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New Season Brings New Challenges for Corvette Racing
Season-Opening 12-Hour Sebring Endurance Race Is Toughest Test for New Cars, New Technology, and New Drivers
SEBRING, Fla. - Corvette Racing will begin the 2011 American Le Mans Series at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 19, with two new cars, two new drivers, and a wealth of new technology.
The team has constructed a pair of new Compuware Corvette C6.Rs to take on the world-class competition in the GT category. Based on the GT2 Corvettes that the team introduced in 2009, the new race cars have benefited from months of development and testing.
"2010 was an extremely productive year for Corvette Racing from the standpoint of gathering information," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "The team learned a tremendous amount about the production-based LS5.5R engine package, the aero package, and the chassis setups - all of which were brand new to us. The winter was spent distilling that information, running it through various matrixes, and coming up with what we think are going to be very competitive race cars in 2011."
The ALMS regulations now allow the use of paddle shift transmissions in the GT category, and Corvette Racing has adopted this new technology. Similar to the paddle shifters that are available in production Corvettes, the race cars' fingertip shifters allow the drivers to change gears with both hands firmly on the steering wheel. The team has integrated this new system with the electronic controls for the production-based 5.5-liter GM small-block V-8 engines that power the Corvette C6.Rs.
"It's been pedal-to-the-metal all winter long," said team manager Gary Pratt. "The base chassis is identical to the design we've raced previously, but we've worked on all aspects of the cars, from aerodynamic refinements to driver safety and comfort."
"The paddle shift system is new technology for us, and our engineers have worked very hard on the communication system that links the new engine management system and the shift system. We've also adopted a new power control system that automatically performs many of the functions that used to be done manually, such as turning on the reserve fuel pump and switching the batteries during pit stops."
"We also installed new driver displays and new steering wheels with all of the controls on the wheel," Pratt explained. "The steering wheel system is more user friendly, and drivers of various sizes can reach the switches more easily."
Two of the six drivers are new to Corvette Racing’s international driver lineup in 2011. Tommy Milner, 25, of Lake Mary, Fla., will share the No. 03 Corvette C6.R with Olivier Beretta of Monaco for the full season; Spaniard Antonio Garcia is the third driver for endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). Richard Westbrook, 35, of London, England, will be teamed with Jan Magnussen (Denmark) and Oliver Gavin (UK) in the No. 04 Corvette C6.R in the long-distance races.
"The paddle shift is a big plus, particularly in the braking zones," said Gavin. "You can get hard on the brakes, then downshift really quickly. Going up through the gears, the shifts are smooth and solid. In terms of consistency and reliability, the system is a really good step forward."
This year's Sebring enduro marks Corvette’s 55th year in international road racing. John Fitch and Walt Hansgen drove a Corvette to a ninth-place finish overall and a Class B victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1956, the first step onto the world stage that established Chevy’s sports car as a contender in top-level competition. Corvette Racing first participated in the Sebring 12-hour race in 1999, and scored seven Sebring victories in the high-tech GT1 class (2002-04, 2006-09).
Today Corvette is competing in the production-based GT category against its showroom competitors. The 19 entries in the GT class include two Corvette C6.Rs, a Ferrari 430 GT, two BMW M3 GTs, four Ferrari F458s, a quartet of Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs, one Panoz Abruzzi, two Jaguar XKRs, two Doran Ford GTs, and a Lamborghini Gallardo. An additional five cars are entered in the GTE AM class, which requires at least one amateur driver in the lineup, including a Corvette C6.R from the French Larbre Competition team (last year's No. 3 Corvette).
"The competition is going to be intense," said Fehan. "We'll face powerful new Ferraris, redesigned BMWs that won last year's manufacturer championship, and the defending driver champions in a Porsche. I can tell you this, nobody is going to go 9-0 this season!"
"Beyond the value of racing against Corvette's market competitors, every bit of the technology that we pick up on the race track goes into the next Corvette production model, and eventually the next generation Corvette," Fehan said. "We're not going to disappoint Corvette fans on the race track, and we're not going to disappoint Corvette customers in the showroom."
The season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will put the new hardware, new drivers, and new technology to a grueling test. The race will start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, and end 12 hours later at 10:30 p.m. The race will be shown live on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. ET. ABC will provide coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.
[VIDEO] A Conversation with Corvette Racing’s Doug Fehan
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As a new year of racing in the American Le Mans series gets underway with the 12 Hours of Sebring, we had the opportunity to talk with Corvette Racing’s Doug Fehan. In this wide-ranging interview, we asked Doug about paddle shifters, E10 vs E85 for Sebring and the driver changes made during the off-season. We also managed to sneak in a question about the C7! Check out the video
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The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, and end 12 hours later at 10:30 pm. The race will be shown live on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. ET. ABC will provide coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.
CLICK ME (http://www.corvetteracing.com) for the 2011 Corvette Racing Schedule and other goodies
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orvette Racing broke new ground last year with their Track to Street video series that chronicled the 2010 ALMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans campaigns. The series focused on everything from individual race results to the racing technology that is transferred to the regular production Corvettes (hence the name Track to Street). So it is good news for Corvette fans that GM Racing is continuing the series for the 2011 season which according to our watch, started the day after the #4 Corvette’s dramatic win at Petit Le Mans last October.
One of the major new rules for the GT class in 2011 is the ability to use paddle shifters. In Season 2’s first episode of the Track to Street video series, the team is shown testing the new paddle shifter setup in a black Corvette C6.R at Road Atlanta:
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That testing and subsequent tests already appear to be paying dividends. At the annual Sebring Winter Test last week, Corvette Racing’s C6.Rs were the fastest GT cars in each of the 4 sessions.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Fla., on Saturday, March 19. The season-opening 12-hour race will be shown live on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com starting at 10 a.m. ET. ABC will televise race highlights from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.
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[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Series Episode 2: Engine Build
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In the second episode of the 2011 Track to Street season, we go in-house to learn about the Corvette race engine development and build process within GM. The production engine serves as the foundation for the GT engine that will power the Corvette Racing cars in this weekend’s season-opener at Sebring, and throughout the season. Take a look and see what separates one engine from another.
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[VIDEO] Say Hello to Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner
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Say hello to Tommy Milner, the newest driver in the Corvette Racing lineup. Tommy will be taking over the full-time driving duties with Olivier Beretta following Johnny O’Connell’s departure to the Cadillac Motorsports program which was announced in December. Milner brings youth AND experience to the #03 Corvette C6.R. At just 25 years old, Milner has five years of seat time racing in the American Le Mans series including the last two years in the white BMW’s with Rahal-Letterman. With 51 starts and 17 podium finishes, the only that is missing from his impressive resume is a checkered flag.
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Milner was impressive to talk with and so far the reviews from his new teammates have been extremely positive. Welcome him to the fold and let’s cheer him on to his first victory.
Make sure you check out our ongoing Sebring photo gallery (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150115493239827&id=52447429826&aid=289409) on Facebook. They just uploaded several new photos and they’ll be posting the first look at the Corvettes on display at the Corvette Corral a little later this evening.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, and end 12 hours later at 10:30 pm. The race will be shown live on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. ET. ABC will provide coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.
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Corvettes Overcome Incidents and Accidents in 12-Hour Endurance Test
SEBRING, Fla. - Corvette Racing raced around the clock to finish third and fourth in the GT class in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the season-opening round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series. The No. 03 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Tommy Milner, Olivier Beretta, and Antonio Garcia completed 312 laps and finished third, 49.294 seconds behind the class-winning BMW. The No. 04 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Richard Westbrook was fourth across the finish line with 311 laps.
The Sebring 12-hour was a test of determination for the Chevrolet team. The No 3 Corvette C6.R started ninth on the grid and finished on the podium; the No. 4 Corvette C6.R overcame a three-lap deficit after an accident at the two-hour mark.
"Today's result was absolutely a team effort," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. "In endurance racing you have to work as a team every minute, and Corvette Racing did that. We have more work to do, but this team never gives up."
The No. 04 Corvette C6.R made a fast start as Oliver Gavin started second on the GT grid and passed the pole-winning Ferrari 430GT on the first lap.
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"The Ferrari went wide and I got by him," Gavin said. "Once the Ferrari's tires came in, he started to catch me - any amount of dust on the track and our performance started to suffer. Then with new Michelins after the first pit stop, we were back in the hunt and could race anybody."
Gavin handed off to Jan Magnussen at 1:48 under a full-course caution, but the Dane encountered misfortune as soon as racing resumed. Running third at the restart, contact in Turn 17 with Patrick Long's Porsche caused both cars to spin. The following Ferrari F458 of Johannes van Overbeek then spun, colliding with the Corvette and damaging its right rear suspension. The Ferrari subsequently retired, while Magnussen manhandled the Corvette to the pits for repairs. Six minutes later, the Corvette crew had him back on track, albeit two laps down to the GT leader.
"I got a better run going onto the straight, and Long moved to the right to block me," Magnussen said. "No big deal, I went around him on the outside. I think he was bouncing over the bumps, and bounced into the side of my car. I can't be upset with him, but I was upset at the situation."
Long was subsequently penalized for avoidable contact, and the Corvette was penalized for crewmembers working on the car while the pits were closed, losing yet another lap.
Meanwhile the No. 03 Corvette methodically moved up from its ninth starting spot. Olivier Beretta handed off to Tommy Milner, who showed his stuff in his first stint as a Corvette Racing driver. The 25-year-old raced former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella hard, and took the yellow Corvette from seventh to third in GT.
"Most of my teammates have driven Formula 1 cars, and it makes the race that much more fun when you have the best drivers in the world," said Milner. "I was able to settle into a rhythm, find the balance, and push from there. Maybe I was a little too racy for my first stint, but I wanted to settle in and get the nerves out."
