Chevrolet Corvette to Be Honored as First American Manufacturer in Sebring Hall of Fame

SEBRING, Fla., March 14, 2012 – Corvette’s racing history runs deep at Sebring International Raceway. On Friday, March 16, Chevrolet Corvette will be honored as the first American manufacturer in the Sebring Hall of Fame. The timing of Corvette’s induction is fitting, as Chevrolet celebrates 60 years of Corvette production in 2012 and Sebring stages the milestone 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 17.

The Sebring road course is the crucible where Corvette’s racing reputation was forged. Once a training field for B-17 bomber pilots, the Hendricks Field airstrip circuit became a proving ground for legendary road racers. It was on Sebring’s punishing concrete runways that Chevrolet’s fiberglass sports car first seriously challenged the European marques. On March 24, 1956, John Fitch and Walt Hansgen raced to a Class B victory at Sebring in a Corvette wearing America’s traditional blue and white racing colors – the first step onto the world stage that established Chevrolet as a contender in top-level competition.

A total of 231 Corvettes have competed in the Sebring 12-hour race, and 24 of them have scored class or category victories in this legendary test of endurance. Just as Sebring evolved from a makeshift 5.2-mile airfield circuit into a 3.7-mile permanent road course, Corvette made the transition from boulevard cruiser to world-class sports car.

Victories in Sebring played a crucial role in recasting Chevrolet’s image from a producer of conservative automobiles to a company that appealed to youthful, performance-minded customers. Introduced in 1953 with a six-cylinder engine and a two-speed automatic transmission, Corvette made a great leap forward with the debut of the Chevrolet small-block V-8 in 1955. Legendary racer/engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov continually expanded Corvette’s performance envelope with the development of dual four-barrel carburetors, fuel injection, Duntov-designed solid lifter camshafts, four-speed transmissions, and heavy-duty suspension packages.

Duntov was frequently at odds with the ban on corporate racing enacted by the Automobile Manufacturers Association in 1957, launching a number of unofficial programs to ensure that independent Corvette racers had the equipment they needed to compete successfully. In an era of drum brakes and three-speed gearboxes, Corvette drivers enjoyed the advantages of factory-designed performance packages.

Fresh from a record-setting session on the sands of Daytona Beach (where Duntov set the flying mile speed record at 150.583 mph), the Corvette crew hastily prepared a trio of Corvettes for the 1956 12-hour Sebring endurance race. The untested Corvettes predictably encountered teething problems, but Fitch and Hansgen persevered to finish first in Class B and ninth overall.

That first Sebring victory became the cornerstone of the Corvette legend. Chevrolet’s advertising agency trumpeted the triumph with ads that declared Corvette was “The Real McCoy” and lauded Corvette as “a tough, road-gripping torpedo-on-wheels with the stamina to last through the brutal 12 hours of Sebring.” Further iterations of the first-generation Corvette scored class wins at Sebring in 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1962. Notable Corvette drivers of this era included Dr. Dick Thompson, Briggs Cunningham, Jim Jeffords, 1960 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Rathmann., Jerry Grant, Jim Hurtubise, and Don Yenko.

The Sebring Corvettes eventually sired a trio of SR Corvettes – the acronym standing for “Sebring Racer” or alternatively “Sports Racing.” Based on a Sebring Corvette chassis, the SR-2 sprouted a tail fin, racing windscreens, air scoops on the side coves, and an extended front end with driving lights that gave the machine a purposeful appearance. Corvette repeated as the GT class champion at the 1957 Sebring enduro – although it was a production model driven by Dick Thompson, “The Flying Dentist,” and Gaston Andrey that took the honors.

The 1957 Corvette SS that made its competition debut in Sebring was Duntov’s technical tour de force. Conceived to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Corvette SS was a stunning machine, both visually and mechanically. A featherweight magnesium body cloaked a tubular steel space frame that featured coil-over-shock front suspension, a de Dion rear axle and inboard-mounted aluminum drum brakes. A fuel-injected small-block V-8 resided under the long, sloping hood.

