Corvette Racing at Daytona:

Record Distance in C8.R Debut

· Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg finish fourth in GTLM

· No. 3 Corvette C8.R completes program-record distance in Rolex 24

· Gavin, Milner, Fässler fight through to finish after mid-race issues

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finished its maiden race with a fourth-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg led the team’s effort Saturday and Sunday in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which had a mostly trouble-free run in its competition debut. The trio completed 785 laps for 2,794.6 miles – the greatest distance for any Corvette entry in Rolex 24 history.

The No. 3 C8.R led twice and was in contention for victory in its first race for the majority of the 24. The performance showed the potential of the mid-engine Corvette, which was developed simultaneously with the 2020 Corvette Stingray.

“It was a tremendous honor to debut the Corvette C8.R at the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona – 22 years after we debuted the C5-R in the same location,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports. “I’m so proud of our team and how they prepared and executed the race with the 2020 mid-engine Corvette. I can’t wait for the rest of the season and watch the excitement from our fans grow with every race.”

The No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R of Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler underwent multiple trials Saturday and Sunday, but the trio ultimately finished the race as well. While things looked optimistic in the first eight hours with the team racing inside the top-five, an oil leak near the ninth hour forced the No. 4 Corvette into the garage for extensive work. Complicating matters, the leak was in an area that required the team’s crew to remove the engine in order to make the repair.

Diligent and non-stop work for nearly nine hours brought the Corvette back into the race with the aim of evaluating tire settings and setup options to help the No. 3 for the end of the race.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a demanding race, so to even finish here with a brand-new car with a brand-new engine is a major accomplishment,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “To have both of the new Corvette C8.Rs finish – and one of them nearly finish on the lead lap – is a tremendous reflection of the strength of this car and this program.”

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a demanding race, so to even finish here with a brand-new car with a brand-new engine is a major accomplishment,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “To have both of the new Corvette C8.Rs finish – and one of them nearly finish on the lead lap – is a tremendous reflection of the strength of this car and this program.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 19-21 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

Article by Team Chevy

Photos by Richard Prince