Gavin Captures 20th Career ALMS Pole on Challenging Street Circuit, Magnussen Third in GT Qualifying

BALTIMORE, Aug. 31, 2012 – As Oliver Gavin prepared to make his qualifying run for Saturday’s Baltimore Sports Car Challenge in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, he asked engineer Chuck Houghton how many laps he had. Houghton replied, “However many it takes for you to put the car on the pole.”

Gavin needed only four laps to post the quickest qualifying time in the GT class for the eighth round of the American Le Mans Series. He turned a time of 1:29.945 (81.650 mph) on his fourth time around the 2-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit to claim his 20th career pole in the American Le Mans Series. Teammate Jan Magnussen was third quickest at 1:30.413 (81.227 mph) in his ninth and final lap in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Gavin won the pole on the streets of downtown Baltimore by a .382-second margin over the No. 55 BMW of Bill Auberlen that qualified second in the 13-strong GT field.

“It’s always fun to qualify on a street circuit, something a driver really relishes with new tires on a course that getting better and better with every lap,” Gavin said after setting the track qualifying record on the reconfigured course. “I’m delighted to be on the pole.”

The No. 4 Corvette C6.R set the pace in both practice sessions today. Gavin’s co-driver Tommy Milner did the initial setup during the one-hour morning practice, but Gavin’s track time in the final 30-minute afternoon session was cut short by red flags and contact with a prototype that damaged his car’s right-side bodywork and exhaust system. The No. 4 Corvette crew repaired the car in the pit lane, and Gavin was ready to charge when the green flag flew for 15 minutes of GT qualifying.

“The car was very good, and I have to thank Tommy for his excellent work this morning, and thank Chuck for coming up with a setup that was quick right off the truck,” Gavin said. “We made a few tweaks here and there, and then it was about finding the rhythm. That’s always the way it is on a street circuit, you just keep working away while you have the tire grip. I managed to nail it on the fourth lap. Then I was looking to go that little bit more, but I was starting to really hang it out and didn’t want to risk ending up in the wall.”

Magnussen made an all-out run for the pole on his final lap, but came up .468 seconds short. “We missed on the setup just a little bit, and it was hard for me to find the lap time,” Magnussen said. “For sure I didn’t get the best out of my tires when they were at their peak. After that I felt pretty secure, but it wasn’t possible for me to improve my lap time. We need to work on the race setup now. It’s a shame I didn’t nail it on the lap when I needed to, but that’s how it is.”

Gavin and Milner will start tomorrow’s race leading the GT championship by 18 points over Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. With 20 points on the line in the two-hour race, Gavin is mindful of the championship race.

“It’s going to be a real dogfight, and I’m sure that the car is going to come back with some scars on it,” he said. “We’re going to have to take some risks with traffic, maybe rub a wall here and there. We have to be smart as well, and as always you need some luck on a street course. We’re starting in the right spot, hopefully out ahead of the crowd where all the action can sometimes happen.”

The two-hour Baltimore Sports Car Challenge presented by SRT, the eighth round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 1. The race can be viewed live on ESPN3.com starting at 4:15 p.m. ET. ABC will televise the race at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Baltimore Sports Car Challenge GT Qualifying (Top 10)

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

• 1. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:29.945
• 2. 55 J. Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 1:30.327
• 3. 3 Magnussen/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 1:30.413
• 4. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:30.665
• 5. 56 D. Mueller/Hand, BMW E92 M3, 1:30.838
• 6. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 1:31.262
• 7. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:31.412
• 8. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:32.108
• 9. 92 Goossens/Kendall, SRT Viper GTSR, 1:33.526
• 10. 23 Sweedler/Bell, Lotus Evora, 1:33.701

GT Championship Battle Resumes Saturday in the Inner Harbor

BALTIMORE, Aug. 27, 2012 – In the midst of the War of 1812, the Battle of Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Now nearly two centuries later, the Battle of Baltimore will be rejoined – not by American and British armies, but by a fleet of world-class American, British, German, and Italian sports cars racing through the streets of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Saturday’s Baltimore Sports Car Challenge, the eighth round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, promises another all-out fight between drivers, teams, and manufacturers. The two-hour skirmish on the downtown street course dispenses with such niceties as strategy, tactics, and patience. It’s simply about speed, track position, and staying out of trouble.

“There is no strategy in a two-hour race,” said Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner, a long-time resident of nearby Middleburg, Va. “It’s basically one pit stop, and whoever is the fastest and can make the best of their qualifying position is going to come out on top. Any mistake and you’re done because there’s not much time to come back.”