A Corvette SS mule car was tested at Sebring by five-time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio and British ace Stirling Moss, running quick lap times in practice for the 12-hour race. Fitch and Piero Taruffi were to drive the Corvette SS in its maiden race, but suspension problems forced its retirement after only 23 laps. There was worse news in store: the Automobile Manufacturers Association announced its opposition to factory involvement in motorsports. The Corvette SS project was shelved – although the SS was resurrected long enough for Duntov to lap Daytona International Speedway at 155 mph during opening-day ceremonies in 1959.

Five lightweight Grand Sport Corvettes constructed in 1962-63 bore the unmistakable mark of Zora. Built behind closed doors when racing was officially discouraged at GM, the handful of featherweight Grand Sports kept the flame of performance alive for the Corvette faithful. Plans for a limited production run of Grand Sports were dashed when the program was canceled to comply with the AMA’s racing ban. Duntov subsequently distributed the Grand Sports to independent racers. Roger Penske and Jim Hall teamed up to win the GT Prototype class at Sebring in 1964 in a Grand Sport, with A.J. Foyt and John Cannon finishing second in Mecom Racing’s Grand Sport. Two of the Grand Sports were eventually converted to roadsters, and today the five examples are among the most prized Corvettes on the planet.

Independent racers also recognized the potential of the Corvette’s small-block powertrain. Chevrolet V-8s became the preferred power source for Lister-Corvettes, Scarabs, Cheetahs and other road racing specials. Jim Hall and Hap Sharp scored an overall victory in the 1965 Sebring 12-hour in a Chaparral equipped with a Chevy small-block V-8 and automatic transmission that traced their roots to Chevrolet R&D. It was the last Sebring overall win by an all-American entry – an American car driven by American drivers.

The arrival of the third-generation Corvette in 1968 sparked a racing revival in Sebring. Now armed with big-block Chevrolet V-8 engines, drivers like John Greenwood (teamed with entertainer Dick Smothers), Tony DeLorenzo, Jerry Thompson, David Heinz, and Bob Johnson put Corvette in the Sebring winner’s circle. Corvettes won the GT class at Sebring in 1968, 1970, 1971, and 1972.

Corvette participation peaked in 1973 when18 Corvettes started the Sebring 12-hour race. In the 1973 enduro, Ron Grable, John Greenwood, and Mike Brockman finished third overall, Corvette’s highest finishing position until Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Jan Magnussen duplicated the feat by finishing third overall in 2006 in a Corvette C6.R.

The 1980s saw the advent of the IMSA GTP era and a battle royal among manufacturers. Chevrolet’s entry in the Camel GT wars was the Corvette GTP, based on a Lola chassis and powered by a turbocharged Chevy V-6 that pumped out more than 1,000 horsepower at full boost. The Corvette GTP proved to be fast but fragile at Sebring, recording a best finish of ninth in 1988 with drivers Sarel Van der Merwe and Elliott Forbes-Robinson in Hendrick Motorsports’ entry.

Wally Dallenbach, Jr. and John Jones scored the only class win by a fourth-generation Corvette in the Sebring 12-hour in 1988, taking the GTO trophy in a Corvette built by Protofab. One of the principals of Protofab was Gary Pratt, who would later become the co-owner of Pratt Miller Engineering, Chevrolet’s technical partner in the Corvette Racing program.

Corvette Racing notched the first of its seven Sebring class victories in 2002 with a Corvette C5-R driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Oliver Gavin. With wins the previous year in the Daytona and Le Mans 24-hour races, the Chevrolet team added the third jewel in endurance racing’s Triple Crown at Sebring. O’Connell became the most prolific racer in Sebring history when he tallied his eighth career class win (and fifth with Corvette Racing) at Sebring in 2009. O’Connell also will be inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame on Friday.

Corvette Racing will write another page in Corvette’s racing history at Sebring on Saturday with the latest evolution of the Corvette C6.R and an all-star team of drivers. The 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida will begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT, with live video on ESPN3.com. ABC will televise the race at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 18.

New Corvette C6.Rs and New Driver Lineup to Highlight 60th Annual Sebring 12-Hour Race

SEBRING, Fla., March 9, 2012 – Following an intense preseason testing program, Corvette Racing will begin its quest for the American Le Mans Series GT championship in the season-opening 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 17. Originally constructed as a training ground for B-17 bomber crews during World War II, the runways and service roads of Sebring Airport became a proving ground for legions of Corvette racers. Corvette Racing will continue this motorsports tradition with the competition debut of a new generation of Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars and a revised driver lineup at Sebring International Raceway in the most demanding endurance race on the ALMS calendar.

