ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 8, 2015) – Antonio Garcia will start from the outside spot of the front row in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R following Saturday’s qualifying session for the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.
Garcia, driving Sunday with Jan Magnussen, set a lap of 2:02.608 (118.857 mph) in the Corvette C7.R that leads the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver’s and Team championships. Garcia was 0.224 seconds off the pole-winning time.
Tommy Milner qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R fifth in class with a 2:03.689 (117.818 mph). He will drive with Oliver Gavin as the two Corvette C7.Rs try to boost Chevrolet’s position in the GTLM Manufacturer standings.
The second-place qualifying position is the best for the No. 3 Corvette in the TUDOR Championship this year – the grid at Watkins Glen was set by points due to rain. Garcia and Magnussen won the first two races of 2015 and lead the GTLM standings this weekend by two points with 36 going to the race winners.
Friday’s session at Road America was a wash – literally and figuratively. Heavy rains pelted Elkhart Lake all day with the two Corvettes turning a limited amount of laps. Both C7.Rs turned a considerable number of laps in the morning’s final practice.
The team’s knowledge of Road America proved beneficial. Corvette Racing is seeking its seventh class victory at the track, and two years ago the team finished second and third.
The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase is set for 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live TV coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Flag-to-flag radio coverage also will be available via IMSA Radio.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM:
DID THE AMOUNT OF TRACK TIME BEING SO LIMITED (DUE TO FRIDAY’S RAIN) AFFECT QUALIFYING? “Obviously it doesn’t help. You never know if it maybe doesn’t help you, or maybe hurts the rest. With everyone who has tested here, maybe having a good car out of the box helped. We felt the Corvette was good right away this morning so we did not have big challenges. It was more about us getting used to the dry conditions and getting the most out of it. Now qualifying was a bit of ‘close your eyes’ and go as fast as you can. This is a very challenging track, and it really loads the Michelin tires. You really use the tires; if you are clever and have a good strategy you can get the most out of it on that single lap. So that’s what the pole car did – a pole run on Lap Two. I just waited one more lap to be sure everything was up to temperature. But this specific track is all about that: just getting the most out of it in one single lap. I would say that’s a perfect lap for the C7.R today.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTLM
HOW DID YOU FEEL QUALIFYING WENT? “Looking at this morning’s practice and how far ahead our fastest competitors were, Antonio was only two-tenths off in qualifying and we weren’t that much off where they were. My quickest lap came toward the end when the tires weren’t so good. I made a small mistake on my second flying lap and that cost more time than I would have liked. Not having two hours from Friday didn’t help. Some of our competitors have spent more time testing than we have, and there’s something to be said for that. Our potential is greater as we continue to look at the data and make some small changes for the race.”
Source:
CorvetteRacing.com
Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing – The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015
Corvette Racing at Road America: Familiar Surroundings for the Cross Flags
Corvette Racing in Canada: Garcia, Magnussen Reclaim GTLM Points Lead with P3 Finish
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