Cadillac Racing’s O’Connell and Pilgrim 5th and 6th at Mid-Ohio

O’Connell still leading GT points

LEXINGTON, Oh. (Aug. 3, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished fifth and sixth respectively in race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge Presented by StopTech this afternoon.

The grid was set by fast lap from yesterday’s race. Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started his No. 3 Cadillac CTS.V.R fourth and teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was tenth on the grid in his No. 8 Cadillac CTS.V.R. At the start of the 50-minute race O’Connell was able to squeeze his Cadillac by two competitors in front to duel for the overall lead going into the second turn. Like yesterday’s race a caution flew after the first lap bunching the field. On the restart O’Connell was second and teammate Pilgrim was fifth. The next stretch of laps to the next yellow on lap 22 had the FIA GT3 cars getting by the performance balanced Cadillac CTS.V.Rs who were running fourth and sixth. On the last restart, with just seven minutes remaining, O’Connell got a shove from Andrew Palmer and dropped one more position. The Cadillac CTS.V.R duo came across the finish line in fifth and sixth.

“I had another good start,” O’Connell said. “I was able to challenge the Porsche for a few hundred yards at the start. The yellows helped me today. With all of the weight we carry I can hang at the front for about two or three laps and that is really working. After that our cars really fall off and they get stronger. I left everything out on the track today. I felt I ran good races this weekend. We came here knowing that we would have our work cut out for us. When you can have the eighth fastest cars and score a podium and a top five on the weekend that is attributed to the team. I am driving as well as I ever have. I came into this event thinking we would leave not in the championship lead, but we still are leading.”

Pilgrim had to pull an evasive maneuver at the start.

“I had to make a split second decision at the start,” Pilgrim said. “The Bentley was stalled on the line and I decided to go right with two wheels on the grass, which was the right move as I was able to move up five positons by the second turn. My car was good early, but then it got a little tail happy and the FIA GT3 cars got warmed up. Sadly we are racing as well as we have ever raced, the cars are running as good as they every have and we are racing for fourth and fifth. I had a great race car. The Cadillac Racing guys did a great job this weekend. I am happy with the way I drove, but just not with where I finished. I am hoping they rebalance and help us a little to be more competitive for the last two weekends.”

The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sun., Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Sonoma Raceway in California for the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma Aug. 22-24.

Cadillac Racing’s O’Connell Second at Mid-Ohio

O’Connell second, Pilgrim seventh in rain drenched GT race

LEXINGTON, Oh. (Aug. 2, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell finished second in race one of the Pirelli World Challenge Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge Presented by StopTech today.

After a difficult qualifying session this morning that had Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) seventh and teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) ninth the duo took the standing start in their Cadillac CTS.V.Rs in dry conditions from the fourth and fifth rows on the GT grid.

O’Connell was able to get a strong get away and was into second place by Turn Three of the opening lap. A full course caution stopped the action after just one circuit of the 2.2-mile, 13-turn track. On the lap seven restart O’Connell slipped to third and feverishly defended his position. On lap 13 sprinkles of rain began to fall and three laps later a full course caution flew for wet conditions. As some competitors decided to pit for rain tires, including Mike Skeen the overall leader of the race, the Cadillac Racing crew had O’Connell stay out as the clock was still ticking. On lap 20 a red flag flew stopping the action with O’Connell being the first car behind the Cadillac CTS.V Pace Car. Minutes later the checkered waved and per the rules the finish was set based upon the last lap run classifying O’Connell in second position. Pilgrim pitted for rains a lap earlier, returned to the track and was classified in seventh.

“I was able to get some good traction at the start and go from seventh up to second at the start,” O’Connell said. “The effort from the team has been great here this weekend. The car is as good as I have ever had at Mid-Ohio. Although we only qualified seventh, that is a balance of performance result. Like race number one in Toronto, we were able to hang around the front and it came out better than expected. When the rain started I had a couple of big moments. Going into Turn One I was crossed up a little and I think guys were going off behind me. When they stopped the race I was first behind the CTS.V Pace Car. But per the rules they revert to the last complete lap. We brought home maximum points on a day when it was better to be lucky than good.”

