Garcia and Milner Qualify within Half-Second of Pole in Hotly Contested GT Class

LEXINGTON, Ohio, Aug. 3, 2012 – The heat was on at Mid-Ohio today during GT qualifying for Saturday’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. As the ambient temperature topped 94 degrees and the track temperature climbed to 110 degrees, Antonio Garcia qualified the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R fifth in the hotly contested class at 1:19.536 (102.213 mph). Tommy Milner was right behind his teammate, qualifying the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R sixth at 1:19.727 (101.958 mph).

Garcia was .238 seconds off GT pacesetter Joerg Mueller’s 1:19.298 (102.510 mph) lap in the No. 55 BMW, and Milner was .429 seconds back. The eight fastest qualifiers ran quicker than last year’s pole-winning time on the 2.25-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“I had a really good balance in qualifying, and if I’d put together a perfect lap my time would have improved,” Garcia said. “There are four guys ahead of me who put it together better than I did.

“There was a lot of pressure in qualifying, and everyone was pushing very hard,” he explained. “Because of all the different series running on the track, we seemed to struggle a little to make our tires work . That is something we will need to take into account tomorrow because the track will certainly change, and I hope it will develop in our favor. We know how our qualifying performance is; now we need to know how our race performance is.”

Garcia turned his quickest time on his fifth flying lap, and Milner posted his best lap on his sixth circuit.

“I’m not disappointed with sixth, but I’m not super stoked,” Milner said. “We made some big changes in the car in the last practice session, working on the race setup. Then at the end we tried to help the car for qualifying.

“Every session we’re out there we learn a lot about this race track,” he noted. “It’s definitely a challenge when we have different series running and different rubber going down. This track especially can change from morning to afternoon and from day to day. When we go out for warm-up tomorrow morning, there will be a lot of IndyCar rubber on the track and we’ll see how the car feels.”

The two-hour, 45-minute Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge will start at will start at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 4, and will be broadcast on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge GT Qualifying (Top 10)

Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time

• 1. 55 Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 1:19.298
• 2. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:19.329
• 3. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:19.445
• 4. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 1:19.471
• 5. 3 Magnussen/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 1:19.536
• 6. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:19.727
• 7. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW E92 M3, 1:19.754
• 8. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:20.209
• 9. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:21.222
• 10. Goossens/Kendall, SRT Viper GTSR, 1:22.158

A Look Back and a Look Ahead at the Midpoint of 2012 ALMS Season

LEXINGTON, Ohio, July 31, 2012 – With five races completed and five to go, Corvette Racing will be halfway home at its home track. Saturday’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course signals the start of the second half of the 2012 American Le Mans Series. At the season’s midpoint, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet stand atop the driver, team, and manufacturer championship standings. The fierce competition that has been the hallmark of the GT category is about to become more intense with the return of one of Corvette’s longstanding rivals to ALMS competition.

In the first five races, Corvette Racing scored back-to-back wins with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R in Long Beach and Laguna Seca. Third-place finishes in Sebring and Lime Rock put the pair in the championship lead after the first four rounds. Then a setback in Mosport, combined with the No. 3 Compuware Corvette’s fourth runner-up finish in five starts, saw Corvette aces Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen take the lead in the championship chase by seven points over their teammates.

“When you look at Corvette Racing’s record for the first half of the season, the results demonstrate the experience and knowledge the team has gained since the debut of the GT-spec Corvette C6.R at Mid-Ohio in 2009,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “With the level of competition we face at every ALMS event, to have two victories, eight podium finishes, a one-two finish, and a pole is a very successful first half by any measure.

“Everyone on the team fully understands that it’s not going to get any easier for the rest of the year,” Fehan continued. “We’re working continuously to improve every aspect of our performance. There is still a great deal of development to be done with the wide-body Corvette C6.R that we introduced this year. I expect that Corvette fans are going to see a great show for the rest of the season.”

When Corvette Racing first entered international endurance racing in 1999, its chief competitor was Viper. That rivalry will be renewed at Mid-Ohio with Chrysler’s return to ALMS competition.

“History has come full circle, and now it’s once again Corvette versus Viper in ALMS – this time with world-class competitors such as Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Lotus in the mix,” Fehan noted. “Chrysler’s return makes a huge statement about the strength of the American Le Mans Series.”

Corvette Racing has recorded three straight runner-up finishes in the GT class at Mid-Ohio – Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell in 2009, Gavin and Olivier Beretta in 2010, and Gavin/Magnussen in 2011. Last year’s race ended with a red flag when a monsoon inundated the track; among the drivers who spun off in the deluge was Milner, who was running second when the torrential rain arrived.

“I’ve raced at Mid-Ohio since 2004, in open-wheel cars and GTs, so there’s not much I don’t know about the track,” Milner said. “It’s a place where you can make passes happen, and it usually produces an exciting race. The Corvettes were certainly competitive there last year, and with the improvements that have been made, I expect them to be even better this year.”

“Mid-Ohio has been a good track for us in terms of pace and speed the last couple of years,” Gavin explained. “Last year if the rain had turned up 45 minutes later, we likely would have won. Mid-Ohio is Corvette Racing’s home race with lots of friends and family. The circuit seems to suit our car, and with the steps forward taken for this season, we hope to be as competitive as we’ve been the last couple of years. Every team is making steps every race, so nobody at Corvette Racing is taking anything for granted.”

Garcia has raced previously at Mid-Ohio in the Grand-Am series, so Corvette Racing’s new full-season driver will be up to speed quickly on the 2.25-mile, 13-turn road course.

“Mid-Ohio is one of the tracks I know, so I will just need to reconfigure my mind a little from a Daytona Prototype to a Corvette C6.R,” Garcia laughed. “This will take a few laps at most – first some driver tuning, and then some car tuning!

“Mid-Ohio is like two different circuits,” the Spaniard said. “The first part has long straights and fast corners, then the second half is very tight with a narrow racing line. It is definitely a track where you have to deal with traffic. From what I’ve learned so far this season, Mid-Ohio will suit the Corvette C6.R.”

The two-hour, 45-minute Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, the sixth round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, will start at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 4, and will be broadcast on ABC at 2 p.m. ET.

Magnussen and Garcia Take GT Championship Lead with Runner-up Finish

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 22, 2012 – Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen scored their fourth podium finish in five American Le Mans Series races in today’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. Their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R started on the GT pole after setting a qualifying record Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Garcia led the opening 47 minutes in his first race at Mosport, and Magnussen was in contention for the victory on the final lap.

The No. 45 Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long finished first on the track, but was subsequently excluded from the results for a technical infraction following a post-race inspection. The No. 01 Ferrari of Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek was declared the winner, and the No. 3 Corvette, third across the stripe, was promoted to second. Garcia and Magnussen’s runner-up finish vaulted them into the lead in the GT driver standings ahead of teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, who finished 10th after the Corvette crew changed a malfunctioning transmission in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

The closing laps of the two-hour, 45-minute race featured a Porsche-Corvette-Ferrari freight train as the three cars raced nose-to-tail. Magnussen kept the pressure on the class-leading Porsche for nearly an hour. Van Overbeek joined the fray as the frontrunners encountered traffic, and pulled off a pass on Magnussen coming out of Moss Corner on the last lap.

“I’m sure we had a better car than Joerg, but he was fast in some crucial places that made it impossible to pass,” Magnussen said. “I knew I was risking my position, but I had to have a go at Joerg. We got together a little, I lost momentum, and Van Overbeek just went up the inside – it was a fair pass, he saw a gap and went for it.”

Garcia drove a strong opening stint in his debut at the fast Canadian circuit. He started from the GT pole, and led the first 30 laps. After pitting under the second of three full-course cautions, the Spaniard emerged ninth in the GT category. He methodically drove back through the field to P2 before handing off to Magnussen at 1:44 into the race.

“My first race at Mosport had a bit of everything,” Garcia said. “At the start of the race, Tommy and I had a really clear run, and we could make a safe gap to the BMW and Porsche. When the yellow flags came, things started to turn for us, with the No. 4 Corvette having a problem and then the restarts. I was held up behind a prototype coming into the pits, and the run into our pit box was partially blocked so we lost some spots. I was behind cars that hadn’t pitted so traffic was difficult, but step-by-step I was able to gain positions. I think our tires were better, and I could pass cars and close the gap to the Porsche.”

The race’s first full-course caution came 15 minutes after the start when the No. 4 Corvette stopped on the back straight with no drive to the rear wheels. The car was towed to the paddock, where the team performed a 20-minute gearbox change. Milner returned to the race 20 laps down to the leaders.

“I was coming out of Turn 5, putting the power down and suddenly lost drive going from second to third gear,” Milner reported.

Oliver Gavin took over the No. 4 Corvette at the 1:47 mark and drove to the finish. “It’s never nice to have days like this, but you know that at some point in the season you’re going to have a bad weekend – and I hope this was it,” Gavin said. “We’re still not sure what happened with the transmission, but the guys did a fantastic job of replacing it and getting us back in the race. This race had so much promise after qualifying; now we’ve just got to pick ourselves up, move on, and get ready for Mid-Ohio.”

