Team Cadillac Finishes Second, Fourth in Grand Prix of Utah; O’Connell’s Driver Point Lead Grows Larger

O’Connell second, Pilgrim fourth in racy Round 4 of Pirelli World Challenge Series

• • O’Connell Leads Pilgrim in Driver Points After Four Races
• • Cadillac Leads Manufacturer’s Points Over Porsche
• • O’Connell Leads 10 laps, Pilgrim Nipped at End for Third

TOOELE, Utah – For the first 10 laps of Saturday’s PrivacyStar Utah Grand Prix, it appeared that Team Cadillac had a shot at a third victory in four races.

But in the end, the team had to settle for second and fourth places, plus a solid points day toward the Pirelli World Challenge Series championships.

Johnny O’Connell took advantage of a standing-start stumble by polesitter Patrick Long to jump to the lead, edging out a gaggle of cars at the entrance to the super-fast Turn 1. For the next 10 laps, the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe driven by O’Connell led the way around the 3.048-mile Miller Motorsports Park course until Long got close enough to challenge.

Long dived to the inside into Turn 1 on Lap 11 and completed the pass through the tricky-fast turn complex and raced away to victory.

“It was a really good race with Patrick,” O’Connell said after the race was over. “With us carrying all the weight, I figured out pretty early that he [Long] was just going to try to wear me down, make me use up my tires and then have his way with me. I actually backed my pace off a little to let him get close. I figured eventually he would make a run at me going into Turn 1.”

He did, but was not successful the first time he tried it. Long actually led Lap 7, but O’Connell kept his foot in it and wound up keeping the top spot for another three laps.

“We raced each other super clean, and I think the fans enjoyed watching that,” O’Connell said. “I was just hoping for traffic that never came. You have to give it to them. They were a little bit stronger today, but shoot, with 144 pounds…we were carrying a lot of weight.”

That weight, called REWARDS weight, came from O’Connell winning at St. Petersburg to open the season and finishing second in the second race at St. Pete and third at Long Beach.

Andy Pilgrim, who was carrying 96 pounds after winning at Long Beach, started fourth, lost a spot in the gaggle at the start, and then advanced to third place by Lap 5, chasing O’Connell and Long.

He made up a ton of time through the middle portion as O’Connell and Long battled for the lead, his No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe shadowing his teammate and looking for opportunities to advance.

But a hard-charging Mike Skeen came from 13th on the grid to fourth place with a handful of laps remaining and passed Pilgrim on the penultimate lap to knock Team Cadillac out of another double- podium finish.

“It was a good race,” Pilgrim said of his battle with Skeen. “I knew [Skeen] was coming; there was nothing I could do. He didn’t have any weight on his car, and we know the Corvette is good. He was really good through the fast corners.”

Pilgrim got a touch loose on the next-to-last lap and Skeen pounced.

“I got a big slide out of Turn 6 and it killed my momentum for that long straight up to Turn 7,” he said. “He got to the inside and there was nothing I could do. He just accelerated faster than I did. I had to let him go. I couldn’t have turned in, and if I had tried to go around the outside I would have just punched right off the track. There’s a lot of stuff on that corner.”

At the end of the day, O’Connell was pragmatic about the result.

“For me it was very difficult, watching my tires and saving some for the end,” he said. “Right now, I am driving as strong if not stronger than I ever have in my career. It was really hard for me to sit back and manage everything, but I was very proud that I was able to do that.”

For Pilgrim, it was a good result, for the big picture, but not the one he was looking for on Saturday.

“I didn’t want top-five, but when you come into one of these races, you want to come away with top-five points if you’re in the championship. That’s all you want.”

Long’s Porsche beat O’Connell to the flag by 3.032 seconds, and Skeen, Pilgrim and David Welch in a Ferrari rounded out the top five. Randy Pobst headed the second five in his Volvo, with the Porsches of Steve Ott, James Sofronas and Madison Snow seventh through ninth. Tony Gaples rounded out the top 10 in another Corvette.

In the points, it was a banner day for Team Cadillac. O’Connell now leads the World Challenge GT driver’s points by 49 over Pilgrim, 501-452. Sofronas is a distant third with 354, Lawson Aschenbach is fourth with 342 and Pobst is fifth with 333.

