Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Drivers Sweep Top-Five Finishing Positions on Famed One-Mile Oval

WEST ALLIS, Wisc (June 15, 2013) – Ryan Hunter-Reay is not a stranger to Victory Lane at the famed Milwaukee Mile. For the second consecutive year, and the third time in his career, the defending IZOD IndyCar Series Champion won at the storied track.

Driving the No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay was credited with leading three times for a total of 65 laps in the 250-lap/250-mile race. He took the lead for the final time on lap 198 and never looked back on the way to his second victory of 2013 and the 11th of his career.

The victory was sixth for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Twin Turbocharged engine in 2013 and extended Chevrolet’s lead in the IndyCar Series Manufacturers’ Championship Standings.

It was an all-Chevrolet podium as well as an all-Chevrolet top-five. Filling out the podium were the two Team Penske Chevrolet drivers. Points leader Helio Castroneves finished second in the No. 3 PPG Automotive Finishes Chevrolet and Will Power brought the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet to the checkered flag in third position. Castroneves now leads Hunter-Reay in the championship standings by 16 points.

Hunter-Reay’s Andretti Autosport teammates E.J. Viso and James Hinchcliffe completed the top-five finishers in the ninth race of the 2013 season.

“Following a strong command of qualifying, Team Chevy added another win to the season tally,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series. “Ryan Hunter-Reay drove a solid race starting 4th to take the win for the second year in a row here at the Milwaukee Mile. Congratulations to Ryan and Andretti Autosport, as well as Team Penske for Helio and Will completing the all-Chevy podium! Team Chevy is working well together and this second consecutive sweep of the podium moves Chevrolet to a 9 point lead in the manufacturers’ battle. We shift our focus now to Iowa for the unique qualifying format and short oval excitement.”

Pole winner and points leader coming into today’s race, Marco Andretti, suffered an electrical problem that sent him to the paddock for repairs. He returned to competition 74 laps down to the leader, but gained three spots in the finishing order to be scored 20th at the checkered flag. He now sits third in the standings.

Next on the IZOD IndyCar Series Schedule is the Iowa Corn Indy 250 set for Sunday, June 23, 2013. The 250-lap race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET with live TV coverage on ABC TV.

Live radio coverage will be on IMS Radio Network XM 211/Sirius 211 as well as in conjunction with live timing and scoring on www.indycar.com.

POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY

MICHAEL ANDRETTI

HELIO CASTRONEVES

WILL POWER

THE MODERATOR: We’ll get started with today’s post‑race press conference. We’re pleased to be joined by Helio Castroneves, who finished second. He retains the points lead by 16 over Ryan Hunter‑Reay.

Talk about today’s race.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It was interesting day. Certainly very difficult to pass. It’s interesting, this place, it’s tough because we have a lot of downforce. It’s difficult for you to go around someone because of the banking, no banking at all. Everyone using very similar lanes.

But I worked through, able to work through the field. I thought it was a great race, to be honest, because people that used a different strategy, like myself, for example, were able to pass people. It turned out to be a similar situation like Texas. A lot of people with new tires passing and keep going.

So for us, we put ourselves in that position. Great strategy by Roger and the whole PPG boys.

THE MODERATOR: We’re also joined by Will Power.

Will, you started strong, finished strong. Talk about today’s race.

WILL POWER: There were a few guys that went off strategy like Helio, kind of mixed things up with tire life. People come out on new tires when you’re on old tires passing you.

In the end, we had a good, solid run. Kind of got the car sorted by the end of the race. It was a little bit late. But I thought we had one of the strongest cars out there, kind of challenging Helio out there. It was difficult to pass, yes.

But I was very mindful coming on Helio, he’s leading the championship. For Penske, it’s all about the team. I didn’t want to do anything desperate or anything. I want to make sure that he maintains the points lead.

If I could have passed him easy, I would. All in all, very good day. I’m very happy with third.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Again, I don’t know what sequence of tires he was running, if he had a better tire than us. I think probably he pit afterwards, probably helped us.

Takuma and I, he was fast, too. He was have some big moments. I was just waiting for when it’s going to happen. He stop. Fortunately the yellow came.

But he did a good job. He took advantage of the traffic. I think his tires were a little bit better, so he was able to take the lead. The yellow came right away. Everybody stops, got in the same sequence.

It was certainly interesting. Like I said, the whole race was very back and forth. It was a very difficult race because you have to drive the car.

WILL POWER: When was that? He was always ahead of me. I can’t remember. Was he? I couldn’t remember him passing me. I always thought he was ahead.

I don’t think he did. Did he pass me?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: He passed me (laughter).

WILL POWER: I think he was ahead of me. But, yeah, so I don’t know. He didn’t pass me. He was always ahead of me.

But still, he was obviously fast. We should check what he’s got on his car.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You were joking, right?

WILL POWER: I was joking. Very dry sense of humor. Terrible really (laughter).

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: Like I’ve always said, never been a lack of pace. In the past years it’s always been something really unusual that’s happened to me on ovals whenever I’m in a good position.

So, you know, at Texas, we’re sitting second in the last stint. Still finished seventh, which is a very strong result for us this year. Very strong all day today.

I like ovals. I really enjoy them. I expect to always be extremely competitive on road courses or oval, as competitive at each.