Many of the updates in the Corvette C6.R race cars are the result of changes in the GT class rules for 2012. The new Corvettes are 2 inches wider than the preceding version (80.6 inches overall width). Corresponding revisions in the bodywork and suspension components complement the increased track width allowed by the regulations, with muscular fender flares covering Michelin racing tires that have been optimized for the new chassis configuration. The rear wing is mounted 75mm higher than last year, and the front fascia now bristles with dive plane “whiskers” to enhance front downforce in the close-quarter battles that are the hallmark of the GT category. The heart of the beast is an updated 5.5-liter Chevrolet small-block V-8 that breathes through twin 29.2mm intake air restrictors (.4mm larger than in 2011) as specified by the GT regulations.

“Last year one of our competitors was granted a waiver to run a car that was 2 inches wider than the GT rules allowed, and the regulations were subsequently changed to allow all of the cars in GT to race with this increased width in 2012,” said Gary Pratt, Corvette Racing team manager. “The 2-inch wider track required all-new bodywork and revised suspension components. The updated Corvette C6.R has to go through the homologation (approval) process again, so we had an opportunity to make additional refinements within the parameters of the GT regulations. GM Powertrain engineers went through a similar process with updates in engine tuning and calibrations to improve driveability and throttle response.”

The wide-body Corvette C6.R race cars still retain strong links to their production counterparts. The hydroformed aluminum frame, bodywork, and aero package are derived from the Corvette ZR1 supercar. The engine is a based on the Corvette Z06’s 7.0-liter naturally aspirated, all-aluminum small-block, reduced to 5.5 liters displacement in accordance with the GT regulations. This tight bond between street and track is showcased in the new 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible, the fastest, most capable Corvette convertible ever produced. The Corvette Racing program pioneered the Corvette 427 Convertible’s 7.0-liter engine, lightweight carbon fiber body components, and aero enhancements.

“A wider car transfers less load under cornering, and consequently it has more lateral capacity,” explained Doug Louth, Corvette Racing engineering director. “It’s not as simple as just making wider fender flares, however. The project involved CFD analysis, surface optimization, and wind tunnel testing. Longer front control arms produce different loads that required new fatigue calculations, durability testing, and packaging studies.

“A key objective was to minimize drag as much as possible with the wider body, while maximizing the downforce potential that it provides,” Louth noted. “Even on a high-speed circuit like Le Mans, the net result favors a wider track width in terms of overall lap time. The wider track has special requirements, and Michelin again proved to be an excellent technical partner. At every test, we had several development tires to evaluate with Michelin engineers. The same Michelin personnel develop tires for the Corvette production cars, so it’s a very deep and productive relationship that encourages the transfer of technology between the two disciplines.”

Success in Sebring is not just about hardware – the human element is also crucial in an exhausting 12-hour endurance test. Corvette Racing has realigned its driver lineup in 2012 to ensure that all six pilots are compatible in both physical size and setup preferences. The No. 03 Compuware Corvette is driven by Jan Magnussen (Denmark) and Antonio Garcia (Spain), with 20-year-old Florida college student Jordan Taylor making his Corvette Racing competition debut as third driver. Oliver Gavin (UK) and Tommy Milner of Lake Mary, Fla., will share the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, with Richard Westbrook (UK) reprising his role as third driver in the long-distance events.

“We work together very, very well,” said Magnusssen about his co-drivers. “We have similar feedback and want similar characteristics in the car. We have arrived at a solution on the seat, the pedals, and the steering wheel that we can all use without seat inserts, which will speed up driver changes. Everybody is up to speed and very fast in the car.”

“It’s great to welcome Tommy on board in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R,” said Westbrook. “I can’t argue with being paired with the reigning Le Mans champion. Olly, Tommy and I get on well, we’ve gelled over the winter, and we’ve learned what each other likes in the car. With our similar sizes, the driving position is more comfortable than last year, which is very important when you’re double-stinting.”

With a total of 63 entries for Sebring (33 ALMS and 30 FIA World Endurance Championship), the 17-turn, 3.7-mile circuit will feature intense racing and heavy traffic.