Richard Westbrook also showed his mettle in his first start with Corvette Racing in the No. 04 Corvette C6.R. "Everyone at Corvette Racing wants to do so well - it's Chevrolet's 100th anniversary, and we really want to put in a great performance," Westbrook said. "Unfortunately Jan had contact in the second stint, but we kept pushing - there was nothing else we could do."
The race settled down in the middle stages as the six Corvette drivers cycled through their rotations. The No. 03 Corvette maintained its pace with the frontrunners on the lead lap, while savvy pit stop strategy and speed brought the No. 04 Corvette to within a lap of the leaders.
Shortly after seven hours, Milner pitted the 03 Corvette for a new windshield after the tearoffs had blown off, leaving a layer of sticky adhesive. After falling back to sixth, he charged back through the GT field to third at the end of his stint.
"That was probably the hardest I've had to work in a race car to see out of the windshield," Milner reported. "The crew changed the entire window in nothing flat, and that was great because the car was really, really good. When the sun went down, it definitely picked up grip."
As the sun set at Sebring, the race pace quickened. Antonio Garcia turned in a strong performance to pull the No. 03 Corvette as high as third on the cooling track.
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"The car was getting better and better throughout the race," said the Spaniard. "I was racing with a Porsche in the first half of my stint and worked the tires hard getting by him, but at the end I ran decent lap times with worn tires. We were in the fight, running as close as we could to the front, and we had to be able to fight for a good position at the finish."
After 10 hours of racing, Beretta had the No. 03 Corvette in second, and Gavin was back on the lead lap in the No. 04 Corvette when the class leader pitted.
"The traffic was very bad sometimes," said Beretta. "If you were in a good spot you could go quick, if not you just tried to survive, not make a mistake, and use your brain."
Gavin drove a double stint in the late hours before handing the No. 04 Corvette off to Magnussen for the final run to the checkered flag.
"Today was a real uphill battle after the accident took us out of contention for the victory," Gavin said. "After we changed tire compounds I thought we'd have a shot at the podium, but it was perhaps a bit too early. This was one of the wildest 12 hours I've ever raced. I'm proud to be part of the Chevy team, and proud to bring the car back to within a lap of the leader. Jan and Richard drove brilliantly today, with a bit more luck we might have won."
"We didn't have the ultimate speed to match the BMWs and Ferraris today, but we did have execution and we did have strategy," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "When you combine those in an endurance race, it's going to show, and that's what this team did. This is a solid foundation for the season, and a result we can be proud of."
Corvette Racing’s next event is the American Le Mans at Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday, April 16.
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring GT Results (Top 10):
Pos./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. Priaulx/Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 312
2. Farfus/Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 312
3. Beretta/Garcia/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 312
4. Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook, Corvette C6.R, 311
5. Fisichella/Bruni/Kaffer, Ferrari F458 Italia, 311
6. Bergmeister/Long/Leib, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 310
7. Law/Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 306
8. Robertson/Robertson/Said, Doran Ford GT, 294
9. Ortelli/Makowiecki/Deletraz, Farrari F458 Italia, 292
10. Brown/Cosmo/Bell, Ferrari F458 Italia, 268
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Most Corvette Racing fans see him on TV or at the track, but very rarely do we hear from him. Dan Binks is the Crew Chief of the #03 Corvette C6.R and on the Wednesday leading up to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, we stopped by the Corvette garage to speak with him. We discussed the new paddle shift system, E10 vs E85, testing of a proximity alarm system as well as his impressions of new driver Tommy Milner.
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Make sure you check out the ongoing Sebring photo gallery (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150115493239827&id=52447429826&aid=289409) on Facebook
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As Corvette was the title sponsor of last Sunday Afternoon’s ABC Sport’s broadcast of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, it only makes sense to educate viewers how closely related the production cars are to the ALMS GT racers. To do so, GM showcases the Corvette ZR1 while spokesman Tim Allen tells viewers that when they decided to take 638-horsepower Corvette racing, they had to dial back the power just to be fair to Porsche, Ferrari and BMW.
For Corvette’s competition on the track and in the showrooms, sometimes the truth hurts. :lol:
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(http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/sebring2011_69b.jpg) (http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2011/03/22/photo-gallery-corvette-racing-at-sebring/#more-5598)
Corvette Racing kicked off the 2011 American Le Mans Series with two new cars and two new drivers at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. After 12 hours of going pedal to the metal, the twin C6.Rs finished third and fourth in GT. The No 03 Corvette C6.R with Olivier Beretta, Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia earned the podium and was the only non-BMW to finish on the lead lap. The No 4 Corvette C6.R with Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen and Richard Westbrook fought off several potential setbacks and spent much of the race climbing out of a three-lap deficit to end in fourth place.
The GT class showed again that anything can happen. The Corvettes battled BMWs, Porsches and Ferrari throughout the day and into the night. Leaders fell and challengers emerged. Sometimes lady luck is on your side and then the next minute she’s wiping your face in the dirt. But that is racing. I hope that these images we took captured the “Take No Prisoners” mentality that drives the crew of Corvette Racing.
Click the image above to see galley on Corvette Blogger.com
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Corvette Racing Ambassador Ron Fellows spoke to Corvette owners in the Corvette corral at the 2011 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. He discussed some of the new changes for the season including paddle shifts and he even brought along the new steering wheel to show off all the advanced controls.
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Ron was asked if he would be doing some racing this year. He said he was hoping to run some of the road courses in NASCAR but some girl may have his ride this year! He also mentioned the World Challenge but said they [GM] probably wouldn’t want a Corvette to beat the new Cadillac CTS-V Coupes!
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In the third episode of Corvette Racing’s Track to Street series, we go behind the scenes as the team kicks off the first race in 2011 at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
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Corvette Racing New Guy's Guide to the First Street Race of the Season
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Sebring and Long Beach are the yin and yang of the American Le Mans Series. Last month's season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is the longest event on the ALMS schedule; the upcoming two-hour American Le Mans Series at Long Beach on April 16 is the shortest. The distance between the former bomber base in central Florida that hosts the Sebring enduro and the glittering bayside circuit in Southern California is measured not only in miles but also in culture and style. Long Beach is a street race, a beach party, and a celebration of spring.
With only a single two-hour practice session before qualifying and the race, the Long Beach schedule is as compressed as a beachfront condo. The ALMS drivers will be first out on the green track on Friday morning, and will end the day with qualifying. They won't see the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary course again until they take the green flag at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.
So does Corvette Racing new guy Tommy Milner feel any pressure going into his second race with the series' most successful sports car team? Hardly.
"I'm excited about going to Long Beach and getting back in the Corvette," said Milner, who will share the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R with co-driver Olivier Beretta, a two-time winner in the GT1 class at Long Beach. "Sure it's a short weekend, but Corvette Racing was strong there last year and I'm looking forward to seeing how the C6.R works for me."
Milner had an up-close view of the Corvette C6.R's performance last year on the Long Beach circuit. His former team elected not to change tires during his pit stop, a move that vaulted Milner from fifth to first. But as his used tires lost their grip, Milner lost his grasp on victory. First he was passed by eventual race winner Patrick Long, and then by Corvette driver Jan Magnussen, who was on fresh rubber. Magnussen was also on a mission as he moved up from sixth to second in the closing laps, and Milner had to settle for his second consecutive third-place finish in Long Beach.
"Long Beach is all about track position," Milner explained. "Obviously pace is important, but track position is crucial because it's so difficult to pass there. By not changing tires, I ended up in front for quite a few laps. Pat Long gave me a little push and moved me out of the way, and by the time Jan got to me, I was done. Jan still had a hard time getting by me in a car that was a lot faster than mine. This time I think I'll have the faster car and I won't have to be defending!"
Although Milner professes his love for high-speed tracks, he appreciates the charms of America's most celebrated street course. "There is something about really hustling a car in the narrow confines of a street track and pushing the envelope right up to the wall that is a lot of fun," said the 25-year-old racer from Lake Mary, Fla. "One of my favorite corners in Long Beach is the Fountain Turn because you can almost trim the hedge around the fountain with the right fender."
The scarcity of track time in Long Beach doesn't daunt the determined young driver. "At Sebring you have all the time in the world to practice, and when you get to the race you still wish you had one more practice session," he laughed. "It's the same at Long Beach – I always wish I had another session, but I'll go into the race feeling confident that I have a good car. That comes down to working with your team and engineers to get exactly what you want out of the car."
"Since I joined Corvette Racing, we've always been able to get a car that's comfortable to drive and quick early on, so I don't have any concerns about the short schedule in Long Beach," Milner noted. "The first hour is almost a throwaway because there's not much grip and the way the car behaves changes dramatically throughout the session. We have to be methodical about how we make changes, and not get too carried away with how the car is handling initially. The track will come to us."
While many of his contemporaries will be partying in Long Beach, Milner is going to be all business in his first street race with Corvette Racing.
The two-hour American Le Mans Series at Long Beach will be shown live on ESPN3.com starting at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 16. ESPN2 will provide television coverage from 5 to 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.
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Corvette Racing driver Jan Magnussen finished second in last year's American Le Mans Series race on the Long Beach street circuit, and that is where he will start Saturday's two-hour race on the bayside circuit. Magnussen posted the second quickest time in the GT class at 1:19.137 (89.526 mph) in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, just .047 seconds behind the pole-winning BMW of Joey Hand. Tommy Milner qualified the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R ninth in the 14-car GT field at 1:20.724 (87.766 mph).
