

2005 GT1 Fellows/O’Connell/Papis 6th Corvette C6.R

Beretta/Gavin/Magnussen 1st Corvette C6.R Beretta pole, Gavin fastest race lap

2006 GT1 Fellows/O’Connell/Papis 4th Corvette C6.R O’Connell pole

Beretta/Gavin/Magnussen 3rd Corvette C6.R Gavin fastest race lap

2007 GT1 Magnussen/O’Connell/Fellows 3rd Corvette C6.R

Beretta/Gavin/Papis 1st Corvette C6.R Gavin fastest race lap

2008 GT1 Magnussen/O’Connell/Fellows 1st Corvette C6.R O’Connell pole, Magnussen fastest race lap

Beretta/Gavin/Papis 2nd Corvette C6.R

2009 GT2 Magnussen/O’Connell/Garcia 6th Corvette C6.R

Beretta/Gavin/Fassler 4th Corvette C6.R

2010 GT Beretta/O’Connell/Garcia 6th Corvette C6.R

Gavin/Magnussen/Collard 1st Corvette C6.R Magnussen fastest race lap

2011 GT Beretta/Milner/Garcia 17th Corvette C6.R

Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook 4th Corvette C6.R

2012 GT Garcia/Magnussen/Taylor 2nd Corvette C6.R

Gavin/Milner/Westbrook 12th Corvette C6.R

* Denotes two-hour, 45-minute race

ALMS GT Championship Standings

Driver Standings

1. 1. Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 125
2. 2. Dirk Muller – 109
3. 3. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 100
4. 4. Dominik Farnbacher/Marc Goossens – 93
5. 5. Bill Auberlen – 82

Team Standings

1. 1. Corvette Racing – 161
2. 2. BMW Team RLL – 120
3. 3. SRT Motorsports – 109
4. 4. Risi Competizione – 56
5. 5. CORE autosport – 48

Manufacturer Standings

1. 1. Chevrolet – 164
2. 2. BMW – 134
3. 3. SRT – 123
4. 4. Ferrari – 109
5. 5. Porsche – 95

O’Connell wins drivers’ championship, Pilgrim seals manufacturer title for Cadillac

TOOELE, Utah (Sept. 13, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell added a third consecutive Pirelli World Challenge Series GT Drivers Championship to his racing resume. Teammate Andy Pilgrim sealed the Manufacturer Championship for Cadillac by finishing third in GT in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Nissan Finale at Miller Motorsports Park.

Both Cadillac drivers were able to get clean lanes down to Turn One for the final race of the season. Exiting Turn One O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) moved to second from his sixth place starting position with teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton Fla.) slotting in two spaces behind in fourth. The Cadillac drivers sole focus was to keep the armada of six Audis behind them to take the manufacturer title. Mission accomplished. Pilgrim finished the race in third position behind a McLaren and a Porsche while O’Connell came home a safe seventh to celebrate his third GT drivers’ championship.

O’Connell maintained a laser focus throughout the 2014 season to win his third World Challenge GT Drivers Championship. Posting three wins, one at Long Beach and two in Detroit, he added six second place finishes and two thirds to go along with four pole positions on the year. It was the last five races that were the most challenging. Following the Road America round the team was saddled with a weight penalty that took O’Connell from average finishes of third to fifth place averages the last half of the season. Luck, strategy, teamwork and execution all played key roles in O’Connell’s third championship. A rain shortened event at Mid-Ohio where the team kept him on the track resulting in a second place finish was key and the stars were aligned in the first race of the final weekend when championship rival Mike Skeen, No. 2 Audi, had an axle issue at the start and scored zero points, with O’Connell driving to a second place finish. The three time champion relied on his race craft honed over 27 years behind the wheel to take advantage of every opportunity to keep the championship under the Cadillac Racing tent.

“What a year,” O’Connell said. “It is everyone at Team Cadillac. I am just the quarterback. We have a whole team that makes this CTS.V.R go. If you don’t have the whole package from the car to the crew to these great Pirelli tires you are just not going to win here. Andy is a great teammate and he was on fire today, he drove a great race. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished as a team this year. This one is probably the most special of the three. We had to overcome a lot of obstacles this year and we did as a team. We did not make a mistake all season long.”