Milner and co-driver Oliver Gavin lead the GT championship in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R by 17 points over teammates Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 sister car. But with 20 points to be awarded to the victors in Saturday’s street fight, that lead can evaporate in a heartbeat.

Gavin and Milner know the pitfalls of racing on Baltimore’s mean streets. Gavin finished third in last year’s inaugural race in a bruised and battered race car that he shared with Magnussen, who was caught up in a first-turn melee. Milner finished seventh after a fraught restart that saw him penalized for contact in Turn 1.

“I’ve done some media work in Baltimore, and I’ve seen the changes that they have made to the track that will be good for racing,” Milner reported. “The chicane before the start/finish line is gone – it was fun for us to pound the curbs, but not so good for racing. Turn 1 has been opened up and widened to create better passing opportunities and to prevent the incidents that happened there last year. The second chicane also has been relocated to allow more passing.

“Baltimore is a tough track because some sections are bumpy and low grip, while other sections have new asphalt and are very grippy,” he explained. “That poses a challenge for the engineers to set up a car that’s good in both sections. The Corvettes were quick last year, and we’ve seen this year that our new wide-body C6.Rs are competitive at every event. I’m looking forward to getting back to Baltimore and putting on a good fight.”

Gavin is on the same page as his driving partner. “It’s hammer down and go,” said the Englishman. “In a two-hour street race, it’s about being as fast as you can all the time. It’s pretty much a full-on, flat-out race to the finish.

“We stand a very good chance, but luck can play a huge role in your result in a street race,” he cautioned. “I expect the unexpected – somebody makes a boneheaded move, somebody spins in a blind corner and you can’t avoid driving into them, or you get caught up in someone else’s accident and your race is done. All street circuits are challenging and difficult for everyone involved, but they are also a huge amount of fun.”

Magnussen was teamed with Gavin last year when he went from 12th to fourth in minutes after being pinned against the wall in the first turn. This year the Dane is paired with Antonio Garcia, a rookie on the Baltimore circuit.

“It will be Antonio’s first race in Baltimore, and we have very little track time to practice and prepare,” Magnussen said. “We’ll have an opportunity to go around the track in golf karts and to look at the data from last year. I’ll give Antonio as many pointers as I can to get him up to speed fast, but with him it’s never a problem.

“I loved what they did with the whole show last year,” Magnussen noted. “Everything on track was terrific and I’m looking forward to going back. Since it’s a street circuit, it will have a tendency to change from year to year, so we have to find where the grip is. The top speeds will be much higher without the chicane in the middle of the straight, which will make it more difficult to get the car stopped going into Turn 1. Last year it was very bumpy in the braking zone, and now the cars will arrive faster so there is more chance of overtaking – and of making mistakes!”

“I always like street circuits, and the Corvette C6.R suits those circuits very well,” Garcia said. “Whether the race is one hour or six hours, track position is very important. We need to be ready and quick right away for qualifying. If you are in the top two or three positions, you have a good chance to win. We need to focus on being fast all of the time.”

The Baltimore Sports Car Challenge presented by SRT will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 1. The race can be viewed live on ESPN3.com starting at 4:15 p.m. ET. ABC will televise the race at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 2.

Magnussen and Garcia Denied Podium Finish on Final Lap, Gavin and Milner Suffer Setback on Final Pit Stop

ELKHART LAKE, Wis., Aug. 18, 2012 – The Road America Road Race Showcase was going Corvette Racing’s way for the first three hours, but the final 60 minutes saw a reversal of fortune for the Chevrolet team. After running at the front from the start of the four-hour race, the Corvettes were shuffled down the finishing order in the closing minutes.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished fourth in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R after their pit stop strategy was undone by an ill-timed yellow flag. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia were sixth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R after Magnussen was hit from behind in the final corner while running third. The victory went to the No. 55 BMW driven by Bill Auberlen and Joerg Mueller by 2.631 seconds over the No. 45 Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long.

“We saw one of the most interesting final hours of racing in this team’s history,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “We had what we thought was a very successful pit strategy planned, but coming out of the last yellow, the BMWs were first and second and the No. 3 Corvette was third. The BMWs went from being out of contention to running at the front with yellow flags and pit stops. It was unfortunate for us and fortunate for them. We’ve won races that way, and this was one that we didn’t win.”

Magnussen was running fourth when racing resumed with 20 minutes on the clock after the race’s fourth full-course caution period. He passed the No. 01 Ferrari of Johannes van Overbeek in Canada Corner on the restart, and set out in pursuit of the race-leading BMWs. He made his move in Turn 1, but Joerg Bergmeister slipped through in a cloud of tire smoke to take second. Just as the checkered flag flew, contact with the No. 01 Ferrari in the final corner spun Magnussen off the track.

