Milner, Tandy team for hard-fought GTLM win; Taylor, Garcia take second in No. 3 C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Long-Awaited Victory for No. 4 Corvette Milner, Tandy team for hard-fought GTLM win; Taylor, Garcia take second in No. 3 C8.R
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy took a hard-earned victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) category Sunday with their second win of the season in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
The duo scored a one-lap victory – their first full-points win of the year – at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for Corvette Racing’s first triumph there since 2014. It came as the program marked 23 consecutive years of racing on the Monterey Peninsula.
GTLM Drivers Championship leaders Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor placed second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette as the pair of mid-engine C8.Rs combined to lead every lap Sunday.
Milner and Tandy won a non-points race earlier this year at Detroit, and the No. 4 Corvette also won a 100-minute qualifying race ahead of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. Sunday was a break-through for the pairing in scoring maximum race points.
Milner started second in class and drove the first 58 minutes of the two-hour, 40-minute race before handing over to Tandy, who drove a double-stint to the end. He finished a lap clear of the sister Corvette as each car in the category made two stops due to a two-hour, 26-minute, green-flag run to the finish.
Taylor led for the entirety of his stint to open things in the No. 3 Corvette, which was the first of the C8.Rs to stop at the 51-minute mark. He handed off to Garcia, equipped with a full tank of fuel and fresh Michelin tires. Milner followed suit a couple of laps later, and Tandy set off in hot pursuit of the No. 3 C8.R.
He and Garcia engaged in a spirited battle with the two exchanging fastest GTLM race laps multiple times. Tandy, who set a GTLM track record at 1:21.827 (98.461 mph), got alongside his teammate at one point and inherited the lead for good when Garcia made his final stop with 49 minutes left.
The No. 4 Corvette came in a lap later and came out just ahead of Garcia, despite a trip through the gravel along Laguna Seca’s winding pitlane exit. Undeterred, Tandy slowly but steadily built a gap over Garcia to the end of the race.
Corvette Racing returns to action at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, Sept. 25.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: "For us on the 4 car side, it feels like we have a monkey off our back a little bit with getting a full race win. We've had really fast Corvettes all year long, even last year with Olly (Gavin). For one reason or another, we couldn't put it together – problems here and there, driver mistakes, problems on the pit stops, whatever it was. We'd have fast race cars but one little thing would trip us up. When you're racing against guys like our teammates Jordan and Antonio... those guys are obviously on their game. Credit to those guys. They've done a phenomenal job for the last year-and-a-half and perfect pretty much all the time. It feels great today to get that win. We had a little issue with the car that felt like déjà vu as usual with something going wrong. Fortunately it didn't put an end to our race and we were able to finish it out on top."
WHAT WAS THE ISSUE WITH THE CAR? DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD THE MEASURE OVER THE 3 CORVETTE? "It looked good at the start. The car felt really good, the balance was great and pace was good. We had talked about splitting strategies between the two cars. Whoever was out front would do a three-stop and whoever was next would do a two-stop. I was just saving tires and fuel as best I could and wait for the opportunity for the 3 car to pit, then use everything left in fuel and tires before we stopped and hopefully have an advantage. The yellow kind of put an end to multiple strategies there. Still, saving tires helped me quite a bit in the first stint. Because the car was as good as it was, we were able to save tires... we weren't driving it absolutely for every last little bit possible and killing the tires. This track is so tough on tires that you have to be nice to them to have good ones at the end.
“The problem we had, maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of it than it actually was because in the end it didn't affect our race. It was an alternator issue. It was still functioning but it wasn't functioning as well as it should. There was some concern for a little bit and it was a little hot in there for a little while. But in the end, everything was OK and the team was happy with the state it was in. When you hear that radio transmission, your first thought - especially for us - was here we go again. That wasn't the case today.
“The Corvette was fantastic. The balance lately has been good. Here again today it was really good. It was great to finally show a result for all the hard work that all the crew guys have put in for so long. They deserve a lot of credit. They're here first at the track and leave last. Those guys want to win just as much as we do. It's frustrating for them to have little issues and not get a result. So I'm happy for Nick and myself, but most of all I'm happy for the crew guys on the 4 Corvette who have soldiered through quite a bit over the last year or two with these new cars and getting the result they deserve."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: "I'll echo a lot of what Tommy said. My first year with Corvette Racing has been such a kind of mixed set of emotions. The car is great. It's great working with this team in a superb atmosphere with guys that know exactly what they are doing. We were just kind of missing that final result. We had the win at Detroit, which I'll always count as a bona-fide win, but we haven't had a points-paying win. It was getting a little bit long in the tooth. Going to all these races, running well and up front, we just weren't winning races... it was similar the last time out at Le Mans. It's great to get that slate wiped and know that we still have three more races this year. We've got momentum. The car was fantastic all weekend. It gives me hope and looks good for the rest of the season. It's been such an emotional roller-coaster. A lot of the time, you think you put the work in and you just see the result just in front of you but it just doesn't get there. To finally get there and stand on the top step with my buddy, it feels good. We want to do it three more this year."
THE LAST PIT STOP: "When you're racing guys like Jordan and Antonio in the 3 Corvette, you've got to be on your game and you can't afford to give away any time. The problem is that the previous stint I exited the pit and braked way too early (before returning to the track) and thought I'd given up too much time. Knowing it was going to be close on where we were going to come out on the last stop, I braked a little later - not by much! - but she didn't want to stop. The front wheel locked and took a little trip across the gravel. I managed to get back into the pit exit before blending on the track. There was no real harm done. We gave up a little bit of time but we still managed to stay in front."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: "It was good for a 1-2 finish for Corvette and that we could cover the Porsche on any possible strategy. Having such a clean race with just one yellow made things a tiny bit easier. Today it went our way. Another Corvette 1-2 even if it was another super-tight battle with our teammates. Those are always fun to have. As I've said many times, there is no worse adversary than your teammates because they have the same tools. Whatever advantage you have they have it too, and whatever weakness you have they have the same. This time the win went to Tommy and Nick. They were just a tiny bit better than us, but I'm happy we showed well and had a nice, clean race between the two Corvettes. I gave everything I had, for sure. I didn't have anything else."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “It’s a little disappointing not to get the win. At the same time it was a good day for Corvette Racing with another 1-2 finish. It was nice for the 4 car guys to get the monkey off their backs. We had a good Corvette. From the pole, leading most of the race and with the pit stop cycle and strategy, we just missed it a little bit. In these races, you can’t make any little mistakes. Once the yellow came out at the beginning, it kind of put everyone on a three-stop strategy. There were some options for a three-stop but you needed it to be green the whole race for that to work. Once the yellow came out at the beginning, everyone was locked in to the same strategy. But it wasn’t a bad day for the championship, so we can look forward to Long Beach and focus on that one.”
Press Release: All-Corvette front row in GTLM after tight battle with Milner, No. 4 C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Taylor, No. 3 Corvette Take GTLM Pole All-Corvette front row in GTLM after tight battle with Milner, No. 4 C8.R
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor won his second straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, setting a track record in the process.
Taylor, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Antonio Garcia, set a lap of 1:21.151 (99.281 mph) ahead of Sunday’s Hyundai Sports Car Championship to best his qualifying mark from 2020 by 0.332 seconds.
Tommy Milner made it a 1-2 for Corvette Racing and just missed claiming pole position for he and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. Milner’s best lap was a 1:21.267 (99.139 mph) and also below last year’s pole time as well.
Taylor and Garcia lead the GTLM Drivers Championship as they seek to repeat their title win from 2020. The pairing have won four times this year including the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the year.
Milner and Tandy are second in GTLM points, and they were quickest in the two practice sessions leading up to qualifying. Both Taylor and Milner stressed the importance of race setup to help conserve their Michelin tires over the course of a full stint instead of going for single-lap pace.
This is Corvette Racing’s 23rd consecutive start at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The program has won seven times in Monterey but is seeking its first victory there since 2014.
Corvette Racing will contest the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live television coverage from NBCSN will start at 4 p.m. ET with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: "It was good. We were a little bit behind the 4 car all weekend. They seemed to be a little bit stronger throughout practice. We made some big changes in Practice 2 and even into qualifying to separate the two setups (for qualifying and the race). We found some things for pure laptime but I don't think they're going to work for a race setup. It's nice to get the pole and get those points. We have an idea of what we need to do for the race from a setup point of view. So it's nice to start out front but at the same time, I think tomorrow is going to be a different picture."
KEYS TO WINNING THE RACE: "Last year was our first year here with this new Corvette. Having that under our belt and understanding more about tire degradation, what tire compound to be on and the strategy of when to pit when we're catching GTD cars (are important). Every year we are learning new lessons. We learned a lot last year and already have learned a lot through yesterday and today. We're in good shape but at the same time, you never know what's going to happen in these races with yellows and the different strategies. We'll have to stay on top of our game."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: "All things considered, the cars are good. We were fastest in the two sessions that don't count and on the one does kind of count, we were a little bit off. It was a good lap from Jordan. I was happy with our car, though. I didn't put it all together but I think we have a good Corvette for the race. This track is super-tricky with tires and strategy. You can get cars stuck in the gravel pretty easy, so cautions play a big role in the outcome of the race, as well. We need to be on top of our game and do whatever we can early on in the first part of the race to build as big a gap as we can to hold off the Porsche." HAPPY WITH RACE SETUP? "You definitely have to manage the tires at this track. The surface is pretty low-grip but it's also pretty high-wear, too. It makes our job pretty difficult but it's the same for everyone. We saw in the GTD class that some of those guys did only one lap for their qualifying and parked it. (In GTLM), we don't have to start on our qualifying tires, so we were able to push for the whole session. We definitely have an eye toward making the car and tires maybe not fastest over one lap but fastest over one stint."
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After Six of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,207 2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1,993 3. Cooper MacNeil – 1,984 4. Matt Campbell – 1,372 5. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 1001
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,207 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 1,993 3. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,984 4. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,001 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 2,230 2. Porsche – 2,108 3. BMW – 1,052 4. Ferrari – 330
Press Release: Twenty-third consecutive appearance in Monterey for Corvette Racing
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: California Dreaming
· Twenty-third consecutive appearance in Monterey for Corvette Racing · Team’s first race in IMSA since runner-up finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans · Track saw program clinch GT Le Mans Drivers, Team titles in 2020 · GTLM points leaders Garcia, Taylor part of12:30p ET Zoom today
DETROIT(Sept. 7, 2021) – After a strong showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing is back in the U.S. and returns to its quest of a second straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) title as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts its West Coast swing this weekend.
Picturesque WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., is the site of the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship and the second race at the circuit for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Sunday’s race is the seventh of 10 points-paying events for Corvette Racing, which is coming off second- and sixth-place finishes in the GTE Pro class at Le Mans.
Laguna Seca has been a fixture on Corvette Racing’s calendar since the program’s first year of competition. It’s one of two tracks at which the team will have competed in each of its 23 years to date. The other is Sebring, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will be the third with the season-ending Petit Le Mans.
The Corvette C8.R raced at Laguna Seca during its 2020 debut season with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finishing second. The result was enough to clinch the GTLM Drivers championship and the Team title for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. Chevrolet went on to claim the Manufacturers title.
Garcia and Taylor return to Monterey again leading the GTLM points standings on the back of four wins including the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 3 Corvette Media Zoom
They also were second at Le Mans in the first race there for the C8.R. Garcia has three wins at Laguna Seca and Taylor two.
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, teaming in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, look to close the gap on their teammates in the GTLM standings. They teamed for a victory at Detroit and the Rolex 24 qualifying race, and added runner-up finishes at Daytona, the Watkins Glen sprint round and Lime Rock Park.
Milner, a past Laguna Seca winner, has set the fastest GTLM race lap the last two years in Monterey while Tandy was third in GTLM a year ago.
Corvette Racing will contest the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship on Sept. 10-12 from WeatherTech Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Live television coverage will air at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 10 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:"As we have seen everywhere we've gone, the C8.R has been an upgrade in every single aspect compared to C7. I could feel that also at Laguna Seca last year. I felt like we were more competitive there than over past years. This year will be different again because we have a year's worth of development. I'm looking forward to getting back there. I like the area, I like the track and everything about the event. Maybe we can give the C8.R its first victory there."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:“Laguna Seca is such a unique track and is always a tricky one to get right. The surface is very slippery which usually leads to pretty high tire degradation throughout the race. Last year was obviously great. Going there and clinching the championship. This year we have the same goal, going there to execute as well as we can all weekend. We’re in a good spot in the championship, but we’re going there to win the race.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:"Laguna Seca is definitely one of the most challenging tracks we go to. It's not just about its layout but also the track surface and weather conditions. It's a place that seems like all the tire data that we learn all throughout the year doesn't apply for whatever reason. It's a tricky one for sure for that reason with very low grip and traffic. I feel like we are always used to high-grip surfaces and then going there, it's quite a bit different with high degradation. Having been there already once with the C8.R, we'll have some knowledge and data to go off of."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:“I’m very keen for a victory at Laguna Seca. For one, Tommy and I have been so close to winning races. We just need one or two things to go our way on the No. 4 Corvette side. Second, Laguna Seca is one of the few tracks in IMSA where I haven’t won a race. It would be nice to check off both those boxes and end the season strong. It’s never easy at this track and will require a lot of work and study to get us in optimum shape going into the race. If we can keep controlling the things we can at Laguna Seca then I think we will have an excellent weekend.”
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM(After Six of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,207 2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1,993 3. Cooper MacNeil – 1,984 4. Matt Campbell – 1,372 5. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 1001
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,207 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 1,993 3. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,984 4. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,001 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966 Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 2,230 2. Porsche – 2,108 3. BMW – 1,052 4. Ferrari – 330
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers • 1:As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Laguna Seca: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3:Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 22 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 4:Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020). • 7:Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004. • 10:Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one). • 11:Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition. • 12:Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey. • 13:Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 25:Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 26:Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 117:Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 246:Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 12,795.65:Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,800 laps… or more than 750 trips around Carmel’s famous 17-Mile Drive. • 330,467.26:Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon and back… and then some.
Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca(wins in bold) 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 5th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 3rd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole)
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)
Press Release: CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Runner-Up in C8.R Le Mans Debut Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg second in GTE Pro; No. 64 Corvette endures hard-luck race
LE MANS, France (Aug. 22, 2021) – The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finished on the class podium in its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut Sunday with the trio of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg placing second in the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R.
The debut of the mid-engine racing Corvette came a year later than originally planned due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. But the wait proved worth it with Corvette Racing showing its usual competitive spirit during its 21st race at Le Mans since 2000.
"Today's second-place result in GTE Pro for the No. 63 Corvette C8.R and drivers Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg is a significant achievement as we debuted the mid-engine Corvette C8.R at Le Mans,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “To be on the podium at Le Mans with the C8.R is very gratifying. It's a testament to the hard work and determination of our Corvette production and racing teams.
"The support of Corvette owners and fans from around the world has been incredible,” Campbell added. “This race result is dedicated to our customers and supporters.”
While the No. 63 Corvette ran in contention for the entire race, the No. 64 C8.R of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims seemingly ran into nothing but bad luck. It began on the roll-off from the grid when Milner was hit from behind by the eventual class-winning Ferrari at the beginning of the formation lap.
The contact broke part of the diffuser, but the No. 64 Corvette ran well early and even led in a wet start with Milner going to the fore. He and Tandy cycled through and kept the No. 64 C8.R in contention before the diffuser finally broke in the fifth hour shortly after Sims’ first stint.
It was the first of three visits to the garage for the No. 64 team, which also had to repair part of the gearbox, clutch and the alternator. Milner, Tandy and Sims – who set a GTE Pro record race lap of 3:47.501 – finished sixth in class.
On the No. 63 Corvette side of the garage, all three drivers drove double stints to open the race. Each of the trio led for a time as well as the race began to evolve into primarily a battle between Corvette and Ferrari, although five cars remained on the lead lap in GTE Pro at the halfway point.
Things began evolve into a two-car race into the final six hours between the No. 63 C8.R and No. 51 Ferrari. The Corvette team kept it close and was able to triple-stint its Michelin tires in the late going but couldn’t make up the necessary ground.
The No. 63 Corvette did, however, complete the entire 24 hours without a change of brakes.
Corvette Racing returns to action in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sept. 10-12 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: "I don't know if I prefer to be two seconds, 10 seconds, 40 seconds or three laps back. I think it hurts the same! We've been in that 30-second range between the two cars pretty much for 24 hours. I must say it does hurt a little bit. When you come so close, it's difficult. But when you do your best, you run almost a perfect race and someone else does it a little better than you, you have to congratulate them. There is nothing we could do. I think we ran a perfect race regardless of our position. We finished second but very close for sure. They just did it 40 seconds better than us. I'm very happy for the team, the 63 crew, Jordan and Nicky - all six drivers had really, really good drives and helped develop this Corvette and for sure all the engineers. So even if the 64 had so much trouble, getting up to this point we have all been working together to get the most out of the C8.R. For sure, two of our cars up front would have put even more pressure on the 51. We were both alone so it was a one-on-one fight between Corvette and Ferrari. We were close. When you are up on the podium, you always want a tiny bit more. I would have liked to have given Corvette the first Le Mans win in the C8.R. Now we need to wait until next year and work harder."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: "That's my fourth podium here. It's hard to complain with a podium at Le Mans. But when you come this close, it's difficult to take. The Corvette Racing guys did an amazing job. We didn't have any issues with our car. We executed really well strategy-wise and in the pitlane and on the track, there were no mistakes. For our first run at Le Mans with the C8.R, we should be pretty proud of that to come home second against some cars that have run here the past few years. We learned a lot as a team and can come back stronger next year."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: "It's super nice. This is my third time at Le Mans, and the first two times we finished nowhere. To be in the fight right to the last lap was very cool. It went well. The C8.R was very good. I had some good stints and nothing really bad happened. I will go home with some positive feelings. P2 kind of feels like a loss, but on the way home I'll be like, 'We finished P2 at Le Mans. That's not bad!' We had a cool fight with the Ferrari, and I think we did well."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTE PRO: "It was a very frustrating race for us. It wasn't taken away from us right at the start, but a pretty good indication looking at the damage from the contact before the race started with the Ferrari that it was going to be a big problem for us. It ended up being such that we had more problems after that. It's hard to say if that initial damage caused some of the other problems we had. It's very unfortunate and unlucky... unnecessary but in the end we turned it into a test session in a lot of ways. We tried to go as fast we could to learn as much as we could about the C8.R and find anything that in future may or may not be a problem. Our focus turned from going for a race win to helping the 63 guys do whatever it took to get them the win. Unfortunately that didn't materialize; I think the Ferrari had just a little bit too much pace compared to everyone else. From our side, it's disappointing but for the team, second place is a good result. It's not the result we were all looking for but we can be happy about our performance today."
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTE PRO: "Endurance racing is not an easy game. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. This time on our side of the garage, we didn't have the smoothest of runs. But I really enjoyed the week. I've enjoyed being with Tommy and Alex being in the car again. I'm proud of how we managed to get the speed out of the car. Honestly, it's probably the nicest racecar I've had to drive around this circuit - to be consistently fast and confidence-inspiring... I'm really proud of everyone who worked to give us a car with that performance. The reliability didn't go our way this time, but we can be proud that we have one car on the podium. It's a great experience with the new C8.R and hopefully we will come back fighting stronger next year."
ALEXANDER SIMS NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTE PRO: "Everybody comes here to win, knowing that even if you have a super-fast car, there are so many opportunities for things not to go perfectly - reliability, drivers making mistakes, slow zones and safety cars. There are so many factors, and this time we had a couple of those go against us. Nevertheless, to get my first finish at Le Mans was good. I got a lot of great experience with the C8.R . It was brilliant to drive through the entire race. It's a shame not using that pace to fight for the podium positions. I'm proud of the whole team. The effort they put in was remarkable. They got the changes made in the pits very, very quickly for such big fundamental changes that needed to be done. Well done to the 63 car for getting the podium. On to the next one."
Press Release: No. 63 Corvette C8.R remains in the GTE Pro hunt on Le Mans debut
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Halfway Report No. 63 Corvette C8.R remains in the GTE Pro hunt on Le Mans debut
LE MANS, France (Aug. 22, 2021) – Corvette Racing remained firmly entrenched among the GTE Pro class leaders as the 24 Hours of Le Mans reached and passed the halfway point early Sunday morning.
The No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg ran third in class as the race entered the final 12 hours. Taylor completed his second double-stint of the event just prior to halfway, handing over to Catsburg, who was next in the rotation.
All three drivers in the No. 63 C8.R drove double stints to open this year’s Le Mans – the first for the mid-engine Corvette. Each driver led for a time as well as the race began to evolve into primarily a battle between Corvette and Ferrari, although five cars remained on the lead lap in GTE Pro.
Unfortunately, the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM C8.R wasn’t one of them. The entry of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims was three laps down and in sixth place at the 12-hour mark.
Milner was the early GTE Pro leader despite being hit from behind as the cars rolled off the starting grid for the formation lap. Nevertheless, Milner charged to the head of the category as moderate to heavy rain fell across the circuit. The No. 64 Corvette fell back in the order due to a pitlane refueling penalty and lost additional time when it was separated from the GTE lead pack by one of the three safety cars in the opening three hours.
The biggest blow, however, came in the fifth hour when the Corvette crew had to change the damaged diffuser, which had created a severe vibration for Sims during his second stint. That trip to the garage cost the No. 64 team two-plus laps to the leaders.
Corvette Racing’s next update will come at the 18-hour mark.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "We're at the halfway point now and constantly in the top-three depending on the pit rotation, driver rotation and tire strategy. There's a long way to go and a lot has already happened. We're still trying to take care when we can and be careful. Teams are starting to line up their driver rotations and tire strategies for the end. So far, so good. Improvements to come: "The car felt good in the day yesterday when the track temp was a little higher. Obviously in the night the track temp dropped a bit, and I feel like we struggled a little bit more with pace especially with slow zones. Once the sun comes back up, I think we'll be in a little bit better shape on pace."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Unfortunately it started raining in my first double stint, right when the sun was setting. It was very difficult to see where the grip was with a lot of cars going off left, right and center. I think in many ways I took it a little bit too easy, but we’re still in the game and we didn’t make any mistakes. It seems the car is quite decent and we have some pace. So hopefully we can stay in the pack with the leaders and see here we are come Sunday morning.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "This is Le Mans, unfortunately. We've taken a setback and are a few laps behind now. The race is still long. The things that have happened to us can happen to anyone, so we have to stay positive. What happened before the start of the race is out of our control, of course, but damaged the car. A mistake from another driver has cost us a lot of time for our entry. We're very disappointed that this can happen at all. The thing that makes it more disappointing is that the C8.R, even with the damage, was running so well. Fingers crossed that we can work our way back into it, but it's going to be a long night."
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It was quite a long time in the car. But the beauty the C8.R is that is actually really comfortable and really cool to drive in terms of temperature. It wasn't stressful from my point of view in terms of the duration. It was good. Obviously to have the floor finally fail - I don't know the exact analysis, but I'd have to guess it's to do with the contact the very start - was a real shame. Aside from that we could be in a really good position. That's the way it goes in these 24-hour races. We'll stick it out and see what we can get out of it. Stranger things have happened but at the moment it's a shame."
Press Release: Final on-track practice sessions ahead of Saturday-Sunday endurance classic
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Tandy, No. 64 C8.R Third in Hyperpole Final on-track practice sessions ahead of Saturday-Sunday endurance classic
LE MANS, France (Aug. 19, 2021) – Nick Tandy set the third-fastest time in Hyperpole qualifying Thursday to put Corvette Racing’s No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R on the second row of the GTE Pro grid for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tandy, who drives with Tommy Milner and Alexander Sims, posted a best lap of 3:47.093 (134.216 mph) in the 30-minute session. The day before in the first round of qualifying, Tandy turned a 3:47.074 (134.217 mph) – the fastest lap for any Corvette Racing entry in its 21 years at Le Mans.
Thursday also featured the final two official practice sessions for the full field of 61 cars – including eight in GTE Pro. The two Corvettes continued to focus on race pace with a number of adjustments and changes to many of the C8.R’s systems including suspension and aerodynamics.
Antonio Garcia set the best combined practice time for the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R – a 3:49.603 (132.725 mph) effort in the fourth and final practice session of the week. He will team with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg as the No. 63 C8.R starts eighth Saturday.
A 15-minute warmup is set for 11:30 a.m. CET/5:30 a.m. ET. The green flag for the 24 Hours of Le Mans falls at 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on Aug. 18 and 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Sunday’s Test Day.
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THIRD IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING: “At the start of the week, I absolutely would have taken a P3 start at Le Mans in the first race here for this car. We are getting experience every time we run the C8.R on this circuit in this aero kit when we don’t normally run on low fuel in qualifying trim. So to get that peak performance out of the car is amazing. It’s such a good job of how we’ve developed, since the qualifying session in Hyperpole, the car and made it better. Of course, we are driving for Corvette Racing and expect to follow tradition and be strong at Le Mans. That’s why come here and why we go racing. So we are pleased but we don’t underestimate our competition. There are a lot of strong cars here with strong teams. All we can do is look after ourselves, and at the moment I’m very happy with how the week is progressing.” IS THERE ONE AREA WHERE YOU’VE BEEN MOST PLEASED WITH HOW THE CORVETTE HAS PROGRESSED SINCE SUNDAY? “I think honestly it’s how good the car has been since we rolled it out of the container. It validates all the development that went into the program before we got here. But it’s also how the car reacts to the setup changes that we are making to it. That means you can tune it to track conditions and however the circuit is. This is always a good thing and shows that the car is in a good working window.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “For Nick, that was a really good run in both the qualifying session and Hyperpole. I think he got everything out of the car he could. It was certainly fun to watch. Lap times are mega-quick and it’s cool to see for that. Nick seemed super happy with the C8.R. Balance-wise, everything looks pretty good. For me, the best indication was the last practice session before Hyperpole. Car balance has been relatively pretty good almost the entire week of practice here. We definitely made some changes from the Test Day, and we could see the benefits of that in the first practice. Overall for us in the 64 Corvette, we’re all pretty happy. We’ve spent a lot of time tweaking and trying things to improve in some areas where we still need to improve. I think we’re in a pretty good spot. We really won’t know where we’re at probably until the first hour of the race Saturday.”
THE DAYS AND HOURS PREPARING FOR LE MANS: “For me personally, I’ve probably spent 20 days at the simulator, something like that. That doesn’t touch the hours and hours spent by the engineers working on aero kits for this thing for the last four or five years. It’s gotten us to where we are now to fine-tuning little bits and pieces here and there. Twenty days doesn’t sound like a lot considering this has been a four- or five-year project. Starting third for the race Saturday is a great place. It’s a lot of validation from a lot of hard work by a lot of people for a long time that we have brought a really, really good Corvette C8.R to Le Mans.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Today was eventful. I think our whole week has been eventful. It was good to get more laps on the car obviously. As I said yesterday, it’s still our first weekend here with the C8.R, so every lap counts for each of us - the drivers as well as the engineers and the crew - working on slow zones, pitstops and all the little details that we don’t get to work on in America. Today we did a big setup swing; we have a lot more confidence now going into the race. We know what we want to do with the car, whereas yesterday we had a lot of big questions. I’m glad we got through today as well as we did. Now we can prepare for the big one.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Today was not bad at all. It seems we improved the balance a little bit. We were trying to figure out whether we can double-stint the tires, yes or no. It feels good. Compared to yesterday, today was definitely better. I think we made good steps tonight, so I’m positive.”
PRESS RELEASE: Plus continuing work on preparations for GTE Pro at 24 Hours of Le Mans
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Tandy Puts No. 64 C8.R in Hyperpole Plus continuing work on preparations for GTE Pro at 24 Hours of Le Mans
LE MANS, France (Aug. 18, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Nick Tandy put the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R into the Hyperpole round of qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tandy set a best lap Wednesday of 3:47.074 (134.216 mph) in the mid-engine Corvette that he is sharing this week with Tommy Milner and Alexander Sims.
The Thursday night Hyperpole session includes the six fastest cars from Wednesday’s preliminary qualifying session for all classes.
Antonio Garcia, driving the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg, posted a best lap of 3:49.643 (132.725 mph).
Wednesday’s two free practice sessions and qualifying allowed Corvette Racing to continue fine-tuning both Corvettes for the weekend’s race – the first time at Le Mans for the C8.R. A stringent simulation program combined with on-track testing and a race in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps helped the program arrive at Le Mans with a strong baseline for the C8.R.
In addition to the Hyperpole session at 9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, Corvette Racing and other competitors at Le Mans will take part in two additional practice sessions – at 2 p.m. CET/8 a.m. ET and 10 p.m. CET/4 p.m. ET.
Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices Aug. 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans.
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:"Whenever you drive a racing car on low fuel and fresh tires at Le Mans, it's your lucky day. There isn't much greater experience in motorsport from what I've seen. This is always great. The C8.R felt really good. We kind of went into an unknown area because this is the first time the car has run like this with low fuel. We tried a semi-qualifying simulation in practice but it wasn't as light as we could make the car. So I'm happy with how the performance was. The balance was very good. We tuned during the session. The engineers and the crew did a great job in getting the car turned around and improving the pace in it. We're very happy to go through into the Hyperpole round and try for a spot as high up the grid as we can."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING: “During the Test Day we only did very few laps (because of the electrical issues) and this afternoon in the first free practice session, I jumped in after Jordan and Nicky had had enough seat time. With the new (one-hour) qualifying format it wasn’t easy with all the full-course yellows and slow zones. During my first attempt I got caught by a slow zone maybe five seconds before the finish line. That lap time would not have put me in the top-six, but it would have helped to better understand the car. We then tried again and I again had traffic and yellows.
“We only wanted to use two sets of tires in qualifying and the first was already thrown away because of the full-course yellows. The same thing then happened on the second set: traffic and more yellows, so in the end we just stayed on the same set, refueled the car and I did as many laps as we could, working toward the race setup. Luckily this race is not about pole position so from now on we will just keep focusing and working towards the race.
“Last Sunday, Jordan and Nicky had done most of the driving before I had the issue which sidelined us for most of the afternoon. The last hour or so we still had after the engine change, we decided to give them the extra five or six laps, which of course didn’t help me to get up to speed today. But the other car is right up there, so there is no reason to think we shouldn’t set similar times as well. We’ll be ready for the race.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIRST LAPS IN THE C8.R AT LE MANS: "If you weren't looking at lap times, then it would be really good fun out there. The competitor in me would like to be a bit faster. I don't feel 100 percent comfortable with the car quite yet. In the daytime, things start to make a bit of sense but you start to lose some of your cues at night. You just have to rely on fewer senses and you don't want to make mistakes while building it up. There is still more to come, for sure.
"I'm just lacking a bit of confidence on the brakes. The biggest thing is that I don't know how much it is in me and how much could be helped by the car. It'll be good to look at some data and have another go tomorrow. Overall it's been really nice to be back in the C8.R. It's been five or six months since Sebring. And it's cool be out here at Le Mans. I've been here before but that was three years ago. Getting back into the rhythm again is nice."
Press Release: No. 64 Corvette heads team’s Test Day pace; No. 63 team recovers from electrical issue
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: First Laps at Le Mans for C8.R No. 64 Corvette heads team’s Test Day pace; No. 63 recovers after electrical issue
LE MANS, France (Aug. 15, 2021) – At long last, Corvette Racing sent the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for its first laps around the Circuit de la Sarthe during nine hours of testing Sunday ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tommy Milner led the Corvette Racing effort in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R on Sunday with a lap of 3:53.440 (130.550 mph) in a highly competitive GTE Pro field. Less than a half-second separated the top seven cars, which bodes well for a thrilling race in less than a week’s time.
Milner shared the No. 64 Corvette on Sunday with Nick Tandy; the duo will welcome back Alexander Sims into the fold following a prior racing commitment earlier in the day.
The No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R had an up-and-down day that included an engine change following an electrical issue that stranded Antonio Garcia on-course in the third hour of the morning session. Four hours later and after hard and thorough work, the No. 63 re-emerged from the garage to continue its test program.
Nicky Catsburg, driving with Garcia and Jordan Taylor, was the quickest driver in the 63 entry at 3:54.281 (130.115 mph). The trio are back together after winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona earlier this season.
Corvette Racing will return to the track Wednesday for two free practice sessions and qualifying.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on Aug. 18 and 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Sunday’s Test Day
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We had a bit of a slow start today with some issues here and there. But the afternoon was really strong for us on the 64 side. As far as setup goes, we didn’t do lots of work – thanks to a lot of that being done on the simulator. It really felt like we have been racing this car at Le Mans for many years. That’s my first impression. Setup-wise and balance-wise, things felt pretty good. There’s still some work to do, for sure. But I’m happy with where we are. We were able to get more tire data and more car data so that when we come to the race here in a few days that we can find-tune the setup and get everyone comfortable and happy with the Corvette.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "It's been a long day and we've had a few hiccups – things to iron out. But that's why you do a test before the race week where we try to do a roll-out and fully use that test day. We managed to work through a good program of what we wanted to get through on the 64 side. It would have been nice if the 63 had run fully and we could have compared what we had planned to test throughout the day. Nevertheless, the good thing with the heat and weather today is that we were able to run different tire compounds and have a comparison of that. Of course we missed having Alexander here. I know he will seamlessly transition into the team for the first practice session Wednesday. What that did mean is that Tommy and I got to focus on what we were doing between the two of us rather than driver familiarization work, which we will do Wednesday. It won't take Alex many laps. I think the most positive thing for me is how comfortable the C8.R is to drive around this circuit. I know and Corvette Racing knows what requirements are needed for a car on this type of circuit – fast, relatively low-grip, big braking zones and a pretty flat track, if you like. The car is everything I expected. It gives me good visions going into race week of being able to operate at a very high level for a number of stints without too much hassle. That is what endurance racing is all about... going round and round as consistently as possible."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I would have liked to do some more laps for sure since it’s the first year with the C8.R in Le Mans. But mostly out of the box it felt pretty decent, pretty good. We know which way to go; the things we worked on in the simulator seem to be working, which is a good thing. We’ll now try to get as much data as possible from both cars and work our way forward toward this week.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We didn’t do as many laps as we wanted to get in today, but the guys did a good job to give us as many laps as possible. It’s the first day of the new car at Le Mans, so every lap is important to get our data and to understand where we’ll be next week. Each driver got some laps – in traffic and in clean air – which is important for the race. We probably have a lot of things we want to tick off the list still come free practice, but I think it’s good to get this under our belt, get a couple of days off and look at all the data and understand where we are.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Not an easy day with the issue in the morning session which took a long time to repair, but the guys worked super hard and luckily we managed to get out near the end of the afternoon session. We got some laps in, the car felt pretty good. The sister car was running all day so we’ll be able to get some valuable information from them and we can learn from that. In summary, we survived the Test Day feeling pretty good, so we’re all good for the race.”
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PRESS RELEASE:
Facts and figures ahead of team's return to French endurance classic
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 20 appearances at Le Mans: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019). The Corvette C8.R makes its Le Mans debut this year. • 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004. • 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011. • 7: Number of Le Mans victories for Corvette Racing’s lineup. Antonio Garcia: 3 Tommy Milner: 2 Jordan Taylor: 1 Nick Tandy: 1 • 8: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001. • 9: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett and Jordan Taylor. • 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 20: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grows in 2021 with Nick Tandy, Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims joining the lineup. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 26: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 117: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 245: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 98,770.18: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 11,718 laps… or nearly four full trips around the Earth at its equator. The two Corvettes need to complete 1,229.82 miles to reach the 100,000-mile mark at Le Mans. • 132,000: Approximate freight weight in pounds (60,000 kgs!!!) sent by Corvette Racing to Le Mans by air and by sea! The first shipment left Detroit in mid-February and the last left Sunday just after the Road America IMSA race. • 324,915.91: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon and back… and then some.
Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold) 2000 No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTS No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
2001 No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTS No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2003 No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS No. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS
2004 No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS
2005 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2006 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1 No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen - 1st in GT1
2007 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1
2008 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1
2009 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1 No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1
2010 No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF) No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF)
2011 No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE Pro No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2012 No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE Pro No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook - 6th in GTE Pro
2013 No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE Pro No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro
2014 No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE Pro No. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro
2015 No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash) No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro
2016 No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2017 No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE Pro No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2018 No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE Pro No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2019 No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF)
First race for mid-engine Corvette C8.R at Le Mans
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Finally… the Return Trip
· Program makes return to 24 Hours of Le Mans after missing 2020 · First race for mid-engine Corvette C8.R at Le Mans · Nine hours of testing Sunday to set stage for endurance classic · Catsburg, Sims rejoin regular IMSA lineup in pair of Corvette C8.Rs
DETROIT (Aug. 11, 2021) – Corvette Racing is set for its long-awaited return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only days following its most recent IMSA race at Road America, the program heads across the Atlantic for the French endurance classic.
The twice-around-the-clock race is set for Aug. 21-22 around the 8.4-mile circuit that is a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. Corvette Racing and other teams – including seven other entries in GTE Pro – will have nine hours of track time Sunday during the official Test Day.
This year’s Le Mans is significant for many reasons, but two loom largest: it’s the first time in France for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, and this year’s race marks Corvette Racing’s return after missing the 2020 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It ended a run of 20 consecutive years at Le Mans that started in 2000. In that time, the program claimed eight victories with three different generations of Corvette… all with the engine in the front.
This year things are different. The debut of the mid-engine Corvette C8.R is a highly anticipated one, especially given its success since its first race in January 2020. Corvette Racing swept the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Manufacturers, Drivers and Team titles of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship a year ago, and the team finished 1-2 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.
Although the C8.R is new at Le Mans, it has a race in Europe to its name. Corvette Racing ran a single mid-engine Corvette in the Six Hours of Spa in May with Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin. It gave the team experience with a different set of rules than in IMSA – mainly pit stop sequences, yellow-flag strategies and other sporting situations.
Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg were the winning drivers at Daytona, and they will reunite in the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R at Le Mans. Garcia and Taylor have won four times and lead this year’s GTLM standings.
On the other side of the garage, the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette will see Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims back together. Milner and Tandy were victorious in a non-points race at Detroit, and the combination of Tandy and Sims won a 100-minute qualifying race at Daytona.
Corvette Racing’s lineup has combined for seven victories: Garcia with three; Milner with two; and Tandy and Taylor with one each.
Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on Aug. 18 and 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Sunday’s Test Day.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It always is nice to go back somewhere when you’ve been away for a year. So it’s great to be back at Le Mans. One of last year’s biggest disappointments was not going to Le Mans. Conditions were what they were. We couldn’t go with the schedule shuffling, and in the end it wasn’t possible to go. It would have been beneficial. That knowledge of the C8.R around Le Mans would be an advantage going into this year’s race. But we can overcome that. Even this is our first time there with this car, we’ve done many races in IMSA with the C8.R. There are a lot of laps and miles already on it.”
Expectations for the Corvette C8.R: “This car should be better (than previous generations) and that’s what we expect. We saw at Spa that we were close to our competitors. So it was good event for the team to get used to WEC rules and strategy. Now once we get to Le Mans, it should be an easier time to get into that mindset having been through it before.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s going to be nice going back after a few years off. But for the team after having missed the race last year for the first time in so long is going to feel weird. Everyone lives for that event. It’s biggest event for the team and in sports car racing. Having missed last year is going to make everyone win it that much more and get back there as fast as possible."
Being away from Le Mans: “Having to watch Le Mans on TV isn’t the easiest thing. As a kid watching it, it’s an amazing race and you grow to love it and want to be there one day. Once you get there the magnitude of the event, the people, the fans, the atmosphere… it’s like no other race. So when you get that feeling and emotion, you don’t want to lose it. So then when you have to watch it again on TV during on the years you can’t make it, it makes you miss it that much more and be that much more motivated to go back and be competitive.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year I was doing commentary for Le Mans on Dutch television, so I kind of felt like I was still part of it. But Le Mans is something you can’t take for granted. It took me years to get finally get a seat at Le Mans, and I felt like once I had done it then I would be doing it every year from then on. Of course this didn’t happen in 2020 due to a situation that no one could foresee. That’s why I am going to cherish this year and enjoy it as much possible because you never know when you’re next time is. Even though I liked doing commentary, I like driving a lot better!”
Importance of the Test Day: “What is so important about the Test Day is making use of every lap and utilizing the full day in learning as much as possible. There is always a big change in track conditions and a big increase in grip, which you have to take into consideration especially when working on car setup. It is important that you don’t run into any trouble on the Test Day. I hope we can make the most out of it.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We don’t take going to Le Mans for granted. Not going there last year, though, reminds you how special this race is and how important it is for the team, for Corvette and Chevrolet. This is a race that for a lot of people is a bucket-list item. To go there once is special. Each time going back is more so. It’s another chance at winning the greatest sports car race in the world. We don’t take that lightly on this team. We’re even more excited that we get to take the new Corvette over there for the first time. There are a lot of people – me included – are eager to see what the C8.R can do there.”
Preparing for Le Mans: “The build-up of going to Le Mans… testing here stateside and getting the car trimmed out and comfortable, that’s what starts the process. The history of Le Mans, the build-up of the race, going to another country for the event, the scrutineering in town. Now having a year off, it will make going back there that much more special. A renewed amount of excitement that comes from all those things will make going back there feel more special than it already does.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m most looking forward to going back with a chance to win the race. That’s why we all go there. Past this, the most exciting aspect for me and my teammates is seeing how the C8.R is at the Circuit de la Sarthe... when we get it to stretch its legs on the long straights in its low-downforce configuration. There’s that aspect of it, and we’re looking forward to seeing what is in store, because we don’t really know.”
Lessons from Daytona: “There are a lot of similarities (between Daytona and Le Mans). They’re both 24-hour races, obviously. The kind of running the car goes through is similar with all the flat-out running you do compared to something like Sebring. There are a lot of high-speed sections at Daytona like there are at Le Mans. The car proved ultra-reliable, consistent and quick at Daytona, so this is a big positive going into Le Mans. We will be using a Le Mans-specific aero kit, which hasn’t raced on the C8.R as of yet. It’s been tested, and I’m sure there will be lots of testing leading up to the race. It’s quite a different race with different sporting regulations, the way the pit stops work and things like this. But this isn’t Corvette Racing’s first time at Le Mans, of course. I’m confident we will be on top of things from a driver point of view. We all have a lot of experience there in a number of different cars and classes.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The first thing that struck me about going to Le Mans the first time was the fans. Having done some junior single-seaters with one year on the Formula One calendar, I was used to seeing some decent-sized crowds. The pre-race procedure of going through scrutineering in the town center and then the pre-race grid itself, Le Mans was really something else. That was the big thing that stole the show from my point of view in terms of my impression of the race. It was incredible to see not only the amount of fans but also the passion and knowledge they had… plus seeing the number that goes back year after year after year! It’s a bug they get and struggle to shift it, which is lovely to see such commitment from fans. They really make it what it is.”
Expectations for the C8.R: “From everything I know from the car, it seems to be very strong in a number of different areas. I haven’t really found a weakness in it yet. The car is super streamlined, has good power and good traction, and is well-balanced through the higher-speed corners that I experienced at Sebring. I really hope it’s going to be quite a force to be reckoned with at Le Mans.”
Press Release: Corvette Racing finished second and third in GTLM on Sunday
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Two Podiums, on to Le Mans
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 8, 2021) – Corvette Racing finished second and third in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday at Road America as the program now heads across the Atlantic Ocean for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
GTLM championship leaders Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, just ahead of Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 mid-engine Corvette. Shortly after the race, all focus turned to Le Mans with the team traveling over in the coming days with the Test Day set for Aug. 15.
Sunday’s race marked Corvette Racing’s 20th event at Road America, and early on the two C8.Rs were in control. Taylor and Tandy ran 1-2 during the opening minutes. An early-race call to take fuel and tires just 22 minutes in gave the No. 4 Corvette the advantage during the opening hour. Running second, Tandy took fuel and fresh Michelin tires just ahead of a full-course caution period.
Once the GT pits opened for stops, the No. 3 Corvette side switched to Garcia along with a full fuel fill and fresh tires. Meanwhile, Tandy remained in the No. 4 C8.R and took just enough fuel to top off the tank to move from third to first ahead of the restart at the 40-minute mark.
Tandy continued his good work in traffic on the restart to move five seconds ahead of Garcia before a second full-course caution 20 minutes later. Tandy and Garcia both stayed in with the No. 4 C8.R retaining an advantage.
Garcia stopped the No. 3 Corvette for more fuel and tires with 75 minutes left with the No. 4 coming in less than 15 minutes later for a driver change to Milner. Disaster struck, though, as the car’s wheels spun while on the airjacks. Race officials assessed the No. 4 C8.R a drive-through penalty for the infraction.
Meanwhile, Garcia set out to pressure Matt Campbell in the No. 79 entry late but the pace and gap was too much to overcome.
Corvette Racing next makes its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which runs Aug. 21-22.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “Not bad. It was all about gambling. Before the first yellow, we had decided to split strategies to put pressure on the Porsche and they decided to follow us. I think we probably took a gamble on some tires and it didn’t pay off on that first stint I did. We lost some track position and had to change strategies from that point on to make up one stop. The information I got on my stint probably helped us close the gap. We had to get pushing but they (the No. 79) made it to the end. So we did all we could do – keep the pressure up and pray for a little less fuel in their tanks. They did right and won the race. I’m happy with it considering how the race went. It’s a shame the 4 car had that drive-through (penalty). I think they would have put the Porsche under a lot more pressure and would have to push. Maybe that would have put us more in contention. You never know in these races.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It’s not a win, but looking overall with how the day went I think we can be happy. We went a little bit off strategy tire-wise and it didn’t pay off. But we were a little off-strategy with the 79 there at the end. Had there been a yellow at the right time, things could have gone our way. We can’t be too upset with a second-place after winning three in a row.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTLM: “Nick did an awesome job at the start. The pace was really good, he held on to the tires and the strategy was good. It was just one small, little mistake on the pit stop. My engineer Chuck wants to take the blame, but it’s also on me as well. In the moment and heat of it, we knew the stop was going to be finished around the time that the driver change was done. The information I got was that they were waiting on me, but obviously there was still some work being done and the car was in the air. There were a lot of things happening all at once there. At the end of the day, I don’t think it would have made a massive difference in the end result. Maybe we would have finished ahead of the 3 car. The 79 today was significantly faster than us at every stage of the race. Now the focus is on Le Mans. We definitely learned a lesson today. In the heat of the moment there, we need to make sure our processes are perfect. It wasn’t right there but we will take that lesson, move on and not make it again.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTLM: “It’s not the result we wanted in the end. It was an interesting race for us in the 4 Corvette. We had a good start and led a couple of laps. The C8.R was good and we made a great call to pit before the first yellow. The pace of the Porsche at the end of their stints forced us into a box and we were trying to second-guess them because we saw the pace the car had. We had the mistake on the pit stop that set us back, and from then we were hoping for a yellow which never came. But now we go to Le Mans having run at the front again. All we need to do is finish off one of these races.”
1-2 start for Corvette Racing’s 20th race at Road America with Milner second in qualifying
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Taylor Puts Corvette on Pole 1-2 GTLM start for team’s 20th race at Road America; Milner second in qualifying
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 7, 2021) – Jordan Taylor gave Corvette Racing its second pole position at Road America in three years with the fast time in qualifying for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend race – the team’s 20th event at the historic road course and a fourth straight 1-2 qualifying result in GT Le Mans (GTLM) on the season.
Taylor, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Antonio Garcia, set a best lap of 2:20.979 (103.368 mph) ahead of Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race. Taylor and Garcia arrived at Road America after three straight victories and lead the GTLM Drivers Championship, as does Chevrolet in the Manufacturers standings.
Taylor went 0.627 seconds quicker than Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette that he shares with Tommy Milner. Tandy and Milner were second in the two most recent GTLM races at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock, and they also won the non-points Detroit round in mid-June.
Directly after Road America, Corvette Racing departs for France and its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As is tradition, the team in May used Road America – with its long straights and sections of fast, flowing corners – to test and develop the Corvette C8.R’s low-downforce setup and aerodynamic package.
Corvette Racing will race at Road America in IMSA competition at 1:40 p.m. CT on Sunday. Same-day coverage on NBCSN starts at 8 p.m. ET with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 2:35 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: "Obviously a good session for us. We had a wet session to get an idea of what the car might be doing. So heading into qualifying, we had some confidence to know what to expect with tire pressures and to how to warm up the tire. It was a little bit drier than yesterday with not as much standing water. Getting the lap time in early when the tire was at its peak is what got us the pole. We almost replicated the lap at the end but I think that was just figuring out where to go in the wet. The C8.R was consistent and it was strong. It's another 1-2 in qualifying for Corvette Racing so that bodes well for us in the race no matter if the race is wet or dry." MORE ON QUALIFYING: “It’s good to be back at Road America. It’s one of our favorite events of the year. It’s Corvette Racing’s 20th race here so it’s special be part of that kind of history at this track. Another 1-2 for the team but it was definitely tricky. We had in-between conditions today for qualifying – we had a wet session yesterday, dry this morning and in the middle for qualifying. It’s good getting the car in these different conditions, especially leading up to Le Mans next week where all these conditions can play a part of it. The more miles we get on the Corvette in these mixed conditions and learn, the better we will be at Le Mans and for tomorrow.”
ARE MIXED CONDITIONS SOMETIMES MORE DIFFICULT THAN FULLY WET? “It was a tricky session. Just watching the first GTD session, they were on slicks but it looked like it was raining on half the track so we didn’t know what to expect. For us, it seemed kind of damp everywhere – like a light rain. But even then, each corner felt different each lap. It was hard to tell if that was tire degradation or grip level or rain. It’s hard when you don’t have that many cars around you to kind of judge from. Thankfully we were able to get that lap in early and set a second pretty good lap at the end. No matter what conditions we get tomorrow, the C8.R will be strong.”
DESCRIBE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DRIVE THESE CARS IN THE RAIN: “It’s definitely sketchy. When I joined them in 2012 as a third driver, it was known that Gary Pratt (team principal) doesn’t like testing in the rain just because it’s so easy to make a mistake; you’re in a knife edge the whole time. In testing you can’t learn a whole lot, but at the same time you need to test some amount to be prepared for a weekend like this where it is in these conditions. From a driving point of view, it’s on edge… more on edge in the brake zones and everything than it would be in the dry. Locking front tires, locking rears, sliding the car... thankfully the team has developed so many bits of technology in the car: lock-up lights to warn the driver when you’re locking up a tire, traction control lights to let you know when the rear is slipping to give you more signals than what you’re feeling in the car. They’ve definitely made it easier for us throughout the years, but I think that’s what everyone is doing around the world to elevate racing and competition. That’s why I think you’ve seen everyone come so close when it comes to laptime.”
IS THERE A FUN FACTOR TO IT? “It’s fun when you’re fast! When you’re slow, it’s very stressful because it’s so easy to make a mistake. If you just touch the paint at the wrong angle, you’ll be spinning off and you can’t catch the car. It’s impossible. You’re very on-edge but at the same time there is a bit of thrill with that where you are on edge, and the more on-edge you are the more laptime there is. So it’s risk versus reward. Robin Liddell was the one who said years ago in GRAND-AM that any driver who enjoys the rain is lying because at any moment you can send it off pretty quickly. Hopefully tomorrow isn’t as bad as last year. Antonio drove yesterday where it was more wet than today. I think no matter the conditions, the car has been proven. We’re looking forward to it.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “We just missed it a bit with the setup. We’re still working on getting the balance where we need to be. Tomorrow is going to be the challenge if it’s dry with the temps and the tire degradation. If it’s wet, which is looking likely, that presents its own challenges as well. We got some good work in today but the majority will come tomorrow in warmup to make any last-minute improvements.”
No. 3 Corvette wins over No. 4 C8.R in weather-shortened GT-only race
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: Taylor, Garcia Take Overall Victory No. 3 Corvette wins over No. 4 C8.R in weather-shortened, GT-only race
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 17, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia won a weather-shortened Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on Saturday, their third straight victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Taylor and Garcia had the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R ahead when the race was stopped with 70 minutes left due to lightning in the immediate area of the track. Race officials called the race with 25 minutes left in the two-hour, 40-minute GT-only contest.
The mid-engine Corvette C8.R won its Lime Rock debut, and Corvette Racing won at the circuit for the sixth time. It also marked the first overall Lime Rock victory for Corvette Racing.
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy placed second in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R, their second straight runner-up finish. Saturday’s results increased the lead for Garcia and Taylor in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Drivers Championship and Chevrolet’s advantage in the Manufacturers standings.
Taylor began from pole position and Milner third following a precautionary engine change overnight. Milner moved the No. 4 up to second behind Taylor at the start, and the two Corvettes ran 1-2 throughout the race. Both cars made their first stops a lap apart just past the 30-minute mark for fuel and tires. By that point, both Taylor and Milner were mired in slower GTD traffic and on a three-stop strategy.
Milner, who suffered damage in his second stint after contact from a slower car, was the first Corvette driver to make his second stop and handed off to Tandy with 80 minutes remaining. Taylor did the same a lap later with a swap to Garcia as both Corvettes took fuel and fresh Michelin tires.
Five minutes later, race officials called for a full-course caution to monitor the approaching weather and stopped the race a lap later.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the IMSA SportsCar Weekend on Aug. 6-8 from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Same-day coverage on NBCSN starts at 8 p.m. ET with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 2:35 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE-WINNER: "For sure, Jordan did an amazing job. He drove the first two stints and it was the plan for me to be in for the other two. We knew this could happen. In a way, I'm happy that he drove so well and managed to keep the 4 car at a distance the whole time and control it so I could have a really quick driver change. That helped us extend our lead. But you never know. It would have tight; I don't know if it would have been raining or not at the end so it would have been hard to keep the lead. I'm really pleased for another Corvette 1-2. Looking at how Jordan and Tommy (Milner) drove, it seemed like very hard work with tire degradation, especially. I will definitely take it. It's my first win at Lime Rock so I'm happy with this."
HAVE YOU HAD A RACE TO END LIKE THIS? "No, I don't think so. But it is what it is. We had a ton of fans out here today and safety comes first. This time we were lucky in that we were leading when the red flag came. For sure, you need to be up there in that position to benefit from the conditions."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE-WINNER: "It was odd. We kind of knew what was going to happen going into it. We knew it was going to be a race of tire degradation and strategy, whether it be a two-stop or three-stop race just looking at the history of the race. Twenty laps in, we knew it was going to be a three-stop race doing 45-lap stints. It was about fuel mileage, saving tires and getting through traffic cleanly. Thankfully we executed well and the driver change went well. We knew the weather was imminent at some point and that it could be red-flagged, so we knew track position was going to be important. Thankfully we were out front when that came."
HAVE YOU HAD A RACE TO END LIKE THIS? "The 2019 Rolex 24, we won when it was red-flagged for too much rain. It was a similar feeling sitting in the pitlane with an hour to go and maybe no more pit stops. You're waiting to see if it's going to go green again, so it's kind of very stressful with the unknown. Today looking at the radar, a couple of miles north of the track there were a crazy amount of lightning strikes so I think it was going to come this way no matter what. It wasn't as rainy as Daytona that year, but today was a similar feeling."
