Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Eighteen-Hour Update

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Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Eighteen-Hour Update
Photo Credit: Corvette Racing


No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R leads inside final six hours

LE MANS, France (June 13, 2015) – Entering the final quarter of the 83rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing found itself well within reach of another class victory. A quick pit stop by the Corvette Racing crew put Tommy Milner into the lead just past the 18-hour mark ahead of Toni Vilander in what is shaping up to be a fantastic finish to this year’s race.

Oliver Gavin handed over to Milner after taking three seconds out of Vilander’s lead before both cars pitted just shy of three-quarters race distance. With a tank of fuel and four fresh Michelin tires on the Corvette, Milner edged out of pitlane ahead of Vilander.

Through 18 hours, the trio of Gavin, Milner and Jordan Taylor found themselves battling multiple cars for the class lead in some of the best GT racing the event has produced in recent memory. Milner led into the race’s second half, Taylor drove a solid double stint into dawn on new front brakes, and Gavin got new rear brakes during his time that ended with a double stint and a change back to Milner along with tires and fuel just past the 18-hour mark.

The two cars had been the dominant runners in the third quarter of the race.

Milner, Vilander and Jorg Bergmeister were the only GTE Pro cars on the lead lap, each representing a different manufacturer. Corvette Racing is going for its eighth Le Mans class victory since its debut there in 2000.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“We couldn’t quite make a full triple with a different tire compound. I was kind of a guinea pig with that; they were really good at the start but the end was difficult. Part of that were brakes, which we knew we had to change around this time. I just saw the guys pull them off the car and there was literally nothing left of the brake pad… just backing plates. So we used up every ounce of pad. It’s still early days. We have to keep our nose clean, not make mistakes and stay out of the pits. If we do that, the car is fast enough that we have a shot to win this. We just have to get there. It doesn’t matter if we’re fast right now, as long as we’re there with two hours to go and a car with all the fenders on it.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“I got the sunset stint yesterday and the sunrise today, which is actually quite nice. It makes it a lot easier to transition through the changing light conditions. The car is good and quick, and at this stage anything still can happen. There’s still a long way to go. With the drivers of some the GTE Am cars and of the LMP2s you have to be careful, especially when they have their bronze drivers in the car. They can hold you up quite a bit, so it’s matter of dealing with them quickly and safely as to not lose time.”


Source:
Corvette Racing

Related:
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Halfway Update
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Six-Hour Update
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Withdraws No.63 C7.R From Le Mans After Qualifying Accident
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Ready for Another Classic
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Plenty of Work and Rain on Test Day

 



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