“I passed the No. 56 BMW in Turn 1 with a move similar to Laguna Seca where I towed up behind a prototype,” Magnussen said. “He went to the inside and I followed. Suddenly the prototype stopped, I flat-spotted my tires and lost a lot of speed. Joerg got by, so I was still in third and I was going to try to salvage a podium finish, which would have been good for Chevrolet in the manufacturer championship. Then in the last corner, Van Overbeek drove into the back of my car. I’m very disappointed, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Magnussen’s incident with the No. 01 Ferrari is under review by race officials.

Gavin drove the first stint in the No. 4 Corvette, Milner the second, and then Gavin double-stinted to the finish. The Englishman moved to second at 2:21 into the race, and held that position for nearly an hour until the third pit stop under caution. Gavin lost positions due to a balky door latch, but there was a bigger problem: The BMWs and Ferrari had pitted just before the yellow, gaining track position. Gavin was seventh after the pit stop cycle, and had to battle his way forward.

“During the last stop we had a problem with the door and lost positions,” Gavin said. “All of a sudden we were caught in a mess with traffic and issues everywhere. To top it off, the No.56 BMW was forced wide in Turn 5, I tried to get a run on him, and we banged doors coming through Turns 6 and 7. Going down the hill into Turn 8, he was defending and it seemed to me that he braked early. I caught his right-rear corner and turned him around. I certainly didn’t intend that to happen.”

Gavin started the No. 4 Corvette third on the GT grid and Garcia started fifth in the No. 3 Corvette. Gavin held his position through the opening laps, then passed the pole-winning No. 44 Porsche on the fourth lap to take second behind the No. 45 Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister. Garcia was boxed in at the start and slipped to seventh, but moved up a spot on the seventh lap.

“At the start, we were bottled up behind some LMPC cars, and I managed to hold my position in the mad scramble,” Gavin said. “Antonio was alongside me, and tried very hard to avoid hitting us, which cost him some positions. I was a bit quicker than Holzer, and I got past him in Turn 5. I thought perhaps I could challenge Joerg, but as the stint went on, I ceded the position back to Holzer because there was no sense in taking risks that early in four-hour race.”

Garcia was one of the first to pit at 43 minutes into the race, and when the first full-course caution began shortly afterward, he moved up to second in the order as the leaders pitted. When racing resumed, Garcia grabbed the lead on the restart. Gavin pitted under the yellow flag and handed off to Milner, who emerged in fifth after the pit stop sequence.

“On the start, I took the wrong line again, like Mid-Ohio, and lost several positions,” Garcia said. “It’s difficult for a driver to give up a position, but I avoided contact with the No. 4 car, which was important. I started to put pressure on the No. 01 Ferrari and No. 17 Porsche, but after 10 or 15 laps the tires started to lose grip and we pitted early. The BMW followed us in, and I was anxious at the start of the second stint about the setup. The car was really good on the new tires and I passed for the lead after the caution. Then there was a point when there was oil in the Kink, so I decided to be cautious and let the BMW pass. The car stayed very consistent and we could run to our strategy.”

Milner drove the second stint in the No. 4 Corvette, then handed it back to Gavin. “Today the car wasn’t very comfortable for me,” he reported. “We made some changes along the way and I think the last change was better for the car. Oliver was more comfortable so we decided that it was best for the championship to keep Olly in the car as long as possible. I did my time in the car and then turned it over to him. It got a little hairy at the end. It wasn’t our best race, so now we just have to move on.”

With 58 minutes to go, the third full-course caution tightened the field. Both Corvettes pitted under yellow, with Magnussen and Gavin staying in. The two BMWs and the No. 01 Ferrari pitted just before the yellow, gaining track position. When racing resumed, the No. 3 Corvette was fifth and the No. 4 Corvette seventh. Minutes later, the fourth caution set up the shootout for the checkered flag.

Gavin and Milner now lead the GT driver championship by 17 points in the unofficial standings over teammates Magnussen and Milner (105-88). BMW drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller are third with 81 points, and Sharp/van Overbeek fourth with 80. Chevrolet leads the GT manufacturer championship by 10 points over BMW (126-116) with three races remaining, followed by Porsche (103) and Ferrari (100).