For the third race in a row, the No. 3 Corvette C6.R won the Michelin Green X Challenge in the GT class with the best score for clean, fast, and efficient performance. “Our third straight Michelin Green X Challenge win is a testament to the hard work that GM Powertrain has done with the calibrations for cellulosic E85 ethanol,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “It’s very important for Corvette, Chevrolet, and General Motors to represent the fact that have the environment in mind even when we are racing. This win again demonstrates the dedication of GM and its engineers.”

Garcia and Magnussen unofficially lead the GT driver championship at the midpoint of the season with 80 points, seven points ahead of Gavin and Milner (73) and BMW drivers Hand and Mueller (73). Chevrolet is atop the GT manufacturer standings with 94 points over BMW (81), Ferrari (75), and Porsche (69).

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on Saturday, August 4.

Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport GT Results (Top 10)

Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps

• 1. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 112
• 2. 3 Magnussen/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 112
• 3. 56 D. Mueller/Hand, BMW E92 M3, 111
• 4. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 111
• 5. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 110
• 6. 44 Neiman/Lally, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 110
• 7. 55 J. Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 110
• 8. 23 Sweedler/Bell, Lotus Evora, 110
• 9. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 109
• 10. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 91

Momentum Matters as Chevrolet Team Drives for Repeat Victory in ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 17, 2012 – By any other name, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the track formerly known as Mosport – would still be as fast. With its roots firmly anchored in the ’60s and its character unchanged for more than 50 years, the 2.5-mile circuit in the Canadian countryside near Toronto is decidedly Old School. With daunting high-speed corners and soaring straights, it is not a track for the timid – which is why Corvette Racing’s drivers relish their return to the historic 10-turn circuit for Sunday’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport.

If a track can suit a race car, then Mosport was custom tailored for the Compuware Corvettes. The Chevy team has scored nine victories there since 2001, including its maiden win in the GT category in 2009 and a breakout victory last season that propelled Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen to a runner-up finish in the GT championship.

Along with its new name, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will see a pair of new wide-body Corvette C6.Rs and a revised Corvette Racing driver lineup for this year’s Grand Prix. Magnussen has returned to the No. 3 Compuware Corvette that carried him to victory at Mosport with Johnny O’Connell in 2007, 2008, and 2009. He’s now teamed with Antonio Garcia, a pairing that finished second in the preceding round at Lime Rock Park and currently stands second in the GT drivers championship.

They’ll face stiff intramural competition from teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Gavin and Milner are atop the driver standings on the strength of two wins and four straight podium finishes in the four rounds of the American Le Mans Series contested this season.

“For sheer speed, Mosport is one of my favorite tracks,” Magnussen declared. “It’s such a fantastic feeling when you do a fast lap, because you know there is a big, big penalty for making a mistake.”

Garcia will make his Mosport debut alongside his experienced teammate in his first year as a full-season driver with Corvette Racing. What advice does the Dane have for his Spanish co-pilot? “Just remember it’s not your car, so give it all you’ve got!” Magnussen quipped.

Garcia is taking a measured approach to Mosport. “I’ve been watching videos and in-car cameras, and leading up to the race I will talk more precisely with Jan to learn what to do – and especially what not to do!” he said. “They tell me that it is a fast and somewhat dangerous race track. I’m used to those kinds of circuits, so I’m looking forward to it.”

With three career wins at the Canadian course, Gavin knows Mosport’s nuances. “Every driver looks forward to going there,” said the Englishman. “The characteristics of the Corvette C6.R car seem to suit that layout, and I’m anxious to see how much of a step forward we’ve made from last year. I’ve had some great races there, including a fantastic win with Jan last year. Mosport always seems to bring out the best in Corvette Racing.”

The two-hour, 45-minute Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport will start at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 22, and will be broadcast same day on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. ET. Live coverage is available starting at 11:45 a.m. ET on ESPN3.

Gavin Grabs Third on Final Lap as Traffic and Red Flag Complicate Qualifying at Lime Rock Park

LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 6, 2012 – Corvette Racing’s twin Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars qualified third and sixth in the GT class for Saturday’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Traffic played a key role in qualifying on the tight 1.5-mile circuit, and after a red flag interrupted the 15-minute session, it came down to a two-lap shootout to determine the GT grid.

Oliver Gavin qualified the No. 4 Corvette C6.R third in the 11-car GT field with a 51.299-second time (103.441 mph) on his final hot lap. The Englishman equaled the time of Marco Holzer in the No. 44 Porsche, but Holzer was awarded the second spot on a tiebreaker. Jan Magnussen posted a 51.505-second time (103.027 mph) to place the No. 3 Corvette C6.R sixth on the GT grid. Bill Auberlen claimed the GT pole with a time of 50.920 seconds (104.211 mph) in the No. 55 BMW.

The heat was on at Lime Rock Park with the air temperature at 93 degrees and the track temperature at 123 degrees when the session began. The Corvettes elected to wait in the pit lane for several minutes before they ventured into the fray. Unfortunately Gavin and Magnussen both encountered traffic before a red flag for debris in Turn 5 halted their runs after three flying laps. When qualifying resumed seven minutes later, there was just enough time remaining on the clock for two laps. Both Corvettes ran their quickest times on their seventh and final hot laps.

“Before the start of qualifying, Tommy and I agreed that if we could be in the top two rows, that would be great, and we accomplished that,” Gavin said. “The setup we had in qualifying was good and that enabled me to get that time. Qualifying position is important here, and hopefully our spot will keep us ahead of the chaos that can happen. It’s going to be a very hot and a very long day tomorrow.

“In the first segment, a Porsche in front of me was going off the road on every exit, bringing dust onto the road and under my tires,” Gavin reported. “Then in the next corner I’d turn in and lose the rear of the car – I had a huge moment in Turn 7 and for a moment I thought it was going to be really bad. Fortunately I gathered it up, and then the red flag came out. Then it was a two-lap sprint to see what we could do. Fortunately the Corvette pits are at the end of the pit lane. I got out quickly and was free and clear, so I went for it!”

Magnussen also was stymied in his initial qualifying run. “When I went out a couple of minutes into the session, I ended up right in the middle of traffic,” he said. “I tried to find a gap, somebody spun off, and then came back on track right in front of me. I had just made a gap and then the red flag, so I really only got one attempt. I’m quite happy with the car, but the situation didn’t allow us to get the best out of it.”

Magnussen will make his milestone 100th career start in ALMS competition tomorrow. “Yes, it will be a special race, but it pays the same points as any other,” the Dane declared. “The 100th, the 101st, the 102nd – I want to win them all!”

The two-hour, 45-minute American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix will start at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 7, and will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET. Live coverage is available starting at 2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix GT Qualifying (Top 10)

Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time

• 1. 55 Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 50.920
• 2. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 51.299
• 3. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 51.299
• 4. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW E92 M3, 51.334
• 5. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 51.483
• 6. 3 Magnussen/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 51.505
• 7. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 51.525
• 8. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 51.957
• 9. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 52.259
• 10. 23 Sweedler/Bell, Lotus Evora, 52.458

Both Compuware Corvettes persevering through safety car periods

LE MANS, France (June 23, 2012) – Through three-quarters of the world’s greatest road racing, Corvette Racing’s two Compuware Corvette C6.Rs continued to persevere through the night and into the daytime. At the end of 18 hours, Tommy Milner ran seventh in GTE Pro and Jan Magnussen was eighth in the class.

The race likely will be remembered for the number of safety car periods – nine so far, to be exact. Both Jordan Taylor in the No. 73 Compuware Corvette and Oliver Gavin in the No. 74 spent most of their night driving in more changing conditions with a mix of dry and wet track to go along with cool temperatures and wind.

Things weren’t much different for Richard Westbrook during his night-time stint in the No. 74 and Antonio Garcia in the No. 73. Adding to the disrupted flow of the race was the duration of the safety car periods due to repairs to safety barriers and walls throughout the first 18 hours.

The next Corvette Racing update will be following the race at 3 p.m. local time/9 a.m. ET.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 73 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“This was probably one of the trickiest stints in my life, because when I got in it was raining on the first third of the track and the rest of the track was dry, so we went on the dry-and-wet tires. That was just super difficult, trying to keep heat in the tires in one section and overheating them in the next. We then put on slicks and tried to figure out how fast we could go on those. Once we got into a rhythm the car was good and quick, and we just tried to maintain our pace without making any mistakes.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 74 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“It’s definitely not been a typical Le Mans, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what the deal is with the safety barriers … it seems that if anyone touches them we have a long safety car period. It’s disrupting the flow of the race – stop, start, stop, start. The tires get cold and take awhile to warm up and sometimes you don’t really get going on the rest of your stint after a safety car. Sure it’s frustrating but it’s the same for everyone. Our plan is the same – to keep going and see how things are at the end. I don’t know the history books, but I’d guess (the number of safety cars) would be a record. And they’ve all been long ones as well. I was in for three hours during the night and it felt like two hours were behind the safety car. I think it was 45 minutes but you’re bored and you want to go. But there is a reason for them and the organizers do have our safety in mind.”