****GTLM/GTD Pro Racing Talk-NO SPOILERS PLEASE!
09-16-2014, 08:00 PM
#521
Burning Brakes
Lone Star Le Mans – TUDOR Championship (all times CT)
TUDOR Championship Practice 1: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18
TUDOR Championship Practice 2: 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Practice 3: 3:20 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship GTLM Qualifying: 4:50 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Prototype Qualifying: 5:35 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Warmup: 8:40 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Lone Star Le Mans: 11:35 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Lone Star Le Mans – Watch It (all times ET)
Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. ET (IMSA.com), Friday, Sept. 19
Race: 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 2), Saturday, Sept. 20
TUDOR Championship Practice 1: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18
TUDOR Championship Practice 2: 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Practice 3: 3:20 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship GTLM Qualifying: 4:50 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Prototype Qualifying: 5:35 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19
TUDOR Championship Warmup: 8:40 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Lone Star Le Mans: 11:35 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Lone Star Le Mans – Watch It (all times ET)
Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. ET (IMSA.com), Friday, Sept. 19
Race: 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 2), Saturday, Sept. 20
Friday 4 hours of racing during the day. Saturday almost 9 hours of racing.Keep all the updates coming Cor123
09-17-2014, 08:48 AM
#522
GM media #2
CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: ‘Team America’ Ready for the WEC
Milner, Taylors to pilot No. 65 Konica Minolta/Michelin Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
· Six-hour FIA World Endurance Championship race to cap off Austin weekend
· Entry sponsored by Konica Minolta and Michelin
· First FIA WEC race for Corvette Racing outside Le Mans 24 Hours
DETROIT (Sept. 16, 2014) – With 15 years of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing is more than familiar with competing against the world’s top production-based sports car teams. What’s new is that for the first time, that fight takes place at Circuit of The Americas. Tommy Milner, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor will drive a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s six-hour endurance race Saturday.
The trio – teaming in the No. 65 Konica Minolta/Michelin Corvette C7.R – is the only all-American tandem in the race. It will mark the second part of a day-long doubleheader as each will compete in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race earlier in the day.
Milner will drive Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette C7.R alongside Oliver Gavin in the GT Le Mans class with the Taylors in their No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype. The two-hour, 45-minute TUDOR Championship race will precede the six-hour WEC round that will offer the challenge of running from day into night.
The FIA WEC is a global championship that features the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sanctioned by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). Corvette Racing has won Le Mans seven times since 2001 – most recently in 2011 when Milner was part of the winning trio.
The Corvette will find itself among familiar foes in the WEC round. Factory and works-supported efforts from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche make up the GTE Pro category. Corvette Racing competes in the class annually at Le Mans, where it finished second and fourth this year. Jordan Taylor was in the No. 73 Corvette C7.R that finished as the runner-up, and Milner’s No. 74 Corvette was fourth.
Taylor has been part of Corvette Racing’s Le Mans efforts for the last three years, and this year’s result marked his first podium in the race. He has one start for the team in the TUDOR Championship when he replaced Jan Magnussen in the most recent round at VIR. It was the first time Taylor drove the Corvette C7.R in a high-downforce aerodynamic package.
Ricky Taylor drove a Corvette C6.R last year at Le Mans. This will be his first race in the Corvette C7.R although he drove the car during a couple of demonstration laps at the new National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park two weeks ago.
The FIA WEC’s Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas will be televised live starting at 6 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Online coverage also will be available on the WEC website with live radio coverage available via radiolemans.com.
CORVETTE RACING FIA WEC QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER
I’m of the mindset that we’re going in there to do the best we can and go for a win. We don’t want to hurt someone’s championship. But that’s more for them to think about and less of my problem, Ricky, Jordan and I will look to put forward a good effort for the fans and for Chevy. It’s not that we have something to prove, but want to represent our team and our series as best we can. We’re all in the same mindset there. In the end, we’ll push for a win.