“It’s going to be a really challenging event,” said Gavin. “My expectations are there will be huge traffic and difficult situations with drivers who haven’t raced at Sebring before. The pit lane has been extended to accommodate the large number of entries, which has changed the entry to the first turn. This will be an issue for the faster prototype cars because they won’t be able to swing out wide to overtake and then arc into the first corner.”

“Sixty-three cars at Sebring will be tough for everyone,” Milner predicted. “I’m glad that I’ve raced there several times before and know the track well. Among all of the endurance races, Sebring is one of the most difficult driving into the night. You have the sun in your eyes in Sunset Bend and smoke from the campfires blowing across the infield. The back section, especially Turn 14, is very dark. When you don’t have any reference points at night, 120 mph feels like 300 mph. Night practice here is very, very important.”

Corvette first competed at Sebring in 1956 when John Fitch and Walt Hansgen raced to a Class B victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the first step onto the world stage that established Chevy’s sports car as a contender in top-level competition. Since then, 24 Corvettes have scored class or category victories in this legendary endurance race, including seven ALMS class wins by Corvette Racing. Armed with new machinery, an international roster of skillful drivers, and a dedicated crew, Corvette Racing is now focused on bringing home its eighth Sebring title.

The 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, with live video on ESPN3.com. ABC will televise the race at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 18.

Chevrolet Team Continues Development of New Corvette C6.R Race Cars

SEBRING, Fla., Feb. 9, 2012 – This was only a test – but as the final shakedown before the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the two-day ALMS Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway was crucial for Corvette Racing. The Chevrolet team continued to develop its new Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars and integrate its new driver lineups. The team also unveiled its 2012 livery that features Jake, the team mascot, in the striking yellow and black graphics.

Corvette Racing participated in the series’ official preseason test with two new chassis, one new driver, and a revised lineup. Twenty-year-old Jordan Taylor of Apopka, Fla., made his public debut as a Corvette Racing driver, sharing the No. 3 Corvette C6.R with co-drivers Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. Tommy Milner settled in with the No. 4 Corvette C6.R that he now shares with teammates Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook.

Announced last month as the third driver for the Sebring, Le Mans, and Road Atlanta endurance races, Taylor adapted quickly to both his new race car and new team. “It’s been exciting so far, being teamed with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia for the three long-distance races,” Taylor said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but also a huge opportunity for me to drive with these guys and to learn from them.

“Every time I get out of the car, I compare the data with them to see where I can improve,” Taylor explained. “Yesterday Jan was helping me with Turn 1 and now I’m on pace with the quicker guys. Things are going really well so far!”

The twin Corvette C6.R race cars completed nearly 15 hours of track time without any significant issues. While long runs took priority over fast laps, both Corvettes ran considerably quicker than the 2:01.561 lap time that won the GT pole at Sebring last year. The No. 4 Corvette was clocked at 2:00.700, and the No. 3 Corvette turned a lap in 2:00.799 on the historic 17-turn, 3.7-mile circuit.

“The work that the team has done during the off-season gives me a lot of confidence,” said Milner. “I can really feel the results when I drive the car, and that’s very encouraging. Every test matters and every outing counts because the racing is so competitive in GT. Everyone at Corvette Racing is looking toward our ultimate goals – winning races, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and winning the ALMS GT championship. Testing here in Sebring with our competitors has given us a benchmark to see how our work has paid off.”

Milner’s co-driver, Oliver Gavin, agreed: “The new car is very good, and the wider track has helped with the balance,” the Briton said. “I would almost say that this GT Corvette C6.R handles like the GT1 Corvettes we raced several years ago. It’s simply amazing how the technology, the aerodynamic development, and all of the work done by Corvette Racing’s engineers and crew have taken us a step forward for 2012.”

Richard Westbrook, third driver for the No. 4 Corvette C6.R, is looking forward to the start of his second season with Corvette Racing at the Sebring enduro. “Everyone has been very determined this winter, and so far, so good,” Westbrook said. “The car feels great. It’s not just aero, the engines, or one single thing – the Corvette team has taken 50 small items and improved them across the board. As we know, everyone in this class improves every year, so it’s going to be tough as ever, but we feel we’re in good shape.”