We’re just kind of putting it together. I guess there’s not as much expectation on myself to win now, especially kind of not being right in the championship. A little bit more of not a relaxed approach, but methodical, not desperate in any way.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: Probably from myself. Like, you know, when you have a real big slump, you have to recheck yourself, get back to what actually got you in the position to be a great team. That’s kind of the stage I’m in right now. It’s good. You go back to working really hard.

Q. Helio, we caught the tail end of your explanation of what happened with Will there at the end. Did you see him? You had traffic in front of you. Tell us what happened. He was in the grass, by the way.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, he runs good in the grass. He’s a road course guy (laughter).

WILL POWER: I’m a dirt‑tracker from way back (laughter).

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Our intention was never to put the guy in the grass. That was my line basically. I was running low, high, basically everything, trying to find grip, especially when I had traffic in front of me. I was trying to stay ahead of that traffic.

Yeah, he took a chance, took a look. Mears was saying that he was there. When I saw he was there, obviously I open up a little bit. But we kept going.

It’s a tough corner because of that. You’re trying to find grip. Sometimes it’s on the inside, outside. In that case, it’s three laps to go, you want to be difficult as much as you can.

I was just chasing grip. I wasn’t trying to put the car in jeopardy. I was looking to the front. That was a little bit of my line. At the end of the day, great performance for both of us. We’re very happy. We wanted to be first and second, but unfortunately the yellow car got first.

Q. Helio, coming back from as far back in the field as you did to finish second, probably doesn’t feel like a victory, but how close does it feel?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Great result. Extremely excited, to be honest. Adrenaline is still rushing, you’re still thinking because it was so difficult. Very similar to Texas. You have to think a little bit ahead, especially when you have so many guys using those same lanes. You have to use the tools that you have in your car.

I should have used a little bit towards the end, but I was concerned and it was too late. For me, it was a very good race because this is the type of things that you have to be patient, aggressive, at the same time know what to do.

Roger was great on the radio, great strategy, like I said. The boys did a great job. So definitely is going to be a great Father’s Day tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: Yeah, points lead is pretty far away right now. Our focus is just every weekend having solid results.

For sure, once we start Toronto, there’s a bunch of street and road courses that have been my strength in the past. I don’t know, I mean, at the moment it’s just focusing race by race for me. See how it plays out. That’s a pretty big deficit to chase down right now. It’s not impossible. Mathematically possible, and if you keep pushing, anything can happen.

Q. Can both of you talk about the package, this style of racing on the one‑mile oval? Are you satisfied with the way the car works or would you like to see any changes? Is this all driver skill to get around everybody?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, certainly Milwaukee Mile always gave a fantastic race. I don’t remember a time that there was a very difficult one. Probably a long time ago in CART times, Champ Car times.

Right now I feel on the one‑mile oval, but also the one‑and‑a‑half‑mile oval, we have a good package. We still remember like the side‑by‑side and things like that. Before side‑by‑side, it was this style of racing. I think it’s even more fun.

We got to go back to what we used to. I think we have a fantastic product right now in the IndyCar Series.

WILL POWER: I agree. This race here, Milwaukee, it would look similar to Texas. The leader took off, a little lap traffic, people are off sequence.

To me in Texas, we had to drive the thing. If the fans knew how hard we were having to push, they did a good job with televising it, telling the story, catching all the passes in the middle of the pack, it would look like a great race.

I just think, like Helio said, when we used to go to Texas, it was pack racing, the leader would stay on the white line, wide open, there would be guys right behind him wide open and never pass. Is that talent? No. Your grandma could jump in and do it.

Now you really have to drive. Everybody that finished that race, Man, had to stay on top of the car. The guy that won drove better than everybody else. Wasn’t the best car, no. Now it’s the best driver.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Will, my grandma is too old, she can’t drive the car.

WILL POWER: My grandma’s dead. I do love my grandma.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: He came motoring by. Even on older tires…

HELIO CASTRONEVES: He was impressive. I thought he was very good. Unfortunately he got caught up in the yellow. I don’t know. He probably could be a factor in Ryan’s race.

I think my car was very good on the long run. I was very, very good on the long run. He seemed to be very fast. It’s a shame. They stop early, because we were stopped in the same sequence. He was having a lot of hard moments. Oh, my God.

WILL POWER: This guy can drive a car looser than anyone else, even on a road course.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: He catch me so many times.

WILL POWER: It just blows my mind sometimes to see him. He’s just phenomenal.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: He did a great job.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILL POWER: That’s normal for him. Yeah, he’s good.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: For me in the end it was. We were 10 laps, 12 laps. The problem is, I can see the blue flag. In all fairness for the lapped traffic, they’re not waving, they’re just put in position. This is fighting for first, second, third. First already checked out. They should be thinking.

Again, it’s not the series’ fault. Sometimes people need to use courtesy. Kind of like, Hey, let a guy by. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t that case. Towards the end it was very difficult.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I have not had a chance yet. I think I need to let my blood pressure go a little bit down.

WILL POWER: You were angry.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I was a little bit upset. It was just upsetting my car a lot. But, anyway, we talk about this at the drivers meeting sometimes. If it’s middle of the race, maybe it’s fine. But 10 laps left in the race…

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys. Congratulations on a great race.

We’re pleased to be joined by Michael Andretti, the winning team owner today.

Michael, fifth win for your team here in Milwaukee, talk about today’s victory.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: We love Milwaukee. I can tell you that. As a team, it was great. As a driver, it was great for me. Now as a promoter, it’s great.