TOMMY SAID HE HAD A LACK OF REAR GRIP EARLY. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CARS IN THE OPENING? "I don't know if it was a big advantage. If it was anything, I think it was getting fortunate in traffic. You could gain or lose a second-and-a-half depending on where you got traffic. Some laps I could see myself gaining in traffic and on another lap I'd lose two seconds and he'd be right there again. I think the ebb and flow of that would show the gaps. I don't know if the lap-time delta was going to be that big on a clear track. We were saving tires right from the get-go. The tire degradation was a lot bigger than I expected. To do a two-stop race was going to be almost impossible. Even doing a three-stopper with 45-lap stints... once you got to 35 laps there was a steep drop-off. Maybe they suffered a little bit more than we did with that. We started with a setup knowing the car was going in that direction and using tools like the traction control and everything we had in the car to save tires early on and hopefully benefit later in the stint."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND YOUR TEAM TOLD YOU AT ONE POINT THAT YOU WERE MAYBE GOING TO LEAPFROG THE NO. 3 UNDER THE PIT STOP WHEN YOU CHANGED DRIVERS. “It was looking pretty good there because they short-filled on their first stop to make it out in front of some of the traffic, so they are always watching that kind of stuff. I was probably about 2.5 seconds back of the No. 3 car until I got to the No. 96 car and he ran me off the road and damaged the car. The car was a handful after that. Had I been able to stay with the No. 3 car then we would have had a fuel advantage and we would have probably been able to beat them out. It’s just unfortunate, the contact there. The team is not lying to me and that’s good. It is probably better in most cases to not tell a driver everything, but something like that is definitely encouraging. It’s just a bummer. We were looking pretty good there with their strategy call. It was going to help us in the end, but in the end it didn’t play out that way.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/Sirius XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IT WAS A CHALLENGING WEEKEND WITH HOW THIS RACE FINISHED. “Yeah, it was a challenging weekend. We obviously had a few technical issues and we set ourselves a way to go about the race and try and make the best two hours and 40 minutes, and unfortunately, we didn’t get to stretch it out. But yeah, another Corvette 1-2 so it’s good points for the Manufacturers Championship and this is obviously the main goal.”
PRESS RELEASE: Milner second in GTLM qualifying as rain looms for Saturday’s all-GT race
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: Taylor Leads Corvette Sweep Milner second in GTLM qualifying as rain looms for Saturday’s all-GT race
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 16, 2021) – Jordan Taylor claimed the overall pole position for the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on Friday to lead a 1-2 result for Corvette Racing.
Taylor, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Antonio Garcia, set a best GT Le Mans (GTLM) lap of 49.958 (106.216 mph) in a 15-minute session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Saturday’s 3:10 p.m. ET race, with rain predicted, will be an all-GT affair with GTLM and GT Daytona (GTD) headlining IMSA’s return to Lime Rock Park.
Taylor and teammate Antonio Garcia enter Lime Rock after back-to-back victories at Watkins Glen and lead the GTLM Drivers Championship, as does Chevrolet in the Manufacturers standings.
Taylor outqualified Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette by just 0.142 seconds. Milner and Nick Tandy were second in the most recent GTLM race at Watkins Glen behind the No. 3 C8.R but were in winning positions in both races at The Glen. They also won the non-points Detroit round in mid-June.
Corvette Racing is a five-time winner at Lime Rock but this is the first race the seven-turn, 1.474-mile circuit for the Corvette C8.R, a shot at an overall race victory during one of the busiest races on the calendar.
Like Watkins Glen within the last month, Lime Rock Park was one venue at which the Corvette C8.R didn’t compete during its debut season. That didn’t impact the team during the back-to-back weekends at Watkins Glen, however, when Corvette Racing took the race win, pole position and fastest race lap in both the six-hour enduro and two-hour, 40-minute sprint race.
The Northeast Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 3:05 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 216, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It’s been a busy day. It’s the first time with the C8.R at Lime Rock. Unfortunately we didn’t race here last year, so we’re learning a lot. We had a dry session, a damp session and then qualifying. So we’ve proved that the car is good in all conditions here. It was a good lap to get the pole, and the guys have done a good job leading into this weekend. It’s a new track for us with this car so rolling off the truck strong was important. It was good but we’ve been making some changes to see how the car reacts. So far so good but tomorrow could be a different story.”
MORE ON QUALIFYING: “Today was a busy day with two practices and qualifying. It’s the first time we’ve had the C8.R here at Lime Rock, so a lot of work went into this weekend with a lot of preparation. We rolled off the truck very strong. We made some changes through Practice Two even though it was damp to get a read on it. Obviously in qualifying the car was quite strong. The biggest thing was just finding a clear lap with the GTD cars on track. Obviously it’s been a good run for the 3 car so far this season, but at the same time the 4 car has been on our tail every weekend. It’s good to have that intra-team battle. I think we’ll have that all day tomorrow.”
RACING FOR OVERALL VICTORY THIS WEEKEND: “I was thinking about that this morning. When you go to the drivers’ briefing, the front-row guys usually go and talk to the Race Director because you’re leading the field. It will be different not having anyone in front of us and not having prototypes coming around in traffic. In one aspect, it will be easier without the traffic but at the same time the intensity will be super-high just because you’re flat-out the whole time. It’s difficult to pass the GTD guys so it will be tricky in traffic. I think strategy could come into play tomorrow. It should be a good race.”
PLACES FOR IMPROVEMENT: “Today was messy with the conditions. Antonio started this morning on new tires, and I got in on older tires. The afternoon session was damp so I drove on rain tires and then in the intermediate conditions we went to slicks. Everyone in GTLM was kind of figuring out what it was like on new tires in the dry here. We weren’t here last year so there’s a lot to learn. For me, there was a lot of experimenting. Brake points were different. Carrying speed through Turn Six and Turn Seven… I had a couple of big moments just because I thought I could carry a lot more speed than I actually could. But it’s good to have that in my pocket for tomorrow to know where the limits are.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “We just missed it a bit with the setup. We’re still working on getting the balance where we need to be. Tomorrow is going to be the challenge if it’s dry with the high temps and the tire degradation. If it’s wet, which is looking likely, that presents its own challenges as well. We got some good work in today but the majority will come tomorrow in warmup to make any last-minute improvements.”
Northeast Grand Prix Race Info Lakeville, CT July 16-17, 2021 Track: Lime Rock Park Race Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Circuit Length: 1.5 miles Entry by Class: GTLM - 3 GTD - 14
Come support Corvette Racing as they take on the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park! 2021 rings a return to basics for the Corvette Corral, and includes Infield parking with other like-minded Corvette owners and parade laps for the first 25 cars that arrive for the day. While no hospitality is attached to this corral, we will update this page with any special experiences as they are added. Corvette Corral passes are $30 per car, per day, and they do not include your general admission tickets.
First race for mid-engine Corvette at scenic but tough 1.5-mile layout
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK: C8.R Goes Short-Track Racing
· First race for mid-engine Corvette at scenic but tough 1.5-mile layout · Garcia, Taylor enter on two-race win streak · Milner revisits site of 100th Corvette Racing win
DETROIT (July 13, 2021) – With the wide-open spaces of Road America and Le Mans on the horizon, Corvette Racing will get a taste of short-track racing – sports car style – when it returns to Lime Rock Park this weekend.
Saturday's Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock is a GT-only event for Corvette Racing’s pair of mid-engine Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT competitors. The seven-turn, 1.474-mile circuit in the northwestern corner of Connecticut gives Corvette Racing, a five-time winner at Lime Rock, a shot at an overall race victory during one of the busiest races on the calendar.
Race laps for GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars will be around 50 seconds during the two-hour, 40-minute race. If all goes according to plan, that means the pair of racing Corvettes will start to overtake slower GT Daytona (GTD) cars within 20 minutes of the green flag.
Like Watkins Glen within the last month, Lime Rock Park was a venue at which the Corvette C8.R didn’t compete during its debut season. That didn’t impact the team during the back-to-back weekends at Watkins Glen, however, when Corvette Racing took the race win, pole position and fastest race lap in both the six-hour enduro and two-hour, 40-minute sprint race.
Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, co-drivers in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R, swept the Watkins Glen weekends to extend their lead in the GTLM Drivers Championship as well as Chevrolet’s in the Manufacturers standings. They are ahead of No. 4 Corvette drivers Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who narrowly missing out on victories at The Glen.
Taylor (2013 GRAND-AM DP) and Milner (2016 GTLM) each have previous victories at Lime Rock. Garcia (2018 GTLM) and Taylor (2010 GRAND-AM GT) have won pole positions at the track in the past. Garcia also set the fastest race lap in 2017, followed by Tandy doing the same in 2018 and 2019.
Corvette Racing will contest the Northeast Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park on July 16-17. The race will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 3:05 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 216, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Lime Rock should be good for us. I don’t see any track where the C8.R shouldn’t be good. I’m looking forward to going back there. In a lot of ways it feels like the longest race of the year. You’re running three hours with 50-second laps so it’s very challenging. The 10 laps before you get into traffic are pretty calm. After that, it’s very tough. There is no rest there. In a good qualifying run if you run all session, could be a 20-lap attempt. That’s half-a-stint at most tracks we go to. Mentally it’s demanding because of that.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Lime Rock. The last time I raced there was 2013 in GRAND-AM when we won the race and the championship that weekend, so there are good memories. It’s a tough place and usually an intense race. I think every year I’ve watched the GT race, there have always been crazy battles with the different classes and how tough it is to pass. It’s one that’s been on the list that looks difficult so it will be a good experience. Pit stop execution will be huge. It’s a short lap and Lime Rock will be a track position race. Driver changes, tire changes and fueling will have to be the best of the year.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I have really great memories from Lime Rock in 2016 and getting the 100th win for Corvette Racing with Oliver Gavin. It obviously was a special day for me and the team. Lime Rock will be a good challenge to go there with the C8.R for the first time. It’s a pretty unique racetrack all things considered. In a lot of ways, it’s an oval so you set the car up to pretty much only turn right. We’ll have our work cut out to figure that out with a new car. Based on all the work we’ve done so far and all the results we’ve had, I don’t see there any real major hurdles to getting to a good spot.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I really like Lime Rock. The track is quick but it’s so intense. It reminds me a little bit of my short-oval background in that you’re always in the corners, you’re always in traffic. The car, the tire and the driver never get a break. You’re in traffic pretty much all the time. A stint at Le Mans is around 14 laps, and you get time to relax. A stint at Lime Rock is like 60 laps and there is constantly something going on. You feel it physically as a driver because it’s usually super-hot. It’s intense on the physical and mental sides. The GTLM cars being as fast as they are, it’s a good workout and good fun.”
No. 3 Corvette takes GTLM victory over teammates Milner, Tandy in No. 4 C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Garcia, Taylor Take Glen Sweep No. 3 Corvette takes GTLM victory over teammates Milner, Tandy in No. 4 C8.R
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 27, 2021) – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor won for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech 240 on Friday, their second GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R at Watkins Glen International in five days.
Garcia got the jump on Corvette Racing teammate Tommy Milner – sharing the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Nick Tandy– on a traffic-filled restart with 28 minutes remaining in a storm-interrupted race.
Taylor led from pole position before Tandy moved ahead in the No. 4 Corvette about 15 minutes into the race. The gap between the teammates constantly ebbed and flowed with traffic – from slower GTD and LMP3 cars and the quicker DPi and LMP2 runners.
Taylor was the first Corvette driver to hit pitlane at 51 minutes running. He came in from second place in class and handed over to Garcia, who left with a full tank of fuel and fresh Michelin tires. Tandy carried on for another two laps before stopping just before the pits closed for the race’s full-course caution period.
Milner got in the 4 Corvette and returned to the lead behind the safety car. Heavy rain started to pelt parts of the circuit with the field under yellow. Two laps later, race officials halted the race due to a lightning strike in the immediate area of Watkins Glen.
The field began rolling again with 50 minutes to go behind the safety car. Another full-course caution period with 36 minutes left forced another reset before the race went green the rest of the way.
The next event for Corvette Racing is the Northeast Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park on July 16-17. The race will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 3:05 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 216, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: "We can’t complain, for sure. The main thing is the C8.R is really, really strong and kind of easy to drive in those conditions. Somehow that red flag was kind of a relief. It was going to be a nightmare out there between Turn Six and Turn Eight. Luckily there was a red flag, which made things still interesting because we had to stay on slicks. I knew that was the main thing but I had to take chances there. I knew it was wet, but I had to be a little more aggressive than Tommy. He got caught out in the last corner with some of the P cars, so I had to take advantage. The grip was very, very good. I opened the gap and then just maintained because you never know... there might have been another yellow and I had to have good tires for the end. I'm very happy with the No. 3 C8.R, but obviously Team Chevy and Corvette Racing are doing a great job. I’m looking forward to the next race and especially Le Mans which is coming soon.
"It was very challenging for sure. We pitted just before the red flag, and so did the 4 car. That would have been a key part of the race without the red because it would have been interesting to know how Tommy would have dealt with the damp track on cold tires. Those one or two laps of green before the red let me switch on the tires a little bit, at least. Even if we had to wait for a half-hour, somehow I heated up the tires pretty quickly before the start. Tommy was the one who had to take the risks. The first restart after yellow, I knew I could switch on the tire a little bit better than him. So on the second one I was all-out and he got caught up on the last corner with some P cars. I just took advantage. After that, you had to close your eyes. From the Carousel onward, you had to believe the grip would be there. I knew the first two laps would be the main thing in the race. I could pull out those two seconds and kept the gap from that point. From that point, Tommy was the one who had to take the risks to close in. I didn't want to push so hard because you never know if you'll go yellow again and I'd need good tires. It was a good battle with our teammates, which is difficult because they have the same car and same tools as you. I'm very happy for Corvette to go 1-2. We're looking forward to the next few races, and Le Mans is coming closer. We're looking forward to that too."
THE PASS FOR THE LEAD. "It was green for us but I made the pass basically coming out of the last corner. We weren't side-by-side into Turn One. I knew after the Bus Stop that it would be a little wet so I took a little more risk than Tommy did to open the gap and hold it. I was lucky that I could keep the car on the track. It can go either way. You can pull out a second or put it in the wall. I was glad for the first option."
WERE THERE OTHER DIFFICULT MOMENTS AFTER THAT? "Oh yeah, but there were for Tommy as well. We were both flat out. The car was really good in those conditions. We realized that all last year with all the wet races we had. The C8.R looks very strong in all conditions."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: "I was struggling with tire temp in the beginning. But once I got in a rhythm, the car kind of came to life for the second half of my stint. Once we handed it over to Antonio, the weather hit and we had a red flag. We were happy to see it go green again. Obviously we had a great spot on TV today to get some great racing in. Antonio made a great restart and was able to get by the No. 4 car and then kind of maintain it from there. So another great day for Corvette Racing going one-two and another great day for us in the No. 3 car. "It was a good race all the way through. We had a good battle with the 4 car all day. I ran second most of my stint and then the way the pit cycle worked, it was going to be interesting to see how it fell through with fuel strategy and tire warm-up. Once it went red, we knew we had some practice time and qualifying in intermittent conditions, so we had some good confidence in what the car would be like once it went back green. Antonio got by the 4 car on the restart and maintained that gap through the end. It's another great day for Corvette Racing with a 1-2 finish and for us in the 3 Corvette to go back-to-back with the Six Hours last weekend."
HOW MUCH FUN IS IT RACING AGAINST YOUR TEAMMATES? "I'd say it's fun, but it's stressful at the same time. There are no team orders of who will win the race. They let us race on track, but obviously any contact will be frowned upon. We had a head-to-head battle at Daytona and the last couple of weekends has been head-to-head. The guys in the 4 car are professionals and two of the best in GT racing. Like Antonio said, it's great to have that rivalry but it's difficult when you've got such great drivers in both cars. You're competing against the best in the same equipment. We've come out on top the last two races but just as easily those guys could have won as well."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: "Obviously the long red flag really reset the race. I'm really frustrated. I had some traffic coming to the green, some cars pitting coming to the green and that held me up massively. That was basically the race there. Antonio got by me by start-finish because I had such a bad run out of the last corner. It caught me off-guard. I left a gap just to account to any speed differential but I didn't expect (the car ahead) to hit the brakes in the middle of the corner. There was traffic up the hill, and Antonio probably had two or 2.5 seconds on me. I think we ended up 2.5 seconds behind. It's frustrating... we're doing everything right with the things we can control with the strategy. Nick did an awesome job at the start to get us out front. It's just not going our way right now. It's tough. But I'm proud of the guys. I know they're bummed. We've been fast and done everything right that we can control. We haven't had the luck. On to the next one."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTLM: "It's bitterly disappointing. We put ourselves in position as a team to have what looked like a pretty comfortable 1-2. Up to the point, the way the guys managed the race – the pit stops, how the engineers set the car up for the race – had us absolutely flying. A few laps before the last yellow, I felt something strange on the car and we'll have to investigate what happened. We're disappointed, but there are a lot of positives to go into next week with."
PRESS RELEASE: No. 3 Corvette just beats out Tandy, No. 4 C8.R in dynamic qualifying session
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Sprint Race Pole for Taylor No. 3 Corvette just beats out Tandy, No. 4 C8.R in dynamic qualifying session
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 26, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor followed up a victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen with the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Thursday for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Watkins Glen International.
A winner with Antonio Garcia on Sunday, Taylor set a time of 1:43.821 (117.895 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R ahead of Friday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race.
The time was a scant 0.224 seconds quicker than Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R that he drives with Tommy Milner. Like Taylor, Tandy’s best lap – 1:44.045 (117.641 mph) – came on his final time around the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit on a quickly drying track.
It was the second GTLM pole in less than a week for the No. 3 Corvette with Garcia claiming the honors ahead of the Six Hours.
Rain pelted Watkins Glen throughout Thursday afternoon. The day’s lone practice session featured a mix of light and more moderate showers that left the track damp throughout. Conditions dried out for qualifying with both Corvettes opting for slick Michelin tires for qualifying.
Weather for the race could mirror what Corvette Racing experienced Thursday, giving team strategists and engineers plenty to think about before Friday evening’s green flag.
Friday’s race will air live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It’s great to be out front again. We were all glued to the TV watching Madison (Snow’s) qualifying trying to decide whether to go wets or drys. We knew he was on wets and a couple other guys were on drys, and they were way out for most of it. Then they bridged the gap on the last lap but not enough to get him. We thought maybe if they had a couple more laps, slicks would have been the way to go. So we committed to it. The first couple of laps were a little git sketchy but as soon as you built some temperature, the grip level was pretty high, other than (turns) 9, 10 and 11. You needed a nice rhythm to keep building temps, finding brake points and how much speed you could carry. I caught someone with two to go, which kind of broke the rhythm and kind of had me stressed the last lap. But thankfully everything worked out. When you are head-to-head with a guy like Nick Tandy, you really need to make the most of it. He’s a guy I've grown up watching and respected. So to go head-to-head with him, I knew I would be nailing everything and had to be on my A-game. I’m glad it worked out. It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow, but it’s nice to have Corvette Racing with another one-two.”
WAS THE RACING LINE DRY AND COULD THE SLICK TIRES WORK ALL THE WAY AROUND OR WERE THERE WET SPOTS? "To begin with, there were definitely wet spots in some of the short chutes between corners. Turn Nine was still pretty slick and 10 seemed a little slick. Everywhere else, it looked damp but you had to commit and trust that the grip was there. It was more of a mental game than anything. There definitely was a very narrow line. On a couple of laps, I got maybe six inches to a foot wide and you lose the front end of the car. You definitely had to be precise. By the end, everyone knew where the grip was and you could carry speed."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was an interesting day today because we got to run in the full wet conditions, we got to run with the wet tires in the dry conditions and then we got to run a slick tire in a wet to dry condition. You don’t often get that sort of thing in one day. It makes it difficult to plan what you are doing, or to make any plans. It’s kind of interesting in some regard because it is different. For the qualifying session, when it is like this you go out on slicks and you know every lap is getting quicker and quicker. It’s always difficult to know how hard to push the car on the tire. But that is why we are in the car to find out. The good thing is we have both cars with decent lap times and in one piece. I think it’s given us all good experience of what the weather could bring tomorrow.”
Thursday, July 1, 2021 to Friday, July 2, 2021 Circuit Length: 3.4 miles Watkins Glen, NY Track: Watkins Glen International Race Duration: 2 Hrs 40 Minutes
Press Release: No. 3 Corvette takes season’s second victory; Milner, Tandy charge derailed late in race
CORVETTE RACING AT THE GLEN: Hard-Fought Win for Garcia, Taylor No. 3 Corvette takes season’s second victory; Milner, Tandy charge derailed late in race
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 27, 2021) – Corvette Racing returned to Victory Circle at Watkins Glen International on Sunday with a GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory for Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. They drove the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette to a steamy and hard-fought triumph for the team’s first win at Watkins Glen International since 2014.
Pole-winner Garcia won for the second time in the Six Hours while Taylor claimed his first victory in the event. The duo increased their lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTLM standings as they look to repeat their 2020 title.
The fight in the category looked like it would come down to a battle of the mid-engine Corvettes. Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy led a majority of the race in their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Milner taking the lead on the opening lap. The two Corvettes swapped the lead eight times throughout the six hours and were first and second on a restart with a little less than 40 minutes to go.
Tandy, who held the lead through two pit stop cycles thanks to excellent pit work and car performance, held point when the race went back green but reported a mechanical issue that severely handicapped the No. 4 Corvette. He just missed out a podium finish for he and Milner.
That left Garcia to hold off John Edwards in the No. 24 GTLM entry over the last five laps. The two had to battle through class leaders in other categories, and Garcia held on for a 0.845-second winning margin.
Taylor drove a marathon two-hour, 30-minute stint in the middle of the race and swapped the lead with both Tandy and Milner during his time in the No. 3 Corvette. That left Garcia to drive his own tense, nail-biting triple stint to the finish.
Corvette Racing will be back in action at The Glen for the WeatherTech 240 on Friday, July 2. The race will air live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage of Thursday practice along with Friday’s qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: IT LOOKED LIKE A BATTLE BETWEEN TEAMMATES BUT THEN IT GOT DIFFERENT TOWARD THE END. "It was another great battle with our teammates and the BMWs. They were all very strong. The start was a little confusing with all the debris in Turn One. I played it a little bit careful, and Tommy went around me. From that point on, it was a flat-out fight with our teammates and the BMWs. There was no time to rest. At times we were behind and at another times we were ahead. With about 2:30 left, the two BMWs went on a different strategy so we had to cover them. We split ours with the 4 because we had to do it. That put us ahead of them at the time but they got ahead when the last pit stop came. We had the pace and knew it was going to be not only a lot of fast laps but also to manage tire wear and tire temperature. Stints here were very hard on the tires. The 4 car lost some pace at the end. I don't know if they had some trouble. It would have been nice to get a Corvette 1-2 but in GTLM you cannot miss a thing. As soon as you start losing time, other cars are on you. Even at the end, it felt like I had a comfortable margin over John (Edwards) of about three or four seconds. Then all the classes got together with about two laps to go – DPis, GTDs, LMP2s, LMP3s and us. Fortunately there were no crashes and no yellows, and I managed to stay ahead and bring home a victory. I'm happy for Corvette and Team Chevy."
IN THE TRAFFIC... DID YOU HAVE ANY CLOSE CALLS? "Oh yes, many. Not for myself but people trying to get by me in very, very dangerous places. I had a three-wide I think with the 48 with Kobayashi or whoever was driving going into the grass on my right. I was just praying that any car wouldn't hit me. That was the thing there... to stay calm but be aggressive because the No. 24 was there right behind me. Initially I played it a little bit safe but when I saw him coming, I knew I had to go. That is the classic thing. We saw this at Sebring already. With all these classes, and the way we do these restarts with all the LMP3s going ahead of us, it creates some difficult situations on the track. But when you have that many classes on the track, that is the way it is. You need to live with that and play it smarter than the rest. It's not only about being fast but being smart enough to clear everybody."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE-WINNER: YOU ARE THE POINTS LEADER AND THIS IS THE FIRST WIN AT THE GLEN FOR YOU HOW DOES THIS FEEL? “It is awesome. You nailed it I think. I think this is one of the only tracks I haven’t won here on the IMSA calendar. Lime Rock might be another one. I don’t think I’ve won there. Only a couple of poles maybe. Watkins Glen has always been a big one, the Six Hours especially. I finished second back in 2011 with Autohaus where we probably could have won the championship with that win.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it is great to be back here with Corvette Racing. The first time here with the C8.R and with testing, to come out here and win the race, and have a possible one-two... it was just an unfortunate event there for the No. 4 there at the end, but I can’t be prouder of the whole team.”
A LONG HOT RACE, BUT LEADING BOTH CHAMPIONSHIPS MUST MAKE ONLY FOUR DAYS OFF A LITTLE SWEETER? “That does definitely make nicer. It’s good to have a couple of days to rest on it as the guys go through the data to see where we can improve for next week. It’s going to be another fight next week, and we will try and maximize the points again.
WAS IT DIFFICULT TO GET INTO A RHYTHM? “It was definitely an odd race, especially with the LMP3 cars cycling to the front of the GT packs every time and we have to drive through that. You saw at the end with a couple laps to go how we caught a big GT pack mixed in with some LMP3s. You mix in the Prototypes and the other cars coming though, it was mayhem. It was crazy but at the same time that is part of IMSA. That is what makes this series great and what makes sports car racing amazing. Thankfully Antonio kept a cool head and brought it home.”
THERE WAS PROBLEM WITH THE REAR OF THE NO. 4 AT THE END? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND WERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CAR? ‘We only heard what you said. I don’t think any of the guys said anything about seeing anything in the data. The guys will go through the data. We have a couple of days to have a look at it. This car is still relatively new so it is good testing for us to get these endurance races under our belts before we head overseas to Le Mans.” WINNING THE SIX HOURS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
"It was huge. I grew up watching my dad race. He always talked about his favorite tracks, and Watkins Glen was always at the top of the list. I could be wrong, but I think this is the one he didn't win as a driver. Ricky (Taylor) won for him as a team owner, and that's the first time he won here. I finished second in 2011 in GRAND-AM with Tommy (Milner) as my teammate. So it's been high on the list every year. It seemed like something always went wrong. But this was a perfect weekend. Antonio got pole. It's our first time here with the C8.R - no testing just time in the simulator. It was very impressive that we rolled off the truck as strong as we did. We made very minor tweaks, so big kudos to the team for the preparation coming in here."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTLM:"We've had four races so far this year, and for all four I feel like we've had car that can win. Sebring didn't last very long, but the car had been fast up till the race. Looking past that frustration, I'm happy with the performance of everyone on the 4 Corvette today from top to bottom. Every single person did an excellent job today. The car was great all the way to the end until the mechanical issue that gave Nick a pretty challenging final stint there. He did an awesome job to hold off the BMW for so long there with a broken car to salvage something out of it, but in the end it was too much to overcome. On one hand, I'm frustrated. But on the other I'm really happy with the overall performance today. We had good pit stops and strategy. All the things we can control, we're doing right. We just need some luck to go our way."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTLM: "It's bitterly disappointing. We put ourselves in position as a team to have what looked like a pretty comfortable 1-2. Up to the point, the way the guys managed the race – the pit stops, how the engineers set the car up for the race – had us absolutely flying. A few laps before the last yellow, I felt something strange on the car and we'll have to investigate what happened. We're disappointed, but there are a lot of positives to go into next week with."
Milner second in No. 4 C8.R in GTLM front row lock-out for Corvette Racing
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Pole for Garcia, No. 3 Corvette Milner second in No. 4 C8.R in GTLM front row lock-out for Corvette Racing
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 26, 2021) – Corvette Racing swept the front row of GT Le Mans (GTLM) grid Saturday for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen with Antonio Garcia taking pole position in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
Garcia led a 1-2 result for Corvette Racing with the mid-engine C8.R is on its maiden Watkins Glen International weekend. He took his second straight pole at Watkins Glen – he did the same in 2019 – with a lap of 1:40.944 (121.255 mph). Tommy Milner was second in class with the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette and 0.374 seconds off Garcia’s time at 1:41.318 (120.807 mph).
Saturday’s result continues Corvette Racing’s season-long run of first-place starting positions in each of the four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM races to date. The No. 4 Corvette started on pole at Daytona and Detroit with Garcia putting the NO. 3 C8.R on pole at Sebring.
The next several days – including a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race on July 2 – present an opportunity to make up for lost time after last year’s Six Hours was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant Corvette Racing didn’t have the chance to show off the mid-engine Corvette C8.R during its debut season.