Pilgrim pitted for rains costing him track position.

“I was able to get a pretty good start,” Pilgrim said. “I was back in ninth so there were a lot of cars ahead of me. Going into Turn Two it got stacked up pretty good. I was around seventh at that point. We had a long yellow after one lap. On the restart I got passed by the Bentley and an Audi. It is hard to pass here when you don’t have a lot of straight away speed. That is frustrating. When the rain came I got by a couple of cars. We made the call to come in late for rains and that cost me a few positions.”

Race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix presented by StopTech from Mid-Ohio will take the standing start at 1:40 p.m. tomorrow, Sun., Aug. 3. The weekend’s races will air on NBC Sports Network, Sun., Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Cadillac Racing’s Pilgrim Fifth in Toronto

Pilgrim fifth, O’Connell Eighth in race two

TORONTO, (July 20, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Andy Pilgrim finished fifth in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy Toronto through the streets of Exhibition Place. Teammate Johnny O’Connell came in eighth.

Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started his No. 8 Cadillac CTS.V.R from eighth position based upon his fast lap from yesterday’s race. Teammate O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started the shortened 37-minute race from the ninth grid positon. Although there was a dry line, off the racing line there was still some wet spots prompting the series officials to deviate from the standing start and green flag a rolling charge to Turn One. As the race progressed Pilgrim and O’Connell, held back by performance adjustments, were subject to taking what the over exuberance of their competition would provide. The positions made up from their starting positions were “gifts” from car contact and spins.

“It was really a tough race,” Pilgrim said. “We are down on performance everywhere. I can’t stay with a guy on the straight-away to get in a position to make a pass. It is difficult to compete at the front with these top drivers when you are so handicapped. Fifth place is an absolute gift. A couple of guys went out and that is my fifth place. I think I passed one car. It was the second race of the weekend and there was a lot of rubbing going on out there today. The front guys were really mixing it up good.”

O’Connell also had trouble coming back from the ninth position on the grid.

“A standing start would have helped us a lot,” O’Connell said. “It is so hard to pass here on this track. We are usually good on a standing start. I am not sure why they went to a rolling start. We don’t have pace really with anyone. I have never worked so hard for an eighth place finish. The race was cleaner than I thought it would be today. I was hopeful after the last caution that there would be some fireworks and there was. Without the craziness in front of us we were a tenth place car.”

The Pirelli World Challenge races from Toronto will air on the NBC Sports Network, Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 p.m. Race two will tomorrow, Sunday, July 20 at 12:15 p.m.

The series will travel to Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course for the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix presented by StopTech August 1 – August 3.

Cadillac Racing’s O’Connell Third in Toronto

O’Connell third, Pilgrim sixth in race one

TORONTO, (July 19, 2014) – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell finished third in today’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy Toronto through the streets of Exhibition Place. Teammate Andy Pilgrim came in sixth.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) had a good start that saw him go into Turn One in second, from his third row starting position. Just after Turn One he had to surrender the second place spot to the Viper of Kuno Wittmer who motored by on the next straight. O’Connell had to weather two restarts and pressure late from the Audi of Mike Skeen to keep the last step on the podium earning valuable points. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was able to make up a position on the start and then inherited two more positions as competitors running in front him were overcome with street racing enthusiasm and had issues.

“Week in and week out there is a lot of things that you can count on, one is that the sun will come up and the other is that we will get a good start,” O’Connell said. “We really focus on the first third of these races and the start is just the beginning of that component. The race pretty much went to plan today. I was able to get a good run on the Viper into one and then on the next straight he just out horse-powered me into the next turn. I had some brushes out there with the wall, and with a few cars, but the CTS.V.R stayed under me. The Cadillac Racing engineers improved the handling of the car and I am glad we have a super strong Cadillac. Position is everything racing on the streets. I had it and was able to keep some good cars behind me. A good points day.”

Pilgrim took what was given and was able to improve three positions and finish a solid sixth.