I’m excited about how today went obviously with the win, but also with the people that showed up to support the race. I think it’s a great day. I think a lot of people had a lot of fun out there with the Indy festival. Hopefully we can get this figured out and get this thing to stay on the map.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions for Michael.

Q. For a while, it looked like Marco might be able to give you a Father’s Day gift.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: He let me down (laughter).

Q. Are you considering adopting Ryan as your son?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Maybe. He gave himself a Father’s Day gift since he’s a new father.

I felt bad for Marco. He was running really strong all weekend. I don’t know what problem he had. Looked like kind of some sort of electrical problem. It was just a real bummer. It would have been nice to have him up there fighting for the win, as well.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I don’t know. I mean, we come here with a philosophy of what I had back when I was driving and we just carry that on, try to stress that to the engineering and the drivers on the way we used to do it then. There’s things we used to do that really used to work. Seem to still be working.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I think it actually ended up being not so bad. We were a little worried because of the weather. The last few days definitely hurt us with the forecast. It was a real shame because in the end, look at the sun shining. I’m thinking it kept some people home and they’re going to be sorry they were home because it was such a great event.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: To me it was typical Milwaukee. It’s all about traffic. Without traffic you normally don’t have passing here. That’s been since when I started racing here. That’s what makes it exciting, is having a car that works in traffic. That’s what won the race, to be honest with you.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I think it’s very possible. We sure hope so, for sure. I mean, we have Marco up there, as well. Hopefully he can get back on track.

But, yeah, I feel good about where we are. I think we’re coming up to a lot of strong tracks for us. Like I said, hopefully history will repeat itself.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Well, he’s definitely in his prime, there’s no question about it. He’s at the perfect age. He’s got all the experience he needs. He knows exactly what he needs in a racecar. He knows what he needs when he’s at certain positions in the race. Those are the things you just learn through experience. Those are things that win you championships.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I mean, Ryan, he needed to have races where he didn’t have mistakes. I’d say in the middle of 2011, from then on it just clicked for him. I think those are things that happen with experience. All of a sudden he just knew when he needed to be aggressive and when he didn’t.

That’s where it really clicked for me with Ryan, the middle of ’11, he just started to see the bigger picture better.

I think he scored more points than anybody since then if you go back.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Well, actually, I mean, let’s face it, Helio got lucky. That yellow doesn’t come out, Helio is going to finish probably 15th, 12th maybe. But when Marco brought that yellow out, that saved him because they pitted on that early yellow.

Had that not happened, I think it would have been a race between Ryan and E.J. to be honest with you. The race would have ended up looking totally different and a lot more dominant for Ryan and E.J. at that point.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: He’s coming on. I just feel like he’s going to win a race before the end of the year.

Q. (No microphone.)

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I think the team itself, he fit right in. I think he’s learning from his teammates. He’s learning that his teammates can help him. In return, he’s been doing things that have been helping the teammates.

Yeah, he’s falling into the system well. I think sooner or later he’s going to end up in Victory Lane.

THE MODERATOR: Michael, thank you for your time.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: We are pleased to be joined by our race winner Ryan Hunter‑Reay.

Congratulations on a great race and important day with the points. Walk us through today.

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: It was great to do it again in Milwaukee. What a racetrack. Oldest racetrack in the world, still producing such great racing. Every time I had the opportunity to race here, I feel blessed. Such a challenging place. When you get it right, there’s no better feeling in IndyCar than at Milwaukee Mile. Indianapolis definitely is right there with it, but this place is very special.

It was a lot of fun out there today. Really happy to get a win on Father’s Day with our six‑month‑old son in Victory Lane. Going to remember that forever, absolutely.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, it feels great. At Barber that was one of the races that Becky and our son didn’t come to. I felt bad because we didn’t have the pictures of him in Victory Lane.

This is even better. To do it on Father’s Day, to do back‑to‑back at Milwaukee, you’re only as good as the team you’re surrounded by, the car you’re in.

I’ve got a great team around them. I’m so proud of them. Thanks to my teammates for working together. That’s a product of what we did today, for sure.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Happy to get it done with them here.

Q. 53 laps to go you picked Will Power and Helio Castroneves off on the same lap. Talk about that move because it determined the race for you.

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: We were setting the pace of the race early. The yellow came out. I’m not sure for what. Maybe it was for Marco. That shuffled us back into the field a bit, which gave some of the guys off strategy, Helio, Takuma, et cetera, gave them the lead.

A little later in the race, for some reason we missed the balance. We lost our racecar, where it was really strong before. We lost it. Luckily in the last stint we got it back again.

To your point, I think we had a really good car in traffic. I was able to choose lanes that I wanted. They seemed to be handcuffed to one lane. That was the difference for me, being able to move around. When I saw what they liked, I switched it up, went the other way, got by them.

Fun on the Firestone tires today. We were sliding around a lot. It was fun.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, E.J. is always very good here. I saw him coming up from behind about halfway through the race. I knew it was going to be tough. I thought it was going to be between him and I at the end. He was very strong. We really seemed to click getting through traffic at the end of the race better than anybody out there.

It was the product of a really great racecar. I love this place. I love searching around for grip and finding the different opportunities there. Seemed to change a lot all day long.

And the players, who were the players for the win, you really never had an idea. You had to keep your head down and go 110% the whole time.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Well, in sports, when you get into a momentum, a rhythm, not something you can put a price tag on or finger on, it just happens. It kind of saturates the team with this feeling that, Hey, we can get it done. If we perform to our best, to our potential, we can absolutely win races.