Andy Pilgrim

Pilgrim’s drive helped Cadillac Racing secure their fifth manufacturer championship (2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014).

“We had to keep Audi behind us,” Pilgrim said. “Johnny got a good jump at the start. Skeen (Mike, Audi No. 2) got by me on the first lap fair and square. I kept the pressure on him and we hit some traffic and I was able to get by Mike. Then I was behind Johnny and I sensed his car was going off a little sooner than mine. I put that move on him going into Turn Five and was able to get by. My car was better and I had to go. I ran as hard as I could the rest of the race and I was able to keep it going. Congratulations to Johnny on his third championship and Cadillac on their third title as well.”

Jim Campbell, General Motors vice president performance vehicles and motorsports, extended his praise for Cadillac Racing.

“Incredible finish,” Campbell said. “Great driving by Johnny and preparation by the crew all season long. Proud of Johnny and the CTS-V.R team on winning the GT driver championship for a third year in a row. Andy’s drive today, finishing third, brought the Manufacturers Championship back to Detroit for the third year as well. Teamwork, preparation, determination and great driving were keys to the championship.”

“Really good racing this weekend,” David Caldwell, Team Cadillac technical program manager, said. “Johnny did what he needed to do yesterday and Andy really stepped up for us today to secure the Manufacturer Championship for Cadillac. They work great together as teammates and they executed every lap this weekend without error. I need to thank every member of Team Cadillac for digging deep and putting in extreme efforts all year long to deliver both the Manufacturer and Driver’s championship titles for Cadillac.”

Since the team’s inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 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 and 2014 with Johnny O’Connell.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series races from Miller Motorsports Park will be televised on NBC Sports Network, Sun., Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Article by Kyle Chura

O’Connell 8th, Pilgrim 10th

SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 24, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Series for the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma in eighth and tenth places this afternoon.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) was able to hold onto his GT drivers points lead, by only 11, following the first race of the weekend on Saturday when he finished fifth and chief protagonist for the championship, Mike Skeen winning in his Audi. O’Connell started race two from the fifth row in tenth, five places behind Skeen, based upon his fast lap from race one. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla) took the standing start lights from the sixth row in 12th.

At the start of the 50-minute race O’Connell got a clean lane on the outside into Turn One moving from his tenth place grid position to fourth. More importantly he drove by Skeen who slotted in behind in fifth. The 50-minute Wine Country chess match began. From that point forward O’Connell and Skeen raced into nearly every corner side-by-side, sometimes swapping positions. A full course caution flew on lap eight, allowing the two time World Challenge GT Champion the time to cool his tires and catch his breath. When the race went green on lap 14 the match elevated. Skeen tried several moves – a couple which involved contact with the No.3 Cadillac CTS.V.R of O’Connell. While the two car battle ensued two cars behind them, passed and pushed the wannabe champions back to eighth and ninth respectively. On lap 20 Skeen slowed with a flat-tire, checkmate O’Connell. Cadillac Racing leaves Wine Country with O’Connell leading by 42 points heading into the two final rounds at Miller Motorsport Park in two weeks.

“There is a lot on the line,” O’Connell said. “I came into this weekend knowing that I had to execute and drive the wheels off this Cadillac hot rod. We have a team that doesn’t quite. I am really proud of the whole team effort this weekend. I was able to get a clean run into Turn One and put Skeen behind me. We battled the whole race. When the Bentley and the Ferrari got by us they really did it with their top speed. They put good moves on me to get past. Mike (Skeen) never was able to get a position on me and we had some contact. I raced a good, hard, clean race. We touched a few times and he came up with a flat. I am proud of the drive. It was fun. We will have to settle it at Miller in two weeks.”

Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla) had handling issues that thwarted his race.

“We took a shot at making the car better for the race and we really just missed the set-up,” Pilgrim said. “It was a gamble worth taking and we just didn’t hit it right. It is tough because we didn’t have a warm-up to try it out. The car was a handful all race. It was difficult to drive and it took all I had to keep it on the track. A very tail happy car.”

The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sat., Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. and are streamed live at worldchallenge.com.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah for the final two rounds of the season Sept. 12-13.