“Unbelievable out there today,” Pilgrim said. “Johnny moved up a couple of position to get a podium for Cadillac which is great. I was able to move up from ninth to sixth and I am actually happy with that run. I was able to improve on the start and I was getting pushed by Sofronas (James) in his Audi all race. My car wasn’t handling the best, I had some oversteer. I was able to take advantage of some situations from people banging into each other. I saw some ridiculous driving out there today. We are struggling a little right now. Johnny and I had the eighth and ninth fastest laps in the race. We are supposed to be strong on the street courses, eighth and ninth fastest is tough to take.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series Honda Indy at Toronto will air on the NBC Sports Network, Sunday, August 10 at 1:30 p.m. Race two will tomorrow, Sunday, July 20 at 12:15 p.m.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered an historic renaissance led by artful engineering and global expansion. Visit cadillac.com to view the full Cadillac line-up.

Additional information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com. Multi-media and team information can be viewed at Cadillac.com GM.com, media.gm.com,

world-challenge.com, andypilgrim.com, johnnyoconnell.com; Facebook GM, Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O’Connell, Cadillac.

Corvette Racing at Watkins Glen: Third Straight Victory For Garcia, Magnussen

Win equals GT Le Mans championship leads; Gavin and Milner fourth after penalty

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 29, 2014) – In its 15 years of existence, Sunday marked Corvette Racing’s first event at Watkins Glen International. The team made its debut one to remember with a dominating GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

The duo led most of the day to earn their third straight class victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. In the process, Garcia and Magnussen moved into the lead of the GTLM driver’s championship, as did Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in team points.

“The Corvette C7.R team’s first race at Watkins Glen was exciting given the challenging track and intense competition that kept the pressure on all race,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Antonio and Jan drove a great race and the crew executed quick pit stops. We are thankful to come out of The Glen with a GTLM class win and the class championship lead.”

Garcia and Magnussen also won the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – a four-race championship made of the TUDOR series’ four endurance events.

The Garcia/Magnussen combination led 154 of the 185 GTLM laps. Magnussen drove the opening stint and took the lead from the pole-sitting BMW on the first lap. Despite holding as much as a 30-second lead at various points, the final minutes were tense ones. A full-course caution with 25 minutes left brought the Corvette inside its fuel window for the rest of the race. A final yellow period just after the restart meant a final-lap dash that saw Garcia hold off the second-place Viper by 0.185 seconds.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished fourth in their No. 4 Corvette C7.R after running second to their teammates for most of the day. A stop-and-go penalty inside the last hour for what race officials judged to be avoidable contact halted their podium charge.

The day wasn’t a complete loss. Gavin and Milner moved into the lead of the Patrón Endurance Challenge with just the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans remaining at the end of the season.

The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race, which Gavin and Milner won last year as part of the American Le Mans Series, is set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 13.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“The car was really good. I was running perfect. Jan (Magnussen) made perfect start and pulled a gap. Then we got a caution but we made the gap back up from zero to almost 20 seconds. Whenever I was able to go full-on we went up to almost a 30-second lead. Strategy-wise we were like two or three laps short (on fuel) I believe. We decided because the Viper … maybe they gambled a little bit more at the beginning so they were out of sequence to stretch their fuel to start with; they were good to go to the end. We decided to go too, and it was hard. To go through traffic, it was really difficult to save fuel. At the end we would have been OK to the end (without the last caution). That yellow obviously helped us a little bit more just in case. We weren’t really on it, but I believe Corvette Racing again did a perfect race. I think we led everything but qualifying.”

Photo by Richard Prince

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“I have to say I am so pleased for how things have gone for the team this year, with the No. 3 car especially, but how we have developed a new car and we keep finding better things to do with it. We are finding better race speed over one lap over the whole distance and making the Michelin tires last for the whole stint. We have a fantastic race car. It’s a very competitive category and you have to be on your game with everything you do. There is no room for any mistakes otherwise you lose it.”