Jan Magnussen is equally confident in his return to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that propelled him to an ALMS championship in 2008. “I’m very positive with everything that we’ve tried,” declared the Dane. “We’ve gone in a new direction with this car, and when we try something new, we then find another 100 things we want to try! I think this test has been super-productive, and the new car is responding well to the changes we’re making. It’s always difficult at the Winter Test because the track will be quite different during the Sebring 12-hour race – but I think we are in quite good shape.”

Antonio Garcia moves from his role as third driver to a full-season seat in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. He shared his teammates’ optimism after the Sebring test. “We have put all our effort into making this car as fast as possible,” Garcia noted. “There have been big changes overall to the bodywork, so there was a lot of work to be done by the engineers and the crew in the shop. We have certainly improved since last year – the question is, how much have the others improved as well? We won’t know that until the race, so we just need to focus on our program. I think we will have a very competitive car to fight for victory in the 60th running of the Sebring 12-hour race.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 17.

Is it a foregone conclusion that professional race car drivers love to taunt death? Not necessarily. It’s really about pushing limits and finding the edge without careening over. Few have the judgment and skills to not only survive a life racing, but to excel at it.

Andy Pilgrim is one. An accomplished racer in many disciplines, Pilgrim started racing on motorcycles in the 1980s an then came to the U.S. to find career opportunities that weren’t available in his native U.K. He has always been passionate about bikes; for example, he has kept a race program from a local track—Mallory Park—near Nottingham U.K since he was two years old. Growing up Pilgrim was the kid that was doing stunts on his tricycle, bicycle, or moped. He was also the one who didn’t need to follow the crowd when they chose to do something stupid, and he’s always sworn off alcohol and drugs. In his words, “Because I was a risk taker, when it came to anything with faster than feet mobility, I also realized early that altered states were not a good idea.“

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Industry Team Offers MAV-L for Special Applications Beyond SOCOM

Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Pratt Miller Engineering team celebrated the debut of the MAV-L at AUSA 2012, the team’s entry into the GMV 1.1 pursuit. MAV-L is a modular vehicle, built to transports up to seven operators and easily reconfigured to fit specific missions.

Despite its spacious size it can be air transportable internally in MH/CH-47 Chinook helicopters, thanks to height compression technique reducing the vehicle’s height to fit the Chinook’s cabin.

Motor racing specialist company Pratt Miller Engineering is signed on the unique design, brought from idea to fully functional prototype in few months. A respected industry leader in the defense, automotive, motorsports and powersports industries, Pratt Miller is renown for their innovative, high-performance engineering and manufacturing solutions.

“Our clean-sheet approach and purpose-built solution applies innovation from across our industry team. We deliver an affordable solution that meets the warfighter’s mission requirements and a great new capability,” said Tom Vice, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “We’re fully committed to providing the Special Operations Command with the most modular and agile vehicle capable of top performance in any operational environment.” While MAV-L was designed to meet SOCOM GMV 1.1 requirements, the team considered it has applications beyond SOCOM. For example, such vehicles could be suitable for US Army and Marine Corps recon teams, forced entry teams operated by the Air Force, or for international customers. designing the vehicle for maximum adaptation and ample growth.

BAE Systems provides the experience of military vehicle manufacturing, and sustainment for the program. If MAV-L is selected, it will be produced at the company’s Sealy, Texas, facility where MRAPs and tactical trucks where produced in recent years.

“The capabilities of our partners combined with Northrop Grumman’s decades of experience integrating C4ISR systems into land forces sustainment and military platforms, ensure that our customers receive a vehicle as capable and flexible as their mission requirements,” said Frank Sturek, deputy director of land forces sustainment and MAV-L program manager, Northrop Grumman.

Another GMV 1.1 candidate is unveiled at AUSA 2012

Fanfare and ceremony accompanied the opening of this week’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., as an industry team led by Northrop Grumman used the AUSA gathering to unveil their candidate solution for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 program.

The ceremony marked the sixth company or team to acknowledge submitting a vehicle test sample as part of their GMV 1.1 proposal. Other companies that have acknowledged GMV 1.1 candidates include AM General, Navistar, Oshkosh, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS)/Flyer, and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) [Force Protection].