Corvette Racing rebounded from a troubled practice this morning that saw the No. 4 Corvette lose nearly half of the two-hour session to a drivetrain problem and the No. 3 Corvette have a close encounter with the tire barrier in Turn 8. With minimal track time, the Corvettes went into qualifying on a split strategy.
more info» (http://www.corvetteracing.com/history/2011releases/longbeach/longbeach2.shtml)
American Le Mans Series at Long Beach GT Qualifying (Top 10): Pos./Drivers/Car/Time
1. Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 1:19.090
2. Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 1:19.137
3. Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 1:19.447
4. Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:19.463
5. Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:20.065
6. Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:20.167
7. Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:20.176
8. Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:20.646
9. Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:20.724
10. Junqueira/Da Matta, Jaguar RSR, 1:20.924
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There is no better place for the world`s most exotic racers than the streets of Long Beach in southern California. It has been standing-room only since the Series` first trip in 2007 and this year will be no different. Corvette Racing finished 2nd in GT in 2010. Will this be the race where they earn their first win of 2011?
Event: Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach
Location: Long Beach, CA
Race Length: 120 Minutes
Track Length: 1.986 Miles
Turns: 11
For ALMS Long Beach Links: Click Me (http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2011/04/15/corvette-racing-links-for-alms-at-long-beach/#more-5859)
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Gavin and Magnussen Finish on GT Podium, Milner and Beretta Charge from Back of the Grid
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Corvette Racing survived two hours of close combat to finish second and fifth in the American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin took the second spot on the GT podium in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R when the race finished under caution. Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta fought their way from the back of the grid at the start to fifth at the finish in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. The BMW of Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand was first across the stripe under the yellow flag.
Not even Los Angeles' notorious rush hour could rival the traffic on the historic 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary course. With 29 starters on the concrete-lined circuit, close calls and contact were commonplace, although only two full-course cautions slowed the race. Gavin started the No. 4 Corvette second on the GT grid and held that position through the opening segment, which was interrupted by a lengthy full-course caution. When racing resumed he took the lead with an opportunistic move.
"I had a very eventful stint with lots of bumping and banging and cars spinning in strange places," Gavin said. "The start was pretty standard, everyone got a bit strung out, and then the LMPC cars were getting in the way. It all started when the BMW behind me disappeared. On the next lap he was turned around at the fountain turn! The race leader went the wrong way, I went the right way, and I got myself into the lead."
Hand's BMW and Patrick Long's Porsche subsequently got around the Corvette, but Long soon encountered the wall and the Porsche eventually retired. As green-flag pit stops began shortly after the one-hour mark, Gavin handed off the No. 4 Corvette to Magnussen.
"I was pushing absolutely as hard as I could, and I was cutting the margin," said Magnussen, who ran the fastest lap of the race in GT and trimmed the BMW's lead to six seconds before the race-ending caution period. "There was a lot of traffic, and in a race like this you have to take so many chances. After the race I had a walk around the car and looked at all the places where I'd tapped the walls. It's a shame we weren't closer at the finish, we could have had a good fight."
Milner was on a mission when the race began, moving from 14th in class to fourth before the pit stop sequence put Beretta behind the wheel of the No. 3 Corvette. The car was moved to the back of the grid at the start after a post-qualifying change of tires.
"I got lucky with the first yellow flag because we'd just cleared all of the Challenge cars and LMPC cars," Milner said. "The car was great, and although it was a little banged up, it was still quick. That's just street racing - everyone gets bunched up."
Beretta brought the No. 3 home in fifth after a relatively uneventful run. "I'm happy for the team - we got our second podium in two races which is really important, " Beretta said. "Tommy did a good stint, he was very clever, and the car was quite fast. Then it was just using my brain to keep the position and put the points in the pocket."
Gavin and Magnussen are now second in the unofficial GT class points standings with 36 markers, and Beretta and Milner are third with 31. Mueller and Hand lead with 50 points.
"When you can leave Long Beach with two cars intact, you've accomplished something," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "The fact that we were able to finish second and fifth make this a very satisfying day. Now it's on to Le Mans!"
ESPN2 will televise coverage of the American Le Mans Series at Long Beach from 5 to 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.Corvette Racing's next event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, on June 11-12, 2011.
American Le Mans Series at Long Beach GT Results (Top 10):
Pos./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 81
2. Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 81
3. Melo/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 81
4. Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 80
5. Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 80
6. Junqueira/Da Matta, Jaguar RSR, 79
7. Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 79
8. Law/Neiman, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 78
9. Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 77
10. Pastorelli/Schwager, Lamborghini Gallardo LP, 75
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Le Mans Test Day Sets the Stage for Sports Car Racing's Main Event
LE MANS, France - This is only a test - but it's an important one. Corvette Racing will participate in the Le Mans Test Day on Easter Sunday, April 24. This one-day outing on the legendary French circuit will play a key role in the team's preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12, 2011.
"Every lap at Le Mans is valuable," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "It's impossible to test there outside of the race environment because the course uses several miles of public highway. When you have even one day to gather information it's extremely beneficial, especially when your competition is going to be there. Corvette Racing's objective is to maximize the value of our time on the Le Mans track and then apply that when we return for the race in June."
Once a fixture in the run-up to the 24-hour race, the stand-alone test day had been suspended for several years. Its return to the calendar in 2011 posed a logistical problem for teams competing in the American Le Mans Series, which hosted its second round in Long Beach, Calif., last Saturday.
"The schedule makes it difficult, expensive, and risky to get the cars and equipment from Long Beach to Le Mans in time for the test," said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt. "Everything would have to be crated up and flown from LAX on Sunday morning after the ALMS race. Even a short delay in customs or air transport could mean that the shipment wouldn't arrive in time for the test."
"Fortunately one of our customers, Larbre Competition, has a Corvette C6.R that is available for the Le Mans test," Pratt explained. "This is a chassis that we ran last year in Le Mans, and that Larbre raced at Sebring last month. It's the same spec as our current cars and the Larbre team will compete with it in the GTE-Am class at Le Mans. Combining our resources for the test day and sharing the information that we gather will be a win-win for both organizations."
Corvette Racing's four full-season drivers - Tommy Milner, Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin, and Jan Magnussen - will attend the Le Mans test, along with key Corvette Racing personnel. At the top of the to-do list is the requirement to qualify Milner to race at Le Mans after a three-year absence. He went to the 24-hour classic in 2006 and 2007 with the Panoz team.
"I'm 25 years old, I've been to Le Mans twice, and yet it's been so long since I've raced there that I have to do 10 laps to qualify again to drive," Milner said with a laugh. "I'm looking at the test as a briefing on what it's like to drive at Le Mans in a Corvette C6.R. It will be a great opportunity to get comfortable in the car and to get seat time without the pressure of the race week."
Olivier Beretta, Milner's full-season teammate, agreed: "It is very important to go to Le Mans when you have the rare opportunity to drive on the same track that you will race on," he said. "The only difference will be the weather, but Europe has been very warm recently and I hope the good weather will stay for another week. Then after the test we will have more time to think about and get ready for race week."
Driver Jan Magnussen will be reunited with an old friend at the Le Mans test day. "We'll be using my car from last year, so I should know it well," said the Dane. "The weather during April may not be representative of the conditions during the race, but the test is a opportunity for the drivers to get back into the rhythm of Le Mans. It is a different track to drive because you have to attack in certain places and not in other places, so it's helpful to get a few laps and work on the setup. Corvette Racing has always done a very good job of looking at all of the data and being right on when the race is there."
Oliver Gavin will be teamed with Magnussen at Le Mans this year, a combination that scored three consecutive GT1 class wins in 2004-06. "It's fantastic to be going to Le Mans because any time running on that track is precious," Gavin noted. "You've got to make the most of it because it's such a unique circuit and such a unique environment. It's great for Larbre Competition to work together with Corvette Racing. You think you've got loads of time with a full day to test, but it whizzes by so quickly. Each driver is keen to get as many laps as possible, and you've got to make the most of it. I'm sure the engineers will have a very detailed plan for every second of the test day."
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Tommy Milner Sets the Pace in Preparation for Legendary Endurance Race
LE MANS, France - Corvette Racing completed a successful test day at Le Mans on Easter Sunday. Corvette Racing's four full-season American Le Mans Series drivers - Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner - used one of the team's European customer cars to collect valuable data for the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12.
The immense 8.468-mile circuit includes sections of public roads in the Sarthe region of western France, so the reinstatement of the traditional test day after a two-year hiatus was welcomed by the team and drivers alike. Although Corvette Racing will compete in the 24-hour race in the GTE-Pro class - reserved for professional teams - today the team used Larbre Competition's No. 50 Corvette C6.R that is entered in the GTE-Am class - for one-year-old cars with at least one gentleman-driver - and came away fastest in the category.
"Everything worked according to plan," said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt. "Tommy Milner completed his mandatory 10 laps at the beginning of the morning session to qualify for the race, and then the other three drivers cycled through the Corvette C6.R to cover all the areas we had planned to work on. Only a rain shower in the morning and an incident between Olly Gavin and a competitor kept the car in the garage on two occasions. Despite those interruptions, we got the data we needed and tested all of the items we had on our list."
With exceptionally warm weather reigning over the western part of Europe for over a week, thunderstorms and isolated showers had been predicted for Sunday's eight-hour test. However, the track remained dry for most of the day.
Drivers who haven't raced at Le Mans in the past three years are required to complete 10 laps to be eligible for the practice sessions in June. Milner, who last drove at Le Mans in 2007, quickly dispatched that obligation.
"I got out on the track at 9 a.m. sharp to get in my mandatory 10 laps," Milner said. "It was easy enough, even if the track was still quite dirty at that time. Le Mans is not too difficult a track to get used to again. Tertre Rouge can be a bit hairy, the run up to Indianapolis corner is daunting, and the Porsche Curves will grab your attention for sure, but the rest of the track is pretty straightforward."
Milner confirmed his confidence by setting the car's fastest lap of the day near the end of the afternoon session at 4:04.222. "That was fun," he beamed, "especially after not having been here for so long. The car has been really easy to drive all day and will be even more so by June."
Oliver Gavin made the trip to Le Mans from his home in the UK in a production Corvette ZR1 and was impressed by the power of the road car. Gavin worked his way through different setups in the racing version until his shift was cut short.
