Revolutionary Platform Increases Mobility and Survivability Through Agility

Pratt Miller Defense in conjunction with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently unveiled and demonstrated their Multi-mode Mode Extreme Travel Suspension (METS) vehicle, which is part of the Ground X Vehicle-Technologies (GXV-T) program that seeks to improve the mobility, survivability, safety, and effectiveness of future combat vehicles. Traditionally, the formula to improve survivability has been to add armor which is detrimental to mobility, cost and efficiency. The intent of the GXV-T program is to create disruptive solutions that investigate the art of the possible by breaking the traditional mold while ensuring the operational viability of the next generation of combat vehicles.

METS specifically addressed GXV-T’s requirement of enhanced mobility and survivability through agility. Defense contractor, Pratt Miller, designed and built a concept demonstrator vehicle that combines high and low travel suspensions designed to navigate obstacles as high as 1.5 meters, navigate 95% of the world’s terrain, accomplish 90% of mission profiles with a single platform, and operate at speeds that greatly exceed any other vehicle while maintaining maximum driver comfort.

Pratt Miller Defense along with other program participants had the opportunity to demonstrate their respective technology at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in May in front of several government agencies and officials.

“To see METS perform out of the box at ATC at speeds upward of 20 miles per hour over a 6-inch washboard surface validated everything our Team had seen in the virtual environment,” said Chad Lehner, METS Program Manager for Pratt Miller Defense. “Prior to the demonstration our Team had only one week of test and development time on the vehicle in preparation for the demo and we believe that we are only scratching the surface of METS capability.”

ATC has served as test grounds for many defense vehicles including HMMWV and JLTV. To date, top speeds over this same washboard course for a traditional wheeled vehicle has been only 6 miles per hour.

Leading test activity at ATC is Dr. Greg Schultz, Roadway Simulator Manager. Dr. Schultz is engaged in testing, validating and approving all vehicles released to the military.

“In my 30 years at ATC, I have never seen a wheeled vehicle go as fast as METS over the 6-inch washboard,” stated Dr. Schultz during the presentation portion of the demo. This statement re-affirmed Pratt and Miller’s success in demonstrating that GXV-T objectives can be achieved.

Ken Flory, METS Chief Engineer stated, “Our vision is to revolutionize the way the world moves. In two years, our Team has taken METS from a radical concept developed through modeling and simulation, in a strictly virtual environment, to a fully operational and functional vehicle. The ingenuity tapped into throughout the design, build and modeling process was something only Pratt Miller could accomplish.”

Leading Pratt Miller’s Defense Business Development department is Kevin Mulrenin, “Our goal is to protect our warfighters and help them win their missions. Given the extraordinary performance results seen on the GXV-T METS platform during initial testing, we are looking forward to connecting with industry and government partners to commercialize this technology for use on current and future extreme off-road vehicles.”

Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves its customers most complex and technical challenges in the Motorsports, Defense and Mobility Industries. The company is defining the future of the defense industry by providing complete ground vehicle solutions to revolutionize platform mobility, survivability, and robotics.

Pratt Miller Expands its Software Services and Product Offerings

NEW HUDSON, MI, NOVEMBER 2018– Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) is excited to announce that Logical Advantage will now be part of the PME family. The joining of these two extraordinary firms, similar in culture and with complementing capabilities, will enable both organizations to provide a much broader set of services and solutions to their respective client bases.

Logical Advantage (LA) is a custom software and Internet of Things (IoT) company located in Charlotte, North Carolina 20 miles from PME’s Huntersville, NC office. The addition of LA’s staff increases PME’s North Carolina team to over 70 employees, with the majority of its staff dedicated to software development.

Years ago, PME began developing custom software tools out of ingenuity and necessity to support their championship winning motorsports business. Over time, PME’s in-house software capabilities have grown significantly and with support from LA along the way, the company began developing custom software products and applications primarily marketed to the automotive OEM’s.

One representative example of PME’s robust software products is PM-VES (Pratt Miller-Vehicle Engineering System) that tracks and organizes large amounts of vehicle development and test program data, then accurately and efficiently records the configurations of multiple vehicles while also storing the results of vehicle testing, development, and benchmarking activities.