Courtesy of Kyle Chura

Garcia, Taylor finish seventh in GTLM; crash results in ninth place for Gavin, Milner

ALTON, Va. (Aug. 24, 2014) – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor led Corvette Racing’s effort at the Oak Tree Grand Prix with a seventh-place finish Sunday at Virginia International Raceway. The result keeps Garcia in the lead of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans driver standings and the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R entry first in the class team championship.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R were ninth in Sunday’s race after Milner was forced off track midway through the race and lost four laps. Two races remain in the inaugural TUDOR Championship season. Corvette Racing has four class victories on the season – the most of any team in GTLM.

Gavin and Milner looked to be the stronger of the two Corvette Racing entries in the race’s first half. Gavin opened with a strong stint that saw the Brit move from ninth at the start to fifth by the time he handed off to Milner. The American was battling with the eventual race-winning Ferrari just prior to the halfway point when he was hit hard from behind by another GTLM competitor.

The impact pushed Milner far off the track and heavily damaged the left-front of the Corvette C7.R and ended their podium challenge. The Gavin/Milner duo hoped to replicate their 2012 American Le Mans Series class victory at VIR.

Taylor started the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in place of Jan Magnussen, Garcia’s regular teammate. As a precaution following a crash involving Magnussen in Saturday’s practice session, the Dane and Chevrolet Racing management agreed he would not race.

Sunday morning’s warmup marked the first laps in the Corvette C7.R around VIR for Taylor, who drives for Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove a measured stint following a careful start and was second when he pitted at the 53-minute mark to hand off to Garcia.

The Spaniard drove a solid double-stint and led with 50 minutes left when he made his final stop for fuel and tires. Try as he might, Garcia was unable to advance from seventh place. The result meant that Chevrolet fell out of the lead in the GTLM manufacturer championship.

The next TUDOR Championship race for Corvette Racing is the Lone Star Le Mans on Saturday, Sept. 20 from Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The team also will field a Corvette C7.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s six-hour race on the same day.

GTLM QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“This was a very difficult and frustrating day. First of all, it disappointing not having Jan race but we were fortunate to have Jordan. He did a great job in his stint, especially for not having been in the car on this track. The Corvette Racing team was great on our pit stops. There were no mistakes. The result is what it is. Everyone on the team did what they needed to do. We got the maximum result we could out of the car.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“It was difficult. I don’t know what I should have expected. Jumping in the car for the first time on the day of the race is tough. I’d never taken the start before. I was a little cautious and a couple of guys got past. When things settled in, I think we had good pace. Once we saw where we were, we started saving fuel and made up a lap or two on some of the other guys. It put us in decent position for what we had.”

OLIVER GAVIN NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“The start was a little bit messy. It wasn’t a fantastic start for the Falken in front of me. The Ferrari ran wide out of Turn 10, and when he came back on just as I was coming into 11, he bombed me. Then I got side-by-side with one of the Porsches on the way down into Turn 14, and he didn’t give me enough room. As he was trying to go through on the outside, we touched and we both were sideways; he lost the rear and spun around. It was just a racing incident. After that, it was a matter of catching the Falken car. It was good racing with Bryan (Sellers) and he gave me lots of room; it was decent and fair. Jordan (Taylor) was good with me. He was trying to get a feel of things being brand new and fresh with the car. and gave me plenty of room at Turn 1. We both tried to get through that first stint without any contact or problems.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“The breaks continue to go against us. I was racing hard with the Ferrari going into the brake zone off the backstretch. I had to give up the position and in doing so lost another spot before being hit hard by an impatient Porsche. That was our race. I had to come in and have most of the left-front replaced. It’s a real shame because Oliver had a good stint to put us in the position to challenge the front-runners.”

O’Connell 5th, Pilgrim 8th

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.

Courtesy of Kyle Chura

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.”

CONTACTS:

Ryan Smith

Judy Kouba Dominick

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.

Connect with Corvette Racing and Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy, follow us on Twitter @CorvetteRacing and @TeamChevy, and add +TeamChevy into your Google+ circles.

CONTACTS:

Ryan Smith

678.316.1880

Ryan2uga@gmail.com

Judy Kouba Dominick

317.408.1049

jkdracer@aol.com

O’Connell still leading GT points

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.

Pilgrim fifth, O’Connell Eighth in race two

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.