In the Manufacturer’s points, Cadillac leads Porsche by 2, 32-30, after four rounds.

Next action for Team Cadillac and the rest of the Pirelli World Challenge Series competitors will be May 10-11, the Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif.

The Grand Prix of Utah will be telecast on NBC Sports, Sunday, May 27 at 11 p.m. EDT. View live streaming on www.world-challengeTV.com day of races and continuously on demand after races.

Team Cadillac’s O’Connell Second, Pilgrim Fourth in World Challenge Qualifying for GP of Utah

CTS-V Coupes In Good Shape for Round 4 of Pirelli World Challenge

TOOELE, Utah – When Saturday’s PrivacyStar Grand Prix of Utah gets the green light tomorrow afternoon, Team Cadillac will have a say in who comes to Victory Lane.

Johnny O’Connell put the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V on the outside of the front row in qualifying, and teammate Andy Pilgrim put his No. 8 machine right behind him in fourth.

“I was very happy with my CTS-V Coupe,” O’Connell said. “It’s the best it has been since we got here on Thursday, and that has a lot to do with all the people at Cadillac who worked on it so hard.”

O’Connell will line up next to polesitter Patrick Long, who clocked the fastest time at 1:50.834 around the 3.048-mile Miller Motorsports Park layout. O’Connell’s lap at 1:51.358 was second-quick, with Randy Pobst splitting Team Cadillac in third at 1:51.463. Pilgrim’s lap at 1:51.533 rounded out the top four.

“We have been chasing the car since we got here,” Pilgrim said. “We’ve chased the track, the weather, the wind, the temperature…Team Cadillac has really worked hard on getting us to this point.”

O’Connell said that teamwork made the difference.

“This is one of those times where you really needed two cars,” he said. “It allowed us to gain a lot more on the setup for tomorrow’s race.”

Pilgrim said the Miller track was a demonstration in compromise.

“You have to compromise so much here,” he said. “You have to give up a lot in one corner to make good in another, and it’s hard work to set one of these cars up for this track.”

This weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge race from Miller Motorsports Park will be streamed live online, and the online feed is scheduled to start at 2:25 p.m. MDT/4:25 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 28.

The Cadillac Racing Media Kit is now available online.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Team Cadillac Drivers Show Well in Final Practice for Long Beach Grand Prix; Both in Top Six

Pilgrim Fourth, O’Connell Sixth in First Dry Session of Weekend

LONG BEACH – After the first real track time of the weekend, Team Cadillac put both CTS-V Coupes in the top six during Pirelli World Challenge Series practice.

Andy Pilgrim led the way in the No. 8 CTS-V, posting fourth-quick time at 1:23.684 around the 1.968-mile street course, and point leader Johnny O’Connell was sixth at 1:23.806.

“It wasn’t bad, for a totally green track after two days of rain,” said Pilgrim of his session. “Traffic is an issue here, especially with the GTS cars around the Fountain. You can’t get them easily. It’s a good start, but this is not the ideal Cadillac track. We’re both in the top six, which is what we need to do, but obviously, we’ve got some work to do.”

Lawson Aschenbach led the way at 1:22.822 in a Porsche, and the Volvo of Randy Pobst was second at 1:23.485. Justin Marks sneaked into the top three on the final lap of the session, posting a lap at 1:23.684, just .001 ahead of Pilgrim. Tommy Drissi was fifth in another Porsche.

O’Connell had a struggle with his No. 3 CTS-V, but is confident it will work itself out.

“I’m not as happy with my car now as I was at St. Pete,” he said. “I’m not showing the grip I want, but that’s why you run these sessions. The beautiful thing about a team like Cadillac Racing is, they have the ability to get it all right in time for qualifying and the race.”

James Sofronas’ Porsche was seventh, followed by the Volvo of Alex Figge, Dino Crescentini’s Porsche and the Ferrari of David Welch rounded out the top 10.