LA has supported PME since 2008 on the current version of PM-VES 1.0 by providing PME with a talented team of software developers and software application developers. Due to an overwhelming positive response from customers using the software product and now with a much larger team, PME is preparing for launch of PM-VES 2.0 at the end of this year.

“We have maintained a proven and successful working relationship with LA since 2008,” said Matt Carroll, PME CEO. “Combining forces with LA, brings together the best minds in the software industry. This merging of talent not only gives us the time and resources to focus on the successful launch of VES 2.0, but it provides these ultra-technical and creative minds the opportunity to develop products that will help our current customers work smarter and more efficiently. For our future customers, given the climate in the software space, the sky’s the limit.”

###

Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves its customers’ most complex and technical challenges in the Motorsports, Defense and Mobility Industries.

Gavin, Milner weather challenges of Shanghai Six Hours

SHANGHAI (Nov. 18, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s closed its 20th season of competition Sunday with hard-fought effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Shanghai as Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin and the whole of the Corvette Racing program weathered… well, the weather.

The Milner/Gavin pairing drove their No. 64 Redline/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to a 10th-place finish in the GTE Pro category on a challenging day at the SAIC International Circuit. Not only was it the first time for the Corvette Racing at Shanghai, but a moderate and steady rain in the race’s opening half and at the end made the day even more daunting.

Nevertheless, the team minimized both its time in the pitlane and mistakes in front of an enthusiastic crowd and a considerable group of Chevrolet’s Chinese guests.

Milner drove the first three hours and 20 minutes, but he and the rest of the field didn’t see the green flag until 75 minutes into the race. The first 15 minutes were under full-course yellow followed by nearly an hour of stoppage due to water on the circuit. After 10 minutes of green followed by 10 minutes of yellow, the race stopped again for about 35 minutes. The final red flag was lifted more than two hours into the race.

Milner was one of the first GTE Pro runners to make an initial stop for fuel just shy of the two-and-a-half hour mark. Once the race got into a rhythm, he found himself inside the top-five as conditions began to improve.

He handed over to Gavin with a little more than two hours and 40 minutes to go. Conditions continued to improve somewhat, which swung momentum toward the GTE Pro competitors which had more experience with the track and tire feedback.

Gavin did an admirable job despite struggling with grip level in the Corvette – a situation multiplied by the worsening weather. He finished the race in conditions as challenging as at the start, fighting mist and darkness to bring the Redline Corvette home in one piece.

Corvette Racing will open its 2019 season and its third decade of competition with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27. It will mark the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 REDLINE/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a race quite like that. I’ve done a lot of races in the rain and a lot of races in the dark, but I’ve done it at a track like this without external lights. It was a bit of a lottery. We worked hard throughout the race to find as strong a setup as possible and took quite a big swing there for the end. Fundamentally we were lacking the pace we needed in the rain, kind of like how we did in the dry. We need to understand why that was with this tire and package so we can come back stronger if we have another shot at this event.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 REDLINE/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “This has probably been one of the most challenging races I’ve done in my career with the changing conditions, the safety car periods and red flags. The trouble is when we went out on hot tires, the visibility wasn’t good so the tires cooled off when we were behind the safety car. It was a frustrating situation for all of us – the series, the fans and the competitors. We come to every track to win races but it wasn’t in the cards today. It was a difficult race in many aspects. But it ultimately was a lot of fun to come here to China for the first time and race. This was a big challenge for all of us. We did a pretty good job all things considered. We can now look forward to going home and getting ready for Daytona.”

Article by Ryan Smith

Photo’s by Richard Prince

Gavin, Milner, Fässler second in Petit Le Mans on drama-filled day

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 13, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won their second straight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver title Saturday, and in true Corvette Racing fashion it was a team effort.

Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler placed second in class at Road Atlanta’s 10-hour Petit Le Mans in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to close Corvette Racing’s 20th season of competition in IMSA. Garcia, Magnussen and Fässler co-drove the No. 3 Corvette to an eighth-place finish – a result good enough to secure the GTLM Driver and Team championships.