“There are some differences in how qualifying works (in the FIA WEC race) and being in a six-hour race instead of one that’s two hours and 45 minutes. That will alter the approach a little bit as how we go about the weekend. We’ll be there in the WEC race not to just run around. We’re there to compete and go for a win. But there are guys there that are there regularly who have their own championship to think about. But we want to show the capabilities of the Corvette for potential customers around the world at different tracks other than Le Mans.”
JORDAN TAYLOR
“VIR was sort of a blessing in disguise. It was obviously under terrible circumstances with Jan’s accident and him not being able to drive. I was happy to fill in for him to help the team for the weekend. It was my first time driving the C7R in high downforce trim. At Le Mans we were fully trimmed out in low downforce, so it was a big difference. It couldn’t have been better timing before COTA. I was able to get a feel for the car not just in a normal testing condition but in a competitive environment. So not only did I get a feel for how the car handles, but also what it’s like battling with other GTLM cars. It gives me a little more confidence heading to Texas. With that knowledge I can also give Ricky a few tips as to what to expect from the car when he jumps in it for the first time in COTA.
“It's good to have gotten some experience at Le Mans racing with these guys. Getting to know how they race and how the different GTE cars balance out against each other. The biggest thing is getting used to the traffic, mainly the P1 cars and their closing speeds.”
RICKY TAYLOR
“I drove the C6.R at Le Mans last year and have heard so much from the other drivers about the major improvements that have been made. I am most excited about getting to work alongside Jordan, Tommy and the entire Corvette Racing team as I have always said “hi” to the guys but never had a chance to actually work with everyone. This will be a different group of drivers than I have raced with before so it will be a new field of competitors for me although I have seen a number of them on track from being in the P2 car at Le Mans this year.
“I had the chance to drive the Corvette C7.R at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park. It was a great opportunity to get comfortable with the team, the car and its systems during a few laps. The cockpit and ergonomics of the C7.R are great improvements, which makes it more comfortable than the C6.R. I’m ready for the race and eager to learn all I can from Tommy, Jordan and the rest of the Corvette Racing team.”
CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: ‘Team America’ Ready for the WEC
Milner, Taylors to pilot No. 65 Konica Minolta/Michelin Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
· Six-hour FIA World Endurance Championship race to cap off Austin weekend
· Entry sponsored by Konica Minolta and Michelin
· First FIA WEC race for Corvette Racing outside Le Mans 24 Hours
DETROIT (Sept. 16, 2014) – With 15 years of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing is more than familiar with competing against the world’s top production-based sports car teams. What’s new is that for the first time, that fight takes place at Circuit of The Americas. Tommy Milner, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor will drive a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s six-hour endurance race Saturday.
The trio – teaming in the No. 65 Konica Minolta/Michelin Corvette C7.R – is the only all-American tandem in the race. It will mark the second part of a day-long doubleheader as each will compete in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race earlier in the day.
Milner will drive Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette C7.R alongside Oliver Gavin in the GT Le Mans class with the Taylors in their No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype. The two-hour, 45-minute TUDOR Championship race will precede the six-hour WEC round that will offer the challenge of running from day into night.
The FIA WEC is a global championship that features the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sanctioned by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). Corvette Racing has won Le Mans seven times since 2001 – most recently in 2011 when Milner was part of the winning trio.
The Corvette will find itself among familiar foes in the WEC round. Factory and works-supported efforts from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche make up the GTE Pro category. Corvette Racing competes in the class annually at Le Mans, where it finished second and fourth this year. Jordan Taylor was in the No. 73 Corvette C7.R that finished as the runner-up, and Milner’s No. 74 Corvette was fourth.
Taylor has been part of Corvette Racing’s Le Mans efforts for the last three years, and this year’s result marked his first podium in the race. He has one start for the team in the TUDOR Championship when he replaced Jan Magnussen in the most recent round at VIR. It was the first time Taylor drove the Corvette C7.R in a high-downforce aerodynamic package.