"I was coming up to Mulsanne Corner at the end of the straight behind one of the Ford GTs, when the driver suddenly braked earlier and a lot harder than expected," Gavin explained. "I moved to pass him on the inside, but when I was right alongside him, he turned in, too. We hit each other wheel-to-wheel, which damaged the steering rack on our car and lost us half an hour for repairs."
"We completed our entire test day schedule," Olivier Beretta said, "and we had a great day in almost ideal circumstances. We didn't look for performance per se, but instead worked on the suspension, the aero, the tires, and the chassis. We checked all the boxes and will continue to work hard until we're back here in June."
Jan Magnussen concurred with his colleagues: "It was a bit of a special day today because we didn't use our own car and had to share this one between the four of us. But we learned a lot and the engineers will analyze the data back in the factory. When we come back in June we will have a much faster car, I'm sure."
The 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours will begin with technical scrutineering on Sunday, June 5, and Monday, June 6, followed by practice and qualifying on Wednesday, June 8, and Thursday, June 9. The race will start at 3:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 11.
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In episode 4 of Corvette Racing’s Track to Street series, we follow the team to Long Beach, where the smallest mistake could take a team out of contention completely. The two-hour race is considered a sprint in comparison to the twelve-hour Sebring relay or the holy grail of all races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is next up on the schedule. Check out the ongoing battle that ensues on the all-concrete street course and see where the team ends up when all is said and done.
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A Look Back at Corvette Racing’s Breakthrough Win in 2001
You never forget your first – especially when it’s the first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today Corvette Racing is recognized around the world as a powerhouse in international endurance racing, but a decade ago, the members of Chevrolet’s factory sports car team were innocents abroad.
Memories of that first Le Mans victory in 2001, contested in a wet and chaotic race, are etched in the minds of the men and women who were there. The lessons learned during that rain-soaked day and night of racing formed the foundation for Corvette Racing’s six GTS/GT1 class wins in the world’s most prestigious sports car race. On June 11-12, Corvette Racing will run for its seventh class title at Le Mans, and its first in the GTE Pro (formerly GT2) category.
Corvette Racing had launched an expeditionary force to Le Mans in 2000, a race contested in searing heat. The American team finished third and fourth, an auspicious result in its first foray to France. Corvette Racing returned in 2001 with updated Corvette C5-R race cars and a revised driver lineup. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Scott Pruett piloted the No. 63 Corvette to victory in appalling conditions, while Andy Pilgrim, Kelly Collins, and Franck Freon were second in the No. 64 Corvette C5-R, giving Chevrolet the first of its four 1-2 finishes in the French classic. Fellows, O’Connell and Pruett finished eighth overall, equaling the performance of John Fitch and Bob Grossman in Briggs Cunningham’s iconic No. 3 Corvette in 1960.
“The race in 2000 was the hottest Le Mans on record,” said Fellows. “We were fast, we learned a ton, and we had a few mechanical gremlins to overcome. Then one year later, 2001 was one of the wettest races, and it was an adventure.
“One of the very few times I’ve been in an argument with (team manager) Gary Pratt was in the pits prior to the start of the race,” Fellows recalled. “Gary was adamant that I needed to start on slicks like everyone else, but I insisted that I wanted intermediates. I said, ‘I don’t care, I want ‘em.’ So the sister car started on slicks, and I was on intermediates.
“After the first three laps, the track was drying quickly, and I thought I’d made a huge mistake,” Fellows said with a laugh. “Suddenly coming around Arnage, I saw a wall of rain ahead of us. There was a monsoon coming out of the southwest, and cars were going off everywhere.
“The cars around me were floating and spinning, but I could still maneuver because I had grooved tires. Somehow I got through the chaos without getting hit, and we moved way up in the overall standings in first 20 minutes.”
Johnny O’Connell called on his previous experience at Le Mans to get him through the treacherous conditions. “I have a vivid memory of Le Mans in 2001, going out at night in the pouring rain,” O’Connell recalled. “I came out of Tertre Rouge at full chat, hit a puddle, went sideways, caught it, and wanted to lift. Then I said to myself, ‘They’re not paying you to lift, stay in it.’ The spray was blinding, and I drove through the night with one eye looking out the side window to find my braking points. That rainy night was phenomenal, scary, and exhilarating – a spectacular race.”
Fellows agreed: “The level of concentration required to race in the wet was just overwhelming,” said the Canadian ace. “None of us were physically tired, but we were mentally exhausted. The troughs in the pavement left by the heavy trucks on the public roads were filled with standing water, and the puddles were the biggest issue. The straights are normally a place you can relax, but just keeping the car on the road was a real challenge. I attempted slicks in the night, went out and came right back in. It was impossible.”
The Corvette team went to Le Mans riding a wave of confidence after a 1-2 finish and an overall victory in the season-opening Daytona 24-hour race.
“The team had an unbelievable air of confidence after the success that we had at Daytona,” O’Connell noted. “When everything is right in a team you feel it, and there was a very strong, positive energy. The curve ball was the ungodly amount of rain. We’d won in the rain in Daytona, so we knew we were good in the wet. I think everyone had faith that this race was going to come our way, and sure enough, it did.”
While the drivers were sanguine, program manager Doug Fehan had his doubts.
“In those days, we were using a conventional transmission mounted behind the engine, and its reliability was marginal with the horsepower we had,” Fehan revealed. “We were nervous about that. In addition, some type of harmonic vibration was destroying the starter motors; if the car spun and the engine stalled, there was a 50-50 chance that it wouldn’t restart. It was a huge issue.
“The rain worked to our advantage because the race pace was dramatically slower, which reduced the stress on the gearboxes. By the 20th hour, we had an insurmountable lead and a certain victory as long as the cars were running at the finish. We brought the cars in, went through the transmissions, dried out the starters, and sent them back out for the final hour. Then I had a moment of sheer panic when I was told that a GT car was ahead of us, but the officials reassured me that Corvette was still the leader in GTS.”
Another lesson learned was the importance of perfect execution in the pits.
“We missed an overall victory in Daytona by 32 seconds,” Fehan explained. “Thirty-two seconds is pretty easy to find in 24 hours, and not necessarily on the race track. It became vividly apparent that every movement in the pit lane had to be choreographed, every action needed to be as efficient as possible, because a 24-hour race can come down to just a few seconds.”
The team also gained an appreciation of the unique demands of the immense 8.5 mile Le Mans circuit.
“The Corvette C5-R had a fairly narrow body in 2000 – we had tremendous straight-line speed, but didn’t have the cornering and aerodynamic characteristics that come with a wide car,” Fellows noted. “We came back in 2001 with a wider body. The car had a little more drag but a much better aero platform. We were slower on the straights, but quicker overall in 2001.”
With its first Le Mans victory, Corvette Racing reached an objective that had been set years earlier.
“In 1997 I sat down with Herb Fishel, who was then the director of GM Racing, when he laid out his vision and outlined his plan to win Le Mans,” Fellows remembered. “Four years later it came to fruition. I’ll never forget standing on the victory podium in the rain, with throngs of people on the track. It was a breakout year for Corvette Racing, and that first win was very special.”
Corvette Racing’s next event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, on June 11-12. The race will start at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). SPEED will televise the race live, supplemented by live video streaming on SpeedTV.com. Check local listings for broadcast times.
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Tommy Milner joined Doug Fehan and Dan Binks for a luncheon with the Corvette Racing team at the National Corvette Museum’s C5/C6 Bash. In this video, driver Tommy Milner talks about his experiences so far in his inaugural year in the C6.R as well as giving the enthusiasts in the crowd some highlights of his brief but highly successful racing career.
Milner has been very impressive in the first two races at Sebring and Long Beach. Now the focus is on Le Mans. Milner has raced twice before at Le Mans, but not within the last three years. ACO rules required him to run 10 laps during the Le Mans test in April. Fehan tells the story that at then end of every session, there is always one driver who had the fastest time. At the end of the Le Mans test, it was Milner who was the fastest of the four C6.R drivers and that’s why Fehan calls him “Plug and Play”.
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Extensive Live TV Coverage Bolstered by Online Video Stream from Inside Corvette C6.R
LE MANS, France, June 6, 2011 – Race fans will have an all-access view of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, with exclusive features that include “riding along” with Corvette Racing for the entire race. SPEED will televise 17 hours of live coverage on June 11-12, and via a partnership with Corvette Racing, fans can go to www.speedtv.com/corvette to view the hours not televised. Online coverage will include a special live video stream providing a constant look from inside one of the two Corvette C6.Rs that will be seeking a seventh class win at Le Mans.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, will start at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) on Saturday, June 11. The live web stream of the race on www.speedtv.com/corvette will air coverage without commercial interruption for hours of the race not carried on television.
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most prestigious and demanding events in all of racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “We jumped at the opportunity to work with SPEED to provide fans expanded coverage from Le Mans, with an inside view of how Corvette will battle its peers, the world’s best sports cars.”
The live streaming video feed will be from the cockpit of the No. 73 Compuware Corvette C6.R piloted by Olivier Beretta, Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia. The special web coverage will also include links to an in-depth video tour of the legendary Le Mans circuit in the No. 74 Compuware Corvette C6.R with commentary from Oliver Gavin, who will be seeking his fifth class win for Corvette at Le Mans this weekend.
“It’s not often you can work with a partner that has the ability to also create and offer a better viewing experience for our audience,” said Bobby Akin, SPEED Vice President of Advertising Sales. “SPEED and Chevrolet have been working together on Le Mans on air and online enhancements for many years, and to actually be able to reach out to our audience through a multi-platform online package is amazing.”
Corvette will compete in the renamed GTE Pro (formerly GT2) class this year at Le Mans, facing fierce competition with entries representing Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Lotus, and Aston Martin.
The No. 73 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Beretta, Milner and Garcia finished third in the season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Gavin will be teamed with Jan Magnussen in the No. 74 Compuware Corvette C6.R at Le Mans, a pairing that won the GT1 title three consecutive years in 2004-06. Richard Westbrook will be the third driver.