It is the 12th Driver Championship for Corvette Racing and 13th Team title in the program’s 20-year history.

“Congratulations to Antonio, Jan and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team on clinching the GTLM Driver Championship. This team never gave up all season to deliver our 12th Driver title for Corvette Racing over 20 seasons of competition,” said Mark Reuss, GM Executive Vice President and President Global Product Group and Cadillac. “And congratulations to Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller on their 13th Team Championship. They prepared a race car that delivered consistent performance and that great combination of power, durability and efficiency.”

Both Corvettes showed race-winning pace throughout the day and into the night as both cars led multiple times in the 10 hours. But pitwork ultimately proved to play a huge role.

The No. 4 pit crew got Milner out ahead of the No. 3 Corvette’s lone remaining championship contender on his final pit stop with 48 minutes to go. That was only half the story, however.

The No. 3 Corvette crew needed just five-and-a-half minutes to repair its C7.R after a crash with Garcia at the wheel following a pit stop with less than three hours to go. Among other items, the crew replaced the Corvette’s nose, front fender and engine floor in lightning quick speed to keep the No. 3 C7.R in the race and in the championship hunt.

At that point, the focus turned to the No. 4 Corvette. Gavin, Milner and Fässler – who drove both Corvette entries in the race – fought and clawed their way to a position where Milner could pressure the sister car’s championship challenger late. The team’s effort proved even more important as the No. 4 Corvette went from fifth to third in the final GTLM Driver and Team standings.

Although Corvette Racing’s IMSA season is complete, there is one more race left in 2018. Corvette Racing will contest the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Shanghai on Nov. 16-18.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM DRIVER CHAMPION: “It was definitely a tough race. From Lap 1, I went in the lead and every time I was in the car I was going for it instead of holding position. It probably went from one of my best races of my career to the most embarrassing moment of my career. But that means Team Chevy and Corvette Racing did all the prep work before this race and allowed us to come back from that. Thank you to the 4 car for keeping the pressure up on the 67 car, which had to go for the win for the (championship) result. That’s part of this championship – the 4 car keeping the pressure up at the end. I’m very happy. It will take me a little bit to forget that mistake, but I’m very happy for the whole team.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SIRIUS XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM DRIVER CHAMPION: “The way it turned out, the way the 4 car went in there and really put pressure on changed things around. Fantastic. Such a massive team effort to make this happen. I’m so proud to be a part of this. We had a good car and were going to be right there in the mix and the pit exit stuff happened and put everything on its head. It looked like we were out of it, trying to figure out how to still make it happen. I think what really did it was the 4 car got sent super aggressively and changed the balance of things. Obviously the 4 car went for the win but they knew why they were doing it. It turned things in our favor.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SIRIUS XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND PLACE IN GTLM RACE, THIRD IN GTLM DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP: “It’s been another amazing performance by Corvette Racing. You look at all the stints by Tommy (Milner), Marcel (Fässler) or myself and the same on the 3 car, it was just exceptional. The strategy, the way the guys worked together was just amazing. Then Antonio (Garcia) had his problem and I’ve never seen the guys work so well together to get the 3 car back out there in a short amount of time. It was just exceptional. Everybody had such great team spirit, team harmony and everybody was pulling for that championship. Us getting third in the championship was quite a result for Tommy and myself, so I’m very happy with today.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SIRIUS XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND PLACE IN GTLM RACE, THIRD IN GTLM DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP: “We can be super proud of our effort today. The car was really good all race long. Pit stops, strategy, Olly and Marcel did great jobs in the car. What it came down to today was I think we had the car to win, we had the pace to win, but right toward the end I got stuck behind the Ford and I lost 8-10 seconds on the Porsche. A little unfortunate, but I wanted to be careful and not have any contact or interference with the Porsche on my part. In any case, everyone in the class did an awesome job. In the race we were fifth, then eighth, then sixth, and all over the place. Really impressive driving by everyone. I really wanted to win today but we can be happy with second place, and third in the championship was a bit of a stretch for us coming in. Good race today from all the guys on the 4 car to give us super pit stops and strategy.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SIRIUS XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND PLACE IN GTLM RACE: “My last podium finish was here in 2016, so I’m really happy and proud of the team. My first stint in the 3 car was a little tough and then in the 4 car I had a pretty good stint in the beginning. I congratulate the 3 car for the championship. It was an awesome job today, and thanks to Corvette Racing for its trust in me to drive both cars. The crew made this podium happen because they had an awesome pit stop in the end that got the 4 car out ahead of the others. For me, it was a nice end-of-season race and making the podium made for a really good day. I will do this again for Corvette Racing any time again.”