Qualifying for Round 3 of the Pirelli World Challenge Series is set for 8:25 a.m. Sunday, with the race to follow at 4:15 p.m. Live streaming of Sunday’s race is available, and the race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network on April 29, from 3-4:30 p.m. EDT. The Cadillac Racing Media Kit is now available online.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Momentum Is With Team Cadillac in the Streets of Long Beach for Round 3 of Pirelli World Challenge

St. Pete Performances Indicate Recipe for Street-Course Success

• • O’Connell Leads Point Standings; Pilgrim Stands Third
• • Tricky Track Makes Performance Critical for CTS-V Coupes
• • Rain Friday Makes Weekend More Compact for Team

LONG BEACH, Calif. – “This is our Monaco.”

That’s how Cadillac CTS-V Coupe driver Johnny O’Connell describes the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which plays out for the 38th time this weekend through the streets of the California city.

O’Connell and teammate Andy Pilgrim take the potent Cadillac CTS-V racers to those streets this weekend, setting up for Round 3 of the Pirelli World Challenge Series.

O’Connell comes in with the series point lead after winning Round 1 in St. Petersburg and finishing second in Round 2. Pilgrim finished fifth and third in the opening two races to stand third in the points.

“With the degree of attention attached to this race, it truly is, to me, America’s most successful street race,” O’Connell said. “Any time you have something this big and historic, it’s pretty special.”

The 1.986-mile road course through city streets presents a challenge to Team Cadillac, because it is so tight and technical.

“It is St. Pete, plus less track time, a weird schedule and a day of rain, so we haven’t really done very much on track,” said Pilgrim following a rainy first practice session on Friday. “Now we have a concentrated weekend. We’re hopefully as well-prepared as any team here, but this is not necessarily the best Cadillac track. We know it’s a good Porsche track.”

O’Connell said the most famous corner on the circuit is also the one that nobody likes.

“The worst part of the track is the hairpin,” O’Connell said. “I don’t think you’re going to find any driver that says, ‘I love this corner.’ It is such a tight-radius corner. I like the whole Turn 2 and 3 area, and then the Turns 7 and 8 combination, which is a good overtaking area. Turns 9 and 10, you have a variety of pavement changes that are very tricky.”

The tight layout presents difficulties for the potent Cadillac CTS-V, which has a longer wheelbase and more mass than most of the cars it competes against, but with a year of development under its belt, the Cadillac is better equipped to handle the tricky, concrete-encased course.

“It’s not the ideal Cadillac track, but I think we can do well here. We have done well in the past here, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going from St. Pete. I’m thinking that a top-five finish for both of us would be awesome,” Pilgrim said. “If we happen to get a victory or a podium out of this, that’s a bonus.

“It’s a street course, and you can definitely have a lot of problems here.”

Hitting Long Beach with momentum doesn’t hurt, either. St. Petersburg, another street course, proved that the CTS-V is growing up as a racing car, and in the hands of veteran racers like Pilgrim and O’Connell, there’s no disadvantage.

The 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Series runs April 15 in the Streets of Long Beach. Live streaming of both races is available, and the race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network on April 29, from 3-4:30 p.m. EDT.

Team Cadillac Ready to Conquer Pirelli World Challenge in Season-Opening GP of St. Petersburg

Team Seeks to Carry ’11 Season Strength into 2012

• • Testing Gives Team an Edge for Season Bow
• • More Prep Time This Year for Opener
• • Both O’Connell, Pilgrim Excited for Season to Start

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Team Cadillac Racing spent the 2011 season catching up.

At this time last year, the racy-looking Cadillac CTS-V Coupes were just coming off their first on-track test sessions and the team had a lot of questions as to which way to go to make them fast.

This year? Not so much.

The 2012 season will open here this weekend and Team Cadillac knows exactly what it has. Two victories, including a double-podium effort in the final race of the season at Road Atlanta and a strong second-place finish in Manufacturer points, sends Team Cadillac into another year with a clear picture of what lies in store.

That’s a good thing, according to Technical Director/Team Manager Steve Cole.

“I think we’ll be competitive,” Cole said during a recent on-track test at Sebring. “Last year, at St. Pete, we were qualifying seventh and eighth, and with the development of our car we should be able to move up to the pointier part of the grid. Of course you never know, with all the new cars entering the series, but I think we should be able to run in the top five.”

Drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim put the race cars through their paces during a two-day test at Sebring International Raceway and the team worked on braking systems, cooling, launch control and the thousand other things that make up a successful campaign.

