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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pilgrim was also baffled by the start.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pilgrim knows the importance of the Detroit Grand Prix weekend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 www.chevrolet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DETROIT – Team Cadillac drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell are ready to put their CTS-V Coupes on the new track in Austin, Texas for this weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the new Circuit of the America’s (COTA).

Coming off of mixed results at Long Beach with Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) finishing second and O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) missing the win by five turns, finishing eighth, the duo is beaming with excitement to run the COTA track. The facility was just completed less than a year ago and hosted Formula One in its inaugural event. The series will run the COTA short version, National Course, which measures 2.3-miles and 17 turns. The CTS-V crew will run a double race weekend with 50-minute races on Saturday and Sunday.

Pilgrim has had some laps around the new track located just 15 miles south of Austin.

“I have driven COTA during one of our Cadillac V-Series Performance events last December,” Pilgrim said. “I also did some rounds in the race car to give some demonstration laps which was really useful. I think the shorter track should be good for us.”

The COTA circuit mirrors those in Europe.

“We expect the Audi and Mercedes will be very quick at COTA,” he continued. “These cars were developed on Europe’s billiard table smooth tracks just like COTA, but I think we will not be far off and I’m looking forward to the race weekend. There is plenty of run off on this track compared to the street courses, but I really think a fast lap is going to be a smooth lap, I don’t think you can attack this place too much and be quick. The complex layout of the multi-apex turns and multi-turn complexes demand that you are inch perfect.”

Pilgrim already has developed an affinity for the new track.

“No doubt my favorite turn is the double apex fast right hander turns 16, 17 and 18 on the track map,” he said. “t’s listed as three apexes, but in reality, its one double apex turn; I like it as it’s really quick.”

O’Connell also has a few parade laps around COTA.

“I went to COTA on Bondurant Racing School business back in November,” O’Connell said. “I am really looking forward to racing there this weekend. It is great that the World Challenge Series is running at COTA.”

The Georgia resident has mixed feelings on running the National Course with the biggest field of the year.

“We are running the shorter course,” added O’Connell. “We are not running the long straights, which would have been nice to draft down. I am not sure where we are at on the long straights, compared with the competition, as this is our first natural terrain race of the year. Add 50 cars on the short course and that can be chaos. Without the walls like the street courses, sometimes that makes a lot of guys to do some things that they would not do on a street course.”

O’Connell needs a solid result this weekend.

“After my heart-breaking near win at Long Beach I really need a set of good finishes this weekend,” he said. “The series is so competitive you can’t really afford to drop a race. We also have the big Detroit race up next after COTA, but we are not looking ahead.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 17-19. The race will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.

 www.northropgrumman.com

New Hudson, MI – May 21, 2013 Pratt & Miller Engineering exhibited last week at the NDIA 2013 Michigan Defense Exposition (MDEX) in Warren, Michigan. The theme of this year’s expo was appropriately titled “Opportunity during transition”. The NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) brought out many elite speakers to inform industry about future contracting opportunities in uncertain times.

“Thanks to the NDIA Michigan chapter for their continued support and hosting this year’s event” said Brandon Widmer, Pratt & Miller’s Director of Business Development. “These events are so important to both industry companies and the end users because it provides a clear picture of what types of products and services are needed in the field and what is currently available.”

Pratt & Miller’s involvement in the defense market includes applying their comprehensive systems engineering expertise on ground vehicle programs for defense prime contractors and direct U.S. government contracts. The engineering services company was honored to showcase Northrop Grumman’s MAV-L (Medium Assault Vehicle-Light) at the show. The Pratt & Miller team is credited with designing the high performance vehicle on behalf of Northrop Grumman from a clean sheet through build and assembly; even more impressive is that the team completed this process in only 12 weeks.

Pratt & Miller Engineering is a world-class small business specializing in vehicle design, engineering, manufacturing, and testing and development. Our focus areas within the defense industry include mobility, vehicle survivability, occupant protection, electronics, and lightweight systems. We have the people, processes and technology to deliver high quality results in a schedule-compressed environment.

For more information please contact Sandy McKinnon, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, at 248-446-9800

For more information on the MAV-L please visit:

AUSTIN, Texas, (May 19, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Andy Pilgrim finished second in GT in his No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe in the Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge GT race at the Circuit of the America’s COTA) this afternoon. Teammate Johnny O’Connell had a steering issue and was classified in 17th place.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the pole position for the second of two races on the weekend based upon running the fastest lap of the first race yesterday, which he won. O’Connell got another strong start and raced into the lead. On the second lap, O’Connell pulled off the track in Turn 12 with a steering issue on the CTS-V Coupe.

Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) also got a good start following his teammate into Turn One, making it a Cadillac one-two on the first lap. As the race progressed, Pilgrim managed to lead 13 laps while being hounded by the Audi competitors. He was passed on lap 14 by the eventual winning Audi R8 of James Sofronas. Two laps later he was passed by the No. 24 Audi of Duncan Ende. On lap 20 the only caution of the race flew. The restart on lap 24 was the opportunity Pilgrim needed to get second place back for his second podium finish of the weekend.

“The Cadillac guys made the right adjustments last night and I was able to get a good start,” Pilgrim said. “I was pretty aggressive going into Turn One and managed to get the two Audis that were in front of me on the start. As the race went on, my tires started to get really hot. The Audi R8s are very strong. I really had nothing for James. I am very happy with second today and my third-place yesterday.”

The heat was affecting the handling of Pilgrim’s Cadillac CTS-V racer.

“The car was going on me as the race progressed,” he said.

“The late yellow really helped me. I was able to cool the tires and make that last run to get second place back. With the new tires, the car got really tail-happy towards the end of the race. I think that is all we really had today. Everyone was really sliding around out there this afternoon.”

O’Connell had an up and down weekend. He finished on top of the podium, winning yesterday’s race and finishing 17th today.

“We had another really good start,” O’Connell said. “At that point I thought I had a really good hot rod. I was leading the race with Andy right behind me. On the second lap, I went through Turn 12 and as I unwound the steering wheel heading to 13 it froze in position. I am not sure what happened. The Team Cadillac guys are the best and we will get it fixed for Detroit.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle, May 31-June 2.

The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car Challenge races from the Circuit of the America’s will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET.