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I think the BMW guys must have been carrying a hip flask of racing fuel to get to the end. I was just waiting for #25 to pull into the pits, but he made it to the end. Maybe Corvette Racing needs AFM in their 5.5L engine !! Amazing race.
Looks like Ford managed to take themselves out of both the team and manufacturer's championships with a double DNF. Too bad, so sad.
I think the BMW guys must have been carrying a hip flask of racing fuel to get to the end. I was just waiting for #25 to pull into the pits, but he made it to the end. Maybe Corvette Racing needs AFM in their 5.5L engine !! Amazing race.
Looks like Ford managed to take themselves out of both the team and manufacturer's championships with a double DNF. Too bad, so sad.
Ford actually clinched the manufacturers championship yesterday (and one car did finish even though it was a number of laps back).
Last year at VIR Corvette knew half way thru the race that the BMW would not make it to the end. They were right.
Not sure how they missed the P1 and P2 fuel mileage this Sat.
I think the issue for Corvette was getting caught out on a yellow - they went down pit row, but the pits had closed right before they got there, so that had to go right back around. Luck of the draw I think. In the meantime, the Bimmers ran a near perfect race. The Corvettes were clearly the fastest GTLM's on the track once the Fords got pranged.
The real disaster was for Porsche and Ford. They have a LOT of repair work to do on their cars in three weeks to be ready for Road Atlanta.
I think the BMW guys must have been carrying a hip flask of racing fuel to get to the end. I was just waiting for #25 to pull into the pits, but he made it to the end.
I have no idea how Calvin Fish & Co. messed that up.
Very strange...
I've been meaning to do the math, but IMSA did the easy part and reminded me to do the rest-- Coming into Atlanta, The #3 will clinch the team and driver's titles with a 4th place finish or higher. As a reminder, we've got the Ferrari for the race, so there should be 9 cars on the grid. So, the slightly more complicated part. To win the team and driver's championships:
If the 67 Ford finishes 1st, the #3 needs to finish 4th or better
If the 67 finishes 2nd, the #3 needs to finish 7th or better
If the 67 finished 3rd or lower, the #3 needs to start the race (for the driver's championship, each driver needs needs the base drive-time which I believe is 45 minute, We'll likely see a drivers change at the first pit stop just in case).
Ford has already clinched the manufacturers title, unless neither car starts the race, or some holiday miracle happens and Aston Martin enters the race.
Do all the other cars have to crash for the corvettes to win?!!?
Nice one!
The truth is Corvette Racing has ALWAYS had very reliable cars and know how to stay out of trouble when racing.
It's rare for them to have a DNF due to mechanical issue.
6 less liters of fuel for the BMWs (no more crazy stint lengths, I guess).
Porsche got 15kg of weight, but .7 improvement on the restrictors. That should balance out to a good bit more power on the straights, but a little determent in the handling and braking department. Slightly more fuel to go with the changes.
In other news, fuel changes across the board in P, with the DPI Acura getting more boost.
In GTD, Acura with a little more weight, and Audi with less power.
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Reliving the Pilgrim Pass
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Reliving the Pilgrim PassOne of the greatest moments in team history at the end of 2000 Petit Le MansDETROIT (Oct. 4, 2018) – In the course of 20 years, Corvette Racing has produced reels and reels of highlight material. One of the biggest moments also was one of the first… dating all the way back to the 2000 racing season. The final race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the Oct. 13 Petit Le Mans – is as good a time as any to catch up with Andy Pilgrim and revisit the “Pilgrim Pass”. It was an audacious move that gave Corvette Racing only its second victory and first in one of the sport’s top endurance races. “It was a turning point. Texas was the first win, but just like in golf we have four majors in racing: Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans,” recalled Pilgrim, who drove the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C5-R with Kelly Collins and Franck Freon that day at Road Atlanta. “In those days, the Viper guys were dominant and we had to work really hard.” Here’s how it played out: Pilgrim ran second with 20 minutes to go after closing down on the lead Dodge Viper in the final hour. After staying in the leader’s wheel tracks for several laps to go, Pilgrim made his move with two laps to go. Just after crossing start/finish, Pilgrim feigned a run on the outside of the front stretch, then made a hard move right under braking to catch the Viper off guard. The Corvette made the first corner first with only centimeters between the rear of the C5-R and the front of the Viper. With no front downforce, the Viper went off track and Pilgrim drove away to victory. “The leaders were coming, and I knew I had to make it work,” Pilgrim said. “I had to get the chicane perfect and Turn 12. I kept myself in his left-hand mirror so he could see me clearly on that side. I had a good run, positioned myself to the left and when he got on the brakes, I went right and stuffed it on the inside. I went down on the inside before he could react. And we never touched. The only reason he went off was I had taken all the downforce off the front of his car. I didn’t know he had gone off track! “I flew up to Turn Two, and there’s always a light up there at the top of the hill. I saw the light in my side mirrors and thought, ‘Jeez he’s right on me!’ So I drove like a complete lunatic down through Four and Five. When I was out of that corner, I looked behind me and realized there were no lights behind me. That light at Turn Three is kind of off the track but shines on it and comes in your mirror. But I thought that was Tommy; I thought he was right on me! I came out of Turn Five and was massively four wheels off… and there was nobody there! It would have been hysterical – crashing the car being chased by a ghost car!” The victory set Corvette Racing on a course that saw it win overall the following season in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and take the first of its eight class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “Chrysler was very proud of that program, and what I heard was that if the Viper guys won all four races, they were going to get some kind of massive bonus,” Pilgrim said. “They had won the three previous races coming to Petit Le Mans. But the race was our coming out party because we beat the multiple-time world champions at Petit Le Mans in that manner with that finish. Suddenly, Corvette Racing was on the scene. It was just huge, and I suppose we stopped that bonus from happening! “Coming out of the pressroom after the race that night was amazing. There were hundreds of fans still there and yelling as we came out. It was remarkable how many people were there and how emotional they were. We were in the moment and probably didn’t really appreciate everything immediately. But now it’s 20 years later and we have thousands and thousands of Corvette Racing supporters. I’m just thrilled to be part of that history.”Watch the video here:
09-09-2018, 08:50 PM