That carried over week in, week out. We were able to win four more races than anybody else last year. It all started here last year. Great place to start. Andretti has great cars. You put the two together, hopefully it comes out the way we want.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I don’t know. I heard something about Foyt, maybe I’m one behind.

THE MODERATOR: We can verify it for you.

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I wouldn’t be surprised if you came back and said I’m seven behind Foyt. I don’t know.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I don’t know, man, I’m just fighting every week. I’m fighting every week. I love the atmosphere I’m in, the team I’m in. I love IndyCar racing. I’m pushing as hard as I can. Hopefully I’m here racing for many years to come. If that’s the case, I’ll give it 110% like I did today to make sure it happens.

Michael, AJ, those guys, I’m not in their league.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: You mean something about the place?

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Well, it’s an oval. Every driver, you ask them, they respect this oval the most. It’s an oval that drives more like a road course. You have to really wheel the car the entire time. That’s because the banking is so flat. You don’t get the help from the banking.

You’re constantly trying to fight understeer, you’re fighting loose. It’s all over the place.

To get it right, these cars, especially when you want front grip, all of a sudden it goes loose, then you’re going backwards again. It’s hard to get it right, and it’s because it’s so flat around here.

What I love about it most is that it opens up to two lanes, a lane and a half, to create some great racing. Looked like it was pretty fun out there. Everybody was dicing it up.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Practice seems very short compared to the whole race weekend. Seems like it was 30 minutes, an hour session, then a qualifying race. It is a bit of guesswork. You have years past to go on. That’s where you make your educated guesses on what you need for the race. It’s tough to get it right. If you do go on the loose side, it could be a very long day for you.

We just went a little bit conservative in the beginning of the race, kept tuning on it, made it better and better. When you have a great team that has been fast in the past, it makes it great.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, you know, he’s six months old and has stuff all over the house and can’t even pick it up or play with it yet. There’s just stuff everywhere.

I’m leaning on my wife to help me sort it out a little bit, get some method to the madness.

But he’s a lot of fun. I’m sure we’ll have a big spot for it, because that’s a special win. Not that many where you get to hold your son on Father’s Day weekend in Victory Circle, Victory Lane.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: DHL suit on. If it was a NASCAR race, everybody would say it was fixed.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: That was great for us, yes. Every time the yellow came out, I was cringing. I wanted it to go as long as it could. Once the grip wore off the new tires, I think we were the best car out there.

I really wanted it to go green longer than it did. Yellows happen. It made for some exciting racing. I really wanted to be in traffic, too. I wanted to be able to come back and catch traffic. That’s where I was able to open up gaps, close gaps if I needed to. That was pivotal to our day.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, absolutely. The number one thing that will keep us coming back here for many years to come is filling up these stands. With the racing we have, we definitely need a big push in attendance next year.

I remember this place in the past, back in ’04, the attendance levels were getting up there. Then we had this drought came when the event fell off the schedule. That hurts an event. You need it year in, year out. You need that familiarity of a date that people know to come out and see it.

We really need the support. I thank all the fans that came out today. The top part was packed. We need to fill in the bottom section.

It’s a fun race. There’s not many other series that put on a race like that. Hopefully this event will be around for a long time. I love it.

Q. (No microphone.)

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, well, obviously it’s general terms that I have to speak in because we race on so many different types of tracks, it’s just not one thing or the other.

It’s the engineering staff that’s doing a great job developing things in the off‑season. I think it’s really ‑ and I talked about it last year a lot ‑ it’s the team atmosphere. When you have a good team atmosphere, four cars all pushing together in the same direction, it makes a massive difference. You’re getting four times the amount of data in one session. That’s a big deal.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Ryan. Congratulations. Happy Father’s Day.

RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Thank you.

Danish star talks ahead of his 10th Le Mans with Corvette Racing

LE MANS, France (June 14, 2013) – The 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours is quickly approaching with practice and qualifying starting Wednesday. Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen shares his thoughts on his 10th start for the team ahead of the prestigious June 22-23 event.

Question: The last time you and Antonio (Garcia) raced, the No. 3 Compuware Corvette ran a perfect race to win at Laguna Seca in the ALMS. Can that carry over to Le Mans?

Jan Magnussen: The most important part of winning at Laguna Seca for us was to make it clear what we needed to do to win. Last year we were so close in the ALMS to winning races with five second-place finishes, and little things got in the way and messed it up completely. What the Laguna win showed is that when we work together and execute perfectly, we can win races. It also was a mental thing for the crew to show that we can do it, especially right before Le Mans. There is a lot of self-confidence on our crew and belief that we can do it. You need to be fast at Le Mans but also perfect. Hopefully we can learn from Laguna. If we aren’t the fastest car on track, we will need to stick to our plan and try to be faultless, which is really, really hard over 24 hours – not to mention four.”

Q: Corvette Racing poses a formidable two-car lineup. Is that a huge advantage at Le Mans?

JM: We measure ourselves against the (No. 74) car. They are strong competitors for everyone. Our advantage is that we work together with them, and the two cars work off each other to get faster as a team. At Le Mans that’s much more important – both cars need to be quick. It’s definitely much more of a team effort than in the ALMS. We do push each other a lot. We have to be perfect, just like they do.”

Q: Can you take us back to the 2004 race at Le Mans – your first win with Corvette Racing?