For the fourth time in 2012, the No. 3 Corvette C6.R won the Michelin Green X Challenge in the GT class with the best score for clean, fast, and efficient performance.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge presented by SRT on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Road America Road Race Showcase GT Provisional Results (Top 10)

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

• 1. 55 J. Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 97
• 2. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 97
• 3. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 97
• 4. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 97
• 5. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 97
• 6. 3 Magnussen/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 97
• 7. 23 Sweedler/Bell, Lotus Evora, 97
• 8. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 96
• 9. 91 Wittmer/Farnbacher, SRT Viper GTSR, 96
• 10. 56 D. Mueller/Summerton, BMW E92 M3, 95

Classic Wisconsin Circuit Is Corvette’s Proving Ground and Ancestral Home

ELKHART LAKE, Wis., Aug. 13, 2012 – The long and winding road to the American Le Mans Series championship runs through Road America, a track that is revered and respected by generations of sports car racers. The classic 4-mile circuit in the rolling Wisconsin countryside will host the Road America Road Race Showcase, the seventh round of the 2012 ALMS on Saturday, followed by the Corvette World Tribute on Sunday.

Like the famed French circuit that is the series’ namesake, Road America’s soaring straights and high-speed curves are a test of both horsepower and fortitude. The track has long been a proving ground for America’s iconic sports car, from the early days of solid-axle Corvettes, Sting Rays, and Grand Sports to today’s advanced Corvette C6.Rs.

“Road America is a fantastic circuit, a great track for teams, drivers, and race cars,” said Oliver Gavin, who shares the GT championship points lead with teammate Tommy Milner. “It’s got all the ingredients to make a great race. It’s the highest speed track we run on apart from Le Mans, and it’s the one track where we can test for the 24-hour race.”

“I like race tracks that are fast, with quick corners and a layout that has a rhythm – and Road America has all of those things,” said Milner, Gavin’s co-driver in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R. “When the setup is right and the car feels comfortable, it’s a very rewarding lap. With the long straightaways and heavy braking zones, you can make passes happen.

“We tested at Road America early in the year when we were preparing for Le Mans,” Milner revealed, “and the new wide-body C6.R was very good there. I got a feel for how far the car has progressed since last season.”

Gavin and Milner are riding a wave of momentum after scoring their third win of the season and regaining the points lead in the preceding round at Mid-Ohio. With four races still to run, both are mindful of the championship scenarios.

“Every race is important, and there are bonus points on the table at Road America because it’s a four-hour race,” Milner explained. “It would be great to have a cushion going into Baltimore because anything can happen at street races.”

Gavin agreed: “I think that a four-hour race at Road America suits Corvette Racing’s strengths,” he said. “We seem to have a good approach to these longer races. With the opportunity to clock up some more points, it’s vital to keep that scoreboard ticking over.”

Jan Magnusssen and Antonio Garcia are aiming to rebound after contact in the closing minutes at Mid-Ohio knocked them out of the lead in the GT championship race. They will go into Road America third in the standings, 13 points behind their teammates.

“Road America is a very challenging track with mega-fast bits and some good technical corners,” Magnussen said. “Of course there is the Carousel and the Kink that everyone talks about. It’s a fantastic feeling going through there when the car works – and when it doesn’t work, it’s not so fantastic!

“Racing for four hours at Road America adds both strategy and points,” he continued. “The track lends itself to really good racing because of the long straights; it’s possible to tow up behind people and then outbrake them going into Turn 1 and Turn 5. We’re going there with a clear goal – to win the race.”

The action at Road America will continue on Sunday, August 19, with the Corvette World Tribute, a gathering of vintage and contemporary examples of America’s favorite sports car that celebrates the marque’s 60th year in production. The Corvette World Tribute offers a full slate of activities for participants, enthusiasts, and spectators to experience the Corvette lifestyle. Autocross and slalom courses, a concours featuring People’s Choice awards, a road rally, and track sessions for touring and race-prepared Corvettes will provide nonstop activity.

The Corvette Racing Display also will on hand at Road America on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and fans can receive a Corvette Racing T-shirt for registering at the display. On Friday and Saturday, the Team Chevy Test Drive will be in operation in the karting area near Turns 7 and 8. This ride-and-drive gives customers the opportunity to drive a variety of Chevy vehicles, including Corvette, Camaro, Volt, Cruze, and Sonic. Participants in the Test Driver will receive a 60th Anniversary Corvette T-shirt.

The four-hour Road America Road Race Showcase, the seventh round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, will start at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 18. The race can be viewed live on ESPN3.com starting at 3:15 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will televise the race at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 19.

