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CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: Corvette C7.Rs Aim to Maintain GTLM Points Lead
Sunday’s eighth TUDOR Championship round for Corvette Racing is GT-only
· Team hoping to add second VIR victory to 2012 GT triumph
· Garcia, Magnussen hold GTLM Drivers Championship lead heading to Virginia race
DANVILLE, Va. (Aug. 22, 2015) – Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will continue their chase for the TUDOR United SportsCar GT Le Mans (GTLM) championships Sunday at Virginia International Raceway. Three races remain in the season including the two-hour, 40-minute Oak Tree Grand Prix.
Jan Magnussen set Corvette Racing’s quickest time in the 15-minute session to qualify sixth in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with a lap of 1:43.568 (113.664 mph). Oliver Gavin was seventh in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R with a 1:43.797 (113.414 mph). Sunday’s race is the eighth in the TUDOR Championship
Magnussen and Antonio Garcia arrived at VIR holding a four-point advantage in the GTLM Driver Championship, as does the No. 3 Corvette C7.R in the Team standings with 36 points in each category going to the winners. Chevrolet is seven points out of the class Manufacturer title with 35 points going to the class winner Sunday.
The two-hour, 40-minute race is a GT-only event, giving Corvette Racing a chance at an overall victory. The team focused on race setup during the three practice sessions Friday and Saturday.
A victory would be the second for Corvette Racing at VIR since the team’s first race here in 2012 when Gavin and Tommy Milner were victorious and claimed the American Le Mans Series GT title. Garcia set the fastest lap of the race that year; he and Magnussen placed third in 2013 en route to an ALMS championship of their own.
Corvette Racing and the rest of the IMSA competition this weekend will race on VIR’s 3.27-mile, 17-turn full course. It’s a blend of slower, technical turns early and late in the lap along with an uphill section of high-speed esses and a long backstraight.
The Oak Tree Grand Prix from Virginia International Raceway is set for 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 23. Live TV coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Flag-to-flag radio coverage also will be available via IMSA Radio.
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SIXTH: “We made good progress during the morning practice to finalize the race setup. We gave it our best shot in qualifying and tried not to use up the tires too much for the start of the race. That’s how we have to strategize and plan right now. We have a good Corvette under us, and crew and engineers that are more than capable of helping us overcome our performance disparity.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SEVENTH: “The car felt pretty good, and I think we got all we could out of the package we’re running. The heat and different rubber from the support races made things somewhat tricky in our qualifying. But with the way the rules have been set for the past few events, there isn’t much more we can do to get any closer to our competitors. It’s the same frustrating situation as we faced at Road America. Having said that, there are a lot of smart and talented people from Chevy and Pratt & Miller who are working toward a good setup and strategy for the race. We feel like that’s where our advantage lies.”
***Earl Bamber topped the time charts in morning warmup, leading a Porsche 1-2 in the session. Bamber’s 1:43.439 lap time outpaced teammate Patrick Pilet by 0.072 seconds, with Tommy Milner third in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R. GT Daytona was led by the pole-sitting No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS of Christopher Haase.
***There were a few minor off-course excursions in the 20-minute session, including minor impacts with the barriers by Oliver Gavin and Mario Farnbacher.
***The Corvette C7.Rs will have a 0.25 mm smaller refueling restrictor in the race today, per IMSA rules, although following a decision made by the sanctioning body this morning, is eligible to utilize its previous-sized 38 mm restrictor.
***An IMSA spokesperson told Sportscar365 that no Balance of Performance adjustments have been made to the car this weekend. It’s understood the Pratt & Miller squad had utilized a 38 mm refueling restrictor, as supplied by IMSA, all season, despite IMSA’s BoP stating that it should run a 37.75 mm restrictor.
***The 0.25 reduction in refueling restrictor size is understood to be negligible, with one rival GTLM team engineer telling Sportscar365 that it will not result in any notable gain or loss in the pits.
***BoP in GTLM has been a hot topic this weekend, with a large disparity in performance again evident between manufacturers. IMSA has reached its limit of four BoP changes over the course of the season (post-Daytona). The sanctioning body rewrote the rule last August to allow for one additional change.