Ricky Taylor drove a Corvette C6.R last year at Le Mans. This will be his first race in the Corvette C7.R although he drove the car during a couple of demonstration laps at the new National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park two weeks ago.
The FIA WEC’s Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas will be televised live starting at 6 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Online coverage also will be available on the WEC website with live radio coverage available via radiolemans.com.
CORVETTE RACING FIA WEC QUOTES
TOMMY MILNER
I’m of the mindset that we’re going in there to do the best we can and go for a win. We don’t want to hurt someone’s championship. But that’s more for them to think about and less of my problem, Ricky, Jordan and I will look to put forward a good effort for the fans and for Chevy. It’s not that we have something to prove, but want to represent our team and our series as best we can. We’re all in the same mindset there. In the end, we’ll push for a win.
“There are some differences in how qualifying works (in the FIA WEC race) and being in a six-hour race instead of one that’s two hours and 45 minutes. That will alter the approach a little bit as how we go about the weekend. We’ll be there in the WEC race not to just run around. We’re there to compete and go for a win. But there are guys there that are there regularly who have their own championship to think about. But we want to show the capabilities of the Corvette for potential customers around the world at different tracks other than Le Mans.”
JORDAN TAYLOR
“VIR was sort of a blessing in disguise. It was obviously under terrible circumstances with Jan’s accident and him not being able to drive. I was happy to fill in for him to help the team for the weekend. It was my first time driving the C7R in high downforce trim. At Le Mans we were fully trimmed out in low downforce, so it was a big difference. It couldn’t have been better timing before COTA. I was able to get a feel for the car not just in a normal testing condition but in a competitive environment. So not only did I get a feel for how the car handles, but also what it’s like battling with other GTLM cars. It gives me a little more confidence heading to Texas. With that knowledge I can also give Ricky a few tips as to what to expect from the car when he jumps in it for the first time in COTA.
“It's good to have gotten some experience at Le Mans racing with these guys. Getting to know how they race and how the different GTE cars balance out against each other. The biggest thing is getting used to the traffic, mainly the P1 cars and their closing speeds.”
RICKY TAYLOR
“I drove the C6.R at Le Mans last year and have heard so much from the other drivers about the major improvements that have been made. I am most excited about getting to work alongside Jordan, Tommy and the entire Corvette Racing team as I have always said “hi” to the guys but never had a chance to actually work with everyone. This will be a different group of drivers than I have raced with before so it will be a new field of competitors for me although I have seen a number of them on track from being in the P2 car at Le Mans this year.
“I had the chance to drive the Corvette C7.R at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park. It was a great opportunity to get comfortable with the team, the car and its systems during a few laps. The cockpit and ergonomics of the C7.R are great improvements, which makes it more comfortable than the C6.R. I’m ready for the race and eager to learn all I can from Tommy, Jordan and the rest of the Corvette Racing team.”
09-19-2014, 01:29 PM
#524
While having been one of the most successful manufacturers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with seven class victories over the last 15 years, Corvette Racing hasn’t taken on the likes of AF Corse, Aston Martin or Porsche Team Manthey in a regular-distance FIA World Endurance Championship event until this weekend.
In addition to its TUDOR United SportsCar Championship commitments, the factory Pratt & Miller squad is fielding a Corvette C7.R in Saturday’s Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas, which sees brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor team up with Tommy Milner in the only all-American driver lineup in the race.
According to Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan, the entry in the FIA WEC race has helped fulfill a number of short and long-term objectives for the Detroit automaker.
“I think [the WEC] race fills a lot of voids,” Fehan told Sportscar365. “I think it’s important that we’ve maintained, since our beginning, that we continuously look at what opportunities are around the world.
“By racing here, we see how the WEC operates, we look at their Balance of Performance is and see how good their racing is.
“That helps us determine what we’re going to do personally and first and foremost, it gives us a much better insight into what our potential customers are facing as well.”
The expanded effort, with both TUDOR Championship and FIA WEC races occurring on the same day, has resulted in the team drafting in some new and familiar faces.