JM: At midnight we were leading by a couple minutes when I got taken out by one of the Audis at the Ford Chicane. I limped back to the pits, and the car was heavily damaged. The guys fixed it but we went six laps down. For the next eight hours, we were fighting back and gaining a little on the leaders but six laps was too much. Then with three or four hours left, the leading Prodrive car came in with huge problems and lost the same amount of time in the pits we did. I was getting back in the car at this time, and we came out of the pits together but we were 20 minutes ahead. So the race was back on in a big, big way. It was such a fantastic feeling getting the last briefing by Gary Pratt. Everyone was screaming on the radio when we pulled back out saying, ‘We gotta go! We gotta go!’ Then getting the win was perfect.

Q: The contingent of Danish fans at Le Mans is one of the largest at the race each year. How fun is that to see?

JM: To be at Le Mans as a Danish driver is one of the most fantastic things that a Dane can experience. You have to understand that there are more Danish fans at Le Mans than at the biggest Danish race. We don’t have very big race tracks in Denmark. There are years where we have had upwards of 40,000 Danish people at Le Mans. It’s quite a drive! They go there, make a vacation and party out of it. There is no doubt their favorites are on track. You really feel that every place you go.”

Q: You are quite fond of Le Mans today, but that wasn’t always the case was it?

JM: “My first Le Mans I have to say was a horrible experience. Our car (a Panoz prototype in 1999) was unreliable. We weren’t that fast. It was the first real long-distance race I had completed in. I have to say after 10 hours, it did not make sense to me. I wondered why we were here. But then I got the chance to drive the car across the line at the end of the race and see all the mechanics and the happiness there. For most people, it is more than a race where you go to win; for most you go there to finish the race and it’s a huge accomplishment to be there at the end of 24 hours. That experience driving the car across the line gave me real respect for Le Mans, and that is when I understood what it was about.”

The next time Corvette Racing takes to the circuit at Le Mans is 4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 19 for free practice and qualifying. Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 22 with coverage on SPEED.

Magnussen fifth, Milner seventh in testing for highly competitive GTE Pro field

LE MANS, France (June 9, 2013) – Corvette Racing successfully worked through its testing program Sunday for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The pair of velocity yellow Compuware Corvette C6.Rs completed eight hours of running with no major issues ahead of the world’s most famous endurance race on June 22-23.

Jan Magnussen set the team’s best time of 3:59.491 (127.3 mph) in the No. 73 Corvette C6.R to finish fifth in the GTE Pro order. Magnussen, driving with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, opened and closed the test in differing conditions. The session began cool and damp, but the track eventually dried in the afternoon when the fastest times were set. The No. 73 Corvette turned a class-high 42 laps in the second session.

Meanwhile, Tommy Milner posted the best time in the No. 74 Corvette he shares with Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook. Milner’s best effort was a 4:00.319 (126.9 mph). The top six cars in class were separated by less than a second.

“Our guys followed the three golden rules today – don’t hit anything, don’t break anything and stay on the race track,” said Doug Fehan, Program Manager for Corvette Racing. “Considering the weather and track conditions, we feel comfortable with where we are in the program. Recording the fastest lap is never our ultimate objective during this test. Our experience at Le Mans has taught us that speed isn’t the single deciding factor. Our goal is simply to be capable of running a competitive pace and keep our time in pit lane to a minimum with great execution on every stop. You meet those objectives and good results will follow.”

The next time Corvette Racing takes to the circuit at Le Mans is 4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 19 for free practice and qualifying. Corvette Racing will go for its eighth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 22 with coverage on SPEED. Corvette Racing’s last victory at Le Mans came in 2011.

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

You were out early in the wet conditions. It had to be less than ideal.

“It wasn’t so nice out there. The track was right in between were the tires work best. Some parts of the track were dry-ish – not quite dry, but at least there was no spray. But it’s good to see the track again and get into the rhythm. But in those conditions you don’t really learn anything. You just get through the motions. I think that laptime-wise we were quite OK considering the conditions when we were out.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

How much did the track conditions improve in the afternoon?

“Finally we got to put the slick tires on the car, which was good for us because every single lap you can do in the dry here may be very important toward the race. I know It’s only two hours in dry conditions but we just need to focus on making the most of every single lap we can do. I was the first out on slicks in tricky conditions, which wasn’t maybe the best moment for the track (conditions). But at least I got to run a bit in the dry. The car felt quite good, as it has been doing during the season. We still need to double-check how it really goes, but so far it’s heading in the right direction.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R:

Did you enjoy your return to the Corvette and Le Mans?

“It was good to be back in the car for the first time since Sebring, and first time back at this track since last year’s Le Mans. So it was good. This was the first time I did a run in the rain in this car so I learned a few things, but overall we’re learning as much as we can on a day like this. So far so good.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

Were you satisfied with the test day?

“It was a kind of boring first half of the day. It was good to get some wet weather running since we don’t do that a whole lot on those cars. We got a good feeling for the car in the wet. It was good to get some dry running at the end there and prove some of the bits and pieces we’ve developed over the year. We got some new tires from Michelin to try and see how those worked. It’s nice to have sort of a baseline going into race week. For me it was good. I think I could have gone quite a bit quicker; my in-lap would have been quicker and probably have put us right at the front (note: Milner’s sector 1 and sector 2 times were the fastest of the day for the No. 74 car before he pitted). So the pace is good, and the car is comfortable to drive.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

The changing weather didn’t do anyone a favor, did it?