***IMSA’s BoP table for GTLM differs significantly from the ACO’s BoP used in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. The Porsche 911 RSR, for example runs a 1.3 mm larger air restrictor, 10 kg less weight and a heavily revised splitter and rear wing than their GTE-Pro counterparts in WEC.
***Michelin has debuted its new tech transporter this weekend. The 53-foot custom unit features workstations for up to 20 people, with full connectivity to the internet, timing and scoring and track feeds. It coincides with Michelin’s increased at-track presence, with two tire technicians embedded on some GT Le Mans class teams.
***VIR is expected to mark the final race for the trial program of Michelin’s “single stinter” tire, which has helped contribute to new qualifying lap records in GTLM. The medium compound rubber has been designed exclusively for TUDOR Championship’s pit stop rules, which doesn’t give a time advantage for double-stinting tires.
***Alex Job Racing will have an increased presence in next month’s Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, with a total of ten cars either on display or racing over the weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It will feature two Porsche RS Spyders, including an ex-Penske car recently acquired by David MacNeil.
***Be sure to check out Andy Blackmore’s official Spotter Guide for today’s Oak Tree Grand Prix, featuring all 18 starters for today’s two-hour and 40-minute race.
***Catch live coverage of the race on FOX Sports 1, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The Race will also air live on IMSA Radio and via the IMSA app.
CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: Still in the Running for GTLM Titles
Hard-fought, GT-only race in team’s eighth TUDOR Championship event
DANVILLE, Va. (Aug. 23, 2015) – Corvette Racing remains in the hunt for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship following the Oak Tree Grand Prix on Sunday at Virginia International Raceway.
With two races remaining in the season, the two Corvette C7.Rs are embroiled in a tough fight for the GTLM Manufacturer, Driver and Team championships. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R stand second in Driver points after their sixth-place finish at VIR. The pairing won the first two races of the season at Daytona and Sebring. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner placed eighth in GTLM with their No. 4 Corvette C7.R after running as high as fourth mid-race on pace. The car had to stop on the final lap for a late splash of fuel.
Sunday’s results place Chevrolet third in the GTLM Manufacturer standings with 70 points remaining in the final two events.
Magnussen and Gavin were strong early. Magnussen picked up a spot at the start around Bill Auberlen with Gavin trying to follow through. He used a draft and strong braking from the No. 4 Corvette to gain a position as the three cars ran within a second for a handful of laps. Gavin took control of the position at the 35-minute mark when Auberlen spun trying to get inside of Magnussen at the first turn.
For the rest of the opening stint, the Corvette C7.Rs ran by themselves. Gavin and the No. 4 Corvette was the first of the team cars to pit at the 49-minute mark for fuel, four Michelin tires and a driver change to Milner. Magnussen followed two laps later and handed over to Garcia.
Trouble found Garcia just shy of the 65-minute mark with a brief power loss heading onto the long backstraight. A system reset brought the Corvette C7.R back to life and full power. Despite maximum effort by the team, Garcia and Magnussen finished their race in the same position they started.
Milner showed good pace while racing at his home track. In his double-stint, he climbed to fourth place after the No. 4 Corvette started seventh in class. He and Gavin were looking for their second victory at VIR with Corvette Racing.
The next race for Corvette Racing is the Lone Star Le Mans at 11:35 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 19 from Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The race will air live on FOX Sports 2 at 12:30 p.m. ET with a replay on FOX Sports 1 scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 20.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “We needed a perfect race in order to score maximum points, and we were doing fairly well with that until the power loss. Jan did a great job at the start to gain a position. I’m not really sure what happened when I slowed, but fortunately I was able to reset the system. It put us in a difficult spot to try and recover. At this moment we simply do not have the performance of the other cars in our class to challenge for meaningful points. That is a very frustrating position for everyone on the Corvette Racing team, which is giving a great effort.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH: “It was a good run. I had a decent run and gained a spot. We were able to hold that spot but didn’t really have anything for the guys ahead of us. I had a little bit of oversteer but the crew and engineers made it better for Antonio. It was good to hold the 25 BMW behind us during that time.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH: “It was gentle start; no one was going too crazy. I had to fend Bryan (Sellers) off in the Falken car, and after that I caught up Bill (Auberlen) and Jan (Magnussen). We quickly realized it was going to be between the three of us for those positions. I got around Bill going into Turn 14 with a good draft and hard braking. He got around a few laps later at Turn 1 with a good run - we already had a little contact earlier. We were able to catch up before it looked like Bill tried to pass Jan at the same place but went around and I was able to avoid him. The important thing was that we try to help the No. 3 car guys out in the championship.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH: "The middle part of the race was quite good for us. We had a couple of good pit stop executions and were leading the second wave of GTLM cars for awhile. I had a small spin but nothing major. My only chance to catch the BMW was at the start of that second stint. I was driving as hard as I could but got caught out. With the current performance levels in our class, it was tough to make up any ground - much less a position. We'll move on to Austin and give it our best shot."