Article by Ryan Smith

Photo by Richard Prince

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2018) – For the second year in a row, Corvette Racing will head to the finale of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Driver and Team points lead in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category.

Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen placed third in class Sunday in the America’s Tire 250 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It is the seventh consecutive podium finish for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and increased the points advantage for Garcia and Magnussen to nine points with only the 10-hour Petit Le Mans left in the season.

A fourth-place class finish at Road Atlanta would give the duo their second consecutive GTLM title.

Meanwhile, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed fifth Sunday in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette following a chaotic race that saw four full-course caution periods in the first 80 minutes including one at the race start. Once the race finally went green for more than a lap, the two Corvettes ran first and second in class – with Gavin ahead of Magnussen – as a number of different strategies began to emerge.

The pair of yellow C7.Rs swapped positions on the teams’ first pit stops for fuel 40 minutes into the race and during the race’s third full-course caution. Only two GTLM cars elected to stay out, and the Corvettes rejoined third and fourth in class. The five lead GTLM cars, including the Corvettes, all pitted again near the halfway point under the final yellow. Magnussen handed off to Garcia during that stop, and Milner also took over for Gavin.

The race went green for the last 70 minutes. Garcia, now in the lead, made his last fuel stop with 46 minutes left. Milner had stopped from third only minutes later and rejoined fifth. As the race clock wound down, all the Corvette squad could do is watch as the two lead cars made it to the finish without stopping again.

Corvette Racing closes the IMSA season on Saturday, October 13 at Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTLM: “We thought nobody could make it to the end if it was green and (our competitors) were gambling on a yellow. They made it. It’s easy to think about ‘what if.’ That’s what it means to be doing a little bit of something different on strategy. I think we were on the back foot, also. We were fighting for the championship and those two guys are not… they were gambling on the win. It’s difficult to gamble when they can take no risks and you take a lot of risk. That was the main thing. It is good to open up a few more points toward Petit Le Mans. Definitely our competitors will be forced to win. I also have the feel we could have won here and locked the championship again, like we did last year.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTLM: “For the championship, another podium is great. It’s not at all what we thought we were going to be able to do here. To be completely honest, I’m a little bit disappointed, but it is what it is. The other cars went really, really long on the last tank – over half of the race distance which is pretty incredible. That’s what it is. Another podium for the championship. We are in a better position in the points than when we came here, so that’s positive. Off to the last one at Road Atlanta and go for a win there.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “It’s tough to describe because so much happened during the race. Right at the green flag there was complete carnage. I managed to get us through all of that without any problems and damage. In the first green flag session, everything went well; I was pulling away and the car was nice. There was another caution so we came in for a stop, and there was a little bit of confusion in our pit box about when I could go or couldn’t go so the No. 3 car jumped us. So, I thought, ‘OK that’s fine. There is still plenty of race to go.’ But then it just got a little bit ridiculous with the No. 67 car. He got very aggressive and touched me a number of times, and he tried to muscle his way past me coming out of turns two and into three. He damaged his car and went off but we were able to continue. I think that did something to our car. Then it became a fuel race. We didn’t have the ultimate pace to stay with the No. 3 car, but we were looking like we could at least finish second or third at worse but some of our competitors managed to really stretch that fuel and ended up getting a victory. And we ended up finishing fifth, which I feel is pretty disappointing considering where we were yesterday and how good the car felt at the start of the race. For our car, maybe the track deteriorated a bit for us and the balance went away. You want it to be the other way around. The guys did a really great job all weekend and were really solid. We thought we were doing the right thing with the strategy and the pit stops. Sometimes that’s racing and we have to go back and assess.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “That was super frustrating. We had a fast car all weekend. In the race it all fell apart. We were looking OK with about an hour and 20 minutes to go… first and second, I think. Then things didn’t quite go our way to the end. It’s unfortunate when you have a fast car like we did and not get anything out of it. Good job for the 3 Corvette guys on a good points day for them today. But it could have been a lot better for all of us.”