“The track was drying out, which was good as it gave us some good data. It looks like we’re there in the ballpark with everybody else so that’s encouraging. But it’s been a frustrating day for everybody; it’s been wet and then it’s been dry again and then wet again. You have one day a year here to test and it was beautiful the week before and it looks like it’s going to be nice next week. It’s frustrating for all but it just so happens that the wet day was today. But the car felt pretty well and things look good for next week.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

Do you feel confident for the race after today?

“It’s always good to be back at Le Mans. It was a good test for us but it’s clear the competition has stepped up as it always does in GTE Pro. Just when you think it can’t get any tougher it seems to be getting more competitive. We’ve definitely got our hands full this year, and therefore it’s important we focus on our own job and that’s what we did today. The main thing is the car feels good and drivable for 24 hours. We’ve definitely got a good starting point for race week.”

First steps toward eighth victory in world’s greatest endurance race

LE MANS, France (June 6, 2013) – With seven class victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours since 2001, Corvette Racing is an established force at the world’s greatest endurance race. The drive for an eighth championship begins this weekend with the two Compuware Corvette C6.Rs taking part in the annual Test Day at the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday (June 9).

The eight-hour session is as critical as ever for the No. 73 and No. 74 entries. This serves as the first chance to verify settings and engineering the team established since the 2012 race.

“As is our standard practice, the objective will be to achieve the absolute best track setup for all conditions and not necessarily set the fastest lap time,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “We have learned throughout our time at Le Mans that having a car in which all the drivers are comfortable is far more meaningful than sitting on the pole. Simply put, getting everything right is required for success at Le Mans.”

The test also is key to getting Corvette Racing’s two endurance drivers – Jordan Taylor and Richard Westbrook – reacquainted with their teammates and cars. Neither Taylor nor Westbrook have driven the Corvette since the Sebring 12 Hours in March to open the American Le Mans Series.

“Normally, it only takes a few laps to readjust,” said Westbrook, who will drive the No. 74 Corvette with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner. “But Le Mans is Le Mans, and it’s a very different track than anything else in the world. Things do take longer there. But I’m not too worried. The last two years I missed the test and it wasn’t too much of a problem. So this year being able to do it is a bonus. More track time is better.”

While Westbrook will contest Le Mans for the fourth time – third with Corvette – the 23-year-old Taylor made his debut in 2012. The magic of Le Mans wasn’t new; he spent his formative years watching his father, Wayne Taylor, compete at the 24 Hours. As was the case a year ago, Taylor teams with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia who have seven class wins at Le Mans to their credit.

“It will be nice having seat time in a car that you don’t drive that often,” Taylor said. “Taking a couple months off is difficult, but that’s the benefit of the test day. Getting more laps at Le Mans is always a good thing, as is learning from my teammates who all have massive amounts of experience.

“I knew (Le Mans) so well last year having watched the race my whole life that when I got on the track I already knew where I was,” Taylor added. “It was a matter of braking points and how much speed you could carry. The track itself is fun for a driver but for an engineer it’s a little tougher because you have high-speed corners where you need downforce but long straights where you want to take it (the downforce) off. There is definitely an engineering compromise but the Corvette guys do a really job with that and always give us a good car.”

A great car and great strategy netted Corvette Racing a class Victory Lane at Sebring. The Gavin/Milner/Westbrook trio drove from two laps down due to an electrical problem and gave the team a huge endurance boost.

“Sebring was a monkey off our backs,” Westbrook said. “Even though we won the ALMS championship last year, in endurance races we had a bad record. The last two years I’ve been in the No. 74 car, we were leading by more than a lap and failed to finish. So I personally really needed Sebring and I know the crew wanted to prove they could do it not just in a two-hour race but also in a 12-hour race. It’s a massive confidence builder going into Le Mans.”

DETROIT, (June 2, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell finished a strong weekend by placing second in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge GT race on Detroit’s Belle Isle. Teammate Andy Pilgrim had a late race incident and was classified in eighth.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) was hoping to carry the momentum forward from yesterday when he won the first race of the weekend in his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. In qualifying this morning, O’Connell ran a time of 1:33.368 to start third, with teammate Pilgrim starting alongside in fourth with a time of 1:33.989. At the start of the race, O’Connell was able to get the power of the 6.2-liter Cadillac engine to the ground and exit Turn Two in second place. Then, between turns two and three the caution lights came on inside the cars and the front runners slowed. One turn later the race went green again. This gave front-runner and eventual winner Randy Pobst’s Volvo a gap to

O’Connell in second and cost Pilgrim positions as well. The duo pressed forward. On lap nine the first of three caution flags flew with O’Connell in second and Pilgrim running in fourth. The race went green again on lap 14 and then immediately to yellow on the same lap. On lap 20 the race resumed. Pilgrim was able to get a run at the exit of Turn Two and had the Audi of James Sofronas lined up, for the second day in a row, to make the pass on the outside before Turn Three. Sofronas was not going to have the move repeated and took Pilgrim deep into the corner using the Cadillac to help stop the Audi. Andy turned in and was hit from behind parking his No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V in the middle of the corner. Before he could get going, he was hit once again rendering the car immobile. The race ended under caution.

“My game plan was to stay on Randy and get him to over drive his car and make my move,” O’Connell said. “I was going to wait another ten minutes and see what I could get. Then we had all of those cautions. It was a shame. I didn’t get the opportunity to put the Cadillac in the winner’s circle again today. I think we had the stronger car. I was able to get a good start and motor up into second. It was a good day. We gained some manufacturer points on Audi. As we look forward we have to keep that big picture in mind. I am proud of everyone on the team.”