The C8.R and Corvette Stingray production car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen begins at 10:40 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 27. Same-day coverage will be available from 7-10 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Live streaming video on Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App begins at 10:35 a.m. ET. Live audio coverage of qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: "That felt really good. We're back on pole because the last time we were here, we on pole too. It's always fun to qualify at here. That's when you really get to experience Watkins Glen. You can really go for it and be really close to the walls. It was fun. Unfortunately I had one lap deleted (for track limits infraction), which didn't help but I was able to almost do it again. The C8.R was great again. It's always good to get on pole and to get one for Corvette Racing. “It was a pretty good, intense qualifying like always. It’s always good to be out there in the best car possible and go for the fastest lap around this race track as well. That's when you get to experience this track. I’m really happy with that and how everything felt although I did have one lap deleted which confused me a little bit because it was like almost two laps after I actually did the lap time. Fortunately, I still had good laps left to be on pole and I was able improve again. It was intense, like always here at the Glen. It means a lot, but in a way it’s still six hours to go. It’s going to be a classic six hours here where everything will probably come down to the last two pit stops probably. I hope we can always be up front. I’m sure maybe we will cycle a few positions up and down with strategies. But you can’t ask for more, a Corvette one-two. So that’s pretty good.”
THE RACE OUTLOOK: "I think we will be alright. We saw this morning how cold it was compared to now. The car felt completely different in practice. The work we did yesterday was really good, and that will be way closer to what we will experience tomorrow. We were competitive on Friday and we will have to be the same in the race. Still, the Six Hours will come down to the last two or two-and-a-half. But we are in the best spot we can be."
WHEN YOU QUALIFY AT WATKINS GLEN, DO YOU HAVE TO SCARE YOURSELF A LITTLE BIT? "I think you need to close you eyes a few times! You need to get close to the walls here, for sure. That's the fun part of it. It's not that you have massive run-offs. You do at Turn One and a little bit at Turn Eight. The good thing is that you still have very interesting points around the track. This is very challenging and we're glad to be back."
RULES FOR TRACK LIMITS: "You need to keep two wheels on the curbs in Turn One and Turn Eight. Those are the two places where you can be really close to that. The one that got invalidated, it probably wasn’t the best laptime, but I’m sure they reviewed that. And that’s the thing. I would rather have the banner they have on Turn Eight so that gives everybody a heads up. We always try to find the limit and probably overshoot there."
WHAT WILL YOU DO BETWEEN RACES? “Just prepping the next race. Hopefully we have a clean race tomorrow so all we need is to redo the cars. Hopefully we won’t have anything to repair. Also I think I will be doing some inserts for Le Mans because we are running another chassis over there. They need to redo the car in only two or three days and that’s a big push for (the crew).”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “Obviously going one-two is a good start for the weekend. For us, I think the car was just a bit out of the window balance-wise to kind of put it all together. It seemed like Antonio had a couple of good laps there. I say we missed it a little bit, but the car was still super, super good and super quick. But when you are looking for a tenth here and a tenth there, those little differences definitely make a difference. We’ll definitely work on those and get it better for warm-up and for the race. Obviously the pace all weekend has felt good. The Corvettes are driving really ,really well. From the first session, the car has been super close on being a good race car. Sometimes you come to some race tracks and you are a little bit lost and you are playing catch-up. I think right now we are in a good spot. Hopefully that holds true for the race. The race is six hours so a lot can happen but this is a good start. "Qualifying is always fun. It doesn’t matter where you are but especially here at Watkins Glen. You have new tires, low fuel and be able to really go for it... to really crash the curbs in the Bus Stop and driving the Carousel super, super fast with just a bit of a lift there... This track always feels fast but especially so during qualifying."
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After Three of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 697 2. Cooper MacNeil – 656 3. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 653 4. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 647 5. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi/Philipp Eng – 636
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 697 2. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 656 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 653 4. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 647 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 636
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 720 2. BMW – 700 3. Porsche – 692 4. Ferrari – 330
Corvette Racing at Watkins Glen 2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen Jun 24 to Jun 27 2021 Watkins Glen, NY Track: Watkins Glen International Race Duration: 6 hours Circuit Length: 3.4 miles
Press Release: North America’s longest-running sports car program is back at The Glen for this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Glad to be Back
· First race in two years at Watkins Glen for Corvette Racing · Debut at The Glen for mid-engine Corvette C8.Rs · Three consecutive class podiums at The Glen for Corvette Racing in GTLM
DETROIT (June 22, 2021) – To all those at and around Watkins Glen International, Corvette Racing has a message:
We missed you… A LOT!
North America’s longest-running sports car program is back at The Glen – along with the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – for this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. It’s the first of back-to-back weekends at the circuit for IMSA teams and a trip that Corvette Racing is relishing.
The next two weeks – including a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race on July 2 – present an opportunity to make up for lost time after last year’s Six Hours was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant Corvette Racing didn’t have the chance to show off the mid-engine Corvette C8.R during its debut season.
Now, the Corvette quartet gets a chance to double its pleasure with more than 8.5 hours of racing during the next two weekends around historic 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course that has played host to some of the most famous faces, manufacturers and championships in the last 60 years.
Corvette Racing added itself to the honor roll of winners at The Glen with a victory in 2014. There have been plenty of near-misses since with three consecutive podium finishes from 2017-2019. The latest has a greater since of irony this season as Garcia and Jan Magnussen finished second in GTLM after a titanic late-race battle with Tandy, of all people.
Chevrolet on Display at Watkins Glen In addition to happenings on the racetrack at Watkins Glen, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet’s automotive product line. That’s because the Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. from Friday plus 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday in the fan midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar • A 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition coupe • Additional Chevrolet products such as the Camaro Coupe 2SS, Blazer RS, Silverado Trail Boss, and Tahoe RST • A special display with various Corvette Racing artifacts • An opportunity to receive a Corvette T-shirt
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen begins at 10:40 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 27. Same-day coverage will be available from 7-10 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Live streaming video on Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App begins at 10:35 a.m. ET. Live audio coverage of qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The Glen is one of my favorite tracks. I really missed the chance to get to know the C8.R around there. The previous car was really good there and we had some great races. It’s the same feeling I have about Le Mans; we missed it last year too, and these are two places where I’m looking forward to driving the C8.R around. Two consecutive races at The Glen will be interesting, but it’s good preparation for the summer and what we have coming up in our championship.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Watkins Glen is a staple of road racing in North America. All the drivers and teams love going there. It has such a huge fanbase for road racing. It was a huge loss for us last year. It’s one of the coolest tracks in America and has that old-school feel that a driver enjoys and fans love to watch. It always offers great racing, and the Six Hours is a classic event on our calendar. It’s also another endurance race that we can get under our belt before we go to Le Mans, so it checks off a lot of the boxes that we missed out on last year.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Watkins Glen is one of the classic American racetracks, and the Six Hours is one of the crown jewels of sports car racing worldwide. To miss that one last year was a big bummer. We’re all excited to get back there this year and go for it with this new C8.R. We haven’t raced there with this car, so we’re looking forward to seeing what it can do. The C8.R should be pretty well-suited to a track like Watkins Glen. It’s a pretty fast and high-speed circuit. I think one place we felt like we struggled with the C7.R was the Carousel coming out of the Bus Stop. We’re excited to see what this new Corvette can do.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We missed being at Watkins Glen last year. It’s a circuit that absolutely should suit this C8.R. It’s fast, flowing and a high-downforce circuit. It’s just great to drive on. I can’t wait to see what the Corvette is like around there. The last time we visited The Glen, I had a titanic tussle with Antonio and the No. 3 Corvette. It was a duel to the end! I’m looking forward to being on the other side, going back to back at Watkins Glen but this time in a different car!”
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After Two of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 697 2. Cooper MacNeil – 656 3. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 653 4. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 647 5. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi/Philipp Eng – 636
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 697 2. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 656 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 653 4. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 647 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 636
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 720 2. BMW – 700 3. Porsche – 692 4. Ferrari – 330
Corvette Racing at Watkins Glen 2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy won an all-Chevrolet Corvette C8.R battle in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the Detroit Sports Car Challenge
CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Milner, Tandy Win Battle of Corvette C8.Rs at Belle Isle
DETROIT(June 12, 2021) – Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy won an all-Chevrolet Corvette C8.R battle in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the Detroit Sports Car Challenge on Saturday at Belle Isle Park.
The duo in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R beat their Corvette Racing teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor by 0.226 seconds in a non-points GTLM round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The two Corvettes made their lone pit stops of the race three laps apart, with Taylor pitting first after 42 minutes. Tandy then stopped with a 55-second lead, and the gap shrank back to a little more than a second with 25 minutes to go with Garcia trying to run down Milner to the end before and after a late-race caution period.
Despite no points being available in GTLM, having Corvette Racing back on Belle Isle was of huge benefit on multiple fronts. For one, the Belle Isle appearance provided an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet production team members who contributed in some way to the C8.R – and the road-going Corvette Stingray – to see Corvette Racing in-person. The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was culmination of almost six years of work between all facets of engineers and designers from the Corvette production side and Corvette Racing.
Second, it was Corvette Racing’s first IMSA event since March. With a busy stretch coming up in the IMSA championship over the next six weeks – plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August – Belle Isle offered up a nice refresher on operations and procedures for the four drivers plus the crews and engineers.
Saturday’s race also was the first street race for the Corvette C8.R, and the team also collected valuable data ahead of the Long Beach street circuit in September.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 27 from Watkins Glen International.
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:"The goal coming here was to keep the cars off the wall and learn as much as we possibly could about the C8.R on a street track. We did that. We did treat this as competition within our team to remain sharp and working through our processes. We did that with no mistakes in the race. We knew having Nick stay out longer than Jordan would help, and it did. There was a little traffic and then the yellow near the end to bunch us up. That gave us a little battle for sure. It was good for us to shake off the cobwebs and get ready for the long haul toward the end of the season.
"Both cars are close as it is, no matter what. We expected a nice little race with the 3 car, which we got there at the start. Our pit strategy put us a little farther ahead and Antonio kind of made it back toward me for a nice little run to the end. I had no radio, which was not the plan! That's about the only thing that went wrong for us this weekend. The crew could give me gaps (on a signboard). But I could see the gap to Antonio and could see he was getting closer. We had the yellow and I knew there were about six of seven laps to go. For us to learn a lot about the car and the tires in those situations is a benefit. It puts us back in a groove again. We've been off for so many weeks. It's good for us as a team to shake the rust off and get our minds back into racing mode again. In some ways, it was a practice race for us before we push on for the last races.
"That was mission No. 1, but the whole point of coming here was to showcase these Corvettes. We haven't been here since 2008, so it's a great opportunity for Corvette Racing to showcase these C8.Rs to the engineers and a lot of the people who work for Corvette Racing and Chevrolet. Their families were able to be here and see these cars. It wasn't just about us driving on the racetrack. It's about giving back to a lot of the people who make this race program what it is. It was an opportunity for them to see the cars up close and experience what these Corvettes are capable of and what they are working toward. Both cars are in one piece. From our perspective, job well done.
The reception of Corvette on Belle Isle:"It's a great opportunity for us as drivers and a team to interact with the many, many people who in some way helped to make these race cars or street cars, or someone else who works for Chevrolet or GM who has a hand in a different model than Corvette. The Corvette is a halo car and America's supercar. It's the pinnacle of what Chevrolet offers. It's a chance to build excitement within those programs and for those engineers to get excited about what they produce. Fundamentally, this was high on the priority list for coming here and doing this race. We wanted to give them a good experience to see what they're working on and had a hand in some ways so they can show their friends and families what they do. That's what racing for a long time has been about - to showcase the latest and greatest in technologies. They can see the track-to-street correlation to see how close the race cars look compared to the street cars. They can see production parts that they helped build or design that are on the race cars. It's a unique opportunity for GM and Chevrolet, and it's a no-brainer for us to come to this race."
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:"Not only did we complete the race and show off this awesome Corvette to everyone in the stands and around the track, but we also got a load of relevant information for the next time we are on a street track. This was the first time we've been on this type of track with the C8.R. What also was pleasing was how the whole weekend went operationally. The whole team was able to get back in the swing of things again before a busy summer. So yes, mission accomplished.
"We had a good race between our cars. The start was interesting. We were three-wide in the kink before the start-finish line, and I was surprised to see this. But it all worked itself out. We learned a lot about what we need out of the car from a street track point of view. This is good. We had a restart with cold tires and it's always fun when you have someone to play with and compete against, so this was good. Between the pair of us, we split strategies a bit; one car pitted early to avoid traffic, and we stayed out in the hope we could build a gap. We could see the differences in these kinds of strategic decisions. This is something that goes into a notebook. Fortunately for me and Tommy and everyone on the 4 Corvette, we get to celebrate in Victory Circle. We'll take it as a victory, and I'm happy to be here."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM:"Every time you race, you find things. It's great to now have laps on the C8.R around a street circuit. It's good to do a race for the first time here because there is a lot of data to be collected. We raced hard and tried to get the most out of the Corvette while racing against each other. We proved that we were running fairly quick. I think I left my right-side mirror somewhere on the track! It was cool. It's always to race around a street circuit. Maybe we were missing some competition like we are used to, but it was great to be here in Detroit with all the people who work on and appreciate the Corvette. This has been a highlight weekend for everyone."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM:"It was a good experience. We had some new crew members over the wall for pit stops. We tried some new things on the car to help with reliability. There may to have been points but we learned a lot to take to Long Beach for another street course and of course Le Mans, which is the big one we are preparing for. So yes, a very good day for Corvette Racing."
Nick Tandy set the fastest time for Corvette Racing ahead of the Chevrolet Sport Car Classic on Friday
CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Tandy Takes Pole in C8.R Showdown
DETROIT(June 11, 2021) – Nick Tandy set the fastest time for Corvette Racing ahead of the Chevrolet Sport Car Classic on Friday, just beating out Jordan Taylor in a battle of mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs.
Tandy set a time of 1:27.283 (96.926 mph) in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R to edge out his No. 3 teammate by 0.323 seconds. Saturday’s 100-minute race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the first time Corvette Racing has competed on Belle Isle since 2008.
Corvette Racing’s home event became possible with the move of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from mid-June to mid-August. It’s the team’s first IMSA race since the Mobil 1Twelve Hours of Sebring in March and is a nice warmup ahead of a busy stretch of four races in six weeks, plus the return to Le Mans.
Belle Isle also provides an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet team members – both within the Corvette team and others outside the main program, all of whom contributed in some way to the C8.R and the road-going Corvette Stingray – to see Corvette Racing in-person for the only time in 2021. The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was culmination of almost six years of work between engineers and designers from the Corvette production group and Corvette Racing.
What resulted was a racecar that won six times during its 2020 debut season and swept the full-season IMSA GTLM championships for Manufacturers, Drivers and Teams. The Corvette C8.R also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.
The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12. The race will air live on NBCSN and stream on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER:“It wasn’t easy. Driving around any street circuit is pretty challenging. We had a tough practice this morning but we managed to make some changes for qualifying. This Corvette was on rails. We took it easy at the start and brought in the tires nicely. To grab the pole is a great thing for our team on our side of the garage. In a home race and in front of the whole General Motors and Chevrolet, it’s awesome to do.
“The thing to do in order to improve for the rest of the season is to treat this as a full race event. OK, there are only two cars in our class but we will execute as a normal race. There will be inter-team competition. We want to put on a show for the fans and show them what the Corvette C8.R can do on the racetrack.
"It's great for the team and Corvette Racing to be here and show this car off to people who perhaps wouldn't have been able to see it at a different track. There are a lot of people from Chevrolet and across the company who have been working on the street car and the race car. Hopefully there will be some of them who will get to see the car in action that wouldn't have been able to otherwise. It's a huge event for us, and we are thankful the schedule and IMSA allowed us to show off this great race car.
"We are treating this as a bonafide race event. We've been way for quite awhile since Sebring and we didn't race Mid-Ohio. The schedule is going to get very busy coming up looking at the doubleheader at Watkins Glen and then a few additional races in a short time. Operationally, we wanted to get back in the swing of things. The briefing in qualifying was to make the car as fast as we possibly could and drive it as fast as we possibly could because we will go to another street circuit later this year. It was good fun driving on this street circuit for the first time this morning. Putting sticker tires and low fuel this afternoon made it that much more enjoyable."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM:“It’s been very helpful being on track today. It’s the first time we’ve run this Corvette on a street circuit, so before we go to Long Beach it’s good to get some testing done here. Things like the car over the bumps and small little details like launch controls, throttle positions and engine mapping. There is work going for reliability also. The more miles we can put on the C8.R the better ahead of Le Mans.”
For the first time in more than a decade, Corvette Racing will compete in its hometown
CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Home, Sweet Home
· First race for program on Belle Isle since 2008 · Two mid-engine Corvette C8.Rs to compete in front of home crowd · Corvette brand with victories in GT, Prototypes at Detroit over the years
DETROIT (June 8, 2021) – For the first time in more than a decade, Corvette Racing will compete in its hometown when the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Detroit and the Belle Isle street circuit this weekend for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.
Both of the team’s mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will compete in the 100-minute race that airs live at 5 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN as part of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend. While the GT Le Mans (GTLM) contest in a non-points event, that doesn’t lessen the importance of having Corvette Racing back on Belle Isle.
For one, Belle Isle will provide an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet production team members – both within the Corvette team and others outside the main program, all of whom contributed in some way to the C8.R and the road-going Corvette Stingray – to see Corvette Racing in-person for the only time in 2021. The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was culmination of almost six years of work between all facets of engineers and designers from the Corvette production side and Corvette Racing.
What resulted was a racecar that won six times during its 2020 debut season and swept the full-season IMSA GTLM championships for Manufacturers, Drivers and Teams. The Corvette C8.R also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.
Second, it’s Corvette Racing’s first IMSA event since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. Competing on Belle Isle will serve as a tune-up for a busy summer schedule that includes four races in a six-week span, plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August. It also will be the first time the full-season driver pairings compete together – defending GTLM champions Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.
Corvette Racing competed at Belle Isle in 2007 and 2008 with the sixth-generation racing Corvette, which took American Le Mans Series class victories each year. The event date shifted from September to June in 2012, which was in conflict with the 24 Hours of Le Mans – one of the premier events on Corvette Racing’s calendar.
Two of the four Corvette Racing drivers – Milner and Taylor – have previous experience on Belle Isle. Milner twice raced GT2 cars in the American Le Mans Series, and Taylor is a five-time winner in prototypes at Belle Isle, including three in a Corvette Daytona Prototype.
Chevrolet on Display at Belle Isle In addition to happenings on the racetrack on Belle Isle, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet. That’s because the Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 7:30 a.m. from Friday through Sunday in the fan midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar and the No. 16 Paretta Autsport IndyCar • Additional Chevrolet products such as the Camaro ZL1, Silverado and Blazer Redline Edition • An opportunity to receive a 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix special edition T-shirt
The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12. The race will air live on NBCSN and stream on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Even though this isn’t a points race, I’m glad we are back at Belle Isle. It’s the first time for me racing in Detroit. Knowing we are racing with one of the most iconic cars around there is pretty cool. Combining that with fans being back in the grandstands and in the paddock is even better. I’m looking forward to getting back on the racetrack and back to racing after a long period since Sebring. I had a chance to race at Spa, but it still feels like a long time since I’ve raced in the States. It’ll be nice to get back to doing what we are used to doing – being around the fans and seeing them. That’s one of the biggest things.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “At any racetrack where you’ve had success, you’re excited to go back and enjoy being there. For me, I’ve been with GM for so many years. I won there in 2012 in a Camaro, three times in Corvette Daytona Prototype, and then 2017 in a Cadillac. To be there always in a GM vehicle with the Renaissance Center nearby and all the big bosses coming to the race, it always adds a lot of pressure but always means so much more when the race goes well. You can see those guys in person, and they are so passionate for these programs that it’s awesome to see their excitement. To go back there with the Corvette C8.R after such a strong opening year in 2020 and a strong start in 2021, it’s going to be cool to show them in person what these cars are able to do.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m excited to get back in the C8.R again. It’s been a bit of break since Sebring. There has been some testing but there’s nothing like a race weekend. The Detroit event will be a little different for us since it’s a non-points event. We will treat it as a race event but it will be a good warmup with quite a few races coming up. There won’t be much time to take a breath before the end of the season. We’ve missed the atmosphere of having the fans there. For me at least I still feel that’s a missing element. Fundamentally that’s why we go racing – to showcase these amazing Corvette race cars and allow the people to get up close and see how cool they are five feet away. For the fans who have been around sports cars so long to get back the access is pretty special. For us, that’s something that is fun to see.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve been to Detroit to visit the Corvette Racing shop. But due to things associated around COVID, I haven’t yet been able to integrate fully into the Chevrolet and Corvette programs. So this is something that I’m looking forward to – meeting some of the team members who have designed and worked on this car and seeing the people of Detroit who want to come and see us. We’re all looking forward to having the paddock open again to show off these cool machines and interact with people. On top of that, it’s my first time at Belle Isle. From a competition standpoint, I’m looking forward to getting onto a brand new circuit. It’s not often that we go to a new track so it’s something that is exciting for me personally.”
Garcia, Gavin put up hard fight in final race for British Corvette legend
CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: Fourth in European Debut for C8.R Garcia, Gavin put up hard fight in final race for British Corvette legend
STAVELOT, Belgium (May 1, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin finished fourth in GTE Pro at the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday with their No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The first appearance at Spa by Corvette Racing was significant for two reasons: it marked the first race outside the United States for the mid-engine racing Corvette, and it also marked Gavin’s final start with the team after 20 years.
The main target for the Spa event was to gain knowledge and experience with the C8.R in the FIA WEC ahead of August’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing will send two of the mid-engine racers back to Le Mans after missing last year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Garcia qualified fifth but the race pace of the Corvette was encouraging in a fight among three manufacturers. He drove the first two stints on the same set of Michelin tires – a different strategy than the other GTE Pro entries – in an effort to be in better shape to fight at the end.
Gavin drove the middle two stints of the race, including the race’s first full-course caution. It marked the 204th appearance in a Corvette Racing entry for the veteran, who ended his career with 51 victories – including five at Le Mans – and five IMSA championships. Gavin moved up to fourth in class during his stint as one of the Porsches suffered a punctured tire.
Garcia re-entered with a little more than two hours to go. He set the Corvette’s fastest race lap in his next-to-last stint – a 2:14.622 (116.383 mph) that ranked third among all GTE Pro drivers in the push for a podium finish.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic from Belle Isle Park in Detroit as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday, June 12.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTE PRO: “This definitely was valuable for me and for the team. We learned a lot. As it happened a couple of years ago at Sebring when we ran a WEC race, it’s good to run in this championship to make everyone aware of the regulations and how to perform in this series. It’s way different than IMSA. It’s always good to have a good shakedown and learn everything that counts. So this was a very valuable experience.” (Driving with Oliver Gavin) “I really wanted us to finish on the podium. That was my main push the whole race was to be up there with him, even if we knew getting on the top step was almost impossible. But being up there would have been super-nice. I gave all I had to do it. It wasn’t enough for sure, but it was good to share a Corvette with him for once. I would have liked to have to get a better result. But as a team, we can take the good things from this race and the information on the car ahead toward Le Mans.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTE PRO: "My last race for Corvette Racing and in the C8.R, and it's been quite a journey. I'm so proud to have won these overalls to represent such an amazing team in Corvette Racing and Team Chevy. To be able to compete here for the final time in the WEC has been very special; Spa-Francorchamps is an exceptional track. The emotion of it has overwhelmed me somewhat, but I'm so proud to have competed for this team for 20 years. I'm proud of that success with so many special people, not only on the race team side but on the road car side. I couldn't be prouder of what we have all achieved together. Thank you also to all the Corvette fans out there. You're unbelievable and so passionate... an amazing group that really spurs us on. I can't thank you enough. "It's been quite a day. I kind of went through all this when I was at Sebring in November for my final race in IMSA. It has brought a lot of those emotions back. Those last few laps, I was thinking about everything that is happened, all the of the 20 years I've spent with this team and what we've been able to achieve... I'm so proud of what we've been able to do with four generations of Corvette and all the races we've won. To be able to finish here at Spa in the WEC is very special. You can really feel the character and charisma of the track and the race. Those are the things I fell in love with when I went to Le Mans for the first time. I feel very, very fortunate."
Garcia, Gavin to start fifth from GTE Pro grid in European debut for No. 63 mid-engine Corvette
CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: C8.R Ready to Challenge FIA WEC’s Best Garcia, Gavin to start fifth from GTE Pro grid in European debut for mid-engine Corvette
STAVELOT, Belgium (April 30, 2021) – Antonio Garcia qualified Corvette Racing’s No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R fifth in qualifying for Saturday’s Six Hours of Spa – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Garcia and Oliver Gavin will team together Saturday in the first race outside the United States for the mid-engine racing Corvette. The team is at the Spa circuit for the first time as preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this year.
Garcia and the rest of the GTE Pro field had time for just two flying laps in Friday’s 10-minute qualifying session due to two red-flag periods in the GTE session. Garcia’s best effort was a 2:13.106 (117.688 mph) to put the Corvette within two seconds of the pole time.
Single-lap pace was hardly a concern for Corvette Racing in testing Monday and Tuesday, as well as during practice sessions Thursday and Friday. The team worked throughout to optimize the mid-engine C8.R for Saturday’s race, and the Corvette showed encouraging pace over long runs with a focus on extending the life of its Michelin tires.
Much of the positive results so far this week were the result of simulation work in the lead-up to the event. Corvette Racing engineers looked at a number of circuits on the IMSA schedule that have similar characteristics to the 19-turn, 4.35-mile circuit that lies in the heart of eastern Belgium. It allowed engineers and mechanics to arrive at Spa with a solid baseline setup on the Corvette, despite have never turned a wheel at the track.
The rules set in WEC also is different than the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with differing tire and fuel allocations, as well as procedures for things like pit stops and safety cars. Having the experience in-hand should pay dividends when the full Corvette Racing team makes its return to Le Mans in August.
Live race television and online coverage will be available via MotorTrend Network and MotorTrend On-Demand. Radio coverage for all practice sessions plus Friday qualifying and the race will air on Radio Le Mans. Live timing and scoring will be available on the FIA WEC website.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “You obviously always want to be a little further up, but we knew the competition was going to be very high here. We are missing a few things - how to use the tire with the tire warmers and everything... if you really nail a lap it makes a big difference. Qualifying is only a very small portion of the whole race. I'm sure tomorrow with all the tire management we need to do, we need to double-stint some our allotment. That will be key. I hope the deficit we had on ultimate pace closes down to be a little less so that we can have a strong race pace. Let's hope we have that. If not, we are here to learn and get as much information as we can. But we are hoping for a good one tomorrow.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It's been a lot of work for the team. We've gone through a number of setup changes. We've been exploring how to make the C8.R work here. It has been challenging. Spa is a very challenging racetrack, and the competition is fierce. The conditions have been quite tricky too... cool with low track temperatures that makes it hard to make the tires work. There is a limited amount of tires you can have for the weekend. So we've taken some reasonable swings at the setup. We've focused in on something pretty solid now. Antonio in the last practice was pretty competitive on a long run. We're not too bad for race pace. Whether we have the ultimate pace to fight Saturday, I'm not sure. You never really know until you get into the race. We'll wait and see.”
As one of the architects and driving forces behind Corvette Racing, Doug Fehan would help build one of the most successful teams in racing history by making the production car team and fans all over the world, a part of the team.
Corvette Racing takes its first steps toward a Le Mans return next week at historic Spa-Francorchamps in FIA WEC competition
CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: First Step Toward Le Mans
· Garcia, Gavin set to team together for first time in No. 63 Corvette C8.R · FIA World Endurance Championship return for Corvette Racing · First race outside U.S. for mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette race car · Six Hours outing ahead of two-car effort at 24 Hours of Le Mans in August
DETROIT (April 22, 2021) – Corvette Racing takes its first steps toward a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next week with the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at historic Spa-Francorchamps. Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin are set to team in a unique opportunity for sports car racing’s dominant GT program at the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday, May 1.
For the first time, Garcia and Gavin will team together for Corvette Racing with the pair sharing the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. This will mark the first appearance for the mid-engine racing Corvette outside the United States and the team’s first appearance at Spa.