Mike West, the former crew chief for the No. 4 car, returns to the same role on the No. 65 Corvette after a season with Cadillac Racing in Pirelli World Challenge, while Alex Roberge, who assists the team at Le Mans as a liaison with the ACO and FIA, is acting as team manager.
Ben Johnson, who works on the Corvette DP and Camaro programs for Pratt & Miller, meanwhile, is engineer, with a mix of Cadillac and Corvette Racing crew completing the roster in the WEC car this weekend.
Changes have also been made to the C7.R, originally used as a test car, which includes a swap from E85 to E10 fuel and the addition of the FIA’s on-board marshaling system, which is mandatory for all WEC entries.
“This is unique in that it involves two different series, two different sets of rules, different drivers, and a totally segregated crew that needs to be responsible for that third car,” Fehan said.
“So we sat down and did our internal planning, assigned some people, we’re pretty deep. We have ex-Corvette guys, either A. working on Cadillac, or building Cadillac/Corvette race cars.
“We’re now bringing them out of mothballs, or reassigning them, wasn’t that big a deal. We’re bringing in separate crew that has Corvette experience. The powertrain guys have two separate there.
“For the race itself, we’ll implement one or two additional guys from our standard program to round out the pit crew.”
Fehan expects a hard-fought race on Saturday and knows the team will be up for the task of taking the fight to the fellow factory squads in GTE-Pro, despite having no prior experience in six-hour FIA WEC races.
“It’s very difficult at this point,” he said. “We’ve not raced anywhere but Le Mans. Cars behave differently at different race tracks. [The competition] have been developing themselves around the WEC regulations. It should be a pretty good race.
“I think we’ll be competitive, and that’s really what our objective is to go out there, do what we do best and apply ourselves. We’ll look at proper race strategy and proper implementation and we’ll then take what the race gives us.”
While Fehan said there are no plans for the factory squad to enter the FIA WEC on a full-time basis next year, he’s still hopeful of seeing customer Corvettes, potentially for GTE-Pro and/or GTE-Am, although there have not yet been any firm commitments.
Pratt & Miller has built a total of three of the C7.Rs to date, although that could change depending on the market conditions.
“This was the first C7.R built, it is our test car, so it will return to fulfill its test car duties as we go forward,” Fehan said. “It has the ability to wear many hats. It can be a spare car, test car, a show car. It can also serve this purpose, which is us getting a looksee and see how WEC operates and how much fun we can have there.”
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/f...-lot-of-voids/
In addition to its TUDOR United SportsCar Championship commitments, the factory Pratt & Miller squad is fielding a Corvette C7.R in Saturday’s Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas, which sees brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor team up with Tommy Milner in the only all-American driver lineup in the race.
According to Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan, the entry in the FIA WEC race has helped fulfill a number of short and long-term objectives for the Detroit automaker.
“I think [the WEC] race fills a lot of voids,” Fehan told Sportscar365. “I think it’s important that we’ve maintained, since our beginning, that we continuously look at what opportunities are around the world.
“By racing here, we see how the WEC operates, we look at their Balance of Performance is and see how good their racing is.
“That helps us determine what we’re going to do personally and first and foremost, it gives us a much better insight into what our potential customers are facing as well.”
The expanded effort, with both TUDOR Championship and FIA WEC races occurring on the same day, has resulted in the team drafting in some new and familiar faces.
Mike West, the former crew chief for the No. 4 car, returns to the same role on the No. 65 Corvette after a season with Cadillac Racing in Pirelli World Challenge, while Alex Roberge, who assists the team at Le Mans as a liaison with the ACO and FIA, is acting as team manager.
Ben Johnson, who works on the Corvette DP and Camaro programs for Pratt & Miller, meanwhile, is engineer, with a mix of Cadillac and Corvette Racing crew completing the roster in the WEC car this weekend.
Changes have also been made to the C7.R, originally used as a test car, which includes a swap from E85 to E10 fuel and the addition of the FIA’s on-board marshaling system, which is mandatory for all WEC entries.