O’Connell was confused by the yellow lights after Turn Two on the first lap.

“When I went through Turn Two the caution lights in our car came on. Randy slowed. I got on the brakes and so did Andy and James. Then we got through Turn Three and Randy started going. By then I had spotted him 100 yards, and I thought, I had better get going if he is taking off. None of the corner stations had their flags out. When I looked in my rear-view mirror, there was no Audi and no Andy.”

Pilgrim was also baffled by the start.

“The start was ridiculous,” Pilgrim said. “We came out of Turn Two and everyone was in line and then the bright yellow lights in the car come on, which means a full-course caution. We slow down thinking it is going yellow. Then I kept getting passed by other cars, and I had to go.”

Pilgrim was going to try a repeat pass from Saturday’s race on the Audi.

“I tried the outside move again,” he said. “I had a very good run on him out of Turn Two. I had the car under control and I was set up to make the turn. James couldn’t get his Audi slowed down and he hit me. If I wasn’t there he would’ve gone into the run off area.”

DETROIT, (June 1, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell won today’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge GT race on Detroit’s Belle Isle. Teammate Andy Pilgrim filled the third position on the podium.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) came to the rolling start of the 50-minute race from the pole position. Getting a strong jump he managed to the lead entire 25-lap race fending off his pursuers through three restarts. For O’Connell, the victory was his second on the season and third for Cadillac on Belle Isle.

Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started from fourth position and made quick work of the third-place Audi, passing him in Turn Three following the first restart. The Cadillac duo will be looking for a repeat result in the second race of the weekend to go off at 12 p.m. tomorrow.

“The three caution periods help me out,” O’Connell said. “I was having some issues with the tires, so the yellows allowed me to cool them down and manage them to the end. We don’t have a lot of tuning in the car to change the handling. I was working with my brake bias knob to improve the handling, but a long run under green worked against me.

I think my advantage to the Volvo was the ability to dig deep in the opening laps of the race and on the restarts to get a gap. Then they had to worry about everyone behind them.”

“Hats off to everyone at Cadillac,” he continued. “You want to do well when you race in your own back yard. The front five cars were nose to tail around here. We have some work to do to make the car better for tomorrow. Everyone will be a little faster on Sunday.”

Pilgrim races to his eighth podium finish of the season in third.

“The set up on my Cadillac was really good,” Pilgrim said.

“At the end James [Sofronas] in the Audi was all over me. I think I have some white paint on the back of my car, but it was a good competitive race. I couldn’t get close enough to Randy [Pobst] in the Volvo to make a move on him. There was less rubber down on the track from the rain washing it off last night. The track will get faster with the more rubber that gets put down. The job that the Penske organization has done with the track is just great. There are several passing zones, which makes things more exciting for the fans and us drivers.”

“It was a great job by Johnny getting his third win in a row here on Belle Isle,” he continued. “I am very happy with third. Everyone from Cadillac is here and it was nice to have a strong performance in front of the home crowd.”

DETROIT, (May 31, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell will start from the pole position for the first of two races in the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle tomorrow.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) wasted little time in putting his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe on the pole, posting his time of 1:33.592 on the second lap of the session. O’Connell won both Pirelli World Challenge GT races on Belle Isle in 2012. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) will start his No. 8 CTS-V on the second row in fourth after putting in a qualifying time of 1:34.769. Pilgrim had a podium finish of third and a fourth place last year.

“You always need to make the most of your practice time at a street circuit,” O’Connell said. “We were basically bedding in brake rotors during practice this morning and finding our way around this revised track. The practice was limited to due to a crash. We lost about 10 minutes of run time. But that is when the depth of Team Cadillac comes into play.”

“My qualifying run was really good,” he continued. “Based on the few laps we did this morning, my engineer and I made a few changes on the No. 3 CTS-V and we went in the right direction. I had a lot of confidence in the car and was able put it on the pole. With just a couple of laps in practice I had to rely on my laps around this track from the past. Some history paid off today.”

O’Connell is ready for the possibility of rain for the race tomorrow.

“If it does rain that puts us at a disadvantage to the four-wheel drive Volvos,” he continued. “We will have to overcome our grip disadvantage with the motivation of running here in GM’s hometown of Detroit to make up some of that difference.”

Pilgrim likes the new extended run from the exit of Turn Two to the entry of Turn Three.

“The track was dusty and dirty this morning,” Pilgrim said. “I love the new section of the track. It is going to make the racing better as well as the overtaking of the GTS class cars in the race.”

The Floridian likes the start to the race weekend that takes place in the shadow of GM headquarters.

“In qualifying Johnny got the pole, great for Cadillac here at our home race in Detroit,” he continued. “I got a little bit off line in qualifying and I got into the dust which cost me a few tenths. We are in the top four, so I am happy.”

Pilgrim echoes O’Connell on the weather forecast for Saturday’s race.

“The Cadillac is very reasonable in the wet,” he explained. “At Mid-Ohio last year we did well in the rain, but the Volvos, of course, will have the upper hand.”