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Team Focuses on Race Day Preparations in Final Qualifying Sessions
LE MANS, France, June 9, 2011 – At midnight in Le Mans, the field was set for the 59th running of the world’s greatest sports car race. Corvette Racing will start fourth and sixth in the 18-strong GTE Pro field in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Back-to-back two-hour qualifying sessions tonight determined the final qualifying order, but the Corvette Racing crew concentrated on preparing for the upcoming 24-hour endurance test.
Both Compuware Corvette C6.Rs stood on their lap times set on Wednesday night. Jan Magnussen qualified the No. 74 Corvette C6.R fourth at 3:59.519, and Olivier Beretta turned the sixth quickest time at 3:59.633 in the No. 73 Corvette C6.R. The No. 55 BMW M3 GT claimed the GTE pole with a fast lap at 3:57.592.
“We didn’t really make qualifying runs tonight, but focused instead on the race setups,” said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt. “The track was covered with oil in the final two-hour session, so there wasn’t any reason to try to run quicker. We did a good job on Wednesday night, qualifying the cars fourth and sixth, and those are good starting positions. Now we want to have cars that can run well for 24 hours, so we’ll concentrate on the final prep tomorrow and be ready to race on Saturday.”
The No. 73 Corvette crew elected to install their race motor and new brakes during the one-hour break between sessions, while the No. 74 Corvette crew installed a fresh gearbox. The new parts were run in during the closing hours of qualifying. With no track activity scheduled on Friday, the team has a full day to complete their pre-race preparations.
“We sorted out some issues throughout both qualifying sessions today,” Magnussen said. “At the beginning of the second session we wanted to go for a fast lap with a baseline race setup, but that didn’t work out. P4 and P6 on the grid for this race is good. It would have been great to start from pole, of course, but the race is a different story. We’re happy with where we are now as the car seems to come to us the longer we run.”
Magnussen’s teammate Oliver Gavin agreed: “We made some progress and the car felt good at the end of the run, and that was on old tires,” he reported. “It bodes well for the race that we can produce competitive lap times on used tires.”
“We had some handling issues initially and worked on solving them,” said Richard Westbrook, third driver in the No. 74 Corvette C6.R. “That’s part and parcel of the buildup for Le Mans, getting these things out of the way.”
Tommy Milner had the only incident of the evening when he kissed the tire barrier at Mulsanne Corner. The crew replaced the nose section on the No. 73 Corvette C6.R and soon had the car back on track.
“The crew did an awesome job, they got me back out again quickly and I was able to turn my fastest laps of the week,” Milner said. “In the end we had a respectable lap time and we’re moving in the right direction, which feels good. I wasn’t able to string many laps together in the previous practice sessions, so getting a long run tonight helped me to settle in.”
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be run on June 11-12. The race will start Saturday at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). SPEED will televise the race live, supplemented by live online video streaming at www.speedtv.com/corvette. Check local listings for broadcast times.
24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro Top 10 Qualifying Times:
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time
55 Farfus/Muller/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 3:57.592
51 Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 3:58.040
56 Priaulx/Muller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 3:58.426
74 Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook, Corvette C6.R, 3:59.519
89 Farnbacher/Simonsen/Keen, Ferrari F458 Italia, 3:59.519
73 Beretta/Milner/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 3:59.633
77 Lieb/Lietz/Henzler, Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, 3:59.662
59 Ortelli/Makowiecki/Melo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 3:59.901
75 Goossens/Holzer/van Lagen, Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, 3:59.962
79 Hancock/Dolan/Buncombe, Aston Martin Vantage, 4:00.747
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How does a Le Mans driver prepare for the big race? Hear Corvette Racing drivers’ stories of what it is like to be on and off the track at the biggest and longest race of the year.
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Corvette Wins GTE Class, Scores Seventh Win for Chevrolet. Was there any doubt.... :lol:
LE MANS, France - "The car's a lap down, but we can make that up," said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt with six hours remaining in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pratt's words proved prophetic as the No. 73 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Olivier Beretta, Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia relentlessly pursued the class-leading No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia, cutting the margin by seconds every lap. American driver Tommy Milner overtook Ferrari driver Toni Vilander with two hours and 10 minutes to go, and steadily increased his lead as he completed his double stint. Garcia then took over the yellow and black car for the final hour and the run to the finish.
The No. 73 Corvette C6.R completed 314 laps and finished two minutes and 29 seconds ahead of the runner-up Ferrari. Today's victory was the seventh class win at Le Mans for Corvette Racing, and its first in the GTE Pro category. It came as Chevrolet celebrates its 100th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the team's first Le Mans victory in 2001. It was the sixth Le Mans title for Beretta, the third for Garcia, and the first for Milner.
"This is my first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but I've watched Corvettes race here my whole life," said Mark Reuss, President GM North America. "To come here for the first time on the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet and to have another Corvette victory is beyond words."
The contest was a dramatic one, as the No. 74 Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Richard Westbrook suffered a stunning reversal of fortune. After leading for nearly 16 hours, the car was extensively damaged in a crash in the 17th hour. Although Magnussen was uninjured in the high-speed shunt, the car was retired on the spot.
The No. 73 Corvette C6.R had been running steadily in the top five, and the No. 74's misfortune moved it to second in the GTE standings. More than a lap behind the No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia at the time of the accident, the No. 73 Corvette drivers chased down the class leader. As rain began to fall in the 20th hour, Garcia was gaining 1.5 seconds per lap. Milner took over at the 21st hour and continued to reel in the Ferrari, gaining as much as six seconds per lap during his stint.
Milner made the pass for the lead on the Mulsanne Straight on lap 283. "That was the hardest drive of my life," said the 25-year-old racer. "It would have been a lot easier if it hadn't been sprinkling, raining, not raining, and then wet - all that plus the pressure of the situation. I'd been super comfortable in the car all day long, but I was certainly not comfortable then. I was just trying to drive the car to what the track would allow. Every lap it changed, every corner it changed.
"When you start racing, you hope that one day you can compete for a win," Milner noted. "To get one here at Le Mans in my first year with Corvette Racing is very cool."
"I was very happy with how the race turned out, even though it did not always go our way," said Garcia. "We had ups and downs - we didn't get a break with the first safety car, we had punctured tires, and so on. Every time I was in the car, I tried to go as fast as possible and stay out of trouble. You have to never give up here, and just keep pushing. Today it paid off.
"In the final minutes, everything comes into your mind," the Spaniard added. "It went perfectly, a real easy last stint compared to all the ones before it. This was the first time I drove a car at the finish at Le Mans, and it was very special. There is no better time to win this race than in the centennial year for Chevrolet. Now I'm already thinking about next year."
Beretta became ill after driving behind the safety car during an extended caution period, and drove a limited time in the second half of the race.
"Today was not my sixth win, but a win for the team, Tommy, Antonio, and all of the engineers and crew who did a wonderful job," Beretta said. "I was sick in the middle of the night from following the pace car, but I recovered. I'm very happy for the entire team."
Corvette Racing scored six wins in the GTS/GT1 class at Le Mans (2001-02, 2004-06, and 2009). The team moved to the GT2 class in 2010, which was renamed GTE Pro in 2011.
"If I were to write a script to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet and the 10th anniversary of Corvette Racing's first win at Le Mans, this would undoubtedly be it," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Louis Chevrolet was himself a racer, and his motto, 'Never give up!' is a philosophy we embraced from our first visit here. I think the result today embodied the spirit of Chevrolet's co-founder and of that iconic phrase."
24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro Top Five Finishers after 24 Hours:
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. 73 Beretta/Milner/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 314
2. 51 Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 314
3. 56 Priaulx/Muller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 313
4. 77 Lieb/Lietz/Henzler, Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, 312
5. 76 Narac/Pilet/Armindo, Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, 311
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Corvette Racing has added another installment to its 2011 video series, this time detailing the perfect way to lap Circuit de la Sarthe. The video comes on the heels of the Chevrolet boys' GTE Pro class victory in the 2011 race, complete with a little bragging from driver Oliver Gavin, who takes the wheel here.
The front bumper cam shows just how fast these GT cars really are, and how terrifying the Mulsanne Straight must be at night. Apart from the sheer speed, there's nothing quite like hearing the Vette's V8 at full song. Louis would be proud. Check out the video
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LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 6, 2011 – What happens in Le Mans stays in Le Mans. That’s because Saturday’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park is something completely different from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Corvette Racing returns to the American Le Mans Series after capturing its seventh class victory in France on June 12. The differences between Le Mans and Lime Rock are stark. The former is an 8.5-mile circuit in the French countryside; the latter is a 1.5-mile bullring around a former gravel quarry. Lap times in Le Mans are nearly four minutes long; the laps click off at Lime Rock in under 60 seconds. Instead of 24 hours and two dozen pit stops, the third round of the ALMS will be a quick two-hour, 45-minute sprint with a pair of scheduled stops.
“The transition from the longest track on the schedule to the shortest is always a test for race teams,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “The two tracks are dramatically different, yet many people underestimate just how fast Lime Rock really is. With lap times under a minute and average speeds approaching 100 mph for the GT cars, pit stops are paramount because you’re almost certain to lose a lap during a green-flag stop. The engineering staff plays a crucial role in developing a plan, and the crew has to perform perfectly. So in spite of the immense differences between Lime Rock and Le Mans, both races ultimately come down to strategy and execution.”
Corvette driver Jan Magnussen relishes the return to the roller coaster track in the Connecticut countryside. The Dane drove Stevenson Motorsports’ Camaro to a GT class victory in the Grand-Am Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock five weeks ago, and hopes to continue that momentum when the ALMS arrives.
“You always like a track where you won your last race,” Magnussen said. “Lime Rock is very challenging, a bit bumpy and definitely the kind of Old School circuit that I like. It’s fast and fun to drive, but it’s very, very hard to race cleanly there because there are no obvious passing points.