Gavin and Milner Score Third Win of Season, Take GT Championship Lead

LEXINGTON, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2012 – In Olympic terms, Corvette Racing drivers Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner won the gold today in the GT class at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. Instead of medals, Gavin and Milner were awarded silver trophies and the maximum championship points as they notched their third win of the season in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

The pair reclaimed the lead in the driver standings with a .283-second victory over the No. 45 Porsche of Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long, and extended Chevrolet’s lead in the GT manufacturer championship. The win was the eighth for Corvette Racing at Mid-Ohio, but the first in the GT class after a string of three consecutive runner-up finishes that began in 2009.

The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia was running third with 20 minutes remaining when contact with a GTC Porsche punctured the left-front tire and damaged the suspension. The Corvette crew repaired the car and returned Magnussen to battle, but the 12 minutes lost in the pits dropped the No. 3 Corvette to 13th at the finish.

Gavin made the decisive pass for the victory immediately after the final round of pit stops with one hour remaining in the two-hour, 45-minute race. Gavin caught Magnussen on his out-lap and then passed race leader Bergmeister with a daring outside move to notch his third ALMS win at Mid-Ohio and the 37th of his career.

“I had one lap on my new tires, and I caught Jan going into Turn 2,” Gavin said. “My crew chief radioed that Joerg was on cold tires and told me to go for it! Last year I passed him around the outside into Turn 4, and I did the same again. I thought I could pull it off, and I’m so pleased that I did.”

Bergmeister responded by putting intense pressure on the Corvette as the pair raced nose-to-tail in the closing laps.

“At the end of the race, there wasn’t much between us and I got caught up in some traffic,” Gavin reported. “It was tough, and those last few laps were really hard. I’m thrilled with the result and what it means for the championship. This is exactly what we needed after a couple of difficult races.”

Milner started sixth on the GT grid, but rocketed to third on the first lap. He held that position until the first pit stop at the 30-minute mark as the team got both Corvettes in just seconds before a full-course yellow closed the pits. That strategy vaulted the Corvettes to second and third when racing resumed.

“I had a great start,” said Milner, who scored his third career ALMS victory today. “I’d like to say that I planned it, but it was more about being in the right spot at the right time. I gained three spots and then the Corvette crew did a great job with the first pit stop. That was a brilliant call that put me ahead of the BMW. I ran down the No. 45 Porsche, but just couldn’t get close enough to pull off a pass. I tried on the restart on Turn 2 and got alongside him, but couldn’t make it stick.

“The pit stop and Oliver’s out-lap made the difference,” Milner explained. “The stop was flawless and that got us ahead of the No. 3 Corvette, and then the No. 45 Porsche. It was a perfect day from the crew – the right calls and flawless execution.”

Crew chief Brian Hoye agreed: “Pit stops did make a difference,” he said. “We’ve been practicing over and over, week after week. We knew it was going to come down to a pit stop in one of these races, and the hard work paid off today.”

Garcia started fifth but was bottled up at the start as the field raced two-wide around the narrow 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit. He was seventh after the first lap, but worked his way back to fifth two laps later. Garcia also benefited from quick pit work on his first stop, emerging in third after the pit stop cycle.

“We were packed up at the start, two and three wide, and at that point you are stuck in one line,” Garcia said. “An LMP spun in front of us and I lost positions. I made up as many spots as I could, but the Ferrari was very fast and aggressive. A great pit call by the Corvette team gave us the opportunity to run up front again and make a charge on the Porsche. I had a very quick car, and every time they opened a gap in traffic, I could make up time. We got caught in some traffic on my in-lap for the second stop; it was a good call by the No. 4 car to get a clean run into the pits a lap earlier.”

Magnussen was in hot pursuit of the Porsche for second place when he was caught out by a GTC driver in Turn 6. “He opened the door and then slammed it shut,” Magnussen said. “I came up to the GTC car and he opened the door for Joerg to go through. I was a car length behind and was going through on the same gap, and just as I made the move, he shut the door. I was committed and I hit him. We’re racing for positions and running for a championship. We all have to race, and I feel bad for all the guys. I had a great car and great pit stops.”

Today’s victory gave Gavin and Milner a 12-point lead in the unofficial standings over BMW drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller (93-81). Magnussen and Garcia are one point back (80). Chevrolet increased its lead in the GT manufacturer championship to 20 over BMW (114-94) with four races remaining.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Road America Road Race Showcase at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Saturday, August 18.

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

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

• 1. 4 Gavin/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 115
• 2. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 115
• 3. 55 J. Mueller/Auberlen, BMW E92 M3, 114
• 4. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 114
• 5. 56 D. Mueller/Hand, BMW E92 M3, 114
• 6. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 458 Italia, 113
• 7. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 113
• 8. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 112
• 9. 48 Miller/Maassen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 112
• 10. 91 Wittmer/Farnbacher, SRT Viper GTSR, 111

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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