The Northrop Grumman-led entry, dubbed Medium Assault Vehicle – Light (MAV-L), was developed in conjunction with team members BAE Systems and Pratt Miller Engineering.

MAV-L 3 SG

Northrop Grumman’s MAV-L, unveiled at AUSA 2012, displayed some obvious racing bloodlines as well as its ability to be configured for various loads and weaponry. Photo by Scott R. Gourley

“Today marks a unique time for the future of ground combat vehicle technology as we unveil the [Medium] Assault Vehicle – Light (MAV-L) for the U.S. Special Forces GMV 1.1 competition,” said Tom Vice, president of Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “Our MAV-L solution is the result of first understanding the need; the technical requirements; affordability requirements; production requirements; as well as operation and support requirements. From there we started with a clean sheet approach and designed, produced, and rigorously tested our solution … I think you will see that this solution meets all the requirements: mission, tactical, affordability, production, demand in terms of schedule, and of course all the operation support requirements.”

“In teaming with BAE [Systems] and Pratt Miller, this team combines the most innovative companies from defense and the commercial racing industries to create this purpose-designed vehicle that meets the warfighters’ needs, both in effectiveness and new capabilities. And in partnering with BAE and Pratt Miller we found the perfect complement to Northrop Grumman’s innovation and our ground vehicle sustainment programs that we have been producing for quite some time,” he said.

“This process began and ended with the warfighter in mind,” he added. “And all three companies have tirelessly dedicated themselves to producing this clean sheet approach that meets the demands of our U.S. Special Forces.”

Outlining the need for the new vehicle, Frank Sturek, a land forces modernization campaign manager for Northrop Grumman, noted that the current USSOCOM Ground Mobility Vehicle “does not meet the long range surveillance and airfield seizure mission requirements.”

In addition to internal transport by MH/CH-47 helicopter, Sturek added that “USSOCOM wanted a vehicle with high off road mobility and quick dash speed that leveraged technologies from the off road racing and high performance racing communities” as well as the ability to configure the vehicle load to meet their own requirements.

“They told us that they need a vehicle where a couple operators can get in there – with a lot of stuff.’ And the vehicle needs to be able to do that for the long range surveillance mission. And they also need the same vehicle to be able to transport a lot of dudes with not a lot of stuff for an airfield seizure mission.”

In addition to the GMV 1.1 program, Sturek said that the MAV-L industry team sees the potential product market expanding to include forced entry equipment sets for the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, Marine Corps forced entry equipment requirements, Army and Marine Corps reconnaissance elements, and several international special operations markets.

How Simulation Propelled Pratt Miller into New Markets

Pratt Miller | Based on an interview with Jesper Slättengren

Pratt Miller learned how to develop vehicles under tight deadlines and get them right the first time as a highly successful designer and builder of race cars. In 2005, the company created an Engineering Services Division to bring the same skills to industrial customers. The company found a niche developing showcase vehicles, fully engineered working prototypes, for defense contractors, under deadlines as short as a few months. Vehicle dynamics simulation using MSC Software’s Adams software plays a key role by making it possible to evaluate and optimize the performance of critical vehicle subsystems long before prototypes and even detailed CAD models of the vehicle are available. Recently, the company created a prototype of a new wheeled military vehicle in only 12 weeks. The ability to develop showcase vehicles so quickly has helped the Engineering Services Division increase its revenues by a factor of 100 and its engineering staff by 122 people in just 7 years.

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Who says car racing isn’t a battle?

Northrop Grumman has unveiled its proposal for the U.S. Special Forces’ next combat car, the Medium Assault Vehicle – Light (MAV-L.)

One of several entries being evaluated for the U.S. Special Operations Command Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 competition, the truck was co-developed with BAE Systems and Pratt Miller engineering, the same outfit behind the 2012 American Le Mans Series GT championship-winning Corvette Racing team.

The vehicle was designed from the ground up to meet the goals of the competition, which is looking to find a fast, relatively lightweight 4×4 that can be transported inside of a Chinook helicopter or C-130 airplane, operate in a variety of theaters and support the “peculiar modifications” required by special ops teams from each branch of the military. Approximately 1,300 of the winning vehicles will be purchased by the Pentagon through 2020 starting next year at fully equipped price of under $350,000 per unit.