“This is unique in that it involves two different series, two different sets of rules, different drivers, and a totally segregated crew that needs to be responsible for that third car,” Fehan said.
“So we sat down and did our internal planning, assigned some people, we’re pretty deep. We have ex-Corvette guys, either A. working on Cadillac, or building Cadillac/Corvette race cars.
“We’re now bringing them out of mothballs, or reassigning them, wasn’t that big a deal. We’re bringing in separate crew that has Corvette experience. The powertrain guys have two separate there.
“For the race itself, we’ll implement one or two additional guys from our standard program to round out the pit crew.”
Fehan expects a hard-fought race on Saturday and knows the team will be up for the task of taking the fight to the fellow factory squads in GTE-Pro, despite having no prior experience in six-hour FIA WEC races.
“It’s very difficult at this point,” he said. “We’ve not raced anywhere but Le Mans. Cars behave differently at different race tracks. [The competition] have been developing themselves around the WEC regulations. It should be a pretty good race.
“I think we’ll be competitive, and that’s really what our objective is to go out there, do what we do best and apply ourselves. We’ll look at proper race strategy and proper implementation and we’ll then take what the race gives us.”
While Fehan said there are no plans for the factory squad to enter the FIA WEC on a full-time basis next year, he’s still hopeful of seeing customer Corvettes, potentially for GTE-Pro and/or GTE-Am, although there have not yet been any firm commitments.
Pratt & Miller has built a total of three of the C7.Rs to date, although that could change depending on the market conditions.
“This was the first C7.R built, it is our test car, so it will return to fulfill its test car duties as we go forward,” Fehan said. “It has the ability to wear many hats. It can be a spare car, test car, a show car. It can also serve this purpose, which is us getting a looksee and see how WEC operates and how much fun we can have there.”
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/f...-lot-of-voids/
09-20-2014, 11:21 AM
#527
09-20-2014, 12:14 PM
#528
Very, very disappointing! It's not the drivers. Each one was consistently slow. We spoke to Doug Fehan here yesterday and he was reluctant to talk about it but now that I think about it, we met before Qualifying. At that time everyone was bummed out about the terrible "NO SHOW" of The Corvette Corral here at COTA. Somebody should be ashamed.
09-20-2014, 12:25 PM
#529
Race Director
Very, very disappointing! It's not the drivers. Each one was consistently slow. We spoke to Doug Fehan here yesterday and he was reluctant to talk about it but now that I think about it, we met before Qualifying. At that time everyone was bummed out about the terrible "NO SHOW" of The Corvette Corral here at COTA. Somebody should be ashamed.
wow no corvette corral in texas is a huge vette community real surprising. seems like COTA isnt at fan friendly of a track as the others long term events have been. Many fans there at all compared to other ALMS race you went to?
09-20-2014, 12:48 PM
#530
Very, very disappointing! It's not the drivers. Each one was consistently slow. We spoke to Doug Fehan here yesterday and he was reluctant to talk about it but now that I think about it, we met before Qualifying. At that time everyone was bummed out about the terrible "NO SHOW" of The Corvette Corral here at COTA. Somebody should be ashamed.
09-20-2014, 01:17 PM
#531
09-20-2014, 01:22 PM
#532
Lots of fans. Many, many Porsche as there is a huge Porsche club here. Seems GM didn't "pony up" in the words of the locals to put on a Corvette Corral even though they charged us for it. Many Corvette Racing folks came by to see us in the "Car Corral" but just not the same. Kudos to Doug Fehan who took the time to come over and fill us in on what was happening. There does seem to be a lot of corvette owners here but we got here before the parking lot (which is dedicated to Corvette) got filled up so can't tell how full that is.. Long way from where we are sitting at turn 15 to where cars are parked.
09-20-2014, 01:53 PM
#534
09-20-2014, 02:21 PM
#535
09-20-2014, 03:11 PM
#537