13 Incredible People Responsible for Corvette's Storied Racing Success
Daily Slideshow: While racing is truly a team effort, these individuals have had a big impact on the success of the marque.
Zora Arkus-Duntov
No Corvette history lesson is complete without mention of Zora Arkus-Duntov. Largely responsible for the performance aspects of Corvette, Arkus-Duntov was the first to put a Corvette into a competition when he took a pre-production '56 Vette to Pikes Peak and supposedly set a new unofficial record for a stock car (the event had no sanctioning body, hence the "unofficial" tag). For years, Arkus-Duntov was instrumental in recruiting and providing support to Corvette racers throughout his tenure at GM. After all, what better way is there to show how great of a car the Corvette is than by racing it?
Dick Thompson
One of the first drivers to receive support from Duntov was Dick Thompson. A well-established dentist by trade, Thompson was instrumental in cementing the Corvette as a competitive racing car. "The Flying Dentist" won numerous Class A, B, and C SCCA championships throughout the 1950s and '60s (57, 58, 60, 61, & 62) behind the wheel of a 'Vette. Thompson continued racing for a number of years with his most notable victories coming in 1963 at Watkins Glen in a Grand Sport and a GT Class win in 1970 at Daytona.
Don Yenko
Largely known for his highly modified and sought after Camaros, Don Yenko was a dedicated Chevy Corvette racing driver. Racing alongside Dick Thompson in their Gulf Oil-sponsored Corvettes, they owned the SCCA A and B production classes in the early sixties with Yenko taking the B class crowns in '62 and '63. Yenko continued racing and won an additional four class championships and an impressive GT class victory at Sebring in 1967.
Irion Grady Davis
Grady Davis worked for the Gulf Oil Research and Development Company but was responsible for giving the company (and country of Venezuela) their first privately sponsored race team and test bed to develop fuels and oils by providing support to the Corvette cars of Don Yenko and Dick Thompson. While never actually working for GM, Davis' foray into the racing world helped Corvette earn a number of championships. Carroll Shelby was quoted as saying "His (Davis') efforts established the Corvette as a genuine competition sports car, and set the bar that others would shoot for."
Bob Bondurant
Prior to developing his hugely popular Bondurant Racing School, Bob Bondurant raced an impressive list of cars, ranging from a Formula 1 Ferrari 158 to the highly successful Shelby Cobra. While Bondurant's racing career spanned many different makes and classes, he achieved great success early in his career behind the wheel of a Corvette. Bob cleaned house in 1959, winning 18 of the 20 SCCA B production West Coast class races. He took it a step further by winning another 30 of 32 races between 1959-1963. Bondurant and teammate Dick Guldstrand looked certain to win at the 1967 Le Mans race in their L88 Corvette until a wrist pin failure caused them to retire in the 15th hour of the race.
John Heinricy
Despite winning 11 SCCA National Championships behind the wheel of a Corvette, much of John Heinricy's contribution to Corvette's racing success came from behind the scenes. Heinricy played a big role in the C4 Showroom Stock Racing Series and the C5R development. It is said that Heinricy has driven more hot laps and racing miles in a Corvette than any other driver as he worked for a number of years testing and tuning driving dynamics and flogging 'Vettes at full tilt around GM's Proving Ground test track.
Gary Claudio
Drivers or engineers often get the limelight, but there are many other aspects and individuals that contribute to a successful racing program. Gary Claudio is a true Corvette enthusiast and worked tirelessly with Doug Fehan to launch the Corvette Racing Program that is still competing today. Racing is an expensive endeavor, but Claudio was able to scrounge up enough funds for sponsors to field a two-car team in the American Le Mans series when GM only had plans to race one. This man has contributed a great amount to raising Corvette awareness and helping to build a fan base for the Corvette Racing Team.
Dick Guldstrand
Dick Guldstrand is arguably one of the most influential drivers and developers of many Corvette race cars. Guldstrand grew up on the California dirt track scene, but by 1963 was making a name for himself in the Pacific Coast SCCA, winning three championships between '63-'65 driving a Corvette. He went on to win the 1966 GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and was on pace for Victory at Le Mans in 1967 before his car suffered a catastrophic engine failure.
His company, Guldstrand Engineering, Inc., built the majority of west coast Corvette race cars in the 1970s, and Guldstrand himself tested and provided development work on the C4 Corvette. The list could go on and on about Gulstrand's achievements, but for the sake of brevity, let's just say he played a crucial role in Corvette's racing history and has been a large part of its success.
Dave McLellan
When Zora Arkus-Duntov's career as the Chief Corvette Engineer came to an end, he left some mighty large shoes to fill, but Dave McLellan took the helm and hit the ground running. Despite being burdened with tightening emission control standards, McLellan launched the radically new C4 fourth-generation Corvette and immediately set out to test its mettle in the realm of competition. With development being pushed by individuals such as John Heinricy, and legendary drivers like Dick Guldstrand at the wheel, SCCA endurance racing was dominated by Corvette as they won every race from 1985 through 1987. The Corvette brand and racing program would likely be in a very different place if it were not for the leadership of Dave McLellan.
Johnny O'Connell
Having arrived at the Corvette Racing Team in 2001, Johnny O'Connell was a key elemental player in Corvette's decade of dominance. Racing with other greats such as Ron Fellows, O'Connell now holds the title of America's most successful Corvette Racing driver, boasting numerous wins at the most prestigious racing events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Ron Fellows
Alongside Johnny O'Connell, Ron Fellows brought success to the C5R and C6R race cars. During his eight-year stint at the factory Corvette Racing Team, Fellows won three American Le Mans championship titles and two GTS class wins at Le Mans. After finishing his driving tenure with Corvette, he worked as an advisor for the Pratt & Miller company, responsible for the Corvette Racing cars, and is still widely recognized by the Corvette Racing community.
Herb Fishel
In his younger years, Herb Fishel had the opportunity to work with Duntov as an engineer and gain a sense of the inner working of racing in the '60s. Fishel later worked in engine development and continuously pushed for GM to get involved in international racing. By 2000, as the Director of Racing at GM, he took the newly established Corvette team to Le Mans for the first time. A year later they had won the prestigious event, and Fishel has become known as the man to put Corvette Racing back on the map. Frankly, Corvette Racing may not currently exist if it was not for his and Doug Fehan's efforts.
Doug Fehan
When Herb Fishel got the green light from GM to go racing, he enlisted the help of Doug Fehan to get the ball rolling. Fehan has been a part of the Corvette Racing program since its inception and serves as the current Corvette Racing Program Manager. Coming off of a 2015 season that saw Corvette Racing win the triple crown of endurance races, they faced the challenges of new GTE rules and regulations to level the playing field for the 2016 season. Despite the changes, Fehan remained confident, and Corvette Racing once again find themselves on the top step of the podium as 2016, 2017, and 2018 IMSA GTLM class champions.
For maintenance and repair guides for your Corvette, browse our technical How-to articles right here at CorvetteForum.com!