(First race in the Corvette C7.R at The Glen) “I have been here before in other categories, the GRAND-AM GT and also the GRAND-AM DPs earlier. Driving the Corvette C7.R around here is just a fantastic feeling. It’s such a fast race track. It’s almost like there is a part missing of the corner – normally you would have a big braking zone downshifts and everything getting the car ready to rotate and then shoot out the corner. Here that little bit is gone so basically for every corner you barely touch the brake, downshift, back to full throttle. It’s all about the momentum here to build the speed, and that is where dealing with all the traffic was very important; you didn’t get bogged down too much because it would kind of ruin your rhythm. I think both of us did that really well today.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“Certainly we made a step forward with the car after yesterday morning. We went back to basics with stuff, we changed a lot chassis-wise with the car. So was it the perfect setup? No because it was just really a bit of a stab at it, but it was good enough to race and be in the hunt. I genuinely think we should have had a second-place. Tommy (Milner) did a great job at the start and really got us in a fantastic position. It looked like we were going to be able to race cleanly for second.

(Race impressions) “On the double stint that I did, the first on the medium tire was good and I hung with Jan (Magnussen) pretty much. And then on the harder tire it was trickier. It made it a lot more difficult. But we were still there still in second-place looking like we were going to be able to fight for that and then Tommy (Milner) just got a crazy decision with the penalty. We went back and forth for a long time and it’s a great shame that it ruined our race. We went from second to fourth and I think we should have really had a second. That would have been a great result for the team and the guys. They worked so hard over the whole weekend.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R

“First and foremost, I’m very proud of our guys. After Oliver (Gavin) and I were not very happy with the car in practice they put a lot of work into trying to fix the car and it seems like that we have done that. The car was certainly quite a bit better in the race. We were just kind of behind the eight ball – just needed some more practice time to kind of fine tune it, but I think we are back in the ballpark again. That is obviously really encouraging for going forward.

(Race impressions) The race was pretty good. I had a really fun start there. It was just a shame that I got a penalty for something that I don’t believe should have been a penalty. Obviously the race control saw it differently. We can only just move on and kind of put that behind us and be proud of what we achieved. Obviously a great job by the No. 3 car guys; they executed very well. Our guys did as well. We had great pit stops, great strategy calls… they did everything right. We deserved a podium today, but we had it taken away.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Today was emblematic of one of my key racing axioms – 25 percent great car, 25 percent great team and 50 percent good fortune. We had all those in our corner today, backed up by flawless pit stops and a great strategy by our engineers. With plenty of power from GM Powertrain, you add all that up and it’s a victory in our first visit to Watkins Glen International in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for standing on that top step. Everyone worked very hard to earn this one.”

Cadillac Racing Second and Third at Road America

Pilgrim second, O’Connell third

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 21, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell finished second and third respectively in the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge Series presented by Cadillac GT weekend at Road America this morning.

The field for the second race of the weekend was set by fast qualifying laps from Saturday’s race. O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the second row in fourth with teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) taking the lights from the eighth position. Both Cadillac drivers were able to get strong starts. O’Connell passed Mike Skeen’s Audi for the lead with a brave move on the outside of Turn Five. Pilgrim was passing cars throughout the lap and slotted into third going into Turn One on the second lap. On lap four a full caution flew and lasted most of the race, accounting for eight laps. When the race restarted on lap 12 (16 total laps were run) the field went into Turn Eight. O’Connell got pushed wide from his second place position and Pilgrim was able to squeak by and take the runner spot to the finish.

“The start was interesting,” Pilgrim said. “I was going to go right and then Tim Bergmeister went right and I had a better launch and he was a little hesitant and gave me room into three and I went by. I made a move on the Bentley going into eight and then on the Ferrari later. It just opened up for me early. On the restart, Johnny got pushed wide out of eight and he had to get off the gas and I was able to get by him. The long yellow was a gift from the racing gods. After ten laps yesterday we lost a lot of ground. The long yellow helped to keep the tires cool and the car under me. A good weekend.”

O’Connell had no trouble with the start today.

“I had a great start, went from fourth place to the lead,” O’Connell said. “The Cadillac Racing guys gave me a great hot rod today. I am pleased with the result. Congratulations to Mike Skeen on a double win. I am thinking championship. We helped ourselves today with the points that we are taking out of here. I was able to get by Skeen on the outside of Turn Five. Our best opportunity to move up is early in the race. I was able to do that and got by him for the lead. His tires came in and he found a way back by me. Without the yellow he would have really checked out. Later I went into eight and got shoved wide and Andy got by. We had a good points weekend.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series presented by Cadillac from Road America will be televised on NBC Sports, Friday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The series will travel to Toronto for the Grand Prix of Toronto, July 18-20.