The Garcia/Gavin pairing and the rest of the Corvette Racing contingent will take part in two days of FIA WEC preseason testing Monday and Tuesday before official practices get under way Thursday at the 20-turn, 4.35-mile circuit in the heart of the eastern Belgium.
Between them, Gavin and Garcia have 318 starts, 73 wins and nine championships with Corvette Racing, but they’ve never shared the same racecar within the program. Each, however, has previous experience in GT programs at Spa.
Garcia was part of a class-winning effort at the 2001 Spa 24 Hours and won there in European Touring Car competition as well. Gavin has raced both open-wheel and sports cars including a podium finish in the 2016 Spa 24 Hours.
The run by the No. 63 Corvette in the GTE Pro category will help lay the groundwork as the program makes its comeback to Le Mans in August after missing last year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program has won eight times at the event since 2001 and will enter two Corvette C8.Rs in this year’s race.
Competing at Spa will provide the Corvette Racing team a bit of a refresher on specific rules and strategy methods that are unique to FIA WEC races. Pit stop operations and safety car procedures are among the biggest differences in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA WEC competitions.
Live race television and online coverage will be available via MotorTrend Network and MotorTrend On-Demand. Radio coverage for all practice sessions plus Friday qualifying and the race will air on Radio Le Mans. Live timing and scoring will be available on the FIA WEC website.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s a nice idea to run this race at Spa to prepare for Le Mans. It’s not just as drivers but the engineers and the crew… everyone will be up to speed on the WEC philosophy of racing. With all the rules and differences from IMSA, it’s a good warmup for Le Mans. It helps everyone clear their minds and be focused on being prepared. That’s the main thing. “I’ve been in the Spa 24 Hours twice, and I just missed the podium my last time. I’m really looking forward to racing the Corvette at Spa. A proper racetrack deserves a proper car like the C8.R! I’m looking forward to going around there in a GTE car. I really enjoyed my time racing in a GT1 car several years ago, and I’m sure the Corvette will be even more pleasant this time around.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “When I was first spoken to about this opportunity to race at Spa, I had gone back to Antonio and he had asked if there was any chance that we could drive together. I’m really thrilled. We’ve become really great friends over the years. I’d been teammates with nearly everyone else but had never been teammates with Antonio! It’s just a really great thing to share the C8.R with him. It’s going to be special. We’ll want to push as hard as we can for as strong a result as possible. “Spa is one of the greatest tracks where anyone could go race. It has a very good cadence to it. It certainly has some of the most challenging corners anywhere in the world – whether you’re talking about Eau Rouge, Blanchimont or any of the stuff coming back down the hill. It’s all challenging and a great track to race on. It’s a track that I think will suit the C8.R. You also think about the weather at Spa and what could happen. Late April into the beginning of May can throw up any sort of condition at you. It’ll be phenomenal to go there with the team and with such a great racecar. It’ll certainly make all the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I’m driving down the pitlane for the first time and taking it all in. It’s going to be a very special weekend. I’ve had some great success there over the years but also some frustrating and disappointing moments. But you always go away feeling exhilarated. You never ever leave Spa thinking it was just OK or that you didn’t get much of an experience. It’s a thrill to drive around, and the challenge is immense."
PRESS RELEASE: Milner second in ultra-close qualifying between two Corvette C8.Rs
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Garcia Leads Corvette 1-2 Milner second in ultra-close GTLM qualifying between two Corvette C8.Rs
SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Antonio Garcia put Corvette Racing on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts as the team looks to continue its strong opening to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Garcia, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a GTLM record with a 1:54.910 (117.169 mph) around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit for Saturday’s race in central Florida. He was a sliver quicker – by just 0.034 seconds – than teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette. His time was a 1:54.944 (117.135 mph).
Garcia was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s rescheduled 2020 Sebring 12 Hours, and he shared the GTLM Drivers Championship with teammate Jordan Taylor. The pairing, along with Nicky Catsburg, won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the 2021 season.
Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims were second at the Rolex but were the GTLM pole-sitters there. Milner also won a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race at Sebring in July with Oliver Gavin.
Corvette Racing and Chevrolet sit 1-2 in the early-season GTLM points standings. The No. 3 Corvette group leads over the No. 4 C8.R in full-season points, but the positions are switched in the Michelin Endurance Cup. The four-race championship is made of IMSA’s four long-distance races with Milner, Tandy and Sims claiming the most points at the pre-determined marks of the Rolex 24. Sebring serves as the second round of the MEC.
All signs point toward Corvette Racing contending for its 13th victory at Sebring International Raceway and 12th in the annual 12-hour enduro. The program’s last two Rolex 24 victories in 2015 and 2016 led to race wins at Sebring only weeks later.
The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air on NBCSN from 10 a.m.-noon and 7-10:30 p.m. ET. The full race will be streamed on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 216, XM 392 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was very stressful! We are not used to qualifying together with the GTD cars, so initially it was very difficult for us to gauge how much room you had to fall back in order not to catch them. It seemed like no matter how much we were back, we were still catching them. I knew Tommy was coming from behind me, so I couldn’t really open a gap; I didn’t want to bother him. The first attempt was really bad. The second one I thought I had enough gap but had to dive for a pass going into Turn 17. I knew it was a good lap, so I had to go for it. I’m very happy for Corvette. It’s always good to have Corvette Racing up there 1-2 even if it is a long race. Let’s see if we can keep those positions like we did at Daytona.”
ON QUALIFYING WITH GTD CARS: “We are just used to qualifying alone, so we need to get used to it. For the first race, it was a little bit of a shock for us because we didn’t know how to place ourselves on track not to interfere with them and for them to not interfere with us. That’s the key thing. They have 12-13 cars in that category so it’s always difficult around Sebring anyway. When it comes to shorter races, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Sebring is a long track. I think we all more or less got a clean lap but for sure it was stressful.”
TELL US ABOUT THE POLE RUN WHICH IS A NEW TRACK RECORD AND BEING BACK WITH JORDAN AND NICKY AFTER WINNING THE ROLEX 24: “It is always good to be back at Sebring and always special to do qualifying with lighter tanks and going for it. I really enjoy doing that even though with the new rules this year we are sharing the track with the GTD category, so that brings a little more excitement into the qualifying because you need to place yourself in the right position not to catch them. It was very stressful and I didn’t know what the gap would be between the two categories. On my fast lap, I had to pass a car into (Turn) 17 but it didn’t seem to disturb me too much. I think it was (Earl) Bamber driving the other car. He didn’t block me or put me in a bad situation, so sorry if I destroyed his lap but I had to go. I'm pretty happy with that and a 1-2 for Corvette Racing. We will see if we can keep this for tomorrow’s race.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS HERE FOR THE C8.R? “I think so. Last year we were in position as we proved by setting the pole and then being up there fighting with the BMWs and Porsches. I think we had the pace at the end, but unfortunately we couldn’t fight for it. So tomorrow is just another race, and we need to focus on that... on trying to win this thing. It’s going to be tough as Sebring has always been. It's different conditions. Hopefully it won’t be as hot as it was yesterday. Maybe things will be a tiny bit easier. We will go through all three different conditions - cooler at the beginning, then very hot, then cooler again at night. We just need to survive out there and then when it gets to the last two hours, it’s game on. Let’s see how it goes, and as you said, unfinished business from last year so let’s see if we can take home this one.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: "We can't be unhappy with first and second. To be that close and not having scored a pole in IMSA competition is frustrating! But the cars were obviously super-quick today. The competition is also close, too. It looks like we will have a pretty tough race tomorrow. It's tough no matter what at Sebring, but when you have three other cars that are going to be competitive for the whole race, that makes it trickier. We still have a little work to do with car setup and get it as good as we can for the whole 12 hours. We're starting from a good spot in terms of position on the track but from a comfort standpoint, we're in a good place too. We'll do a little more in the warmup, and we have 12 hours to make little tweaks and tunes as we need."
EVOLUTION OF C8.R FROM FIRST TIME AT SEBRING IN 2020: "It's hard to compare to our first time here. Every time we go to the track, the guys are taking lessons from data and from the simulator to improve things. If we went back to exactly how we ran for the first time here in February of last year, I'm sure the cars would feel significantly different. It's being refined and evolving over time. Certainly we are going in the right direction."
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After One of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 382 2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 355 3. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards/Marco Wittmann – 325 4. Davide Rigon/James Calado/Jules Gounon – 308 5. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi/Philipp Eng/Timo Glock – 286 6. Cooper MacNeil/Gianmaria Bruni/Kevin Estre/Richard Lietz – 280
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 382 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 355 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 324 4. No. 62 Risi Competizione – 308 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 286 6. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 280
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 385 2. BMW – 348 3. Ferrari – 330 4. Porsche – 312
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Sebring: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 22 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history. • 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins. • 12: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing – the most of any venue in program history. Eleven of those have come in the 12 Hours. • 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 22: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 31: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims are the newest. • 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 239: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 49,259.70: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 310,897.63: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.
Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)
2020* No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
RADIO: 1) Streaming on IMSA TV on IMSA.com & RadioLeMans.com http://radiolemans.0157.org/nplayer.php 2) Scanner frequency 454.000 4) XM 392 5) SiriusXM Online 992 6) local 99.1 FM, 730 AM, 1050 AM
There will be an open-air tent with daily beverage service, a catered lunch and non-stop large screen viewing of the races will be available exclusively to ticketed guests.
Only tickets already purchased to the Corvette corral will be honored. No additional corral parking passes will be sold. Corral will be closed to the public. Only guests with Corral tickets will be permitted to access tents or grandstands.
Chevrolet Motorsports Display, Ride and Drive Return to Sebring In addition to happenings on the racetrack at Sebring, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet. Thats because two locations at the circuit Chevrolet Motorsports Display and Chevrolet Ride and Drive will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday in the Sebring Midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
Coupe and convertible models of the mid-engine Corvette Stingray. Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer, Silverado, Tahoe and the Bolt EV. An opportunity to receive a Team Chevy t-shirt via a QR code scan.
The Sebring Skidpad outside of Turn 17 can sample a Chevrolet vehicle for themselves at the Ride and Drive event. Starting at 9 a.m. each day, spectators have the chance to test a wide variety of Chevrolets include Tahoe, Camaro, Bolt EV, Blazer, Trailerblazer, Colorado and Silverado.
Covid and race info Info: All arriving guests must wear face coverings/masks at the gate A temperature check and screening questionnaire will be administered for all guests arriving at Gate 1, including returning guests. Sebring International Raceway Neighborhoods Green Park Green Park will be open to all spectators and guests. All bathrooms, showers and bridges will be open 24 hours a day staring Wednesday, March 17 at 8 a.m. Face coverings/masks are not required for guests socializing within their own groups. The practice of social distancing will be required. Guests will be required to use face coverings/masks within six feet of others from outside their group when visiting viewing mounds and restrooms. Hendricks Field Park Hendricks Field Park will be open to all spectators and guests. A Hendricks Field or East Paddock Car or RV parking pass is required for all vehicles. Face coverings/masks are not required for guests socializing within their own groups. The practice of social distancing will be required. Guests will be required to use face coverings/masks within six feet of others from outside their group when visiting viewing mounds. East Paddock The East Paddock will be open to all spectators and guests. An East Paddock Car or RV parking pass is required for all vehicles. Face coverings/masks are not required for guests socializing within their own groups. The practice of social distancing will be required. The East Walkover Bridge (pit exit) will be open to all guests accessing Turns 1, 14, 15 and 16 and for East Paddock guests accessing The Midway and other areas of the facility. No access to the Alan Jay Paddock is available via the East Walkover Bridge. The Midway The Midway will be open to all spectators and guests. All bathrooms, showers and bridges to Green Park will be open 24 hours a day starting Wednesday, March 17 at 8 a.m. The East Walkover Bridge (Turn 17) to the Alan Jay Paddock will only be open to Hospitality Guests with proper credentials. Face coverings/masks are not required for guests socializing within their own groups. The practice of social distancing will be required. Guests will be required to use face coverings/masks within six feet of others from outside their group when visiting concessions, vendor displays, viewing mounds and restrooms. Alan Jay Paddock The Alan Jay Paddock is only open to Hospitality Guests. No congregating or tailgating in the Alan Jay Paddock will be permitted. Only competitors and race officials will be permitted to access the Competitor Paddock or Pit Road. Competitor Paddock The Competitor Paddock will only be accessible by competitors, race officials and others listed on the IMSA essential personnel list. All Competitor Paddock guests must enter the property through Gate 4 and submit to an IMSA health screening on the skid pad inside Gate 4. A daily sticker providing access to the competitor paddock will be issued. Vendor Village & Food Court Concessions will be open, with safety precautions in place. Face coverings/masks are required while waiting in line and please respect distancing from guests outside of your party. Additional Guest Information Wrist bands will be issued and required with a ticket for re-entry. Guests must submit to a health screening each time they enter the property. Guests arriving after 9 p.m. on Thursday or Friday will be permitted to enter with a two- or one-day ticket. Children 12 and under are admitted free to general admission areas when accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets are required for all ages in hospitality locations. Free parking is available at Gate 3 or 4 outside the spectator gates Motorized scooters or golf carts are permitted only for ADA guests. ADA parking will be available on The Midway and in Green Park. ADA parking in the Alan Jay Paddock will be available only to ADA guests with access to that area. Only licensed vehicles are permitted on Raceway property. Bicycles, scooters, golf carts and ATVs are not permitted without permit. ADA guests can take verification to the Registration Office for golf cart or scooter passes. Motorcycles must be parked in specified motorcycle parking lots. All vehicles require a parking pass. All towed trailers require an open trailer parking pass. Pets are not permitted. Viewing mounds and other spectator areas will be open to guests wearing face coverings/masks. Car corrals, including grandstands, are limited only to guests who have purchased tickets for those areas. The race can be heard on WWOJ 99.1 FM or on the Raceways own 100.7 FM frequency. On-site emergency service information, including weather, is available by texting Sebring12 to 888-777.
Corvette Racing seeks the second leg of sports car racing’s Triple Crown this weekend
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Aiming for Florida Sweep
· First race since 1-2 GTLM finish at Daytona to open 2021 · Twelve wins at Sebring for Corvette Racing program · No. 4 Corvette looking for second Sebring win in nine months · Chevrolet Motorsports Display, Chevy Ride and Drive a must-see for Sebring fans
DETROIT (March 16, 2021) – Corvette Racing seeks the second leg of sports car racing’s Triple Crown this weekend as it heads back to Florida for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts.
The two-car team is coming off a 1-2 class finish in Rolex 24 At Daytona to start its 2021 season. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg were winners in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. They were only a handful of seconds – 3.519 to be exact – ahead of No. 4 Corvette teammates Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims.
That puts Corvette Racing and Chevrolet 1-2 in the early-season GTLM points standings. The No. 3 Corvette group leads over the No. 4 C8.R in full-season points, but the positions are switched in the Michelin Endurance Cup. The four-race championship is made of IMSA’s four long-distance races with Milner, Tandy and Sims claiming the most points at the pre-determined marks of the Rolex 24. Sebring serves as the second round of the MEC.
All signs point toward Corvette Racing contending for its 13th victory at Sebring International Raceway and 12th in the annual 12-hour enduro. The program’s last two Rolex 24 victories in 2015 and 2016 led to race wins at Sebring only weeks later.
The Sebring 12 Hours is steeped in Corvette Racing history. The event has witnessed the team take 11 class victories since 2002, and four of the six drivers have previously won there. Garcia is a three-time winner with Corvette at the event, and Tandy has won the last three years at the 12 Hours. Milner has three Sebring wins with Corvette – two in the 12 Hours plus July’s sprint race – and Taylor was part of one overall winning effort in the 12 Hours.
This is the third race at Sebring for Corvette Racing and the WeatherTech Championship in the last nine months. The team finished 1-2 in July’s Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring with Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin winning in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R. Garcia and GTLM pole-winner Taylor were second on their way to the GTLM Drivers, Manufacturers and Team championships; Garcia also was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s 12 Hours.
The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
Chevrolet Motorsports Display, Ride and Drive Return to Sebring In addition to happenings on the racetrack at Sebring, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet. That’s because two locations at the circuit – Chevrolet Motorsports Display and Chevrolet Ride and Drive – will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday in the Sebring Midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:
• Coupe and convertible models of the mid-engine Corvette Stingray. • Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer, Silverado, Tahoe and the Bolt EV. • An opportunity to receive a Team Chevy t-shirt via a QR code scan.
The Sebring Skidpad outside of Turn 17 can sample a Chevrolet vehicle for themselves at the Ride and Drive event. Starting at 9 a.m. each day, spectators have the chance to test a wide variety of Chevrolets include Tahoe, Camaro, Bolt EV, Blazer, Trailerblazer, Colorado and Silverado.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 20. The race will air on NBCSN from 10 a.m.-noon and 7-10:30 p.m. ET. The full race will be streamed on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 216, XM 392 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Getting the Rolex 24 win is the best way we can start the season. We now have that elusive endurance win for the Corvette C8.R. Naturally we want the next win to be Sebring. This always has been a fantastic event for Corvette Racing. We have completed many miles in testing, practicing and racing. I feel like I’ve been over every bump around the circuit! The 12 Hours is always a really big challenge for what lies ahead of us for the balance of the year. This is another excellent chance to test ourselves.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The Sebring 12 Hours last year was crucial to the success we’ve already had this year. Development-wise from a performance point of view, we learned a lot of stuff throughout that weekend. Sebring is a great test track. From a reliability and durability point of view in 2020, an endurance win was the only thing missing. The Sebring 12 Hours last year set us up perfectly. It pointed out some of our weaknesses and things we needed work on. It forced us to do that and learn and develop. Already in 2021, that’s showing in our success at Daytona. It’s exciting for us to start the season so strong that like, and it gives us more confidence going into Sebring.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It will be a thrill going back to Sebring again after a few visits in recent months. I feel like the Corvette continues to get stronger but there is nothing you can take for granted at Sebring. It is the hardest, most physical 12 hours of racing we will do this year. The bumps, the layout of the track and the heat this time of year can take a lot out of a driver. But I personally feel very prepared just like everyone at Corvette Racing. Even though we finished 1-2 at the Rolex 24, we all feel like we have something to prove again at Sebring.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “To be honest, this feels normal… going to Sebring in March for the 12 Hours. That feels normal to us. It doesn’t feel weird going back already. We’re not too far removed from the 12 Hours, but there have been quite a few changes for us with new drivers and a renewed push on the engineering side to buckle down and tighten up all the issues we had in November. One thing we always do at Corvette Racing is learn lessons from the past and use those to improve ourselves. Daytona obviously was a strong race from both cars and the team as a whole. The cars were quite reliable on all fronts. With two new teammates, it’s all very different driving with Alexander and Nick. They both have so much experience at big events like Sebring that it doesn’t feel like a big change from the driving aspect. We’ve had a couple of tests at Sebring with everyone, so it should be business as usual for everyone once we get to the race.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve won the last three 12-hour races there and hope to keep that going to make it a fourth. The first few times I raced the 12 hours, it wasn’t my favorite event because we never got on particularly well. Recently, it just seems to be a race that has come to me at the end of it. There have been situations and circumstances that suited me, along with a bit of luck. Being able to be around to pick up the pieces and be quick when needed is key. I’m hoping to bring some of that magic and use it this year.” “The thing about Sebring is that it is the toughest track on man and machine that we go to. It’s normally pretty hot that time of year. Starting in the day and going into the night makes it a long race. What has made it special to me is the people that are there and the ones that create the atmosphere around Sebring. It’s been one of the most fun events I’ve competed at over the years.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Sebring is one of the big events that I have looked forward to since joining Corvette Racing. The track and event have a fantastic history, and the fans there create a great atmosphere. It’s a shame we can’t interact with them like normal but hopefully that day is coming soon. The race itself is one of the toughest any driver can do around the world. It’s an absolutely brutal lap around Sebring but also one of the most memorable the times you get it right. The bumps and tarmac changes present challenges you don’t find anywhere else in motorsport. It will be good to get back there.”
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After One of 10 Events) Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 382 2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 355 3. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards/Marco Wittmann – 325 4. Davide Rigon/James Calado/Jules Gounon – 308 5. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi/Philipp Eng/Timo Glock – 286 6. Cooper MacNeil/Gianmaria Bruni/Kevin Estre/Richard Lietz – 280
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 382 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 355 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 324 4. No. 62 Risi Competizione – 308 5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 286 6. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 280
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 385 2. BMW – 348 3. Ferrari – 330 4. Porsche – 312
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Sebring: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 22 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history. • 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins. • 12: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing – the most of any venue in program history. Eleven of those have come in the 12 Hours. • 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 22: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 31: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims are the newest. • 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 239: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 49,259.70: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 310,897.63: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.
Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)
2020* No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM
2020 No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM
Return to Le Mans Highlights Corvette Racing’s FIA WEC Program
· Corvette C8.R set to make first appearances in Europe · Full-time Corvette Racing roster set for Le Mans campaign · Garcia, Gavin to drive C8.R in opening WEC round at Spa · Future racing opportunities under consideration with Corvette C8.R
DETROIT (March 15, 2021) – Corvette Racing will return to competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, culminating with the program’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Fresh off a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Corvette Racing is set to campaign two of its mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs in the GTE Pro category at Le Mans on August 21-22. It will mark the team’s 21st appearance in the French endurance classic. Its string of 20 consecutive trips to Le Mans was interrupted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The traditional June date shifted to August in hopes of allowing a limited number of spectators to the race. As a result, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship moved its GT-only race at Virginia International Raceway from August to October, and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans moves to mid-November to close the IMSA season.
Rolex 24 winners Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg will look to add another 24-hour victory as they share the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. In the No. 64 Corvette, the trio of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims seek their first 24-hour victory together after a runner-up finish at Daytona.
The six drivers sport multiple starts at Le Mans, and the group has combined for 43 appearances and seven victories – Garcia has three, Milner two, and Taylor and Tandy with one each. Catsburg and Sims each will make their third Le Mans starts.
Taking on Spa-Francorchamps To help in preparation for the 2021 race, Corvette Racing will enter a single C8.R in the season-opening WEC round: the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 1. Garcia and team veteran Oliver Gavin will drive the No. 63 C8.R at the Belgian circuit – the first time they have shared a car in their Corvette Racing careers.
Competing at Spa will provide the Corvette Racing team a bit of a refresher on specific rules and strategy methods that are unique to FIA WEC races. Pit stop operations and safety car procedures are among the biggest differences in IMSA and WEC competitions.
It will be Garcia’s second start in FIA WEC competition outside of Le Mans. He drove the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in 2019 in a Corvette C7.R and was the fastest driver in GTE Pro qualifying. Gavin will make his third non-Le Mans start in the WEC, the most recent coming at Shanghai in 2018 as part of the lineup for the special Redline Edition Corvette C7.R with long-time teammate Milner.
Gavin is Corvette Racing’s all-time leader in starts (202), wins (51), pole positions (25), Le Mans wins (five) and IMSA championships (five). This will mark his first start in a No. 63 Corvette Racing entry since Le Mans in 2002.
Eyeing Future at Le Mans and in North America The current GTE regulations allow for the Corvette C8.R to continue competing against other manufacturers in the World Endurance Championship. In addition to its 2021 European races, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing look forward to continuing in future years at Le Mans and in select WEC rounds.
Chevrolet also continues to explore expansion into GT3 with the Corvette platform. For 2022, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing continue to monitor developments in the new GTD Pro category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. While work on technical and sporting regulations continues, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing leadership remain engaged with the sanctioning body.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring from Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway on Saturday, March 20.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Not going to Le Mans last year was something we really missed. Going back there this year is something we all want. Obviously it’s one of the biggest races of the year. Missing it last year was hard, tough and very unusual for Corvette Racing. Going back now, we are looking forward to it. We’ve already won a 24-hour race, which gives us a lot of confidence. I do feel like we will be much more prepared with the C8.R this year than we would have been last year. I’m hoping we are as competitive at Le Mans as we were in Daytona.” WEC RETURN: “When I learned Corvette Racing was adding WEC races, I was really keen to do it. First of all, to be in a works Corvette with Olly was a cool idea that we could finally do. It came together quickly and I’m thankful to be able to do it. Now we aren’t just sharing runs or rental cars; now we are sharing a race car.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Winning at Daytona is a huge confidence booster for everyone at Corvette Racing heading to Le Mans. It’s a huge testament to everyone at Corvette Racing for the development over the last year once the car was running to get it in the position it is now. Looking forward to Le Mans, it gives us a lot confidence knowing what we have a strong car that is proven over 24 hours of racing flat-out. We need to figure out setup-wise what will make us competitive and fast there. From a reliability and durability point of view, we have a lot of faith in the C8.R.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going back to Le Mans with Corvette Racing is obviously another milestone. It’s something I’m very much looking forward to. Missing out on Le Mans last year was unfortunate. I’m just looking forward to being back at this event again, and hopefully we can continue what we started in Daytona. Winning a 24-hour race must be good preparation for another 24-hour race. But Le Mans is a very different challenge and a very different track. We have a very strong team and combination of drivers to have a strong performance. I can’t wait to try and add this 24-hour race to my list of 24-hour races that I’ve won. Le Mans cannot come early enough.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s exciting for me to get back and work again with everyone at Corvette Racing. And I get to drive with Antonio for the very first time as my Corvette Racing teammate! We’ve been teammates inside the team for so many years, traveling so much together and sharing houses at Sebring, Daytona and many other places. For us to be able to go and race together in Europe will be very special. The C8.R is in a great spot. The team has worked very hard on the car during the winter, and looking at how fast the car was at Daytona and how the team performed, you have to say we are going to these races optimistic of having a fantastic result.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year, for many reasons, was a bummer. With all the things happening around the world, there was no surprise that some tough decisions that had to be made, and one of those was not being able to take the C8.R to Le Mans. That’s always a highlight of the year for the team, and I think we were all very excited about the prospects of the new Corvette at Le Mans. It’s a huge goal for everyone on the team, and the designed goal for the car was to be as good as it can be at Le Mans. We’re hopeful that things are trending in the right direction and that we have an opportunity to go back. Hopefully it goes right for us and that we can take a now-proven C8.R to Le Mans.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Le Mans obviously is the biggest race in our sport. It was a big reason why the Corvette Racing program is such an attractive one for people within the team. Going back to GTE at Le Mans will be familiar ground. I’m looking forward to going back with this program and having a real go at it. I’ve won it before in LMP1 but I have yet to win in the GT ranks. It’s definitely high on the list of accomplishments that myself and the team want to accomplish.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Now that Corvette Racing has won the Rolex 24, Le Mans is the other big one for the year. From my point of view, it gives me a great feeling having done a 24-hour race with the team, seeing the level at which the team operates and how good the Corvette C8.R was through the day, through the night and even in the rainy conditions during the Roar. I’m extremely excited about Le Mans. It’s the biggest global endurance race, and to go with there with Corvette Racing and the first time with the C8.R is a huge occasion and a great privilege. Having experienced the C8.R at Daytona and seen its strengths, which are many, it should go well around Le Mans.”
For the fourth time in its history, Corvette Racing stood on the top step of the podium in the Rolex 24 At Daytona
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Rolex 24 GTLM Victory for No. 3 Corvette C8.R
* Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg team for Corvette Racing’s fourth Rolex 24 win * Milner, Tandy, Sims finish second in landmark Corvette 1-2 result * Two Corvettes combine to lead 716 of 770 laps
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.(Jan. 31 2021) – For the fourth time in its history, Corvette Racing stood on the top step of the podium in the Rolex 24 At Daytona as Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg won the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
The No. 3 Corvette trio led a 1-2 finish for the mid-engine C8.R, which scored its first endurance victory. Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims placed a hard-fought second in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette in the biggest race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The two Corvettes combined to lead 716 of 770 laps during Saturday and Sunday around the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway. Sunday’s result came 20 years after the Corvette Racing’s first Rolex 24 win in 2001 and five years after another 1-2 team finish.