Article by Ryan Smith

Photos by Richard Prince

Second-place finish moves No. 3 Corvette into GTLM points lead for first time in 2018

DANVILLE, Virginia (Aug. 19, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia moved into the lead of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s Championship for the first time this season following Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Magnussen and Garcia placed second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R – their fourth runner-up finish in five races and seventh podium result of the season. The defending GTLM champions provisionally lead the championship by four points with two races remaining.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed sixth in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R as their race came undone just as it started. Milner started the race seventh but was sent off track from contact with another GTLM car on the first lap. He was able to continue but the Corvette suffered damage at the front-right, which impacted the car’s performance.

Milner drove the first 57 minutes before handing off to Gavin, who reported similar struggles in his nearly 50-minute run. He swapped out to Milner for the final stint with the native Virginian able to set some of his best lap times toward the end as he began catching the fourth- and fifth-place cars before time ran out.

Garcia began his race fourth and drove the opening 55 minutes nursing a knee injury. Magnussen took over and drove the final two stints in a marathon effort. He made two stops – one for fuel only during the race’s lone full-course caution period with 90 minutes left and another for fuel and Michelin tires with 52 minutes to go.

The final stop was critical in that the Corvette Racing crew got him out ahead of one of his championship contenders who had pitted two laps earlier to hold on to second place and valuable points. It was a fight to the end with Magnussen driving as hard as he could for the closing stint.

Corvette Racing’s next event is Sept. 7-9 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND: “Another second, which isn’t exactly what we were looking for. But in the end we’re keeping on with more and more points toward the championship. I’m happy with the race and happy with how Jan drove. The injury was unfortunate but I was able to do an hour and then gave it over to Jan for the biggest part of the race. It was really tough and very warm for him, and he drove great. We have the lead in the championship now, so let’s see if we can maintain that.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND: “That was a tough race because of the heat. We had planned on doing two drivers changes, but with a mishap before the race we didn’t want to risk putting Antonio back in so he can be ready for the rest of the season. So I stayed in. It was just a tough race. Our car was good. The hardest thing was just after the safety car when we didn’t stop. I had so much pickup on the tires and I couldn’t get the car going no matter what I did. Traffic destroyed our chance to get the BMW, so it was a matter then of keeping second place. And that was hard work. That was as fast as I could go every single lap trying to find every little bit of road. It feels really risky when we do it because it’s a lot of points if you finish third. It’s nice that it worked out the way it did. But we want to win. It’s been almost a year since we won a race, and that’s wrong! We have six podiums in a row and the championship lead with two races left – a normal race and a long race. A lot can happen. Four points is nothing, but it’s better than being four points behind!”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “Tommy and I battled with a wounded car all race. It was better at some points of the race than others, but fundamentally we didn’t have the pace. Contact with the Porsche on the first lap really did shape our race. We managed to salvage sixth, which is OK. But our challenge for the Driver’s Championship is really gone. We’re too far back now. But Antonio and Jan are in the lead, which is great for everyone at Corvette Racing. But our chance is done. Onward to Laguna Seca and another track we enjoy competing. Hopefully we can have a better time there.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “That was an unfortunate start to the race. I haven’t seen the video of it, but (the 912 Porsche) got a penalty for moving in reaction, which you shouldn’t do because that (scenario) can happen. And it wrecked both our races. It’s easy to say now that maybe I could have tried again later. But with the gap that was there, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Because the end result was not what we wanted I’d change it, but playing it back in my head I’d do the same thing. Like anything in this class, it’s so competitive. I wanted to get by and he didn’t want to let me by. It’s unfortunate FOR US but it was a good points day for Antonio and Jan. Our car was quick there at the end as I was catching the two cars ahead of me. It’s a frustrating day and I feel bad for all the guys on the 4 Corvette team. We’ve had good cars the last couple of races here and things haven’t gone our way. We’ll keep trying and pushing super hard. Hopefully, a little bit of luck goes our way next time.”