Cadillac Racing to Start First and Fourth at Road America

O’Connell on Pole, Pilgrim fourth on points

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 20, 2014) – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim will start first and fourth for this afternoon’s Pirelli World Challenge Series GT race at Road America. Due to rain the SCCA officials cancelled qualifying and have set the grid based upon driver points.

The World Challenge Series FIA GT3 specification cars topped the time sheet in yesterday’s practice sessions. O’Connell was ninth fastest in practice with a time of 2:09.453, Pilgrim was tenth with a 2:09.495 lap. Tomas Enge paced the GT field in his Lamborghini with a time of 2:08.222. The high downforce of the FIA GT3 spec cars are showing their strength around the four-mile, 14-turn natural terrain road course located 30-minutes north of Milwaukee.

“We kind of lucked into the pole,” O’Connell said. “We have some amazing handling Cadillac CTS.V.Rs here this weekend. The engineering staff at Cadillac Racing have us really feeling good about the cars. We came here thinking that the GT3 cars would have a big advantage on us here at Road America. They showed it yesterday with Andy and I being ninth and tenth on the time sheet. I love to qualify, but getting a pole when you are ninth in practice due to weather, heck I will take it.”

O’Connell would welcome a rain race.

“Right now for the race it is looking like it will be dry,” he continued. “It is easier to hold position as opposed to making it up when your hot rod is a little down to the competition. We just have to execute. We will have to perform perfectly at all ends from car preparation to race craft. The wet might work to our advantage with our driving experience and the knowledge of our CTS.V.Rs in the wet. We will take whatever Mother Nature gives for the race this afternoon. I applaud the officials for making the call on qualifying, you don’t want to lose cars in bad conditions when you don’t have to.”

Pilgrim will take a fourth place starting position today.

“It is excellent to start fourth today,” Pilgrim said. “It is a shame we didn’t qualify, everyone likes to push themselves and their cars in qualifying. If it was damp it would have been interesting, but there was just too much water. So we lucked out a little bit with that call. I think we would have qualified in the top six somewhere. We now have to take advantage of the starting positions in the race.”

“It is still raining,” he continued. “The last time I ran here in the rain was more than 10 years ago. This place can be tricky in the wet. In the previous touring car session they lost a couple of cars because of standing water. Standing water is tough to deal with. The rain will level the playing field for sure. I think it is looking like it will be dry for the race. Johnny and I will have our work cut out for us to keep the positions we have been given. My Cadillac is good in the dry, so we just have to take advantage of what has been given to us.”

Race one of the Pirelli World Challenge Series at Road America will take the standing start this afternoon at 3:15 p.m. CT. Tomorrow’s race will go off at 9:10 a.m. The race weekend will be televised on NBC Sports, Friday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Corvette embraces new technology for help at Le Mans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J4_ucP5eFs

With race cars approaching from behind 40 mph faster than their Chevrolet Corvette, Oliver Gavin and his teammates turned to electronics for help at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A unique device that combines cameras and radar lets Corvette drivers know where approaching traffic is located without forcing them to look away from the road. It’s not new technology — camera and radar devices are readily available in production cars, primarily for help while the car is in reverse — but the technology has been updated for the 82nd running of the prestigious sports car race that begins Saturday in Le Mans, France.

Meet the Collision Avoidance System, which combines sensory technology with graphic elements like multi-colored arrows on a screen placed in the drivers’ peripheral vision. In the slower GTE Pro class at Le Mans, Corvette Racing’s two cars and six drivers are expected to benefit from the electronic assist to prevent collisions with prototype cars approaching quickly from behind.

“You’ve got to spend a lot of time looking behind you; that’s part of the skill of competing in the GT classes,” Gavin said. “Now we’ve got an extra set of eyes behind us. You have to consider that the GT drivers have a harder job than the guys in the (faster) prototype classes. We’re constantly looking behind while trying to pay attention to what’s ahead of us.”