The MAV-L is powered by a 4.4-liter CAT four-cylinder diesel engine with 220 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. The six-passenger truck features a protective tubular roll cage that can accommodate a variety of equipment and armament configurations, including a gun turret. Top speed of the 7,400-pound vehicle is 80 mph on pavement and 60 mph on rough roads, its weight minimized through the use of carbon fiber bodywork. Along with the open top version show, it’s been engineered with several fully-enclosed armored solutions in mind.

Northrup Grumman tapped Pratt Miller to build the prototype that was submitted to the Pentagon for a full gauntlet of tests by its evaluation team.

Five other proposals for the GMV are vying for the contract, including another radical, purpose-built vehicle from General Dynamics Land Systems and a more conventional pickup truck from Navistar featuring ballistic protection from Indigen Armor.

A winner is expected to be announced by the end of this year.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/10/22/northrop-grumman-unveils-proposal-for-next-us-special-ops-vehicle/#ixzz2A8DqTjX9

New Crossed Flags logo illustrates the character of the all-new, “C7” Corvette

BRASELTON, Ga. – Chevrolet today confirmed the seventh-generation Corvette will debut on Sunday evening, Jan. 13, 2013, in Detroit. To start the countdown to 1.1.13, Chevrolet is showing the new Crossed Flags logo for the new 2014 Corvette.

“The all-new seventh-generation Corvette deserved an all-new emblem,” said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design. “The new Crossed Flags design reflects the character of the next Corvette. The flags are much more modern, more technical, and more detailed than before – underscoring the comprehensive redesign of the entire car.”

The new Crossed Flags logo was unveiled at Road Atlanta, where Corvette Racing celebrated a sweep of the 2012 production-based American Le Mans Series GT championships.

Chevrolet secured the manufacturer championship, Corvette Racing secured the team championship, and Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner captured the drivers championship, with four wins in the nine races preceding Petit Le Mans, the 2012 ALMS season finale.

These championships make Corvette Racing the most successful team in ALMS history, with a total of 77 class wins, eight driver championships, and nine manufacturer and team championships. The team has also taken seven class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and an overall win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Corvette Racing will campaign the C6.R for the 2013 ALMS season. The C7.R is expected to make its racing debut in 2014.

“Winning the ALMS championships with the Corvette C6.R against prestigious competitors from Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW is the perfect send-off for the sixth-generation Corvette,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer.

“The seventh-generation Corvette will build on that success,” Juechter continued. “With the new Corvette, we set out to build a world-challenging sports car with design, refinement, efficiency and driver engagement that is second to none. The result is a truly all-new Corvette. There are only two carryover parts from the C6 used in the C7 – the cabin air filter and the rear latch for the removable roof panel.”

The Crossed Flags logo has been a hallmark of the Corvette since its 1953 introduction. It has always incorporated a pair of flags, one a racing checkered flag and other featuring the Chevrolet “bowtie” emblem and a French fleur-de-lis. The design has evolved over the years, and has been featured on more than 1.5 million Corvettes built between 1953 and today.

For the seventh-generation Corvette, the Crossed Flags design is a more technical, more angular, and more swept appearance – in proportion that symbolizes the new car. It is also a more detailed representation, showing greater depth, color and attention to detail.

More than 100 variations were considered before the final design was selected.

The new Crossed Flags design will be featured on the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, which will debut for credentialed media on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, in Detroit. Chevrolet will offer a limited number of tickets for Corvette enthusiasts, with proceeds benefiting the National Corvette Museum, in Bowling Green, Ky. Interested parties can contact Roc Linkov (roc@corvettemuseum.com) for more details.

Over coming weeks, more information and video content about the seventh-generation Corvette will be unlocked on www.one13thirteen.com. Enthusiasts can join the conversation about the next-generation Corvette, as well as keep track of new announcements on Facebook (facebook.com/corvette) and Twitter @Chevrolet(#Corvette). Fans that follow the #one13thirteen hashtag on Twitter can look forward to exclusive updates.

FAST FACT: The first Corvette debuted as a concept car on Jan. 17, 1953, at the GM Motorama in New York City. That car originally featured an emblem with a checkered flag crossed with an American flag. Because use of the American flag was prohibited as part of a commercial property, the logo was changed to the fleur-de-lis/bowtie when the Corvette went into production in June 1953.