No. 3 Corvette team closes in on GTLM points leaders; Gavin, Milner gain with fourth place

LAKEVILLE, Connecticut (July 21, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen scored their third straight runner-up finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a second-place overall finish at the Northeast Grand Prix.

Garcia and Magnussen combined to lead 138 of the race’s 178 laps in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R around Lime Rock Park, where Garcia qualified on pole position. Saturday’s result moved the No. 3 duo to within one point of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s Championship leaders.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed fourth Saturday in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R – the same position in which Milner began the race.

Garcia led the entirety of his hour-long stint before he came into the pits for a driver change to Magnussen. The Dane drove a double-stint to the end and only lost the lead on the final pit stop cycle and an unfortunate off-track excursion with 10 minutes to go.

Magnussen passed a slower GT car coming into Lime Rock’s final, diving turn and slid wide on the exit of the corner. It took tremendous control for him to gather up the Corvette and rejoin without any damage.

Milner made an early jump into third place at the race start in the No. 4 Corvette and held that position until his first stop with 63 minutes running. Gavin took over and rejoined in fifth place with the goal of moving back up into podium position during the final two hours. His perseverance paid off as he went from seventh after his final pit stop with 62 minutes left to fourth by the end of the race.

The next event for Corvette Racing is Aug. 3-5 at Road America. The Aug. 5 race will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET with live audio coverage on IMSA Radio.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – RUNNER-UP: “It’s not what we want for sure, but a third runner-up in a row is good for our average and points. It was so close to our first victory of the season. We know how close the competition is here. The strategy was what we needed to do, and I think we knew the tire strategy and management would be the difference. The winners had a little bit more than us in the end, so there was nothing we could really do. Learning from second place isn’t that bad. We need to focus and carry on the work we are doing. Sooner or later, that victory will finally come.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – RUNNER-UP: “It is hard to swallow. It is tough because we had such a great car. Everyone did a fantastic job all weekend-the crew, the engineers, everybody. It was just a little bit of a longer stint for the tire compared to what the Ford had there at the end. It got difficult. He (Joey Hand) was catching me. I think I could have held him off a little bit longer than I ended up doing because I got into the marbles passing a GTD car on the inside of the last corner, and it just threw me wide off the track. He drove by and that was it.

“I know going that long on the tires was going to be a challenge. But second place isn’t bad. We caught up in the championship which is good. The car is almost in one piece. On to Road America and see if we can do better.

“Podiums are nice. They are really good for a championship, but when you lead 80 percent of the race, you want to win. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but for everybody it is a good result. I wanted a little bit more for all the hard work the team put in.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED FOURTH: “This race is always a battle – mentally, physically – for the team, the car, the drivers. There never seems to be space for operate in, so there are bits of contact. There are always close calls. It seems like tensions are always pretty high here. You are always around someone. Just no space to operate.

“I had what seemed like a rather lonely race. It seemed like I was chasing people that were a ways away and slowly catching them. People were slowing pulling away from me. I was dealing with the car and the tires and just trying to manage everything the best I possibly could. We were okay. But by the end of the stints, we were really losing quite a lot of performance. Both Tommy and I seemed to fall off a cliff in terms of performance right at the end of our stints which is probably where some of the gaps appeared to the other cars.

“I really think we had a fourth place car today. The No. 3 was just that little bit quicker than us. It was good for them to score another podium. It was good points for us. We are still chipping away at scoring those points. We are still in the hunt, but we need to tidy some things up. We need to just work away at getting a little bit better of a race for both Tommy and me. We need to work away on things and just be able to put it all together.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED FOURTH: “I don’t know if you can make a plan for a race like this. I had an OK first stint; there was no damage, which was good. We missed a little on tire pressures, which made the car difficult to drive about halfway through that stint. We sort of sacrificed a little bit at the start to have better tires at the end of the race for Olly. We lost a little ground staying out a little longer and were hopefully we could make that up at the end.”