“Our expectations are very high,” O’Connell said during a break in the session. “We look at how we entered last season; we’d had two days of testing and we definitely knew we were bringing a knife to a gunfight. But we’ve been so much better, improved our car a ton. I’m optimistic.

“When we got to the last three or four races, we were regularly one of the cars to beat. Not always, but we were pretty quick.”

Having that knowledge and experience in the bank is a positive factor for the vastly experienced O’Connell, especially heading into the season-opening St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

“Just the fact that we’re entering the season more on par with where our competitors are going to be is a good thing,” he mused. “Our expectations are pretty high. We have been building data, have a better idea what our setup should be, and that’s what this team is known for; the ability to collect data and apply it to future events.

“At St. Pete, I expect us to be better than we were last year, but you don’t know who is going to show up and who is going to be fast.”

The last time the Pirelli World Challenge Series took to the track, O’Connell won the race and Pilgrim finished third, giving the team its second victory of the season and its first double podium.

O’Connell finished second in the points behind champion Patrick Long last year, and won two races in Cadillac’s return to the series and the sport.

Pilgrim notched podium finishes in two of the last four races of the season and earned fifth place in the final points.

“We did some good testing at Sebring, and I’m very positive with what we accomplished,” said Pilgrim, who led Cadillac to two series titles in 2005 and 2007. “It’s hard to quantify what you accomplished in the sense that you aren’t measuring yourself and the Cadillac CTS-V against your competition, but we are in a much better place than we were at this time a year ago, I can tell you that.

“We’ve had a year of competition under our belts, all the development that goes with it, and from a driver’s standpoint, we are in a much better place than we were last year.”

That end to 2011, plus the excitement of having the CTS-Vs back on the track, is creating a ton of buzz back in Detroit, too.

“I have to tell you, everyone at Cadillac, [Cadillac Global Marketing Director] Jim Vurpillat, myself, the season can’t come quick enough,” said John Kraemer, Cadillac CTS-V Marketing and Racing Manager. “The 2011 season ended on a high note with us winning at Road Atlanta and both drivers on the podium. For our first year back, we had outstanding results, but it’s been a long winter. Spring is upon us. We can’t wait to get going each and every weekend to compete.”

Coming off a year in which a record number of Cadillac CTS-Vs left showrooms in the hands of happy owners, it’s a big opportunity as well.

“It’s about more than selling Cadillac CTS-Vs,” Kraemer said. “It’s really about the brand and the validation of the performance credentials of a world-class luxury performance line. That’s why we race.”

The 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Series runs March 23-25 in the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Live streaming of both races is available, and the Cadillac Racing Media Kit is now available online.

From Corvettemotorsport.com:

…………….It has been eleven years since a Corvette has been capable of winning the 24-Hours of Daytona. This year five special Corvette Daytona Prototypes will attempt to break that record. In early testing the Corvettes were the class of the field. Corvette Motorsport will be live at Daytona, covering the race with the Spirit of Daytona team. This team had the first prototype and will be driven by Corvette Racing’s C6-R drivers. It should be an exciting 24 Hours and hopefully we will see a Corvette first across the line at this historic race……………..

Click below for more of the article and photos:

http://www.corvettemotorsport.com/news/grand-am-2011-rolex-24-preview-478

New Driver Alignment to Optimize Performance in Sprint and Endurance Events

DETROIT, Jan. 20, 2012 – A new alignment of drivers will pilot Corvette Racing’s new Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars when they make their competition debut at the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. With additional testing following the announcement of the 2012 driver roster, the team has now finalized the lineups for the twin Corvettes.

Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia will be full-season drivers in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, joined by Jordan Taylor as third driver in endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner will co-drive the No. 4 Corvette C6.R, with Richard Westbrook joining them as third driver in the three long-distance races.

“As part of our comprehensive review of Corvette Racing, we considered every element of the program, from the chassis and engine to the driver pairings,” said GM Racing Director Mark Kent. “Preseason testing and data analysis suggested that a revised driver alignment could improve the team’s overall performance. Certainly physical size is a factor in minimizing the time required for driver changes during pit stops, but we also evaluated the drivers’ individual styles and their preferences on chassis setups. With these pairings, we can minimize compromises and maximize driver confidence.