Garcia and Taylor each won their third career Rolex 24, and Catsburg claimed his first. The trio also provisionally lead the GTLM Drivers Championship with the victory. A year ago, Garcia and Taylor won five times, claimed the Drivers’ Championship, and helped Chevrolet score its 13th GT Manufacturers title and Corvette Racing its 14th Team Championship.
The two Corvettes were the class of GTLM and ran 1-2 for much of the race. Milner, Tandy and Sims combined to lead 478 laps and ran out front with 45 minutes left in the race before the two Corvettes made their final pit stops. Taylor and Milner waged a close but clean battle that reminded many of the 0.034-second margin of victory for the No. 4 Corvette team at the 2016 Rolex 24. The two cars swapped spots three times in four laps as they jockeyed for position to capitalize on the then-class leading Ferrari’s final stop with 20 minutes left.
This time, things went the way of the No. 3 Corvette as Taylor led the final 13 laps. Unfortunately, he and Catsburg could not celebrate their victory with Garcia, who was informed of a positive COVID-19 test following a double-stint with about six hours to go. Per IMSA Event Operations protocols, Garcia was removed from competition for the remainder of the event. Upon consultation with IMSA, the series determined Corvette Racing met all conditions under the IMSA event protocols, which allowed the team to compete in a safe and responsible manner.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring from Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway on Saturday, March 20.
JIM CAMPBELL, CHEVROLET U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PERFORMANCE AND MOTORSPORTS:“Winning the opening race in the 2021 IMSA season keeps momentum going from the end of last season," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president Performance & Motorsports. "What a difference a year makes! I am so proud of the progress Corvette Racing team has made since last year’s race to win the 2021 Roles 24 At Daytona with the Corvette C8.R. It so special to win this endurance race at Daytona for the fourth time in our class.”
LAURA KLAUSER, CHEVROLET SPORTS CAR PROGRAM MANAGER: “What an amazing team effort by everyone at Corvette Racing to get the Corvette C8.R to Victory Lane with a one-two finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was a hard-fought battle for this incredible result. The months of work and preparation by everyone associated with this program were evident today on both sides of the Corvette garage. This truly is One Team. I'm proud and pleased for the teams, our Corvette owners and our fans. This is the best possible way to start a new season, and we are going to work hard to capitalize on this momentum."
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:"This is both one of the best days of my career but also one of the most frustrating and disappointing. I did have COVID in late December with some symptoms. I isolated until I fully recovered, and followed all Spanish and CDC protocols to be cleared for traveling. It's frustrating but there are protocols that are in place for this. It's painful not to be able to celebrate with Jordan, Nicky and the rest of the team. We worked so hard over the past months and weeks to achieve an endurance win like the Rolex 24. We didn't make mistakes, we had good pace with the Corvette. After winning the championship a year ago, this was the type or result we all wanted for the start of a new season. "Ever since we started at Daytona with this new car, we knew it would be fast and competitive. Obviously, the preparation we had last year wasn't enough to win this race. But after the lockdown, that gave us an opportunity to develop the C8.R and we went on to win six races as a team and the championship. Last year, we didn't manage to win a long race so it was still in our minds to get this, and now we've started with a big one like the Rolex. We proved today that Corvette Racing was the strongest team. "I have to say this was a flashback to the 2016 race (a runner-up finish in a Corvette 1-2). It was pretty nerve-wracking when it looked like it could happen again but I'm glad we came out on top this time."
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:“It was an amazing day. All 24 hours in this class are always intense. I think every year you kind of forget how intense it is until it starts again. All the cars were within 10 seconds all race long. No one could make a mistake; any little mistake would put you on the back foot. For us, we had a flawless day at Corvette Racing. The No. 3 I don’t think missed a beat the whole race. All the drivers did a perfect job, the team did a perfect job, and it’s great for Corvette Racing to get its first endurance win with the Corvette C8.R. Last year, we won six sprint races and the championship but one thing that was missing was an endurance win. To start off 2021 with the Rolex 24 win is amazing. To do it with Antonio and Nicky… it’s our first win as a trio so that was definitely special and makes us want to be a little more hungry to win the Sebring 12 Hours on our next time out.” ONCE YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT ANTONIO, WERE YOU CONCERNED YOU WOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO FINISH:“No, I wasn’t too concerned. Corvette Racing takes safety and health very seriously. The protocols we have are super serious. The drivers don’t really interact. I didn’t see Nicky all race long. We pretty much just pass the car off to the next guy and then we see each other after the race. For me and Antonio, I saw him before the race and that was the last time. We’re always social distancing. We’re always observing the correct protocols. Surface-to-surface, we’re wearing gloves, we’re wearing balaclavas and helmets in the cars. So nothing in the car could be at risk for us. We didn’t have too much concern. We took the lead from IMSA and NASCAR to trust ourselves. We’re here to compete. They gave us this platform to race and to be here, so the last thing we want to do is break their protocols and do something unsafe and unhealthy. We stick to what they say. It’s definitely disappointing and sad that Antonio wasn’t there for the end. He was a huge part of our victory today. He leads this 3 car and has been here for years. He started the race off so well for us. It was sad he couldn’t share it with us at the podium, but we’ll definitely see him in a couple of weeks when he’s clear and we can go celebrate.” WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO NOW:“I’m fine to go sit in my house by myself for as long as it takes and caress my Rolex for awhile! I’ll get tested and make sure I’m safe. I just live with my dog we’ll be alright.” WILL YOU QUARENTINE? IF YOU WANTED TO DO GO KNOCK ON YOUR DAD’S DOOR AND CELEBRATE WITH THEM, WOULD YOU?“Tonight I probably won’t. Every year after the Rolex, the tradition is our family gets pizza together. I think that one will be broken this year, which is unfortunate since we both won. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’ll go home and celebrate in the quiet, make sure I’m healthy and safe, and then I’ll go knock on my parents’ next door and congratulate them when I’m all clear.” MORE DETAILS ON TEAM PROTOCOLS:“We’re in the same room part of the time, but not for an extended period of time. We wear our masks. Everyone sanitizes when then enter and exit the trailers. Safety is a huge concern. When we meet with the engineers, it’s super brief. It’s actually kind of odd how little interaction there has been in the past year with our engineers. A lot of it is via text, email and exchanges like that. We try to get in a couple of quick meetings throughout the weekend in-person. Even those are quick with masks, and we stay as safe as possible.” WINNING IN THE NO. 3 CAR ON 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EARNHARDTS DRIVING FOR CORVETTE RACING:“It is amazing. I think everyone is a fan of Dale Sr., and Dale Jr. When I joined Corvette Racing in 2012, I was in the No. 3 car and obviously the No. 3 is so symbolic and historic, especially here at Daytona. Doing it in a Chevrolet it is super special. Dale Sr. had unbelievable success here at Daytona. Today we were making our passes on the high banks so maybe we had a little bit of Dale Sr. in the car with us this weekend.” GETTING A ROLEX WIN THE SAME WEEKEND YOUR BROTHER DOES, AS WELL AS COMING 25 YEARS AFTER YOUR DAD’S FIRST WIN:“I didn’t realize it was 25 years. For me and Corvette Racing, it’s awesome to get a win. From a family point of view, it is amazing that my Dad and my brother won overall. I don’t know what that is…like three out of four years they’ve won or four out of five. It is amazing what my Dad has built over there at Wayne Taylor Racing and the success they’ve had, especially at this event. They are so strong in at Daytona and in endurance races. They’ve only had those cars for a month or two to prepare them with no testing except for the Roar last week. I think that speaks volume to the personnel there – the engineers, the mechanics, the crew, and all the drivers obviously did a great job. I don’t think they had the ultimate pace in the race, but it came down to strategy and execution. That is what that team is known for. So it’s an amazing day for the Taylor family. These days are so rare that it’s hard to imagine them; it could easily be the last time it happens that we both win on the same weekend. You have to savor these moments.” IMPACT ON DRIVER ROTATION WHEN ANTONIO GARCIA COULDN’T CONTINUE:“It wasn’t great news, to be honest. I had finished my triple stint in the morning or whenever it was. I got out and was supposed to be done, go have a massage, relax and watch Nicky and Antonio go race. I was so excited to go just relax and then they said Antonio can’t get back in the car. To be honest, I was in shock. I was like, there is no way. Antonio is our guy and our finisher. That’s who we want in the car at the end. I was so disappointed for Antonio because I know how much this races means to him, how much he wanted to win it and finish the race. It was sad, but thankfully we train well. We have good support from the doctors here and keep us healthy and keep us fit. The physicality of it wasn’t too bad. It was more the mental strain that was difficult.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:“It means a lot to win this race, to be honest. Last year I joined Corvette, and they won the championship and races, but every time I was there we didn’t win! So I’m really happy to get this out of the way. I have my win so we can continue doing that! In all seriousness and like Jordan said, the team did an amazing job. The drivers did well, the strategy was nice, the C8.R was great. So it was a great day for us and I’m really proud of winning this great event.” WINNING IN THE NO. 3 CAR ON 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EARNHARDTS DRIVING FOR CORVETTE RACING:“To be very honest, obviously I know about Dale Earnhardt and Junior, as well. I didn’t know so much about the history of the No. 3 car. I do now, and it is definitely a special feeling. I am very proud to be part of this. I always dreamed about racing in America. Now I’m here with a big race under my belt now and just looking forward to getting more.” WINNING AT DAYTONA COMPARED TO 24-HOUR RACES AT SPA AND NÜRBURGRING:“I think it fits right in line with the other big events. It’s a race which is part of this lineup of big races: Le Mans, Spa, Daytona, Sebring, and now I have a couple of them. So hopefully we will do Sebring as well, then Le Mans later in the year. So I am just happy to write this one off the list.” FINDING OUT ABOUT ANTONIO GARCIA:“I think it was after the 17th hour in the race. I’m not exactly sure, but I think it was the 17th hour. Me and Jordan did the rest of the race. For me, I also tested on Saturday and I tested negative. I will do another test tomorrow before I can go back to Europe. For me, I feel safe and I never felt any threat from his positive result.” IMPACT ON DRIVER ROTATION WHEN ANTONIO GARCIA COULDN’T CONTINUE:“I fully agree with Jordan. To be honest, I was kind of tired from the triple stints. I also think we are one of the only crews that drives with three drivers, and then all of a sudden we were two. So it is definitely heavy. I must say, in the last bit of the race, I asked if I needed to do another stint and they said, ‘Yes, you need to do another stint.’ I thought, ‘Oh no, here we go again.’ But obviously it was it super nice and we made it happen. We had some support from a physio here. I feel fit actually.” IT WAS VERY CLOSE WITH THE 4 CORVETTE BEFORE THE BALANCE CHANGED SUNDAY. DO YOU KNOW THE REASONS?“I think the 4 car was better suited to the softer compound tire. I think their car balance was a little bit different compared to ours, and that kind of has to do with what drivers like and what they prefer. Our car really came alive on the medium tire in the warmer conditions. Obviously that is when it needs to be done. I guess we got lucky there. It was super cool to fight our teammates the whole race. I remember in one of my stints during the night fighting Alexander Sims, who I also know from other places than Corvette Racing. I had a good fight with Philipp Eng as well, and it was just super cool to be so close for the whole race. That’s what GTLM is about – close racing and the best race drivers in the world. It’s so much fun to be part of it. It’s such a shame that we are going to have to say goodbye to it.” ISSUE WITH A SLOW STOP LATE:“The car didn’t want to rev up. It’s almost like we had an engine issue and we weren’t really sure how to solve it. I just kept trying to start it up and eventually it worked. I think we got quite lucky there. A 24-hour race is always a big stress on your equipment and material. Corvette Racing builds great race cars, and this one survived and we won the race.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM:“The race for us in the No. 4 Corvette and for us as a team really couldn’t have been better. Maybe on our side it could have been a little bit better in the last two hours… but we had a really, really fast car. We probably we had the car to beat for the first 20 hours of the race. Then the last four hours of the race, for whatever reason, we lost some of that pace in the car. We still did everything right. We had good pit strategy. Alexander and Nick both drove fantastic races. In the end when a yellow bunched us all back up again, the No. 3 car once the sun was beating down on the racetrack, it seemed like they were just a little bit better than us and everybody else. They had a great car at the end and definitely executed in the end. Congratulations to Jordan, Antonio, Nicky and all the No. 3 car guys. They did an awesome job. “Certainly it stings a little bit to be that good for that long and not come away with first place. For us, we’ve at times spent time a little bit behind the eight-ball in certain situations. Today we were at the front for pretty much the whole race, so we can be proud of that and all the work and the effort that goes into trying to find what we were missing in the past. We’re just making sure we are doing everything right from every angle. Obviously we have new teammates, but it’s not just that. They are obviously did a great job today. I’ve had fantastic teammates in the past with Olly (Gavin) and Marcel (Fässler) and you go down the list… Simon Pagenaud… we’ve had phenomenal guys in the Corvette here. It was good to see the hard work from the crew guys and our engineers… to see the fruits of that labor with the car up front for so long. We can absolutely be proud about that. We can take that, go to Sebring and get a win there.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM:“There are a whole loads of positives to take out. After one weekend, I already feel fully part of the team. Not that I didn’t expect to, but I feel part of the team and part of the Corvette Racing family. Of course everyone wants their car to win or their side of the garage to be victorious. We worked with the other drivers and the other crew on the No. 3 Corvette as much as our guys on the No. 4 car. To be part of a winning weekend, it's been an awesome start. I’m happy to say my first weekend with Corvette Racing has been super successful - first and second in qualifying and first and second in the Rolex 24. It doesn’t get much better than that.” BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM DAYTONA:“I’m pleasantly surprised how well we gelled and worked together so quickly. From getting an understanding on how the car works and getting an understanding from the engineers of what we like out of a race weekend and a race car. Everything has gelled so smoothly that it makes me excited about the future and what this relationship can build on between us all as part of the team and lead to future successes. As I said, being new to the team but having sampled a faultless weekend with the results over the course of two weeks, I hope it's a good omen of things to come. It’s obviously awesome to get the first away our endurance victory for the C8.R, and to have a 1-2 and double victory is pretty awesome, and it vindicates all the work that has gone on behind the scenes since last year.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM:“I think it is just massive for the whole team. Yes, from a sportsman's point of view, there is obviously disappointment it couldn’t be us on the top step. But looking at the bigger picture, it is 1-2o for Corvette and that is what we came here to achieve. I'm just really, really proud of the whole team's efforts. Having only coming into this team as a newbie as such and to be a part of the operation and to be part of the effort here at Daytona was a real privilege. Everyone worked their absolute socks off. I'm really pleased to be a part of it. We come here to win, all of us, but in the end there is only one winner. So if it can’t be you, then you want it to be your teammates so that the team does well. So, it’s a good day.”
Corvette Racing took first and second in GTLM at Sunday’s 100-minute qualifying race for next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Roar Race Win, Rolex 24 Pole Position for No. 4 Corvette C8.R
Tandy, Sims win Corvette Racing debut in No. 4 C8.R; Catsburg and Taylor place second 1-2 finish in GTLM for Corvette C8.R and first two grid positions for Rolex 24 Corvette Racing, Chevrolet coming off 2020 sweep of full-season GTLM titles
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 24, 2021) – Corvette Racing took first and second in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of Sunday’s 100-minute qualifying race for next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona as Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims won in their debut with the team.
The victory for Tandy and Sims in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R means they and Tommy Milner will start from the GTLM pole position for Saturday’s Rolex 24 – the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Roar Before the 24 test weekend also ended with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg coming home second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette. They will drive with Antonio Garcia in the Rolex 24.
Tandy won by 12 seconds over Catsburg as the two Corvette teams played the strategy perfectly during a race that started damp but ended under sunshine. Sims began third but took the race lead on the opening lap with the GTLM field on wet-weather tires, and Taylor ran fifth during a hectic opening . Two full-course caution periods interrupted the early going, and the two Corvettes pitted during the second yellow and went to slick Michelin tires.
Tandy emerged first out of pitlane but third on the track as two other GTLM cars elected not to stop during the yellow, with Catsburg in fifth. He made quick work of the fourth-place car, and the two Corvettes moved to first and second shortly thereafter when the two leaders stopped for the first time.
The No. 3 Corvette team elected to be the first car to make their second and final fuel-only stop with 50 minutes to go while Tandy came in with 43 minutes left. That allowed both cars to bide their time and wait for the then-leading Porsche to stop for its final time with 17 minutes remaining. Both Corvettes comfortably went back through to first and second to the end.
Sunday’s race wrapped up three days of testing and development at Daytona ahead of the Rolex 24. Both Corvettes went through various chassis and suspension adjustments, among other
Corvette Racing is a three-time winner of the Rolex 24: it won the race overall in 2001 and scored back to-back GTLM wins in 2015 and 2016. A year ago, the team debuted the C8.R with a fourth-place finish for Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg as the No. 3 Corvette recorded more miles than any Corvette in the race’s history.
The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31, which will air beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 30 across NBC, NBCSN, TrackPass and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full practice and race coverage at IMSA.com.
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM WINNER: "It was awesome. The car was really good. It's great to work with my new teammates - Alex (Sims), Tommy (Milner, full-season teammate) and all the boys and girls at Corvette Racing. The car went round and round for an hour and 40 minutes. We've now got a week to sit on the pole for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. So that's pretty cool." "It was fun, actually. Like Alex says, I think it's been really good for the Roar. It enables you to get some sort of different testing in, but it's obviously meaningful. Everyone wants to start the Rolex 24 from pole position, and we got to do this in a pressure situation and run through all the procedures. The Corvette was great. We have been working through a program as normal. Even working with the strategists and things like this is something we don't expect to go through before our first race with a new program. It was good to race with the other GTLM cars, and I'm sure it will be equally fun and probably a lot more close this time next week. It obviously is a great start for me and Alexander to kick off our time with Corvette Racing." IMPACT OF NOT HAVING AS MANY FANS AT THE TRACK: "One hundred percent, it takes away from the event. Our sport is based on people's excitement of the competition and watching and following. A lot of us get to go racing because people enjoy watching what we are doing. Car brands and companies get behind our sport as such. I think I said to Alexander when we walked in the track on Friday, it's very strange not to have people around. Once you get into the race, when you put on your helmet on and you're in a competitive environment, you concentrate on your team's job - and that's to do the best for your car and for the people that are following you racing. The rest of the week outside the car, it's very different. I've made a lot of friends here in Daytona at this event and in the area over the last few years; it's a shame not to see them. Hopefully we are back here in 12 months’ time and I'll get to say hello to a lot of them again." THOUGHTS ON FIRST RACE WITH THE CORVETTE C8.R AFTER RACING AGAINST IT: "Racing against it last year, it looked like a car that could go around and around doing great lap times pretty consistently. Sure enough, these guys at Corvette Racing know a thing or two about building endurance race cars. Everything is slightly different than what I'm used to, but ultimately it's designed to a similar set of regulations. The two of us have watched it race last year, and it's as I expected. The team that work around it are champion class; they are multi-time champions for a reason. We're both very lucky to be part of this program and hope we can carry on and take the C8.R to its first proper endurance, long-distance victory. That is the plan." ONE THING TO REMEMBER 10 YEARS FROM NOW AFTER WINNING YOUR FIRST RACE WITH CORVETTE: "I hope that it was the beginning of many. That it was the first time we sat in front of the media and you guys after winning a big race. Hopefully we will be here in seven days’ time also." CONCERNED ABOUT THE PORSCHE COULD MAKE IT ON ONE STOP: "Yes because if there was a heavy crash and a long caution period, it was possible for cars to stretch their fuel a lot. They had already made their stop and driver change. I think their plan was to stay out, hope for a lot of yellows and roll the dice that way. We rolled the dice and went with the slick tires on our first stop whereas a couple of the other cars kept their wet tires. It proved to be a great strategic call from Corvette Racing to get us the 1-2 in the end." WAYS TO IMPROVE CORVETTE RACING AND THE C8.R AFTER ITS FIRST YEAR: "At the end of the day, Corvette Racing had a fantastic season with the C8.R in the debut year of the car with a ton of race wins and championships. I do know they are keen to score a long-distance victory, and it's something we obviously are keen to help with. How we go about that is difficult to say other than just being consistent. From what I've seen in our limited together, it's doing things the Corvette Racing way - going out and consistently being in and around the pace of the front-running cars. As we all know in longer races, you have to have a bit of luck come the end of the race. That's the plan for this season: try and get a few marquee event wins.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM WINNER: "It was an interesting first taste of the conditions in the Corvette. Very quickly, I was given a lot of confidence from the car as to how to push. I was able to get around the BMWs on the first lap and then really just find my feet lap by lap. With the couple of cautions, it didn't feel like there was a huge amount of laps but nevertheless it was nice to get some experience in the wet and get a feeling for how the C8.R was working. Doing a hot pit stop under a reasonable amount of time pressure was nice; not a lot of the race had gone so we didn't need to fuel up too much. It was nice to go through all the procedures and have a taste of it before the 24 Hours." IMPACT OF NOT HAVING AS MANY FANS AT THE TRACK: "I echo what Nick said. It's strange, particularly the pre-race procedure... you normally have the grid with all the fans. Thinking ahead to next week and not having that sort of awesome fan interaction is a shame. But it's how it is and it's the right thing for the moment. We're all looking forward to getting back to those days." THOUGHTS ON FIRST RACE WITH THE CORVETTE C8.R AFTER RACING AGAINST IT: "I only drove against the C7. I remember a month or two ago from my first time in the C8.R at Sebring, it was super impressive... it really exceeded my expectations and was very, very good in many different phases of the corner. Working here this week so far, things have gone pretty well. Here in Daytona with the different conditions and the track being green, there have been some things to work on. But the Corvette Racing team has been doing a fantastic job of getting the car and us up to speed." CORVETTE WON THE LAST TWO SPRINT RACES AT DAYTONA. CAN IT WIN THE ROLEX: "Personally I think it's definitely possible. The competition is always strong in GTLM. We'll have to keep working hard to improve things. But for me, everything is pointing in the right direction. We've done some good learning over the last few days. We need to keep things clean the first 16, 18, 20 hours to make sure we are there to fight at the end."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Great job today by everyone at Corvette Racing. It’s great to see Nick and Alexander get a win in their first race with the team, and we are on pole as a result. You couldn’t ask for much more. We had a little bit of a bumpy start to the weekend, but since then the Corvette and the crew have been spotless. It’s been a great test. It’s been good to get Nick and Alexander some quality time in the car. We’ve all been happy with the balance and the changes that we are making; we are seeing good progress on all fronts. The C8.R is getting better, we are getting our processes down better with driver changes and every aspect to be as successful as we can for be ahead of a 24-hour race… trying to go through all the details, shore up processes and those type of things. This is what the Roar is good for when you have new teammates, new crew guys and that kind of thing – anything that’s new from years past. It’s good opportunity for everyone to get comfortable again with their jobs and roles. I think we can that for us on the 4 car side, we’ve had a very productive test.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM:“The name of the game for us was getting into next weekend with this Corvette in one piece. I think we've done a good job of that. We used today as a test session for the Rolex 24, and everything went really well. We did try some different setup stuff to help prepare us for next week so we can pick one. When we came back here in July last year, we showed everyone how much we were able to develop the C8.R since the Rolex 24. It was a little bit of a short offseason, and we went back and looked everything again. We came here with whole new philosophy on the car. Some things worked and some things didn't, so I think it's good we had these test days to try things. We continued to try thing today and I'm sure we'll be able to come back with a couple of new options come next week."
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM:"The race was awesome. It was a good start to our weeks here at Daytona. It's always good to come off with a 1-2 finish, and now we get to start ahead of everyone else in the Rolex 24. The team did a good job with the strategy calls, and the Corvette was good in both the wet and the dry. We learned some stuff and have some items to improve on in the car. But this has been a great way.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We were able to cycle through all three drivers this weekend, which is good. Knowing that I wasn’t doing the race today, I had a little bit of limited time but did get almost half of the night practice Saturday. That was good. Our goal was to carry on to know where we are in testing different things in order to have the most data we can headed into the race. We still don’t know what next weekend will bring with track conditions, the weather and the like to know how to react. It was a classic Roar because you get track time but it’s limited because there are three of you in the car. It is a continuous working effort between all three drivers. In a way, it’s good that the car is going in one direction. We are starting to know what we need to do ahead of Saturday.”
Rolex 24 at Daytona January 30-31, 2021 Circuit 3.56 miles
Television/Online Broadcast: (ROLEX 24)
Saturday-Sunday: January 30-31, 2021 (note-times can change)
SATURDAY USA: NBC: 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm ET NBCSN: 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm ET, 11:00 pm to 11:59 pm ET NBC Trackpass: 3:40 pm to 11:59 pm ET NBC sports app 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm ET
International IMSA TV: 3:35 pm to 11:59 pm ET
SUNDAY USA: NBC: 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET NBCSN: 12:00 am to 3:00 am, 6:00 am to 2:00 pm ET NBC Trackpass: 12:00 am to 3:40 pm ET
Local: 107.9 FM local at track, 93.5 FM and 1150 AM in Daytona, Sirius/XM not published (last year 202) SiriusXM Online not published (last year 972) 2) PIT NOTES: http://www.imsa.com/races/rolex-24-daytona http://twitter.com/ @CorvetteRacing, @IMSA, @IMSAlive, @DISupdates, @Rolex24Hours
Corvette Racing at Daytona and Chevrolet Names Klauser as First Sports Car Racing Program Manager
PRESS RELEASE: Annual three-day test at Daytona for new-look 2021 Corvette Racing lineup
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: New Season, New Lineup, Same Expectations
Annual three-day test at Daytona for new-look 2021 Corvette Racing lineup Sunday qualifying race to set grid for following weekend’s Rolex 24 Corvette Racing, Chevrolet coming off 2020 sweep of full-season GTLM titles
DETROIT (Jan. 19, 2021) – A new season beckons for Corvette Racing, which begins defense of its GT Le Mans (GTLM) titles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship during the next two weeks. The 2021 campaign starts with the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the start of the IMSA season. Before that, however, is the traditional Roar Before the 24 – three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway’s road course.
It will mark the first 2021 running for Corvette Racing’s two mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs. After winning six races and sweeping the full-season GTLM championships in 2020, success at Daytona is one of the major goals in the new season.
The six Corvette Racing drivers all will be in attendance. Defending GTLM Drivers Champions Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor are back with endurance teammate Nicky Catsburg in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The new-look lineup of Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, plus long-distance driver Alexander Sims, will make its public debut in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.
This will mark the first time that the Roar and the Rolex 24 will fall on back-to-back weekends, and there is an additional caveat: a 100-minute race Sunday will set the starting grid for the twice-around-the-clock endurance event.
Corvette Racing is a three-time winner of the Rolex 24: it won the race overall in 2001 and scored back to-back GTLM wins in 2015 and 2016. A year ago, the team debuted the C8.R with a fourth-place finish for Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg as the No. 3 Corvette recorded more miles than any Corvette in the race’s history. What’s more, Garcia and Taylor – who each have two Rolex 24 wins – claimed the first win for the C8.R at Daytona in the first race following a lengthy break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also was Corvette Racing’s 100th victory in IMSA.
On the other side of the garage, this year’s Rolex will mark the first change in lineup for the No. 4 Corvette since 2016. Milner was part of the 2016 race-winning effort at Daytona while Tandy won the GTLM class in 2014. Meanwhile, Sims is at Daytona for the first time since 2018.