Article by Ryan Smith

Photo by Richard Prince

No. 3 Corvette on GTLM podium for second straight season; Gavin, Milner finish top-five

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 1, 2018) – Corvette Racing endured one of its most trying races in recent memory Sunday, and the team was rewarded with a runner-up finish by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R led 30 laps at Watkins Glen International as the squad soldiered through record-setting heat in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

The result moves Garcia and Gavin to third place in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) points standings in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Chevrolet stands third in Manufacturer points heading into next weekend’s race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just outside Toronto.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner also spent considerable time out front Sunday in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette and ultimately finished fifth in class.

“The Corvette drivers, crew and engineers executed their race plan in extreme conditions with the same never-give-up effort that has defined this program for the last 20 years,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “We picked up some critical points in the Driver and Manufacturer standings with the top-two finish.

“It’s always great to race with the support of so many Corvette owners here at Watkins Glen in the Corvette Corral and watching around the world,” he added. “We can’t wait to race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Motorsports Park next weekend.”

Sunday’s race featured multiple strategies over the six hours as the two Corvettes started from third and fourth. The pair of cars couldn’t match the pace of its four strongest competitors, but the race’s second half saw Corvette Racing makes its move to the front.

Magnussen began the push with a strong second stint that saw him manage his fuel enough to be the last GTLM car to pit just before the three-hour mark. By going a lap longer on fuel, it meant the No. 3 Corvette needed less fuel than its competitors 30 minutes later and moved from sixth to third.

The same caution period saw Gavin move into the lead in the No. 4 Corvette as he was able to make a pit stop just before the yellow flag came out and the pits closed. He and Milner traded single stints throughout, and both Corvettes were in position to challenge for the race lead when the final caution period ended with nearly 40 minutes left.

Corvette Racing is back in action this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix. The race will air at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and live on the FOX Sports Go app. Streaming in-car footage along with live audio coverage of practice, qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “I think we had very close to a perfect race. You’ll always look back and think about things we could have done differently. I had fuel reserve for the last six laps or so. I don’t know how much fuel we were able to use at the end so maybe that didn’t allow us to go as hard at the end. We had to play it more conservative just in case. Perhaps we would have been able to be more aggressive and race the Fords harder. Thinking about where we have had lately and where we have been in practice and qualifying… to be fair we weren’t dreaming about a win. We wanted a good result, and today was almost a win where we led a lot of laps. We can’t be upset or depressed by second place. That’s a top job and result for everyone at Corvette Racing.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a tough race in many areas. The heat was a problem. The double stint early for me was not easy, but I have to say I liked the car all the race. But there at the end, we just didn’t have the pace when it mattered so we’ll work a little harder on it. Antonio did great in the heat and trying to get the Michelin tires to last – a fantastic job. The team did, as usual, everything they could in the pits to try and improve our position which they did. But second was all we could get out of it today. I’m very happy with that for the points… fantastic. But after six hours of sweating, you want to win.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “The race had a lot that happened. It was brutally hot, and that was pushing everything to the limit whether that was the tires, the car, the brakes, the crew, the drivers… At points today we were over the limit with some of those things. It was a real battle out there today just to get through to the finish. Tommy did a fantastic job there at the end just to get the car home. Fifth points… is that where we wanted to be? Absolutely not. We want to be up there at the sharp end battling for the victory. But it wasn’t our day. We need to go back and look and see what we can do better. I’m glad that Tommy made it through unscathed as we leave here. It’s also good to see the sister car on the podium and get some good points for us.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “The two Fords at the start were definitely the quickest, and the Porsches were strong. Our qualifying position stymied them early. It was a phenomenal job by the 3 Corvette guys to hold on to second place at the end. Both the Porsches had a little bit of pace on us. We were struggling at the end with the brakes, so it took me a little bit to figure how to drive the car with the brakes in that condition. It’s something to look at for the future and see why we struggled there. Fifth isn’t too bad, but it’s a little frustrating when you’re a little further up for a good chunk of the race and things fade at the end.”

