Here Is An Awesome Gallery Of Corvette Photos From IMSA At Road America
We sent a photographer to Wisconsin to capture the majesty of Chevrolet’s Corvette C7.R racer.
Last weekend, the Corvette team had a frankly disappointing race in IMSA’s GT Le Mans class. They lost out to competitors from Ford and Porsche. They Corvettes ultimately finished fourth and fifth in class. That wasn’t great, but they placed ahead of the two BMWs, one of the Porsches, and the lone Ferrari. Even though they did not win the race, the #3 Corvette still retains the lead in the Driver’s championship points standings.
After qualifying seventh and eighth in the GTLM category, the two Corvettes faced tought running when the race began. The #3 Corvette immediately moved their pit strategy away the rest of the field following a full-course caution just 15 minutes into the race. While they didn’t look in play for much of the race, the alternate strategy paid. A trio of yellow flag periods in the race’s final hour allowed the #3 car to gain two additional positions in the pit lane just before the finish.
Playing both sides of the coin, #4 Corvette retained the same pit strategy as the lead cars. With 37 minutes remaining, Corvette driver Tommy Milner found himself in fourth position. The fifth-placed car, the second Porsche, was much faster in the closing stages of the race, but Milner was able to hold off the thrust-and-parry attacks. Milner was contacted by the Porsche in the final couple of laps. That saw his Corvette spin and return to the race, while the Porsche spun off into the gravel where it beached. Ultimately the #4 would finish behind the #3.
Driver Quotes
Jan Magnussen, Driver, #3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R:
“Up until halfway through the race, the No. 3 Corvette hadn’t been working and we were pretty far off. We managed to turn things in the race and produce some decent pace. Although fourth place came due to the misfortune of others, we still have the championship lead. But we need to stop finishing fourth and start getting back on the podium. We need a win or two by the end of the year.”
Tommy Milner, Driver, #4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R:
“All weekend we have been missing a bit of pace. Even at the end, we didn’t have enough to run with the top three cars. These days it’s all about points and getting as much as we can for Chevy and the team. I did the best I could at the end keeping up with the Fords but they kept getting away. I had a big fight with the #25 BMW at the end; he was definitely quicker than I was but I did whatever I could keep him behind me. Once he caught up to me, it was difficult for him to get by. The last two laps were good fun. I was struggling with tires toward the end and he was on newer ones. Unfortunately we came together in Turn Three. I gave him some room but it wasn’t enough. It worked out OK for us in the end. We finished ahead of them after all and the No. 3 Corvette got good points. Overall on the weekend, if you would have told us we would finish fourth and fifth after qualifying, we would have signed up for that right away. But it is frustrating to be in there with a chance at the end and see your competition just drive away.”
“The last two laps were good fun. I was struggling with tires toward the end and he was on newer ones. Unfortunately we came together in Turn Three. I gave him some room but it wasn’t enough. It worked out OK for us in the end. We finished ahead of them after all and the No. 3 Corvette got good points. Overall on the weekend, if you would have told us we would finish fourth and fifth after qualifying, we would have signed up for that right away. But it is frustrating to be in there with a chance at the end and see your competition just drive away.”
“Once he caught up to me, it was difficult for him to get by. The last two laps were good fun. I was struggling with tires toward the end and he was on newer ones. Unfortunately we came together in Turn Three. I gave him some room but it wasn’t enough. It worked out OK for us in the end. We finished ahead of them after all and the No. 3 Corvette got good points. Overall on the weekend, if you would have told us we would finish fourth and fifth after qualifying, we would have signed up for that right away. But it is frustrating to be in there with a chance at the end and see your competition just drive away.”
Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager:
“Qualifying seventh and eighth – and two seconds off the pole-winning pace – would normally not bode well for a points-achieving endeavor. Once again, Corvette Racing defied the odds and captured valued championship points by finishing fourth and fifth. The early fuel-stop strategy implemented by the No. 3 Corvette engineers yielded incredible results and the late-race driving by Tommy in the No. 4 Corvette brought everything together. As usual, it came down to the last lap and the team was fully prepared to take advantage of every opportunity. An amazing finish!”
While Corvette had a great finish to a weekend they began a bit nonplussed, we knew from the outset that our friend Keiron Berndt would return from the race track with an excellent set of Corvette photographs. Even as we were prepared to leaf through his photos, we could not have expected anything quite this great. The kid is seriously talented, and we look forward to bringing you more of his Corvette capturing excellence.
[Source: Corvette Racing | Photos: Keiron Berndt]