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Missed the VIR race? Broadcast is now online. Hold on to your seat and watch how IMSA orchestrates a class winner
A petition is going around asking IMSA to redress the AoP issue in the GTLM class. You can sign here:
Race fans spend plenty of money going to the Tudor Races all season. Tickets hotels food etc. Thousands of dollars. We expect to see racing! We do not approve and will no longer support a race series where the outcome is fixed. On a regular basis a team that is doing well is punished for no reason other than they are doing well. Over the last two seasons one team has been consistently punished with Balance of Power adjustments, at the same time teams that are all ready faster are given further assistance. This gentlemen is not racing. We the fans respectfully request that this biased processes is stopped. Yes the cars need to be competitive however you do not penalize the better teams. There are many ways to ensure that the cars are equal. What is currently being done is not the way for the series to continue.
Letter to
Mr. Scott Atherton
Mr. Jim France
Mr. Ed Bennett
and 2 others
Mr. David Pettit
Mr. Simon Hodgson
Stop unfair IMSA BOP/AOP
A petition is going around asking IMSA to redress the AoP issue in the GTLM class. You can sign here:
Race fans spend plenty of money going to the Tudor Races all season. Tickets hotels food etc. Thousands of dollars. We expect to see racing! We do not approve and will no longer support a race series where the outcome is fixed. On a regular basis a team that is doing well is punished for no reason other than they are doing well. Over the last two seasons one team has been consistently punished with Balance of Power adjustments, at the same time teams that are all ready faster are given further assistance. This gentlemen is not racing. We the fans respectfully request that this biased processes is stopped. Yes the cars need to be competitive however you do not penalize the better teams. There are many ways to ensure that the cars are equal. What is currently being done is not the way for the series to continue.
Letter to
Mr. Scott Atherton
Mr. Jim France
Mr. Ed Bennett
and 2 others
Mr. David Pettit
Mr. Simon Hodgson
Stop unfair IMSA BOP/AOP
I live in the Netherlands so it doesn't make sense for me to sign. However, I do (mentally) support this petition.
The best reason, thus far, for signing is given by John Thompson, Atherton, Ca: 'Why not homologate at beginning of the season and let them race?'.
I live in the Netherlands so it doesn't make sense for me to sign. However, I do (mentally) support this petition.
The best reason, thus far, for signing is given by John Thompson, Atherton, Ca: 'Why not homologate at beginning of the season and let them race?'.
You should sign. The IMSA races are viewed world wide and you can watch via IMSA.com and that includes you!
Not yet. Usually I will get that early next week. Maybe Tuesday since Monday is a holiday. As of September 1 there were still a few more Corral Tickets available.
Note: Corvette Corral Tickets for Petit Le Mans and the Rolex 24 are both sold out.
This weekend marks the annual Barcelona 24 Hours. This years event see's the return of a Callaway Competition built C6 competing in the 2nd tier SP2 category. ADAC GT Masters regulars RWT racing will campaign the former Guttroff C6 GTB under the preparation and guidance of Callaway Competition.
The race runs from 5:50AM eastern time Saturday to 5:50AM Eastern Sunday
Live video and timing links for this weekends race can be found at the following links:
This weekend marks the annual Barcelona 24 Hours. This years event see's the return of a Callaway Competition built C6 competing in the 2nd tier SP2 category. ADAC GT Masters regulars RWT racing will campaign the former Guttroff C6 GTB under the preparation and guidance of Callaway Competition.
The race runs from 5:50AM eastern time Saturday to 5:50AM Eastern Sunday
Live video and timing links for this weekends race can be found at the following links:
08-23-2015, 12:15 PM