The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Roar Before the 24 from Jan. 22-24 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31, which will air beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 30 across NBC, NBCSN, TrackPass and the NBC Sports App. A 100-minute qualifying race from the Roar will air on TrackPass at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 24 and again same-day at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We have continuity for this year and need to carry over the work we did in 2020. We have our own tools to develop to work on the car off and on the weekend. Things won’t be easier in 2021 for us, but we do have a year of experience on our side with Jordan and Nicky. Perhaps the 4 car will be in the same situation as us with new additions to the team. They probably will be working to find what is the best compromise among the three drivers, get up to speed and get to know each other. One other good thing about Nick coming over is the addition of his experience coming in from another program. That should be a big benefit to us all on both sides of the garage.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “This is going to be a hectic month with the Roar and the Rolex on back-to-back weekends. It’s a lot harder on the team than the driver. The turnaround time for them to get the cars prepped for the Rolex 24 is huge. It’s usually nice to have a couple of weeks to take the cars apart, look at it and rebuild it because that’s the race where you want to be 100 percent. We learned a lot on-track and off-track at the simulator. We’ll be very prepared by the time we get there. Hopefully by the time we get to the Roar, we are just running through some small changes that we want to confirm on-track that they work and run through little items that we need to fine-tune. I have a lot of confidence in this team. They’ve had a ton of success at that race and there is no reason we can’t be successful again there in 2021.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m obviously really looking forward to start the season again. I like the new concept of the Roar with it and the race being within one week. It’s different than normal but that’s nice. I am looking forward to seeing how far the Corvette has come since the last time I was at Daytona. It has been a full year with a lot of good results and development. The December test was great, and I think everyone is on the same page. We all have high hopes for Daytona and are eager to come away with a good result.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m excited about my two new teammates. I’ve been racing against Nick for many years now. I know how strong a competitor he is. Obviously I’d much rather him be in my car and not have to fight against him! Both of those guys, I’ve raced against them quite a bit. They’re both true professionals, super fast on the track and their results speak for themselves. I’ve not interacted a lot with them outside of some track stuff, but they’re both characters in their own way. I’m excited to go race with them and work toward the goals we’ve set for 2021.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m sure being the new boy will be a challenge during our first weekend together. For sure there are people that need to get to know each other, I need to get know everyone else and my teammates. I hope the actual driving of the car will be the thing that comes most naturally. I’ve been in a situation during the last 10 years or so where I’ve driven for numerous different teams across the globe and I’ve had to integrate in a short amount of time. It’s going to be new for all of us. I know from previous experience that the best way to bond in a new team is have a good weekend and a good result, and that’s exactly what we are aiming for at Daytona.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: "I've missed racing in IMSA, and I'm keen to experience this first race in the Corvette. Our December test at Sebring went very well, but racing is why we do all this. It'll be exciting to get out there and compete with the team. Getting the seat time at Sebring is a big deal as I don't have go into Daytona feeling concerned about getting to know the car. There is a little work to be done on my side to get super-familiar for racing situations so you can react without thinking too much. But I got a feel for the fundamentals of driving the C8.R around the track at Sebring. The pace seemed to be good and there should be no issues there. I'm really looking road to getting back to racing in IMSA, racing the Corvette... it's been a great car in testing. I'm excited to see how it does in racing conditions.”
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Press release: Chevrolet Names Klauser as First Sports Car Racing Program Manager
Moves into the role which includes engineering and technical oversight of Corvette Racing on behalf of Chevrolet
Chevrolet Names Klauser as First Sports Car Racing Program Manager
DETROIT (Jan. 19, 2021) – Chevrolet has named Laura Wontrop Klauser as its newly created Sports Car Racing Program Manager as the manufacturer continues its shift toward an engineering-based approach throughout its motorsports programs.
Klauser, who resides in Detroit, moves into the role which includes engineering and technical oversight of Corvette Racing on behalf of Chevrolet. Already she manages the Cadillac DPi-V.R and Camaro GT4.R programs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The goal is to expand the level of engineering and technical direction for Corvette Racing as it sets a course for its future with the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, along with all the Chevrolet road-racing programs.
“It’s a huge honor to move into this role with Corvette Racing,” said Klauser, who has been part of General Motors’ racing activities for the last five years. “It unquestionably is one of the premier programs in all of sports car endurance racing. The rich history of Corvette’s successes in IMSA is something of which everyone at Chevrolet can be proud. At the same time, this motorsports management restructure is a great opportunity to rethink how Chevrolet operates on IMSA weekends. My goal is to promote more synergy between our racing programs and funnel our technical learnings back to GM so we continue to make and sell better cars to our fans and customers around the world.”
Klauser earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Engineering. She began at General Motors in 2008 and spent eight years on the production side of the business including advanced design work on the Corvette C7. Motorsports competition came calling in 2016 after stints on the Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Cruze and Spark production teams. She was named Program Manager for the Cadillac ATS-V.R effort in Pirelli World Challenge.
A year later, Klauser helped launch the Cadillac DPi-V.R program, which to date has claimed two Manufacturers Championships, four Michelin Endurance Cup Championships and 18 race wins including four consecutive victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Corvette Racing has spent the last 22 years building its championship pedigree with 14 Team titles along with 13 Manufacturers and Drivers championships. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor are coming off a GT Le Mans title-winning season in which they won five times and drove the C8.R to its first victory in July at Daytona.
Klauser also is heavily involved with SAE. A past participant the student level, she remains an active member and volunteer for the FSAE program as Dynamic Events Coordinator for the Michigan Competition. She has served on the SAE Detroit Section Board since 2011 holding the Chair position for 2018.
She also is a familiar face to the Corvette customer and enthusiast community. Klauser has participated as a Corvette Team representative at the National Corvette Museum Birthday Bash’s Ladies Garage and Corvettes at Carlisle events annually. She also participates in track days driving her 2013 Corvette Grand Sport.
“We are pleased to have someone as enthusiastic and experienced as Laura as our Sports Car Racing Program Manager,” said Mark Stielow, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition Engineering. “Corvette Racing and GM’s road-racing efforts will benefit from her engineering experience with both the Corvette and Cadillac production cars, and her relationship with a large number of our fans and Corvette owners.”
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will open its 2021 season with the Roar Before the 24 from Jan. 22-24 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31, which will air beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 30 across NBC, NBCSN, TrackPass and the NBC Sports App. A 100-minute qualifying race from the Roar will air on TrackPass at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 24 and again same-day at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com.
IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA NO. 4 CORVETTE C8.R MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT JANUARY 12, 2021
Corvette Racing drivers Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims – teammates in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday to discuss the new-look lineup in the No. 4 Corvette for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the transitions of Tandy and Sims into Corvette Racing, the outlook for the 2021 Rolex 24 At Daytona and other topics.
FULL TRANSCRIPT: TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R THE OUTLOOK FOR ROLEX 24 AND 2021: “There are lot of big changes on our side of the team with Nick and Alex. I’m excited about it. I’ve raced against those guys in GT for many years, and I know how tough they are as competitors. I’m happy I don’t have to race against them now and can race with them. I’m excited to get Year Two of this Corvette Racing program going again with the C8.R. Last year was a pretty big success with lots of race wins and the GTLM championships. We’re looking to equal that, and getting some of the highlight race wins is a pretty big program goal – Daytona, Sebring and beyond that. We’re looking forward to getting the season going again and seeing how it all shakes out.”
CHANGES WITHIN THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING BEING WITH NEW TEAMMATES: “We had one test at the end of the year where both Nick and Alexander were able to get some laps in the car. That was good for them to get their feet wet, and as expected they both were quick. With those formalities out of the way, we can show up to Daytona for the Roar and the race and be focused on getting the car ready to go and not some of the house-keeping stuff that you try to take care of at the first test. They’re both such professionals and have been doing this for such a long time. There are details of driving a new car, which will obviously take them a couple of races to understand what the car wants and needs. From a pace perspective and a teammate perspective, both those guys have been great so far. “There have been some changes within the team, but from our side and what we’ve seen, the difference as been none. Of course, Doug (Fehan) should be mentioned for sure. He’s been with this program from the beginning and is a guy who had a big role within Corvette Racing. His leadership and his role within the team have been very evident for a long, long time. The team and Chevrolet have shifted a little bit their programs and restructured them in some ways to encompass the racing side more under the engineering branch. There are lots of great people that are involved from the Corvette Racing side, the Chevrolet side and the Pratt Miller side. That hasn’t changed. There are lots of people who encompass Corvette Racing, and obviously Doug was a big part of that for a long, long time. He’s left his mark in many ways. His experience and who he is as a person will definitely be missed at the track. But he’s left a great legacy, and we can continue to push forward with the success that this team has been built on and continue that down the road. “As of right now, that role (program manager) hasn’t been filled. There are lot of people on the Chevrolet side who have been part of helping run and been involved with Corvette Racing, and the same at Pratt Miller. Doug had an all-encompassing role in many ways. I think the aim is to fill that role by the end of the month and hopefully before the race.”
THOUGHTS ON GTLM COMPETITION FOR 2021: “As always with this GT class, there are ebbs and flows with it. Some years we have nine or 10 cars racing and some years less than that. At Corvette Racing, fundamentally we of course enjoy that extra competition that we have had for many years. Missing the factory Porsche team is not ideal by any means, but still there is no reason to look past the WeatherTech guys. There will be some great drivers in that team looking for race wins. In some ways, they probably feeling like the underdog in some ways, so they will be working extra hard to try to beat us. “Daytona will be a big challenge no matter what. That is our main focus for now. I would say the inner-team rivalry has grown over the years in many ways. We’ve seen in the past when it was just Corvette Racing in the GT1 class at that time that the racing was still pretty epic. Now without Fehan there, I think we can not have some inner-team contact on pit lane at Mid-Ohio as you saw one year there! More battles like what you saw at Daytona in 2016 where the two cars were racing nose-to-tail for the last hour-and-a-half of the 24-hour race with some great racing there. In some ways, we have to sort of race ourselves anyway. Both cars and both teams of drivers are always pushing ourselves constantly. So if we don’t have a lot of competition for the sprint races, once we go to Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans and when we have more competition again, we will be on the top of our game. We will certainly be pushing hard to beat those 3 car guys throughout the year and certainly those Proton Porsche guys as well.”
LEARNING FROM SUCCESS OF THE NO. 3 CORVETTE IN 2020: “Last year, both Jordan and Antonio were very consistent. We saw a couple of times at the start of races they were quite quick. So we’re learning lessons from last year and working with our engineer (Chuck Houghton) and understand why that was. So now with Nick and the two of us together – plus Alex for the long races – we’re trying to understand what those deficiencies were in some places, what they were doing differently and trying to find our own way with a few tricks and secrets here and there.”
IMPACT OF LMP3 INTRODUCTION ON GTLM BATTLES: “I think it will be a similar experience to what we had with the Prototype Challenge cars from years past. It’s a little bit lower horsepower prototype car, oftentimes with guys who are a little less experienced at times. I can’t imagine having them on the race track will make it whole lot different than that experience. It will definitely make some things more challenging in some ways. With sports car racing and endurance racing, traffic ends up becoming a huge part of our race. Adding in those guys will add a little bit more trouble for us in the GT cars, but it will be the same for everybody. We will just have to learn to race with them and around them and understand where they are quick. As practice goes on, we will figure out which cars have good guys in them and which cars have guys that you have to be a little more careful of. Those are the kinds of details you find as the race weekend goes on.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R THE TRANSITION COMING INTO CORVETTE RACING: “For starters, I’m looking forward to going racing again. We get a little bit of an offseason after what is normally Atlanta but last season was Sebring. There’s often a bit of testing. It’s been a pretty quiet lockdown winter, but I’m looking forward to getting going. Obviously, I’m racing in familiar surroundings in IMSA and GTLM, but of course I have a new car and a lot of new people to work with. From this point of view, I’m looking forward to getting going, getting to know new friends and hopefully win a load of big races, like Tommy said, with new teammates.”
TRANSITIONING TO A NEW TEAM AND ONE ELEMENT THAT HAS BEEN A PLEASANT SURPRISE: “As Tommy mentioned, we had the opportunity to run a few laps at the back end of last year in the C8.R. I’ve been racing against the car for 12 months now. Compared to the previous cars I’ve been used to, it’s built to a similar set of regulations, runs a similar sort of tire and has similar power and weight. The thing that pleased me most is how natural the C8.R felt straightaway. There are, of course, many nuances and bits and pieces on how to extract time and consistency out of the car and the tires on which Corvette Racing compete. It felt pretty comfortable and familiar after a day’s running. This was a big positive for me.”
THE PROCESS OF MOVING TO A NEW TEAM: “Of course it feels weird. I had been with CORE Autosport for seven or eight years now, working with a group of people that you get to know. Yes, we’d been through various different cars so this doesn’t change things going forward. We went through different scenarios where we’ve gone and raced at Le Mans with CORE before. The biggest change will be adapting to working with different people and within a team of people. In the end, when the chance came about to join Corvette Racing, it was an easy decision to make. Yes, I loved my family at CORE and Porsche, but at the end of the day there was no option to go racing in GTLM and IMSA, which has been my favorite race series and my favorite racing across the globe over the last 15 years. GTLM and GTE is super competitive; the cars are great, it’s factory against factory and its great competition. It didn’t take long to say yes and come to an agreement that we’d go forward. It is a new challenge – same series with a similar car but the challenge will come with slotting myself into a champion team and one that has been successful for the last 20 years. It’s something I’m looking forward to. It’s not just the driving that a driver does on track, it’s how you integrate yourself into a team and be part of a team that works together. I’m looking forward to that challenge and hopefully looking forward to a lot more winning in the future.”
CROSSOVER OF SPORTS CAR TALENT INTO NASCAR RACES: “Honestly, I don’t see a lot of additional crossover. The way I see it, there are a lot less funded opportunities within stock car racing at the moment. It’s difficult for pro stock car drivers to get top-level drives. Even though there are a lot of road-course races, the guys that have a deal and have the opportunity to do the full season, they’ll do the full season. It’s not like it was 10 years ago when there would be additional cars entered for road course ringers. I don’t see that sort of crossover from our side. In sports car racing when there are additional entries at Daytona with four or five drivers per car, it’s great to include people that perhaps can’t do other races with it. This is great that we still have crossover. From my point of view, my joining Corvette Racing and Chevrolet was to win races in IMSA and championships. That is my full focus until we’ve done that and won four or five. But if the opportunity was there, I’ve said before I’m a fan of stock car racing. If it doesn’t impact any of the other programs we’re doing, I’d love to get involved.”
SPEEDING UP THE TRANSITION PROCESS WITH LIMITED TRACK TIME: “Ultimately you can’t get better than track time. The good thing is that we have the Roar test, which is great. We have three days before we get into the race week. So you can’t beat track time. But on the back of this, one of the things I’ve been introduced to within Corvette Racing and Chevrolet is the Driver in the Loop simulator that we have in North Carolina. I’ve been there already and I’m due to go back before the race at Daytona. This is something that helps you get used to working with the race engineers, getting used to strategies and working on getting used to different things you can change within the car. Actually getting used to the car, driving it and getting comfortable going 200 mph at Daytona, it’s only track time. The good thing is that we have five days of testing at Daytona before the 24 Hours. Of course we have the qualifying race at the end of the Roar. Hopefully both Alexander and I can get some laps and work with Tommy to figure out how to get the best out of all of all us before we have 24 hours of practice in the race.”
DIFFERENCE IN DRIVING STYLE BETWEEN C8.R AND PORSCHE: “There are slight differences. The thing with the 911s we had was the short wheelbase. As the cars got wider and wider, and with the team exploiting the aero, having a wide car with a short wheelbase does make a car edgy. This was one of the most pleasing aspects of getting into the C8.R. It has a slightly longer wheelbase so it’s slightly more stable in lot of places. This is just the basic architecture of the car. There are places where it’s a hinderance, but you look at the M8 which has an event longer wheelbase still. There are places where the short wheelbase helps – sometimes at Long Beach, for example. But it does make it edgy to drive sometimes. The Corvette was a breath of fresh air in some areas, to be honest. The consistency of how you can push the car is something I’m looking forward to exploit and not constantly being on the limit and going over it. It’s an endurance racing machine, and it’s designed for a reason: to be consistent and enable us guys as drivers to go out and push as hard as we can and try to limit mistakes.”
OUTLOOK ON 2021 GTLM FIELD AND CAR COUNT: “It is what it is at the end of the day. We are still hoping BMW will run the full season. This is a potential. It only takes two cars to make a race. Even rallying with one car is pretty interesting sometimes. It is great that WeatherTech and Proton have gotten together and are committed to a full season. It’s like Tommy said: you take the good with the bad. I remember a couple years ago when Ford was there with Ferrari; it was the best GT racing in the world. Yes this year there’s a car drop, but that’s not to say that it will lead to any less intense racing on track. I’m looking forward to Daytona for the start where there will be a few good cars and lots of stuff going on with P3 involved also, and then Sebring as well. Hopefully we can get some of the WEC cars there also for the Super Sebring weekend. Then you have to look forward and get on with what’s in front of you.”
OPTIMISM ON A PERSONAL LEVEL GOING INTO 2021 ABOUT MOTORSPORT IN GENERAL: “Yes, I am more optimistic than I was in June, let’s put it that way. It is great to see people committed to the LMDH and LMH categories. You have people, even though teams have left Formula E, you have manufacturers looking at that, plus Formula 1 through NASCAR, INDYCAR and sports car racing. We’ve kind of lost DTM which was probably the top-level championship in Europe, but that looks like it is taking on a new start and there are teams involved in that already. There are people who still want to go racing whether it is from privateers or manufacturers. As long as there are people who want to go racing then hopefully, once the tough days and tough times are behind us, people will want to go out and enjoy their motorsport again.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R BEING BACK IN GTLM WITH CORVETTE RACING: “Ever since my participation in IMSA ended and going off to do Formula E, it was the single championship I was most driven to get back involved with. It absolutely was the top one that I’ve been involved in within GT racing that I’ve enjoyed. Competition-wise the tracks, the format of racing, competitors, everything about it is just fantastic. The opportunity to drive with Corvette was something that took very little time to consider. Having raced against them for a couple of years, you see the level at which they work as a team, the success they’ve had over the years. To join the program and be a part of that is a huge honor. Now I’m looking forward to getting into the nitty-gritty of going racing again. I’m really, really looking forward to getting back to Daytona.”
TRANSITIONING TO A NEW TEAM AND ONE ELEMENT THAT HAS BEEN A PLEASANT SURPRISE: “Nick kind of stole my answer, but the fundamental thing that was ultimately a question mark as a driver is how you’re going to feel when you get in the car. In terms of dealing with the team, speaking to people and understanding how things work, you can do that before you drive. Getting in the car was the last remaining thing that was to be checked off and such. Doing the first couple of laps at Sebring, the car started making sense pretty quickly to me. By Day Two and going on another couple of runs, it was really impressive how good the car was in so many different phases of the corner. It takes a little bit of adjusting to it, as all race cars do. It wasn’t a surprise because the car won so much last year, but to verify my feeling of the car was good as well was nice.”
ON ADJUSTING DRIVING STYLE FROM FORMULA E TO THE CORVETTE: “Driving a qualifying lap isn’t that much different actually. The tire takes some getting used to, but in terms of the fundamentals of driving a race car quickly, you’re still going through the same processes. There aren’t too many things that I would say would conflict in terms of jumping between two cars and series. It’s something I’ve done the last two years anyway. For me, jumping into a GT3 car is a little more difficult when you bring in ABS, but with the Corvette it should be pretty straightforward, within reason. It just takes a couple of laps to adapt. In terms of Formula E energy saving and strategy stuff you learn, there isn’t a huge amount that is massively able to be crossed over. Corvette always seemed to have a pretty good handle on that part of it, so I’ll work with the engineers on that as usual.”
HAS THE UK COVID LOCKDOWN IMPACTED LIFE MORE THAN THE LAST NINE MONTHS: “The news just recently about having to have a negative test coming to the U.S. and another coming back to the U.K. as well is a small logistical thing that we need to sort out. There’s nothing radically different other than quarantine on return to the U.K. will be necessary. There’s not a huge amount that we’ve had to get our head around.”
ADDING A FACTORY GT PROGRAM TO FORMULA E EFFORT: “It was honestly a factor in my Formula E situation. I was keen to pursue things with Mahindra because from the outset there was a clear position that they would be happy for me to do some GT racing and have no restrictions on manufacturers. That in it itself was massively appealing to me. I’m really enjoying my time in Formula E and I want that to continue, but at the same time I’ve done GT racing for many years. It’s so unique in the enjoyment you get out of it… the physical fatigue that you get in a 24-hour race. You just can’t replicate that in a sprint race. Knowing IMSA was the championship that I have enjoyed the most in GT racing over the years, it was my primary aim to get back involved. It obviously wasn’t just down to me picking and choosing where I go. It was fortunate timing that Corvette was interested in talking to me, and things moved quickly.”
DID YOU KNOW OPTIONS FOR GT RACING WITH BMW WOULD BE LIMITED, AND DID THAT INFLUENCE YOUR FORMULA E PLANS? “This is talking about my Formula E situation, but it wasn’t part of my consideration in terms of my choice to leave BMW. I think the Formula E thing was rather separate, but one of the conditions in my head was that I wanted to be with a manufacturer that would allow me to do things like this and race GT cars at the highest level around this world if opportunities came up. The situation unfolded perfectly, to be honest, to add this program with Corvette Racing along with my Formula E racing. It’s an absolute dream to come true in terms of my racing interests.”
Corvette Racing’s lineup in its No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will have a significantly different look for 2021
Tandy Set to Join Corvette Racing in No. 4 C8.R for Full-Season Run
· Sims to round out new additions as endurance driver alongside Milner, Tandy · Defending GTLM Drivers champions Garcia, Taylor back again in 2021 with Catsburg · Program focused on continuing development for second year with mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
DETROIT (Dec. 3, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s lineup in its No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will have a significantly different look for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the additions of sports car stars Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims alongside long-time Corvette driver Tommy Milner.
It’s a big change on one side of the Corvette Racing garage while the other stays intact from a driving perspective. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, the reigning GT Le Mans (GTLM) Drivers champions, will team again in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Nicky Catsburg back for another season with the pair for the team’s long-distance events in IMSA. Catsburg and Sims will be part of the program’s events for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
Tandy – from Bedford, England – steps into the role held by Oliver Gavin, who stepped away from full-time driving after 19 years with the program. A winner at practically every major sports car race around the world, Tandy joins a full-season lineup that already includes nine IMSA Drivers Championships and 42 race wins with Corvette Racing.
Tandy owns 15 career IMSA victories – all in GT racing – and has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. In addition, he is a past overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours of Spa.
In Sims, Corvette Racing gets another proven race-winner for some of its most important events of the year. From Alcester in England, Sims is a five-time winner in IMSA competition in a brief but successful two-year, full-season stint in 2017 and 2018. He has a victory at Petit Le Mans to his credit along with 24-hour wins at Spa and the Nürburgring, along with two career starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The British pair join Milner, now Corvette Racing’s most experienced full-season driver. The two-time IMSA Drivers Champion boasts 15 victories with the program including wins at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among others. Milner has been a key component in testing and development of the Corvette C8.R and will begin his 10th year as part of Corvette Racing.
In the No. 3 Corvette, Garcia and Taylor are together again after taking five victories and combining for six pole positions in the 2020 GTLM season. The pairing won for the first time at Daytona in July for Corvette Racing’s 100th IMSA victory, and both are previous winners at such events like Le Mans, the Rolex 24 and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Garcia won his fourth Drivers Championship in 2020 while Taylor captured his third Drivers title. Both are past winners at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. Catsburg also will return to the cockpit following a season in which he won the Nurburgring 24 Hours, among other high-profile events.
All six drivers will focus on bringing improvements to the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which won six races and swept the full-season GTLM championships in the hands of Corvette Racing. In addition, the C8.R claimed seven pole positions and posted fastest GTLM race lap at six events.
The mid-engine C8.R and 2020 Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than five years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Roar Before the 24 from Jan. 22-24 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It is nice to have some continuity that we can carry over into 2021. The season Jordan and I had was incredible with the championship and winning a lot of races. Things definitely won’t be easier in 2021 for us, but we do have a year of experience together and with the C8.R. Looking back at 2020, the only thing we missed out on was a good result in the long-distance races. We had the pace to win at Petit Le Mans, but we weren’t expected to get a win at Daytona to start the year and we had our suspension issue at the Sebring 12 Hours. Getting a real endurance win would be key as a next target for the C8.R.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s definitely going to be difficult to top what we accomplished in 2020, but rolling into 2021 and learning everything we did with the C8.R, we’ll roll off stronger than we did this season. It will be great to be back with Antonio and Nicky. With having such a strong lineup, it’s good to keep things consistent. We know how each other works and how our driving styles are like. The chemistry there is very strong. It’ll be great to have Nick and Alexander coming in on the No. 4 Corvette. They can bring a fresh perspective as guys who have driven different cars and give us some insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the C8.R that maybe we are used by now, having driven for a year now. I think we’re setting up for a very strong 2021.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m super pleased that I’m able to come back again with Corvette Racing. My first year was very, very nice. I really enjoyed it… working with the team and with the C8.R. It seems to suit me and I’ve enjoyed it so far. Other than winning the championship, we didn’t score a victory in one of the endurance races so that’s a big goal for next year, along with winning the championship again for Chevy, Antonio and Jordan. Having Nick and Alexander is very, very cool. I know Alexander very well from races we’ve done and won together. He’s one of the best guys I know, and I think he will fit in right away. He’s a super funny guy as well, so I can’t wait to have him around. Nick is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever raced against. He needs no further introduction and he’s an awesome addition for Corvette Racing. This is a super strong lineup, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going into next year, expectations are very high. We know the C8.R is fast and competitive. We had a couple of small issues through the 2020 season, but they were things that were easily addressed by the engineers and mechanics. It’s a tall order to match what happened this year. We obviously want to win the championships again, but now we have the opportunity to get big wins at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. I’d love to get some of those big races under our belt. “I’m excited about my two new teammates. I’ve been racing against Nick for many years now. I know how strong a competitor he is. Obviously I’d much rather him be in my car and not have to fight against him! I’ve raced against he and Alexander quite a bit. They’re both true professionals, super fast on the track and their results speak for themselves. I’m excited to go race with them and work toward the goals we’ve set for 2021.”
NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Since I’ve been racing in IMSA and at Le Mans, Corvette Racing has been the team that everyone looks up to. Many operations aspire to get to the level that Corvette Racing operates at. It’s something I’ve always looked at, and it’s impressed me. The fact that the opportunity arose where I could join the team and stay racing within IMSA is a dream opportunity. You look at the history of Corvette Racing, and it’s been a team that has consistently been in top-level motorsport. And not just competing but winning races and championships wherever they go. It’s an appealing aspect. I hope I can add something to the party and continue that successful legacy that Corvette Racing has. I’d very much like to be part of the next chapter.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “During my two previous years in IMSA, it was clear the level that Corvette Racing is on. I have such fantastic memories of battling with some of the Corvette guys, and some of those battles went against me! My appreciation and respect for Corvette Racing certainly increased. It’s a team that always seemed to be able to achieve a result, even if the track wasn’t one that suited its cars perfectly. If someone was going to make something out of a difficult situation, it usually was Corvette Racing. Now, to have a chance to be in that fold and be part of the program with the absolute pros on this team is really quite special.”
Press Release: Team victory comes on the heels of Corvette Racing taking the GTLM Drivers, Team titles
Chevrolet Captures GT Le Mans Manufacturers Championship Comes on the heels of Corvette Racing taking the GTLM Drivers, Team titles
SEBRING, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2020) – Chevrolet claimed the GT Le Mans Manufacturers title in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship today after the Corvette C8.R started the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. This is Chevrolet’s 13th Manufacturers title in IMSA GT competition since 2001 and concludes the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s inaugural season.
Corvette Racing fielded two of the new Corvette C8.Rs in the 2020 WeatherTech Championship. Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette Racing team clinched the GTLM Drivers and Team championships two weeks ago at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
"The first season for the Corvette C8.R has shattered all of our expectations,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. "The success of the Corvette Racing team wouldn’t be possible without the close link between the crew and the Corvette engineering team. It has been great to watch these two teams work closely together to learn from each other. I can’t wait to see what next season brings.”
The mid-engine C8.R and 2020 Corvette Stingray were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than five years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel. Within the last 18 months, track testing began with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing.
Chevrolet swept the three full-season GTLM titles for the third time in five years. This is only the second time that a first-year Corvette race car has won an IMSA championship. In 2005, Corvette C6.R won American Le Mans Series championship during its first season.
Corvette Racing captured six victories leading into Sebring. Garcia and Taylor gave the Corvette C8.R its first victory at Daytona International Speedway in July, Corvette Racing’s 100th IMSA win. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner won the next race in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R with Garcia and Taylor in second – the first 1-2 finish for the C8.R.
