Johnny O’Connell to Drive a Corvette C7.R for Team AAI at Le Mans

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Johnny O'Connell to Drive a Corvette C7.R for Team AAI at Le MansPhoto Credit: Richard Prince/Cadillac


One of our favorite racers of all time will finally be back behind the wheel of a Corvette for this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Johnny O’Connell, Corvette Racing legend and member of the Corvette Hall of Fame, has been named as one of the three drivers for Team AAI, the Taiwanese team that will be campaigning last year’s class winning Corvette C7.R in the LMGTE-AM class. O’Connell will be joined by Mark Patterson and Oliver Bryant.

Johnny is set to make his 15th Le Mans start and his first since leaving Corvette Racing in 2010. During O’Connell’s 10-year tenure with Corvette Racing, he earned four class wins and five podium finishes at the summer classic in France. Johnny hasn’t done too shabby either in the Pirelli World Challenge as he has won four series championships with Cadillac as well.

Team AAI is supported by Rudi Penders’ Prospeed outfit. Originally slated to race a C6.R, the team announced in early April that a deal was struck to race last year’s LMGTE-PRO class winning Chevrolet C7.R. This is the fourth C7.R confirmed for the race with the two factory-backed C7.Rs run by Corvette Racing entered in the LMGTE-PRO class while Team AAI will join the FIA-WEC C7.R entry from Larbre Competition in the LMGTE-AM class.

Congratulations Johnny and we’ll be cheering you on from the cheap seats back here in the States!


Source:
dailysportscar.com

Related:
Johnny O’Connell Hits the Track at the Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park
[PICS] Corvette Museum Unveils Hall of Fame Corvettes for O’Connell and Cooksey
Johnny O’Connell, Jimmie Johnson and DeAngelo Williams on SPEED’s Test Drive: Corvette

 



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