Go on a ride around the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Circuit with Johnny O’Connell onboard his No. 3 pole winning Cadillac CTS-V by watching the following video link

DETROIT, (May 28, 2013) – Team Cadillac drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell are ready for the Cadillac Racing home game at the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle, May 31-June 2.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) hopes to repeat his results from 2012 when he drove his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racer to victory in both rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series, proving critical to his championship run. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) drove his No. 8 CTS-V to third and fourth place finishes. Pilgrim comes into the event second in points with O’Connell sitting in third.

O’Connell posted his first win of the 2013 season nine days ago at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) where he also started from pole position in the double race weekend. In the second race he placed 17th as a result of car trouble. Pilgrim posted double podium finishes at COTA with a third place in the first race and a second place run in the second race.

The 2.3-mile, 14-turn modified street course that traverses through picturesque Belle Isle, located in the middle of the Detroit River, and just east of the Renaissance Center where General Motors headquarters is located provides extra motivation for the Team Cadillac drivers.

“Any time you can look off in the distance of a race track and see the Ren Cen and you have the president of the company watching, that’s not pressure is it,” O’Connell said. “Of course there is pressure. You always want to do well in Detroit. Last year we were very fortunate, some of our competition had issues. I was in the right place at the right time to take two wins. It is going to be tough to repeat. Our competition has really stepped up this year.

Everyone at Team Cadillac knows it is a big weekend.”

The Georgia resident has mixed feelings about the Detroit track changes.

“I think the revised track with the big run down to Turn Three is going to be good,” he said. “It provides another passing zone. Although I did like the twisty section from last year, it was a challenge to drive through there fast. The speed aspect for the fans will be much more apparent with that new run down into three. With the new pavement, the track is going to be superfast. Our engineers have some work to do with the revisions and the new surface. The Cadillac Racing engineers are up to the challenge. It is one of those deals where our team will look at the circuit, assess the changes and then build that data into great CTS-V race cars for Andy and myself.”

Pilgrim knows the importance of the Detroit Grand Prix weekend.

“If you do well or get on the podium in Detroit, it is just extra good,”Pilgrim said. “Johnny won both races last year and I got on the podium. There are a lot of GM and Cadillac people there and they bring a lot of company pride and you want to do well in front of them. We also have the full contingent of Pratt Miller people on hand as they are located in the metro area as well.”

Pilgrim visited the Belle Isle circuit three weeks ago and had the chance to see the track improvements first hand.

“I think the organizers have done a great job with the track,” he said. “Having the extra braking and passing zone coming out of Turn Two is really nice. The new segment creates another high-speed passing area for us to get by the GTS class cars. There used to be a huge bump going into Turn Three, I am glad that they have removed that portion, it really compromised the whole corner. The repaving of the track has fixed all of the problems that they had last year. Now we just need the weather to cooperate.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle will run May 31-June 2. The races will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. EST. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.

Trio of Chevrolet SS Race Cars Take Top Three Spots in Wild Coca-Cola 600

CHARLOTTE, NC – May 26, 2013 – In a 10-lap shootout to the finish, Kevin Harvick held off Kasey Kahne to bring his No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS home for the win ahead of Kahne’s No. 5 Time Warner Cable SS. It was Harvick’s 21st NASCAR Sprint Cup career win, his second of the 2013 season, and also his second time to visit Victory Lane at the Coca-Cola 600. The win also moved Havick up three places in the series standings to 7th place overall.

The bizarre 400 lap/600 mile race was marred by three red flag interruptions to clear debris and nylon rope from a fallen FOX television camera and repair the damaged cars.

Kahne, who took fluids for flu-like symptoms prior to the start of the race, had the fastest car in the field and led the race for 161 laps. But he was left with worn tires when he didn’t pit on the last stop prior to the final restart, giving Harvick the advantage to take the low side and get by Kahne.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing/Sealy Chevrolet SS rallied back from electrical problems, and finished third; giving Team Chevy the top three finishing spots.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevy SS and Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, finished the race in 6th and 7th place, respectively. That gave the Bowtie Brigade five of the top 10 in the final order.

Jimmie Johnson, five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, was caught in a multi-car accident, yet managed to bring his No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy SS in for a 22nd place finish. Johnson continues to maintain the point lead and holds a 32-point advantage over second place.

The next stop on the tour is Dover International Speedway in Delaware on June 2, 2013.

 www.chevrolet.com

DETROIT – Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America and a lifelong racing enthusiast, will drive the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car in the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans, June 1 and 2.

The Indy Dual in Detroit races are part of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix weekend of racing, May 31-June 2. Reuss will drive the Pace Car for both of the Indy Dual races.

“The all-new, 2014 Corvette Stingray proved last week at Indy that it’s at home on the racetrack, and we’re excited to bring it home to Motown to pace the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit,” said Reuss. “To be able to drive this car, on this track, in this city, is a huge thrill for me personally, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel to pace this great field.”

During the Indy Dual in Detroit, Chevrolet driver Tony Kanaan will race to see if he can pull off back-to-back wins, after taking the checkered flag at last weekend’s Indianapolis 500.

In addition to the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will feature races for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series.

Friday, May 31 is ‘Free Prix Day’, offering spectators the opportunity to take in practice sessions and more at the track without an admission charge. The Corvette Pace Car will be on display, offering an early look at the production model that goes on sale later this summer.

The Corvette Stingray Pace Car is powered by the all-new 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 from the forthcoming production model, which features advanced technologies including direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management to help produce an estimated 450 horsepower.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe will have a suggested starting retail price of $51,995. The price includes a $995 destination fee, but excludes tax, title and license.