“When I won at Lime Rock in May, I learned the importance of qualifying well there,” Magnussen noted. “We started on the GT class pole, and I saw the value of being able to do my own race while everyone behind me was fighting each other. I put a lot of emphasis on qualifying, but Lime Rock is always going to be a hard race for everybody.”
Magnussen and co-driver Oliver Gavin will be racing the same Compuware Corvette C6.R that led the GTE Pro class at Le Mans for nearly 16 hours before being sidelined in a high-speed shunt. The chassis has been repaired and will return to action at Lime Rock.
“After Le Mans, the team took the car back to the shop, put it on the chassis plate, and assessed the damage,” Fehan reported. “When we saw how the production aluminum frame had compressed perfectly to absorb the impact, it gave everyone an even greater appreciation of the effort that the production Corvette engineers put into vehicle safety for the consumer. No pun intended, but things like that don’t happen by accident – they’re designed in. That’s why Corvette competes in the GT class: The race car is relevant to the product because it is the product.”
After nearly a three-month hiatus since the series’ second round in Long Beach, Calif., the race for the ALMS championship begins in earnest at Lime Rock. With seven races in the next 13 weeks, the pace will be fast and furious for Corvette Racing. Magnussen and Gavin are second in the drivers championship with 36 points, and the Le Mans-winning duo of Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta are third with 31 points. Chevrolet is second in the manufacturer standings behind BMW and ahead of Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, Jaguar and Lamborghini.
The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 9. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the race starting at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 10.
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Changing Conditions Add to Challenge at Historic Connecticut Circuit
LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 8, 2011 – Intermittent rain and rapidly changing track conditions added to the complexity of qualifying at Lime Rock Park for Saturday’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, the third round of the American Le Mans Series. Oliver Gavin qualified the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R fourth in the GT class with a time of 51.897 seconds (102.298 mph) on the roller coaster 1.47-mile circuit. Tommy Milner was a heartbeat behind in fifth at 51.954 seconds (102.249 mph) in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Joey Hand put the No. 56 BMW M3 GT on the pole with a fast lap at 50.925 (104.200 mph).
Rain before the start of the second one-hour practice session saw the field on grooved tires. As a dry line developed, the Corvettes switched to slick tires and finished the session on top in the GT class. When the GT qualifying session began 25 minutes later, the Corvette crew continued to make adjustments.
“We made quite a lot of changes before the start of qualifying to extend our test session and to learn as much as we could during the limited track time,” said Gavin, who turned his quickest time on his fifth lap. “We made good progress, and I think we understand the GT car much better this year at Lime Rock.
“It was a shame that we couldn’t find a couple of more tenths to get in front of the Porsche that’s third on the grid,” Gavin continued. “I did make a small mistake in the final corner, touched the curb on the inside, and that might have made the difference.”
Milner turned his fastest lap on his 12th circuit. “With very little dry practice time, qualifying ended up being a practice session at the start,” Milner noted. “It was good for me to get a feel for the car on slick tires at the end of practice, but it was really hard to push in those damp and drying conditions.
“My Corvette was good in qualifying, but I was buried in traffic and lost the laps when the tires were at their very best,” he explained. “It wasn’t a perfect qualifying session because I didn’t get the most out of the car. Two tenths of a second doesn’t sound like much, but on a short track like this, it’s big. We’re still in good shape. Corvette Racing does a great job on pit stops, which are very important here. Now our focus is on a clean race.”
The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 9. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the race starting at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 10.
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix GT Qualifying (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time
1. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 50.925
2. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 51.179
3. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 51.872
4. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 51.897
5. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 51.954
6. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 52.005
7. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 52.109
8. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 52.350
9. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 52.388
10. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 52.956
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Corvette Racing was back on the track on the 9th July at Lime Rock in the American Le Mans Series first race following the Le Mans break. Limerock is the ultimate bullfight with 4 separate classes running the 1.5 mile historic track in connecticut and yesterday’s race lived up to the hype. The ALMS Northeast Grand Prix will be rebroadcast today at 1pm ET on ESPN 2. However, if you want to find out how the Corvette team did, click through the jump for yesterday’s results.
Corvette Racing Encounters Traffic and Trouble in Lime Rock
Corvettes Damaged in Chain Reaction Accident, Team Battles Back to Finish Ninth and 10th
LAKEVILLE, Conn., July 9, 2011 – Corvette Racing heeded the advice of company co-founder Louis Chevrolet today at the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. “Never give up!” was Chevrolet’s motto, and the team was true to that credo after a chain reaction accident damaged both Compuware Corvette C6.Rs at just 20 minutes into the two-hour, 45-minute race. After the Corvette crew repaired their battered race cars, Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner battled back to bring the No. 3 Corvette C6.R home in ninth place while Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin finished 10th in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R. Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller won in the No. 55 BMW M3 GT by a 20-second margin over the Long/Bergmeister Porsche.
Magnussen and Beretta were running fourth and fifth respectively in the GT class when the melee occurred near the exit of the West Bend turn leading to the fast downhill Diving Turn. An LMPC prototype had contact with a Ferrari, and the pursuing pack of GT cars had nowhere to go. The No. 4 Corvette collided with the third-place BMW, and was in turn collected by the No. 3 Corvette. Both Corvettes sustained damage to their left front corners and went to the pits for repairs. The No. 18 LMPC was subsequently penalized for avoidable contact, but the Corvettes had already paid a high price.
Led by crew chief Dan Binks, the No. 3 crew replaced a damaged upright and installed a new nose in the pit lane. Brian Hoye and the No. 4 Corvette crew took their car behind the wall and installed a new nose assembly. Beretta rejoined the fray 17 laps behind the leader, and Magnussen was back in the race with a 22-lap deficit.
“That’s part of racing at Lime Rock when you have cars running that close,” said team manager Gary Pratt. “Somebody spins, somebody checks up, and four or five cars get into each other. We had a lot of pieces and parts to change.”
“I’m not sure who hit who, but somebody got together,” Magnussen said. “The BMW ran into them, I ran into the BMW, and Olivier ran into me. When I won here in May, Lime Rock was pretty good; today it was back to just being Lime Rock.”
“It was like a bicycle race in a living room,” Beretta said. “I could not see through all the smoke; suddenly I saw Jan’s brake lights and it was too late to stop. The crew did a fantastic job to get me back in the race. I’m not worried about the car after a crash because I know these guys will make the car as good as new. I don’t even think about it, I just get on with it because I trust them 100 percent.”
The Corvettes racked up the laps, pitting for fuel, tires, and driver changes with 63 minutes to go. Milner replaced Beretta in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R and Gavin replaced Magnussen in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R. The two steadily gained positions throughout the final hour as others in the GT class also encountered misfortune and mechanical problems. At the end of the race, the Corvettes had clawed their way up to points-paying positions.
“It was an uneventful stint for me, just trying to stay out of traffic and stay out of trouble,” Gavin said. “Our race was really turned on its head when Jan was caught up in that accident. We tested a few things later in the race, but the car was pretty badly beaten up so it wasn’t a straightforward test session. We did finish 10th and got a point, so that’s better than nothing. We’ll move on to Mosport and see what we can get there.”
ESPN2 will televise the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 10. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport in Bowmanville, Ont., on Sunday, July 24, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Live video coverage will available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the Grand Prix of Mosport at 10 p.m. ET on July 24.
American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix GT Results (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT,176
2. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 176
3. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 174
4. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 174
5. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 174
6. 48 Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 172
7. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 165
8. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 163
9. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 161
10. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 156
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In Episode 6 of Corvette Racing’s Track to Street (http://www.corvetteblogger.com/tag/track-to-street/), we turn the spotlight on the mechanics. Viewers follow the crew into the garage and under the cars as we take a closer look at how the mechanics factor into the equation on race day.
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High-Speed Canadian Circuit Favors the Brave and Suits Corvette Racing’s Strengths
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 19, 2011 – America is the home of the brave, but that description also applies to a twisting ribbon of asphalt in the Canadian countryside. Mosport International Raceway, a legendary circuit that will host Sunday’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, separates the brave from the meek with its sweeping turns and soaring speeds.
Mosport demands commitment, courage, and unflinching self-confidence. Not surprisingly, this daunting 2.5-mile road course ranks among the favorites of the Corvette Racing squad.
“I like fast, fast race tracks, and Mosport is definitely fast,” said Tommy Milner, who will share the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R with teammate Olivier Beretta in the fourth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series. “Even Turn 5, the slowest corner on the circuit, has an approach that’s quick. It’s a flowing race track, and once you get your rhythm, it’s a blast.”
Mosport has been the stage for many of Corvette Racing’s winning performances. The team has tallied eight victories there, including its first win in the GT2 category (since renamed GT) in 2009. That race featured a spectacular wheel-to-wheel duel between Jan Magnussen and Ferrari rival Pierre Kaffer in the final 30 minutes. Magnussen prevailed by .331 seconds at the finish.
“The whole circuit is a huge challenge, one that I relish,” said Magnussen’s teammate, Oliver Gavin. “We always go into that race with a strong car and the track seems to suit the Corvette’s strengths.
“Our car’s balance and braking is very good, and we seem to be quick in the tight Turn 5 area and coming into Turn 8 at the end of the back straight,” Gavin explained. “One of the most daunting parts is Turn 2, and it’s also the most fun when you get it right. The corner entry is blind, you turn in and the track starts to fall away almost immediately. You need absolute trust in the marshals to tell you if there’s a problem ahead.”
Corvette Racing has unfinished business at Mosport. Last year’s event was red-flagged with 30 minutes remaining when the guardrail lining the high-speed Andretti Straightaway was severely damaged in an accident. The twin Corvettes had completed their final pit stops and were in position to race for the win when officials cancelled the remainder of the race.