The idea emerged after a bad rear-end crash in 2010 at Le Mans with a faster Peugeot. Corvette Racing teamed with engineers from Pratt Miller Engineering and Bosch Motorsport North America to develop a system that identifies approaching cars. It debuted in 2013 at the 12 Hours of Sebring and received the motorsport technology of the year award at the Professional Motorsport World Expo in November.

This year’s upgraded, lighter version of the CAS adds graphics — arrows that grow and change color as the faster car approaches — that make it easier for drivers to keep their eyes on the road and not on the screen.

“The screen is placed to the side of us, just on our peripheral vision,” Gavin said. “You can pick up the graphics without taking your eyes off the track. You have to train yourself a little to use it, but it’s very effective.”

Pratt Miller and Bosch are preparing the device for distribution to other race teams. One of its most significant selling points is its effectiveness in the dark.

“It’s really useful in the dark or the rain when cars aren’t readily visible,” said Doug Louth, Corvette Racing’s engineering director. “When the faster cars come up from behind with their LED headlights, its very hard to see what’s happening behind you. This helps drivers know where the other cars are, how fast they’re going and which side they’re passing on.”

Because of its low-slung design, the Corvette presents rear-view issues for drivers. The car features a small rear window and large rear wing that make it difficult to see approaching traffic through a traditional rearview mirror. Side mirrors leave natural blind spots that the CAS resolves.

“Without it, you’re always looking in your mirrors,” driver Tommy Milner said. “You get used to that in some ways, but it’s better if you can know exactly where everything is without looking away from what’s in front of you. They’ve utilized a camera for a number of years to be able to see behind, but the radar is new. We feel like we’re more aware of what’s behind us and able to pay better attention to what’s ahead of us.”

Corvette Racing, which has won its class in seven of the last 13 years at Le Mans, will start second and fourth Saturday in the GTE Pro class — 30th and 32nd overall. Milner, Gavin and Richard Westbrook will share the driving duties in the No. 74 Corvette C7.R, while Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor share the No. 73 Corvette.

Written by Jeff Olson, Special for USA TODAY Sports 3:25 p.m. EDT June 13, 2014

Photo by: Richard Prince, Corvette Racing)

Michigan Defense Expo: A success for Pratt Miller Engineering

New Hudson, Michigan – 6/2/2014 – Pratt Miller Engineering attended the fifth annual, National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Michigan Defense Expo (MDEX), to illustrate the transfer of technology from race track to battlefield, at Macomb Community College Expo Center in Warren, Michigan.

The event was held to demonstrate the newest technologies, products and services the industry has to offer to the warfighter with a primary focus of attracting the neighboring United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and Tank-automotive Armaments Command (TACOM).

“It was a very successful event; it brought a lot of new attention to Pratt Miller and our capabilities. We are really excited about this event; it’s the fifth year we have been here. For us, this is the largest booth and the largest amount of foot traffic we’ve had. We’re thrilled at the results and the investment we’ve made here at the show,” said Brandon Widmer, Director of Business Development at Pratt Miller.

About:

Pratt Miller Engineering – a dominant force in professional motorsports – designs, engineers, and manufactures world-class vehicles, components and software. Our company is defining the future of mobility, survivability, occupant protection, electronics, and lightweight systems for vehicles. Pratt Miller serves a global customer base including those in the Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, and Powersports industries.

Racing Meets the Battlefield

Pratt Miller to attend MDEX

New Hudson, Michigan – 5/12/2014 – Pratt Miller Engineering to attend the Michigan Defense Expo (MDEX) with Corvette Racing’s C7.R racecar and Northrop Grumman’s Medium Assault Vehicle – Light (MAV-L), May 20-21, 2014 at Macomb Community College Expo Center in Warren, Michigan.

The largest Pratt Miller display at MDEX to date will house a unique combination of vehicles to showcase technology transfer, from track to battlefield. This year’s fifth annual MDEX event, once again, aims to demonstrate the newest technologies, products and services the industry has to offer to the warfighter.

About:

Pratt Miller Engineering – a dominant force in professional motorsports – designs, engineers, and manufactures world-class vehicles, components and software. Our company is defining the future of mobility, survivability, occupant protection, electronics, and lightweight systems for vehicles. Pratt Miller serves a global customer base including those in the Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, and Powersports industries.

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