“This new alignment also combines experienced and younger drivers,” Kent added. “We expect the veteran drivers to mentor the younger drivers, accelerating the process of learning and development.”

This new driver alignment sees Magnussen, 38, return to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that he drove from March 2007 to August 2010. The Dane will co-drive with Garcia, 31, who moves from the third-driver role he began in 2009 to a full-season campaign in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team’s newest member, Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old from Apopka, Fla., joins Magnussen and Garcia as the third driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R.

Tommy Milner, 25, of Lake Mary, Fla., joined Corvette Racing in 2011 as a full-season driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. Milner now moves to the No. 4 Corvette C6.R alongside Oliver Gavin, 39, a Corvette Racing driver since 2002. Richard Westbrook, 36, will mark his second year as third driver in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R.

Corvette Racing will introduce its new driver lineup at the Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9 in preparation for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17.

Team Chevy Continues Successful Grand-Am Testing at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 7, 2012) – As Day Two of the intense testing sessions of the Grand-Am Roar Before the Rolex 24 came to an end, the Corvette DP continued to shine on-track; both in the sun and under the lights. Team Chevy in the Rolex Sports Car Series practiced both during the day as well as a night practice in preparation for the 50th running of the Rolex 24-Hour at Daytona. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge spent two sessions on-track.

The Corvette DP swept the top four places in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class, led by a lap of 1:41.338 (126.468 mph) by the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP co-driven by Darren Law, David Donohue and Christian Fittipaldi. Second in the order was the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette DP co-driven by Max Angelelli, Ricky Taylor and Ryan Briscoe that ran 1:41:403 (126.387 mph) followed by the No. 9 Action Express Corvette DP shared by Joao Barbosa, JC France, Terry Borcheller and Max Papis with a lap of 1:41:475 (126.468 mph). Fourth fastest was the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP co-driven by Antonio Garcia, Richard Westbrook, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen with a lap of 1:41:655 (126.073 mph).

Not far behind with fast lap of the day of 1:41:792 (125.904 mph) was the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP co-driven by Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and Memo Gidley.

In the Rolex Sports Car Series Grand Touring (GT) class, the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R, co-driven by Robin Liddell, John Edwards and Ronnie Bremer, ended the day in second place in the combined results of the test sessions. The No. 88 Autohaus Camaro GT.R with co-drivers Jordan Taylor, Paul Edwards, Matthew Marsh and Tom Milner ended the day as 11th fastest. The No. 75 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R co-driven by Al Carter, Hugh Plumb, Matt Bell and Eric Curran, continued to gain positions on the speed chart as the day unfolded.

The Camaro GS.R teams participated in both sessions for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport class in preparation for the Grand-Am 200 which will run prior to the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona. All of the Team Chevy Camaro GS.R teams, Mitchum Motorsports, Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport, continued to make improvements in their performance that saw them working their way toward the top of the speed chart.

Testing will conclude Sunday for Team Chevy with two practice sessions for both the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

QUOTES:

JIM LUTZ, GRAND-AM PROGRAM RACING, GM RACING: ON THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING AT DAYTONA: “The weather for testing was unbelievably fantastic today. We had no fog this morning and it was warm which is makes it unusually good, sunny weather. It gives the teams the necessary time to maximize their sessions.

“It was a full day for all teams in all classes; DP, GT and GS. They all logged a lot of test miles and worked on fine-tuning their packages. The night test for the Rolex Series for both the DP and GT, all of the Chevy teams were able to get all of their drivers through and practiced green flag pit stops and driver changes. Everything is still in one piece so it’s good.”

WHAT WILL THE TEAMS WORK ON TOMORROW, THE FINAL DAY OF THE ROAR BEFORE THE ROLEX 24? “Further refinement. We’ve got the cars more or less dialed in setup-wise. We’ll run some long stints simulating the race where you run continuous laps until the point where you need fuel and track how the car behaves during a full stint, about 20-25 laps. We will run all the drivers through. Check fuel mileage, check brake wear and things like that. It will really be the final opportunity for all the Chevrolet teams in preparation for the race weekend.”

RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 SUNTRUST CORVETTE DP: TWO DAYS OF TESTING IN THE BOOKS WITH A LOT OF SPEED, IS IT AS GOOD AS IT SEEMS? “Yes, I think we have found a good, solid car that we can race. So now it’s just about trying things and seeing what sticks and seeing what doesn’t in making it into a 24 Hour car. If we can just get to the end of this one this year, I think we will be in really good shape to race to the end.”

HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAVE YOU MADE WITH THE CORVETTE DP ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10 FROM WHERE THE SUNTRUST CORVETTE DP WAS WHEN WE ARRIVED VERSUS WHERE IS IT AT THE END OF TODAY? “It unrolled pretty good so I would give it a nine right now. We really started at about a seven so we’ve improved but we’ve been tweaking and trying things. I think from the knowledge standpoint, we went from like a four to a 10. We’ve really figured out the car and understand what we can do and what we can’t do.”

WHAT IS THE APPROACH ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE TEST TOMORROW? “I think tomorrow be will prepping the 24 Hour car. We have a lot of things to break-in. Tomorrow is kind of a boring day for the drivers, but in the morning we will probably experiment with some more things that Brian ( ) has up his sleeves and see what happens.”

ALEX GURNEY, NO. 99 GAINSCO/BOB STALLINGS RACING CORVETTE DP: “It’s definitely encouraging. It kind of feels like the best start we have had in a long time. There is a lot of ground to cover with this car. We are throwing the old book out, six years of stuff with the old Riley, and trying to relearn everything in a really short period of time is pretty tough. We are going through all kinds of changes, through all different ride heights and things like that, to try and find the sweet spot. We are getting there.”

JON FOGARTY, NO. 99 GAINSCO/BOB STALLINGS RACING CORVETTE DP: “We’re definitely still exploring, seeing what we can get away with on the car that will allow us to run quickly and safely. There’s a lot going on and these three days at Daytona are going to be helpful, but I don’t expect to have the package sorted out anytime soon. I think everybody with a new car is in the same boat, but we are doing a good job. The team is doing a great job sorting through all these nuances. We’ve managed to create a more stable platform that gives us a more consistent aero balance around the entirety of the race track. I’m confident that we’re going to keep improving on it, and I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made so far.”

MEMO GIDLEY, NO. 99 GAINSCO/BOB STALLINGS RACING CORVETTE DP: “I think that right now, we have a pretty drivable race car, for sure for the race. It actually seems reasonably fast also, but I think finding the aero balance of this new package is still a bit of a challenge. I think we still haven’t quite gotten to that happy spot there in that area, but we are working at it every session. For sure, the biggest difference is that with this car and this team, which is a big part of it, is that the lap times are faster than I’ve ever gone. I’m the same driver and I’m the same guy. I have seen it throughout my career, you are pounding around struggling at the mid or back part of the grid and you just get into a team with the exactly the same car or similar car and all of a sudden, you are at the front. For me, that’s been the most eye-opening part of this experience and also the most gratifying.”

DAVID DONOHUE, NO. 5 ACTION EXPRESS CORVETTE DP: HOW IS THE TEST GOING AND THE NEW CORVETTE PERFORMING? “So far this test at Daytona is going fantastic for Action Express. The team is really faced with a unique challenge compared to everyone else in the (Rolex Sports Car) Series because we’ve got a new chassis and a new engine and of course the bodywork with the new Corvette. They have really risen to the challenge. We’ve been P1 and P2 the last couple of sessions. The car is coming along. I think for us the balance is sort of staying the same on the technical side. We seem to be finding a little bit of time here and there. Really our eye is on the big game in a couple of weeks. It’s nice to have speed but there is a big poker game being played here right now. We’re being the reference. But, we don’t know what that reference is for absolute speed or reference of what people want to show. So we are just doing our own job and seeing what we can get out of the new Corvette and so far we are really pleased.”

WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE AS FAR AS DURABILITY-WISE FOR A LONG, GRUELING RACE? “We like to think the car is up to the challenge. But again, everything is so new to us, we really don’t know what to expect as far as some sort of problem. The older car which we had a lot more time with…because we had so much more time with, we knew where to look. Where with a new car, new engine, new everything, we aren’t really sure where to look because the packaging, the engine in the chassis, which leads to different issues compared to the other chassis and engines. So it’s not all apples to apples when it comes to durability even though a lot of people have the same components in their cars. But again, I think our team is up to the challenge. If anyone can do it, our guys can.”