Article by Ryan Smith

Photo by Richard Prince

Hard-Fought, Fifth-Place Finish for No. 63 Corvette

LE MANS, France (June 17, 2018) – In 19 years of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing has experienced both disappointment and achievement. The constant in each case, though, is the drive of those on the program to give maximum effort each and every appearance.

That was on display again this year at the 86th running of the French endurance classic. Corvette Racing showed its mettle in the face of adversity as it fought for a ninth class victory at Le Mans. It wasn’t meant to be as Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller finished fifth in the GTE Pro category with their No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

“All race long, the Corvette Racing C7.R teams never gave up,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “We know all the lows and highs of Le Mans, including our eight class victories here. We race at Le Mans to win, and we also race to learn. That is no different this year. The learnings from Le Mans will help us as we strive to continually improve. We look forward to getting back on track at Watkins Glen.”

Campbell added: “Our race team appreciates the support from Corvette owners and fans from all over world.”

The No. 63 team scraped and clawed for positions the entire 24 hours. Garcia began the race ninth, and the Corvette never fell below that the entire way. Despite lacking overall pace all three drivers, the crew and race engineers worked tirelessly to hover around the top-five before the Corvette settled into fifth place inside the final quarter of the race.

The tale of the No. 64 Corvette began to unfold early. Gavin fell back to 15th at the start but rebounded nicely to 12th before experiencing trouble with the right-front suspension. He handed over to Milner after a double-stint; however the team brought the Corvette back to the pits and into the garage after Milner reported severe handling issues.

The stop resulted in four laps lost, but it didn’t take the fight out of the No. 64 team. From 17th place, the Gavin/Milner/Fässler trio put in solid stints to go along with excellent stops and brake changes from the Corvette crew. Well into the third quarter of the race, however, the No. 64 Corvette began to show signs of an engine overheating condition that ultimately resulted in the car’s retirement from the race.

There’s little time for rest and recovery. Corvette Racing returns to competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen from Watkins Glen International on June 29-July 1.

Article by Ryan Smith

Strong runs from deep in the field for Camaro GT4.R quartet

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (May 28, 2018) – A pair of top-10 finishes Park left Blackdog Speed Shop in good spirits Monday following the second of two GTS SprintX races at Lime Rock for the Pirelli World Challenge. Both of the team’s Chevrolet Camaro GT4.Rs made tremendous progress from deep in the field to end Memorial Day on a high note.

Lawson Aschenbach and Andy Pilgrim placed third in their class and fifth overall in the No. 1 Blackdog Speed Shop Camaro GT4.R, while Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples made up more ground than any entry in the race with a 10th-place overall finish – after starting 25th – in the No. 11 Blackdog Speed Shop Camaro. They earned the race’s Hard Charger award for their efforts.

The results were enough to move Aschenbach and Pilgrim to third in SprintX points with Gaples and Cooper tied for fifth after six GTSX races.

Aschenbach and Cooper started, and unlike the morning race both Camaros made it through the start unscathed. The duo took advantage as Aschenbach moved up five spots and Cooper gained nine positions to 16th as the race went yellow on the opening lap.

It took 27 minutes for the race to resume, but when it did the Camaros kept up their charge. By the halfway mark, Cooper ran 11th and Aschenbach 12th as the pit window opened for the race’s mandatory driver change. Aschenbach ducked in from seventh with 23 minutes left and handed off to Pilgrim. Cooper came in two laps later from fourth for the change to Gaples.

Once the pit window closed with 20 minutes remaining, Pilgrim cycled through to ninth and Gaples to 11th. The team’s progression wasn’t done. Pilgrim gained three spots to sixth when a trio of cars ahead of him went off-track. Gaples also gained a spot late with a nifty move out of the famed Uphill corner.

Blackdog Speed Shop’s next race is set for June 22-24 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.