“If the race had restarted we would have been in a good position,” said Magnussen. “We had a strong car, things were shaping up, and we would have had a shot at it. I’m looking forward to going back there and setting the record straight.”
Corvette Racing ambassador Ron Fellows, who scored three GT1 wins at Mosport in 2001-03 with teammate Johnny O’Connell, has a new role at Mosport as co-owner of the historic circuit. Fellows and partners Carlo Fidani and Alan Boughton purchased the track on June 1.
“Mosport has a storied history that goes back to 1961,” said Fellows. “From Formula 1 and Can-Am to Trans-Am, Group C and motorcycles, Mosport has had it all over the decades. To have the opportunity to be part of the ownership group at a circuit that’s been part of my life for over 40 years is very exciting. The ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport is our marquee event, and we intend to build on its success in the future.”
Fellows’ new responsibilities are appreciated by his former teammates. “Ron promised that if we have too much understeer, he’ll straighten that bit out,” Magnussen said with a laugh.
The Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users, supplemented by live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. ESPN2 will televise the race on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.
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Corvette Racing Contends with Heat and Traffic in Qualifying at Fast Canadian Circuit
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 23, 2011 – In 90-degree heat on a blistering 114-degree track, Corvette Racing qualified sixth and eighth for Sunday’s Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. The fourth round of the American Le Mans Series will see the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin start sixth in the hotly contested GT class. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner will grid eighth.
The heat was on at Mosport, with summertime temperatures that far exceeded the cool weather that traditionally prevailed on the event’s previous Labor Day date. With Magnussen at the wheel, the No. 4 Corvette C6.R turned its quickest time on its fifth lap at 1:17.580 (114.107 mph), while Beretta clocked his best lap (1:17.997/113.497 mph) on his fourth circuit. Dirk Mueller put the No. 56 BMW M3 GT on the Mosport pole with the session’s fastest lap at 1:17.083 (114.842 mph).
“It was a really good qualifying lap, no traffic and as mistake-free as you can make one,” said Magnussen. “That was absolutely as fast as I could go today. We don’t have the same balance in the car as we did last year at Mosport, and the difference is it was cooler. Maybe the cooler weather that’s predicted for tomorrow will help us, but usually it helps everybody.
“It’s very, very close, less than a tenth of a second between each car, but it’s not where we want to be and we have our work cut out,” Magnussen said. “We’ll have to race hard and smart tomorrow. It shows there are some adjustments that need to be made to the performance of the various cars, if only small adjustments.”
Beretta was pleased with the improvement in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R following the final practice session. “The performance in qualifying was better, no question, and the team did a good job,” Beretta said. “The problem on my lap was traffic. I did my qualifying time, and then I had traffic on the next three laps. Sure, I could have been quicker, but it looks like some of the other cars are definitely quicker than us – but it’s a long race!”
Balance of performance adjustments announced after the Lime Rock race two weeks ago will be implemented in the upcoming round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“It was a difficult day at a very fast race track,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “You look at the top six cars and they’re within a half a second – almost nothing. I think that promises an extremely close competition tomorrow. As we move on to Mid-Ohio, the performance balancing rules will take effect and we’ll see even closer competition.”
The Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users, plus live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. ESPN2 will televise the race on July 24 at 10 p.m. ET.
Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport GT Qualifying (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time
1. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 1:17.083
2. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 1:17.142
3. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:17.312
4. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:17.511
5. 62 Melo/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:17.543
6. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 1:17.580
7. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:17.964
8. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:17.997
9. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 1:18.847
10. 98 Jones/Moran, Jaguar RSR, 1:19.302
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Mosport is known for its high speeds and Sunday’s American Le Mans Series race lived up to the hype. The team that wins at Mosport is usually the one that is able to stay out of trouble and catch a little luck. How did the Corvettes do? Hit the jump for the official report from Corvette Racing.
Corvette Racing Wins Grand Prix of Mosport
Corvette Notches Ninth Win at Canadian Circuit, Scores First ALMS GT Victory of Season
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 24, 2011 – Corvette Racing returned to the winner’s circle today at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport as Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen scored the team’s first American Le Mans Series victory of the season. Gavin and Magnussen won the GT class by 4.4 seconds in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R over the Ferrari 458 Italia of Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander. Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta finished sixth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R after contact with a backmarker cost them valuable time on the high-speed Canadian circuit.
After qualifying sixth and eighth on Saturday, Corvette Racing rebounded with a strong race day setup that ultimately broke BMW’s three-race winning streak. The two-hour, 45-minute race was anything but predictable as spins, crashes, close calls and penalties added to the drama.
“We had a team meeting after qualifying and agreed that we all just needed to do our jobs because anything can happen,” said team manager Gary Pratt. “The crew made great pit stops, the drivers made smart decisions, the engineers made good calls, and here we are with a victory. You have to be able to take advantage of opportunities, you have to be able to close the deal, and today we did.”
Gavin and Milner were the starting drivers, and slotted into sixth and eighth respectively as the race began. The running order changed dramatically after the first round of pit stops under a full-course caution, as Gavin emerged in third after two cars were penalized. When the second-place Porsche went off track shortly after the one-hour mark, Gavin moved into second and began an extended battle with Vilander in the Risi Competizione Ferrari.
“We started coming on these big clumps of traffic, and things started getting crazy,” Gavin said. “I had this mad battle with Toni, where he passed me going into Turn 2 and then he went around the outside of a GTC car. I managed to undercut them both and come back around the outside into Turn 3 – it was fantastic racing!”
Contact with the Ferrari in Moss Corner punctured a tire, and the crew scrambled as Gavin dove into the pits with one hour and four minutes to go. Magnussen took over the No. 4 Corvette and emerged in third. The Dane passed the Ferrari with 30 minutes to go, and then took the lead with 20 minutes remaining when the leading No. 55 BMW driven by Dirk Werner was assessed a stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact.
“I knew that for us to get a good result out of this race, we had to be 100 percent focused every second,” Magnussen said. “We could never relax, just push all the time. To pull a win from where we were after qualifying is just fantastic. These guys have done it before and they’ll do it again – you can never count Corvette Racing out. The way this team pushes, I’m so proud to be part of it.”
Gavin agreed: “The team won this race,” said the Englishman. “We got our first win on the board and we’ve broken BMW’s stranglehold on ALMS victories this year. I’m absolutely delighted!”
The No. 4 Corvette’s second pit stop proved pivotal. “We had 10 seconds for everyone to get ready,” said crew chief Brian Hoye. “The guys know what to do and they were ready to go. We knocked out a quick stop, kept the car in contention, and we ended up with a victory. We used every session to make the car the best it could be for the race, and it turned out be a spectacular result.”
The No. 3 Corvette was less fortunate today as contact with the No. 11 Porsche GTC and a resulting spin took them out of contention. Milner had executed a series of passes to pull the No. 3 up to fourth place before the accident.
“The No. 3 Corvette was really, really good, the best I’ve driven all year long,” said Milner. “My spot today was Turn 5, where a lot of people were getting held up in traffic and I was able to get underneath them entering 5B. It’s a pretty safe spot to pass, and you can rub fenders there without it being an issue. I got a number of passes done there, but then we had that contact in Turn 10. Unfortunately we have a few drivers who need more seat time, especially running with other class cars. I gave him a lot of room going into 9, but he wanted to race me. The result was I got spun out.”
The contact damaged the Corvette’s left-rear suspension and an extended pit stop dropped the No. 3 off the lead lap. Beretta drove the last 62 minutes to secure sixth for the Le Mans-winning Corvette.
“It’s a good win for the No. 4 Corvette and good for the whole team,” Beretta said. “Tommy did a very good job, we were just unlucky to be touched by a gentleman driver and that was the end of our race. I was hoping for a yellow to close up the field, but it didn’t come, so I just brought the car home.”
Corvette Racing celebrated its ninth win at Mosport and captured the Michelin Green X Challenge as the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient entry in the GT class.
“As the inaugural winner of the Michelin Green X Challenge, it’s always an honor when Corvette Racing collects one of these trophies,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “It’s a testament to how hard our engine group, our chassis group, and our aero group have worked to maximize the efficiency of the Corvette. It’s also a testament to Chevrolet’s willingness to race with cellulosic E85, and as the world’s largest producer of flex-fuel vehicles, it’s only appropriate that the Chevrolet team won the Green X Challenge today.”
ESPN2 will televise the Grand Prix of Mosport tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge in Lexington, Ohio, on Saturday, August 6, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live video coverage will available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on Sunday, August 7, at 10 p.m. ET.
Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport GT Results (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 121
2. 62 Melo/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 121
3. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 121
4. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 121
5. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 120
6. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 119
7. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 119
8. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 118
9. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 117
10. 48 Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 117
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Corvette Racing Celebrates Homecoming as Le Mans and Mosport Winner
LEXINGTON, Ohio, Aug. 2, 2011 – Situated between the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., and Corvette Racing’s headquarters in suburban Detroit, the historic 2.25-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the spiritual home of the Compuware Corvettes. The Corvette Racing team is hoping for a homecoming celebration in the fifth round of the American Le Mans Series, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, on Saturday, August 6.
Corvette Racing returns to Mid-Ohio with momentum after a victory by Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R at the preceding round at Mosport International Raceway on July 24. In June, teammates Tommy Milner, Olivier Beretta, and Antonio Garcia triumphed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gavin and Magnussen’s win in Mosport narrowed the ALMS GT championship race; the Corvette duo is second in the drivers’ standings, 23 points behind BMW’s Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand, and Chevrolet is second in the manufacturer standings by 22 markers. With a maximum of 120 points on the table in the next five races and series-mandated balance of performance adjustments taking effect at Mid-Ohio, the GT championship is wide open at the midpoint of the ALMS season.