Corvette C8.Rs on first, second row in GTLM ahead of 2020 IMSA finale
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Pole, Track Record for Garcia Corvette C8.Rs on first, second row in GTLM ahead of 2020 IMSA finale
SEBRING, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia claimed his second pole position of the season Friday ahead of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, adding yet another exclamation point to a championship season for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.
Garcia set a GT Le Mans (GTLM) track record in time trials for Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale – 1:55.456 (116.615 mph) in the mid-engine Corvette that he shares will GTLM Drivers co-champion Jordan Taylor as well as Nicky Catsburg.
Tommy Milner qualified the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette fourth in class at 1:56.446 (115.624 mph) and just 0.3 seconds from the front row. He and Oliver Gavin will look to secure second place in GTLM Drivers points Saturday alongside Marcel Fässler.
Garcia’s effort was the seventh pole position for Corvette Racing this season and sixth for the No. 3 C8.R. Garcia also claimed pole position for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and Taylor captured poles at Sebring in July, Mid-Ohio, Charlotte and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Gavin, who will make his final full-season appearance for Corvette Racing, was the GTLM pole-winner at Daytona in July.
There are three goals ahead for Corvette Racing heading into Saturday. The first is claiming the GTLM Manufacturers Championship for Chevrolet, which will happen as long as one of the two Corvettes starts the race.
Next up is clinching second place in the GTLM Drivers and Team championships for the No. 4 Corvette. Then there is the matter of winning the race, which would mark Corvette Racing’s 12th win in the 12 Hours since 2002.
The event has witnessed the team take 11 class victories since 2002, and five of the six drivers have previously won there. Gavin leads with six GT-class victories, Garcia has three and Milner two. Taylor was part of one overall winning effort in the 12 Hours while Fässler has a GTLM win to his credit in a factory Corvette.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is set for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday. NBCSN will air the race live from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and 6-10:30 p.m. ET; live network coverage on NBC is 3-6 p.m. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race starting at 10:05 a.m. ET. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: "It was a perfect lap. From yesterday, we flipped around the car a little bit. With not as much track time as in years past, qualifying is almost like practice for us, too. We gambled on something different and it seems to be working. I'm happy with that. The Corvette Racing guys did a fantastic job. It's been an amazing season. This year I had my first pole at Petit Le Mans and today is my first pole at Sebring. I'm very, very happy for that, too. That defines how 2020 has been for us. Let's hope we can carry on that way. The C8.R seems to be really good although I'm expecting a lot of close fights with BMW and Porsche. We are starting in the best place, so let's see what tomorrow brings. It's not a two-hour, 40-minute one like in July. Tomorrow will the classic race where we finish at night. We'll see what the new Sebring date brings us."
WHERE WERE THE GAINS FROM PRACTICE? "It was all around the racetrack. Jordan had a very similar lap here in July, so yesterday I could compare our laps to that one, even though it was almost three seconds faster than what we did yesterday. It gave me a target to know what the car was capable of. We made a big swing on the setup today, but I knew it was possible and that the C8.R could do a 1:55 around here. On the lap, the car felt fast everywhere. This is the fastest I've ever been around here. It was cool with zero mistakes and I just nailed it."
DOES CLINCHING THE GTLM TITLE TAKE PRESSURE OFF FOR THIS WEEKEND? "I've always enjoyed this race. Since we found out about the date change, I knew that finishing at Sebring would have been very tough. Fighting for a championship at such a hard event would have been difficult. I'm glad we got it out of the way, and I hope next year we are back to a normal schedule where no one thinks about championships at Sebring! Daytona and Sebring at the beginning of the season, those are big enough races on their own. To put the championship on the line would be super stressful. For sure we will enjoy this weekend. But the rest of the cars in our class are very relaxed too. They'll go all out to win this race. I can foresee this being an aggressive race but another classic Sebring."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FOURTH IN GTLM: “Qualifying was OK. We tried to stay the path a little bit from some of the progress we made yesterday. We just kind of missed it a little bit with the setup. The 3 car guys went in a little different direction, and on the surface it seems to be a pretty change based on Antonio’s qualifying effort. There is more data for all the engineers to look at it today and figure out what the best combination is. There’s plenty of time to do that before tomorrow. I’m excited to get to the race. Fourth and the second isn’t a bad starting spot. For us, we want to get close to the end with the car in one piece and then go racing from there. We’ve had lessons from the July race and from yesterday in practice. I think we will be in good shape.”
Corvette Corral: Friday 11/13/20 Corvette Parade lap 11:25-11:45
There will be an open-air tent with daily beverage service, a catered lunch and non-stop large screen viewing of the races will be available exclusively to ticketed guests.
Only tickets already purchased to the Corvette corral will be honored. No additional corral parking passes will be sold. Corral will be closed to the public. Only guests with Corral tickets will be permitted to access tents or grandstands.
Covid Info: Mask Usage and Safety Protocols While on Property For everyone’s safety, all guests are required to wear proper face coverings when arriving on property each day. All guests, including hospitality patrons, must enter through Gate 1 which is the main spectator gate located closest to Hotel Seven. Competitors and other guests on IMSA’s essential personnel list, must enter through Gate 4 and submit to IMSA daily screening.
Once inside the facility, guests socializing in their own groups, at their parking or camping locations, are not required to wear face coverings or masks. However, when groups merge or you leave the confines of your own location, masks are required. This includes viewing mounds, concession areas, Vendor Village, restrooms and other common areas of the property.
While we recognize there are many different opinions of mask usage, our hope is to make everyone feel as comfortable and welcome as possible while visiting Sebring International Raceway and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Vendor Village and Fan Zone The Vendor Village located on the Midway will house all food, beverage and retail sales. Many of your favorite auto manufacturers will be on display in the Fan Zone, however, most will be conducting business differently in this hands-off environment. Expect static displays of vehicles and other offerings, but not the ability to sit in vehicles or take test drives with manufacturer representatives. All vendors and their representatives will wear face masks and it is expected that all guest will also when interacting in the Fan Zone or Vendor Village.
Among the Major Displays on site will be:
Chevrolet Hyundai Acura Michelin Mobil 1 Lexus
Food and retail vendors:
Sebring PX, official merchandise of Sebring International Raceway Little Caesars Japanese Flair Track Shack Little Red Wagon Outback Kates Carroll’s Corn Crib Golden Gate Suncoast Porsche Recaro Wine Country Guy Harvey Styled Aesthetic Happy Belly
Buy Souvenir Program, Get March’s Program, Too The official race program has been updated to reflect the new race date of Nov. 11-14. It features many great articles and information with updated IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Series season results and features on Grand Marshal Mario Andretti and his 1970 victory. Packaged with the updated program will be a copy of the original race program that was printed for the March race. Visit the Sebring Lions Club in Vendor Village to buy your official race program(s)!
Follow the Race on your Radio or TV There are multiple ways to follow all the action live. Tune your radio to WWOJ 99.1 FM, or the Raceway’s FM signal 100.7. The entire race will be broadcast live, starting and finishing on NBCSN with NBC network providing coverage in the middle of the race from 3-6 p.m.
Early Arriving Fans Due to health advisory restrictions, pre-event RV staging will be permitted no earlier than Tuesday, Nov. 10 at noon. The staging area is located off of Carroll Shelby Road. Follow signs to pre-staging and you will be parked in the order you arrive. Gates will open at 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11 and vehicles will be admitted in order from the pre-staging lot. All guests arriving Wednesday morning while the load-in process is underway will be directed to the rear of the line and will enter in the order they arrived.
Tickets and Pass Outs Tickets will be sold at the gate until pre-determined limits are reached. Guests with tickets and pass out wristbands will be permitted to enter at any time; however, tickets only will be sold from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets will be sold around the clock beginning Friday, or until capacity is reached. A Few Surprises For Guests Arriving Wednesday
Guests arriving Wednesday, Nov. 11 will be handed a guest guide with four coupons inside. These coupons can be redeemed for a free poster, a free Yuengling beer, a free Little Caesars pizza and Pepsi and a free six-pack of Pepsi. Also on Wednesday – at 12:30 p.m. – all fans on property will have an opportunity to walk the entire 3.74-mile track and get an up-close look at the bumps that make the Sebring circuit famous. This fan walk will be led by former drivers and media personalities Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall.
Get Out and Walk Unlike the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring in July, all guests will be free to roam between Green Park and the Midway, provided they are wearing face coverings. While trams will not be operated, guests can freely access viewing mounds, the Midway, Vendor Village and the Fan Zone. The competitor paddock will be open only to competitors and IMSA officials.
Chevrolet on verge of claiming GTLM Manufacturers Championship
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Championship Close-Out
• Chevrolet on verge of claiming GTLM Manufacturers Championship • Corvette Racing looking for 13th Sebring victory • Gavin, Milner, No. 4 Corvette seek second Sebring win of 2020 • Garcia, Taylor enter having clinched class Drivers title in No. 3 C8.R • Final race for Gavin as full-time Corvette Racing pilot
DETROIT (Nov. 10, 2020) – Corvette Racing returns to Sebring International Raceway this weekend for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the close of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. It’s the second race at Sebring this year for the newly crowned GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship-winning program.
The 68th running of America’s oldest sports car race will bring the curtain down on the first year of the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It has been an unqualified success with six race wins and the GTLM Drivers and Team titles… with one more event to go.
Saturday’s 12-hour endurance race also is set to serve as a coronation for Chevrolet, which will win the GTLM Manufacturers Championship as long as one of the two Corvette entries starts Saturday’s race. Already, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor have secured the category’s Drivers Championship in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the series’ most recent round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca two weekends ago.
The runner-up finish in California for Garcia and Taylor, who drive this weekend with Nicky Catsburg, also netted the No. 3 Corvette squad the GTLM Team title. Since 2001, Corvette Racing has won 13 Team championships and 12 Drivers crowns.
Once the race begins and the Manufacturers title is settled, there are two goals for Corvette Racing: win for the 13th time at Sebring and secure second place in GTLM points for Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin. The duo, driving the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Marcel Fässler, won earlier this year at Sebring in a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race.
The Sebring 12 Hours is steeped in Corvette Racing history. The event has witnessed the team take 11 class victories since 2002, and five of the six drivers have previously won there. Gavin leads with six GT-class victories, Garcia has three and Milner two. Taylor was part of one overall winning effort in the 12 Hours while Fässler has a GTLM win to his credit in a factory Corvette.
Saturday is the second long-distance race in three events for Corvette Racing and the rest of the WeatherTech Championship. Garcia, Taylor and Catsburg finished as GTLM runners-up in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. In the No. 4 Corvette, the Gavin/Milner/Fässler trio will look to capture their second Sebring 12 Hours together; they won in class in 2016.
It also would send out Gavin on one of the highest possible notes. He will end his 18-year run as a full-time Corvette Racing driver at Sebring – a place where he has won six times with the program… five in the 12 Hours of Sebring. He is the team’s all-time winner in career starts (202), IMSA championships (five) and wins (51), among other categories.
In addition to the Corvettes on the race track, Chevrolet will have a number of vehicles on display at its midway display from Thursday through Saturday. Chevrolet models at the static display will include the 2020 Corvette Stingray Z51, Camaro ZL1, Blazer Premier, Silverado 1500 Crew High Country, Trailerblazer RS and Tahoe Premier
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is set for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday. NBCSN will air the race live from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and 6-10:30 p.m. ET; live network coverage on NBC is 3-6 p.m. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race starting at 10:05 a.m. ET. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I don’t think our approach will change at Sebring having already won the championship. At Laguna Seca, I wasn’t really thinking about it. We knew that we just needed to start these last two races. Once we started at Laguna, I wasn’t conserving anything and was going all-out to win the race. I think it will be the same at Sebring. Maybe it will take some of the pressure off the team. But in a way, this brings Sebring a little bit back to normal where it’s the second race of the season and you don’t think about the championship. You take every risk needed. It’s a relief not to have to treat this as the last race of the championship, where you can tend to think too much. But now winning the championship opens things up for us. It becomes a single race that we want to win.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “When at first the revised schedule came out, I think we were all pretty nervous knowing Sebring could be the deciding race in the championship. It’s an incredibly difficult race. Having that wrapped up now makes this almost like the Rolex 24 at the beginning of the year where your only focus isn’t on winning the championship. It’s nice to have that mentality going in. We can go in there focusing on getting the win. We had a good race there in July, so we have some race experience with the C8.R. We can look back to that to rely on some data for building blocks going into this race.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The Sebring 12 Hours is a bit later in the year that we had planned! But it’s a race that is always very special. This is a unique circuit which makes this event difficult to win. I feel we have a very good chance to fight for the win. I can’t wait to get back in the Corvette again. Petit Le Mans was a good race for us, and I really enjoyed it. Now I am a little more into the car than when I arrived at Petit Le Mans; it hasn’t been that long ago. I hope we can finish off this championship season on a high and win this race.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Racing in November at Sebring is going to be a little different. We’ll have some more darkness and it will probably be a little stormy. I still think it will be just as hot at it is in Sebring in March. We did race there in July and have already done that ‘warm-up’ to get us ready for the 12 Hours. Tommy and I came away victorious that day, so we’re looking to repeat that and for me to finish my full-time career at Corvette Racing with one more victory. It would also give me 50 wins in IMSA, which would be a nice little statistic to finish on.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: : “Running the 12 Hours of Sebring in November means we definitely will have a lot more darkness than we are used to, which is a challenge in itself. Sebring at night is tricky. The track has helped by putting lights at some of the apex corners but that doesn’t help you navigate some of the other parts of the track. Luckily, headlights were a priority of the C8.R and the team has done a good job of building in that lighting for night-time conditions. Hopefully that will minimize that challenge. The track temperatures also likely will be cooler so that could change some of the tire compound allocation options. We don’t usually make huge setup changes for certain times of day, but I think we obviously will pay more attention to what performance will be like in those conditions as opposed to the daytime hours. We have a good base to work from after our first and second at Sebring in July. We know the car is fast there, plus we have continued to learn throughout the year. We’re looking forward to putting that information on the racetrack and seeing if we have improved the car. I would guess that we have. Ending the season with another win and 1-2 finish would be awesome.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I think the biggest change for Sebring is that we will run more at night. For sure, that’s an important thing for the tire choice. Usually Sebring is very crowded, and hopefully we get a lot of people that can come to the race. It would be great for the ambiance. But in the end, this is still a very tough and difficult race physically on us as drivers and on the equipment. Fortunately I was able to get some good time in the C8.R at Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans, so both Nicky and I should be up to speed. It would be great to end the season with another Corvette Racing win.”
Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 325 2. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 290 3. Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 289 4. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi – 285 5. Fred Makowiecki/Nick Tandy – 262 6. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 257
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 325 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 290 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 289 4. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 285 5. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 262 6. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 257
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 336 2. BMW – 318 3. Porsche – 286 4. Ferrari – 28
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 22 years: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet. • 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 21 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history. • 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins. • 12: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing. It’s tied with Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the most at any venue in team history. • 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 21: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 29: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. • 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 237: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 46,959.60: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s close to two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles). • 310,897.63: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.
Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. - 4th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy - 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell - 6th in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon - 5th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel - 3rd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon - 2nd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver Gavin - 1st in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon - 4th in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon - 1st in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim - 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis - 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen - 3rd in GT1
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis - 4th in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen - 1st in GT1
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen - 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis - 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen - 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis - 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia - 1st in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler - 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia - 8th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard - 9th in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia - 3rd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook - 4th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor - 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook - 3rd in GT
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor - 11th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook - 1st in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe - 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell - 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe - 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud - 9th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 9th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 10th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 8th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 6th in GTLM
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 8th in GTLM No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)
2020* No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor - 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole) No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner -1st in GTLM
PRESS RELEASE: Gavin to start third in another strong showing for Corvette C8.R
CORVETTE RACING AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA: Taylor Sets GTLM Record in Pole Position Run Gavin to start third in another strong showing for Corvette C8.R at new track
MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor captured pole position and set a GT Le Mans track record in the process Sunday morning ahead of the Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Taylor, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set the fastest time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTLM category – 1:21.483 (98.876 mph) – as he and teammate Antonio Garcia look to close out the class Drivers and Team championships.
It was the fifth pole position of 2020 for Corvette Racing, fourth in a row for the No. 3 Corvette and fourth of the season for Taylor. He broke the previous GTLM qualifying record by 0.074 seconds.
Oliver Gavin will line up behind Taylor on the GTLM grid after qualifying third in class with the No. 4 Corvette. His best lap of 1:21.853 (98.429 mph) was only 0.370 from the other C8.R and barely a tenth-of-a-second from starting second with teammate Tommy Milner; the No. 4 pairing is second in GTLM points heading into today’s next-to-last round of the season.
The Monterey Sports Car Championship is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET today with same-day television coverage on NBCSN beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race starting at 4 p.m. ET. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was good. This is more of a championship-focused weekend, but we have a competitive Corvette and we saw that right out of the box. We led both practice sessions and obviously we led qualifying. The C8.R is definitely quick and has pace. The race will be a much different story with tire degradation and things like that. We wanted to get track position early on like this, so the qualifying went well for that. The year has been going incredibly well… our fourth pole in a row. We’re trying to close out the season on a strong point.”
MOOD OF THE TEAM CLOSING IN ON CHAMPIONSHIP BUT SEEING NEWS ABOUT OLIVER GAVIN IN 2021:“It’s business as usual. The news about Oliver was disappointing for everyone, but he’s in great spirits. He’s a racer and is at the track wanting to win the race. It was a small talking point at the start of the weekend, but once the weekend started with practice, it was back to business as usual, trying to work on the cars and race strategy. Sebring will be his last full-time race with the team, so that one might be a little bit different. But it’s almost more special to have that one be his final race.”
ADAPTING TO THE TRACK WITH NO PREVIOUS TESTING: “It’s similar to Mid-Ohio. The track is low-grip so the car is moving around a lot more. The tire compounds are similar for what you want to use. We were able to do a day at the simulator, which was a big help to get the setup in the window where we wanted it. I think we’ve tried two setup changes on our car and have gone back to where we started the weekend. It was crucial to have that day to get up to speed for Tommy and I. When we got here, the car was right where we wanted it and we were strongest right out of the box. This was good proof of the simulator working again.”
ON POTENTIALLY CLINCHING THE GTLM CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY: “The week off between Petit Le Mans and now, it was on my mind. But as soon as you’re in the car, you want to do the best job possible and be quickest. Now we’re on pole and our mentality is to win the race. We have a competitive car so we can race for the win. I don’t think points are going to be really at the top of our minds most of the day. It’s going to be about maximizing the results with what we have.”
2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings (After Nine of 11 Events)
Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 293 2. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 265 3. Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 261 4. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi – 259 5. Fred Makowiecki/Nick Tandy – 232 6. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 222
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 293 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 265 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 261 4. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 259 5. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 232 6. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 222
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 304 2. BMW – 288 3. Porsche – 251 4. Ferrari – 28
CORVETTE RACING AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for more than 20 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Laguna Seca since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013) and the Corvette C7.R (2014-2019). The new mid-engine Corvette C8.R will make it four starting this weekend. • 4: Career victories at Laguna Seca for Oliver Gavin – all with Corvette Racing. • 7: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004. • 10: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one). • 11: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey. • 11: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition. • 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 21: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 29: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. • 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 236: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 12,292.10: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 19 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,575 laps or nearly 725 trips along historic 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula. • 310,644.74: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.
Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 5th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 3rd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole)
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)
Chevrolet Salutes Oliver Gavin as He Concludes Full-Time Role with Corvette Racing Longest serving, most accomplished driver in Corvette Racing program history
DETROIT (October 31, 2020) – Chevrolet and Corvette Racing are paying tribute to the accomplishments of Oliver Gavin, who will step away from full-time competition with the program at the end of 2020. Gavin, one of sports car racing’s biggest stars, has been part of Corvette Racing since 2002 and will complete his 18th full-time season with the team at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in two weeks.
The first race for Gavin with Corvette Racing took place at Sebring in 2002, and he was promoted to full-time status the following year.
Gavin’s list of accomplishments with Corvette Racing is unmatched. He has more starts (201), championships (five), race wins (51), 24 Hours of Le Mans victories (five) and pole positions (25) than any other driver in program history. He also has won five times at both Sebring and Petit Le Mans with Corvette Racing and captured the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2016 to begin his latest championship run.
“To have been with the same team for 19 seasons has been an immense privilege, and I thank from the bottom of my heart each and every person who has shared that journey with me,” Gavin said. “It’s been an amazing run, and I’ve been very lucky to have been able to drive at such a high level for so long. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved together, especially the championship wins and milestone victories at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among others. I’m also very proud of the part I played in developing four generations of Corvette race cars for both IMSA and at Le Mans, and I look forward to exploring opportunities to represent Chevrolet and Corvette Racing in the future.”
In addition to his competitive record, Gavin also has been a fundamental part in the development of every generation of racing Corvette during his tenure with the program. His efforts in the Corvette C5-R laid the groundwork for the GT1- and GT-spec versions of the C6.R. Gavin was heavily involved in testing and development of the C7.R and mid-engine C8.R. He won an IMSA championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring with the Corvette C7.R.
"Oliver Gavin is a name that is synonymous with Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “He has been one of the sport’s greatest drivers and a fantastic representative of Chevrolet for nearly two decades – on the track, working with our Corvette production engineers, and engaging Corvette owners and fans around the world.”
Gavin claimed the first pole position for the C8.R at Daytona in July, and he and Milner won the next event at Sebring in their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. They stand second in the GT Le Mans Drivers’ Championship entering this weekend's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at Laguna Seca.
"All of us at Chevrolet thank Oliver for his nearly 20 years of contributions to Corvette Racing,” Campbell added. “No driver at Corvette Racing has started more events, captured more championships or won more races. Oliver's success has brought great improvements over the years not just to Corvette Racing, but also to every Corvette that sits in an owner's driveway. We are hopeful of creating more of those opportunities with Oliver into the future."
Details on Corvette Racing’s complete driver roster for 2021 will be confirmed at a later date.
11:30 am - 11:45 am ET Qualifying - WeatherTech Championship (GTD) 11:55 am - 12:10 pm ET Qualifying - WeatherTech Championship (GTLM) 12:20 pm - 12:35 pm ET Qualifying - WeatherTech Championship (DPI/LMP2)
PRESS RELEASE: Corvette Racing continues to inch closer to writing a new chapter in its history
CORVETTE RACING AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA: On the Doorstep of a Championship
• First race for mid-engine Corvette C8.R at historic Monterey track • Garcia, Taylor can wrap up GTLM title in No. 3 Corvette C8.R • Gavin, Milner eager to recreate race-winning Monterey magic • Corvette Racing with seven class victories at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca • Event rescheduled from original mid-September date
DETROIT (Oct. 27, 2020) – Corvette Racing continues to inch closer to writing a new chapter in its history as the program heads west to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the next-to-last round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The rescheduled Monterey Sports Car Championship at historic 2.238-mile, 11-turn WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca could very well serve as the coronation of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor as GT Le Mans (GTLM) champions for 2020. The pairing have won five times this year in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R and hold a 28-point lead over fellow Corvette Racing teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.
If Garcia and Taylor end the weekend with at least a 35-point lead headed into the season-ending Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, they will wrap up their first championship together. Garcia has won three GT titles in IMSA competition and Taylor is a two-time champion in the prototype ranks. As a whole, Corvette Racing seeks its 13th Drivers title and 14th Team crown.
In the GTLM Manufacturers standings, Chevrolet enjoys a 16-point advantage. It only needs to have one of the Corvettes start Sunday’s race in Monterey and another start at Sebring to win its 13th GT title.
All four Corvette Racing drivers will have a successful collective history to fall back on at the circuit. Each of the quartet has at least one victory – Gavin with four, Garcia with three, Taylor with two and Milner with one. In addition, Milner was the fastest GTLM driver in last year’s race; he and Gavin won at the track together in 2012 – one of Corvette Racing’s seven class victories at Monterey.
Saturday’s opening practice will mark the first time at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first-year Corvette C8.R. Technical in nature, the track surface typically is extremely tricky with a very limited amount of grip. It’s not too dissimilar from a track like Mid-Ohio, where Corvette Racing won in GTLM last month despite having not tested the C8.R at the circuit. Program engineers will consider the data and feedback gathered from that event when finalizing their baseline setups for Laguna Seca.
The mid-engine C8.R is based on the strong foundation of the 2020 Corvette Stingray with both developed simultaneously. There is a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and production Corvette than ever before, which helps contribute to many of its advancements. As a result, the C8.R shares the highest percentage of parts between the production and race car than any previous generation.
Initial design and development on the Corvette C8.R – with Corvette Racing engineers working alongside Corvette production personnel – began more than five years ago with track testing starting within the last 18 months. Heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation aided in the testing program.
The Monterey Sports Car Championship is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov.1 with same-day television coverage on NBCSN beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race starting at 4 p.m. ET. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s true that we are in a great spot in the championship heading to Laguna Seca, but our goal is to keep doing what we have been doing all year: put ourselves in position to win races if we can, and if not then maximize our points position. So we will go into the weekend expecting to contend and win this race. It’s another new track for the Corvette C8.R, but that has worked out well so far this year at Mid-Ohio and Charlotte. We have continued with our simulator work in preparing for this weekend to find the best possible setup for the first practice. I’m hoping we can continue our strong run and clinch the championship, but I also want to win another race this season.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s a big weekend for us in the championship, obviously. We haven’t tested at Laguna Seca. It’s a pretty hard track. But considering how well we ran at Mid-Ohio, which is another low-grip track, it shows pretty well for Laguna. We’ve done some simulator work already for this event – just some small developmental items. Mid-Ohio was very strong for us that it’s very promising as we head to Monterey. Leaving Mid-Ohio there were some things we wanted to try, so hopefully when we get there we will have some new run plans and can hit the ground running.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We’ve found some great learnings and been very strong since coming back from lockdown. It shows with the amount of pole positions the car has had, the number of podiums and number of wins. We’ve managed to make the car very competitive and very strong in race conditions. Every time you go to Laguna Seca, it’s a challenge. You wonder how you are going to make the tire work and how we are going to get the most out of the car. But this Corvette is the best one we’ve produced, and it’s going to be the best car we’ve ever driven at Laguna. So we’ve already checked off a lot of those boxes. We have to see how the tires we have will work there with our partners at Michelin. I feel confident going there that we will be able to find a balance and a way to be fast.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca is pretty unique with the track surface. It’s super low-grip with all the sand that comes on the racetrack. It’s always a big challenge and trying to figure that out has never been easy. Now we go there with a new car where we haven’t tested, so that makes it even more of a challenge. But I’m excited to get the C8.R on the racetrack there. It’s a place where maybe we haven’t always been the best, so it will be fun to see what this new Corvette offers for us.”
2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings (After Nine of 11 Events)
Driver Standings 1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 293 2. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 265 3. Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 261 4. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi – 259 5. Fred Makowiecki/Nick Tandy – 232 6. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 222
Team Standings 1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 293 2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 265 3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 261 4. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 259 5. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 232 6. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 222
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet – 304 2. BMW – 288 3. Porsche – 251 4. Ferrari – 28
CORVETTE RACING AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers • 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for more than 20 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette. • 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Laguna Seca since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013) and the Corvette C7.R (2014-2019). The new mid-engine Corvette C8.R will make it four starting this weekend. • 4: Career victories at Laguna Seca for Oliver Gavin – all with Corvette Racing. • 7: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004. • 10: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one). • 11: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey. • 11: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition. • 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001. • 21: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. • 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen. • 29: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. • 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans. • 236: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999. • 12,292.10: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 19 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,575 laps or nearly 725 trips along historic 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula. • 310,644.74: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.
Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 1999 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS
2000 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS
2001 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 5th in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2003 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GTS No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2004 No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole)
2005 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2006 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell – 3rd in GT1 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2007 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2009 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap) No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2
2010 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2 No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2
2011 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2013 No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT
2014 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2015 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2017 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole)
2019 No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)
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