TERRY BORCHELLER, NO. 9 ACTION EXPRESS CORVETTE DP: HOW IS THE TEST GOING AND HOW IS THE NEW CORVETTE PERFORMING? “For us the test is going well. This has been probably the most improvement we’ve seen with the car and it’s been the most improvement we’ve had as a team. So, for us it is going very well and thank you Chevrolet for building us a new car!”

IS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE EVERYTHING YOU EXPECTED? “It is getting better all the time. We hope, I guess I had hoped, it would be a little quicker out of the box. We’ve had some challenges I think to say the least. But I think we are going to be able to overcome them and it is common with a new car. There are a lot of things you have to sort through. I have been down that particular road quite a bit and it’s always been the case. You are always seem to be able to make the car a little bit faster over a little bit of time. The better the piece is coming out of the box; the better off it’s going to be in the long room. You always hope it’s a world-beater out of the box. I think the car looks amazing and I think that is going to bring a lot of fans to Grand-Am and I think it’s going to do a lot for the Chevrolet brand. And hopefully we can just keep making it faster.”

JOAO BARBOSA, NO. 9 ACTION EXPRESS RACING CORVETTE DP: TALK ABOUT HOW THE TEST IS GOING AND HOW THE CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE IS DOING? “So far the Corvette is doing really well. We’ve been learning a lot about the car. Everything that is involved with the Corvette. Everything is brand new for us so it is a steep learning curve for us just to get ready for the 24 Hour race. But, so far, we’re pretty happy with the development we’ve done and the car is reacting really well around here at Daytona. So, we are just looking forward to the race.”

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO SEE ALL THE CORVETTES AT THE TOP OF THE SPEED CHARTS? “I don’t know, we will just have to wait and see. These couple of days are just test days. Everybody is on their own program. We know what we are doing; we don’t know what everyone else is doing. We are pretty confident that the Corvette is going to be a pretty strong car during the race. And we are working hard to achieve that.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP: HOW IS THE TEST GOING SO FAR AND THE NEW CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE IN THIS TEST? “I think it is going pretty well. This is the kind of test where you have to have as much information as you can get toward the race. It is basically the only time we have time enough to learn a lot and put different things together because when it comes to the race week, you don’t have enough time to cycle through all the drivers for the race. You don’t have time to setup the car so now is time to really learn everything we can and try way different setups. I think it is going pretty good. We have found a few packages that work and I think for the race we can put a full package together to have a good race.”

IS IT AS YOU EXPECTED? “I think so. It’s always difficult to gauge our performance because everybody is doing their own program so you don’t actually know how hard they are pushing or not compared to you. You need to focus on yourself, trying to make your car and fast and as comfortable as you can. When it comes to the race everybody will show how they have been working. So far we are in a good position.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP: HOW IS THE TEST GOING AND THE NEW CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE PERFORMING? “I had a couple of laps here yesterday and I’m about to get my first decent run. I’m going to do 45 minutes then Jan (Magnussen) is going to pop in and do 45; it will be his first run too. Very excited. I’ve been looking at the car for the last couple of days, I mean, obviously, it is so beautiful. I just can’t wait to drive it. Ollie (Oliver Gavin) and Tony (Antonio Garcia) have been doing a lot of the setup work. So far, so good. We’ve been making a progress. Both drivers are all-in and are happy with the car. Still so work to do, just fine-tuning, but the basics seem to be good. We’re just doing all the things you need to do before a 24 Hour race. Just making sure when we come back for the 24, we’re ready to go.”

TIM BELL, NO. 6 MITCHUM MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R: “Today went well testing the Mitchum No. 6 Chevrolet Camaro right out the box today was great. The track was cold this morning so I took it easy, but once we made some adjustments, we were running up with the front of the pack.”

AARON STEELE, NO. 6 MITCHUM MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R: “My first taste of American Road Racing has been awesome, absolutely amazing! The Camaro is completely different to my F3 car but it’s great to drive and a fantastic car.”

JOEY ATTERBURY, NO. 62 MITCHUM MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R: “It was great to get back behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Camaro GS.R for another year of racing in GRAND-AM. The Camaro is more developed than it has ever been and should provide a great car throughout the 2012 season.”