After scoring seven wins in the GT1 category at Mid-Ohio, Corvette Racing debuted its GT class Corvettes at the Ohio circuit in August 2009 with a runner-up finish by Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell. Last year at Mid-Ohio, Gavin and Beretta finished second in the fiercely contested class. Now the team is focused on moving up one spot on the podium with a victory.
“Mid-Ohio is quite a good track for us, and we’ve been very strong there from the first race with the GT car,” Magnussen said. “This year we’ve been a little behind because of the regulations, but this may change at Mid-Ohio. It could be our time to shine.”
“Last year we were really, really close to a win at Mid-Ohio,” Gavin recalled. “Our car came alive in the race and we had a great battle in GT. I managed to get past the BMW and Porsche, and then I had an excellent fight with Jamie Melo’s Ferrari in the final minutes. I think we had a car that was fast enough to win, but didn’t quite get the breaks to get a victory. I just hope we can continue on an upward trend.
“The Mid-Ohio circuit is rather narrow and it can be quite tricky to pass, but we proved last year that we could do it,” Gavin explained. “Getting the car through the Keyhole is challenging because you’re braking uphill and then the track falls away as the car goes over the crest. Coming into the corner at the end of the back straight is another challenge because the braking zone can be quite slippery. It’s a track where you need to be precise with your lines, precise with your braking, and have a car that rotates well.”
Tommy Milner will drive a Corvette for the first time at Mid-Ohio after finishing third there in 2009 and 2010. “I’ve had success at Mid-Ohio in the past, and combined with Corvette’s previous success, I hope to get a good result this year,” Milner said. “Mid-Ohio is a showcase for the GT class; there are areas where it’s tough to pass, but there are enough opportunities for the prototypes to get by. The elevation changes and the variety of corners make it a great place to race.”
The Mid-Ohio round is well attended by Corvette Racing’s friends and extended family, and the team is supported by hundreds of Corvette owners and enthusiasts in the Corvette Corral.
“It’s not far from the team headquarters, and a lot of the people who design and build the cars come from the race shop,” said Beretta, who is slated to make his milestone 100th ALMS start this weekend. “I hope we will have a good result with both cars. The track is quite interesting because the grip is not constant. The best strategy is to get out front and stay there!”
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6. Live video coverage will available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on Sunday, August 7, at 10 p.m. ET.
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In the seventh installment of Corvette Racing’s Track to Street, we see that practice makes perfect. Watch as the pit crew works together and how they handle the pressure when their number is called in pit row.
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Magnussen Qualifies No. 4 Corvette C6.R Under GT Track Record, Misses Pole by .005 Second
ELKHART LAKE, Wis., Aug. 19, 2011 – Jan Magnussen was more than a second quicker than Oliver Gavin’s pole-winning lap at Road America in 2010, and six tenths of a second under the GT qualifying record set in 2008. Despite the Dane’s strong performance today, he missed putting the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R on the GT pole for the second consecutive year by .005-second. That was the razor-thin margin that favored Dirk Mueller’s No. 56 BMW M3 GT in qualifying for Saturday’s Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series.
Magnussen held back as the 15-minute qualifying session began, seeking a gap in traffic. With a clear track ahead, he rocketed around the 4-mile circuit in 2:05.452 (116.162 mph) on his fourth lap, eclipsing his teammate’s pole-winning 2:06.509 time from last year. Olivier Beretta was close behind with a lap at 2:06.585 (115.123 mph) that put the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R sixth on the GT grid. Mueller took the pole with a 2:05.447 (116.167 mph) lap.
“Five thousandths!” Magnussen exclaimed after qualifying. “When the session started, I made a quick decision to fall back to give myself a big gap. I was clear of traffic, set my fast time, and then did a cool-down lap to get ready for my final qualifying run. That lap was looking really good until we caught traffic. Even with a similar lap, five thousandths could have gone either way.
“Corvette Racing has done such a fantastic job with the cars,” Magnussen said. “We’re developing all the time, Michelin is making gains with the tires, and the guys back in the shop are prepping the cars perfectly. There are so many tiny improvements, so much attention to the details, and when they are all added up, you get a big improvement like this in one year.”
Beretta also posted his best time on his fourth lap, jumping from 11th to sixth in the order.
“Everything was OK, the tires were working well, but I had some power understeer,” Beretta said. “I felt that I was losing time in the Carousel, the Kink, and Turn 7. Four hours is a long race, so I think we can make it to the front with some more work on the front of the car.”
The four-hour Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 20. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ABC will televise the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase on Sunday, August 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).
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Sorry lads. Been slack........ well actually playing with the Dodge. Shhhh, don't tell anyone. :grin:
See how the team prepares for the street-course race in Baltimore, the city's first ALMS event.
Corvette Racing at Baltimore Grand Prix: The Science of Street Racing
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Software, Simulations, and Experience Prepare Corvette Racing for Inaugural Baltimore Race
BALTIMORE - Before the first practice session at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix begins, Corvette Racing's twin Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars will already have made dozens of laps on the downtown street circuit – thanks to sophisticated computer simulations.
The first race on the 2.1-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit is a journey into the unknown for American Le Mans Series teams. With limited practice time before Saturday's two-hour race, every second on the track is precious. In order to maximize the Corvettes' performance, the engineering team has analyzed the layout and developed chassis setups on a virtual track.
"Beginning with drawings provided by the organizers, we developed a projected racing line based on the geometry of the track," said Corvette Racing engineering director Doug Louth. "Then the engineering team ran simulated laps to optimize gear ratios and chassis setups. We've prepared maps for the drivers that show projected shift points, maximum and minimum speeds, and potential passing zones."
This proprietary simulation program is used in a variety of GM motorsports programs, from ALMS and Grand-Am road racing to NASCAR. It's also used by engineers in the production Corvette group and other technology partners.
"The big variable on street circuits is the pavement," Louth noted. "While we have data about elevation changes and the crown in the road, we won't know how smooth or rough the asphalt is until we're on site. There could be bumps that require adjustments in the racing line, or th organizers might make last-minute changes in the barriers and cones that define the track perimeter. We have to be prepared for these possibilities.
"Corvette Racing's years of experience on street circuits is definitely an asset," he added. "We've raced on smooth tracks and on rough ones, so we have the background to handle whatever we find in Baltimore. We have a list of high-priority items to work through in the limited track time that's available. All of the ALMS teams are in a similar situation, so hopefully we can do a better job than our competitors. It's exciting to go to a new venue in a major metropolitan area, and this event is another step forward for the American Le Mans Series."
Corvette Racing's drivers know how to win on street courses. Olivier Beretta (No. 3 Corvette C6.R) and Oliver Gavin (No.4 Corvette C6.R) are the most successful ALMS drivers on temporary circuits with seven wins each. In the Series' last visit to the mid-Atlantic area at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in 2002, Jan Magnussen (No. 4 Corvette C6.R) scored an overall win in a Panoz LMP1 prototype.
But all eyes in Baltimore will be on the youngest driver on the Corvette Racing squad, Tommy Milner. Milner was born in the District of Columbia and grew up in nearby Virginia. Last Sunday, he opened the Baltimore GP festivities by throwing the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles/New York Yankees baseball game at Camden Yards, which is located inside the street circuit.
"The last time the Series raced in the mid-Atlantic area, the event got great reviews," Milner said. "I'm optimistic that the Baltimore Grand Prix will be a success. Many of my friends have never seen me race except on television, and they're excited about going to this race. I'll have lots of support in the grandstands.
"This race is going to be a real test," he noted. "With most circuits, a driver can learn the layout on a simulator or a video game, but we don't have that option for the Baltimore race. Street tracks are always tough because there is not a lot of grip initially, and the surface changes quite a bit from the first practice to the race.
"A good baseline setup makes it easier to get acclimated to a new track, and I'm confident that the Corvette Racing crew will give us one," Milner explained. "I'm comfortable with the Corvette C6.R on a street circuit after coming from the back of the pack in Long Beach. I consider Baltimore to be my home race, and I want to do as good a job as possible. Every driver is on equal footing, and it's all brand new. I feel confident that we'll be on pace right away."
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Welcome to the Corvette World Tribute, where Chevrolet's supercar is celebrated by owners and drivers of all models, both on and off the track.
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CorvetteBlogger was on the ground last week at Road Atlanta for the 14th annual Petit Le Mans. We had the opportunity to talk with Corvette Racing’s Program Manager Doug Fehan about the 2nd full season of GT racing, the win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and changes for the 2012 program which including building two new Corvette C6.Rs that are 2 inches wider.
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Obviously, the big news from this interview is that Pratt & Miller will be building a new car for 2012. Doug says the new rule change allows them be on par with Ferrari which has been allowed to run a wider car since 2010. The additional width will come from enhancing the flares on the cars as the rules still require the team to use the Corvette ZR1′s production fenders and chassis. Doug adds that the new car will be the focus of testing over the winter break which will start for the team later this month.
The other good news is that despite a report from SPEED saying funding for the 2012 season wasn’t yet approved, Fehan says the program for 2012 is all wrapped up, but the team has to look at the details to make sure the dollars are maximized to ensure the team can do all it needs to (like building new cars).
Lastly, Fehan may have inadvertently given us a tidbit on the C7 program. We were discussing the tire wear that plagued the Corvettes at Laguna Seca in September and I asked Doug if he talked with his Michelin tire engineer Lee Willard about that and what his comments were. (Lee Willard is also the man who engineer the Michelin tires specifically for the Corvette ZR1). Doug responded that Lee wasn’t at Laguna Seca and was back in Detroit working on the new tire for the upcoming C7 Corvette.
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From the pages of http://www.corvetteblogger.com
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For anyone who has never attended an American Le Mans race, you seriously don’t know what a great time you’re missing. We got up to Petit Le Mans on Thursday and we were able to witness and participate in seminars, driver meet and greets, wander the vendor village and experience Corvette Racing up close and personal. Check out our huge Petit Le Mans photo gallery and you’ll see what we mean. Click the image above to see.