Photo Credit: Richard Prince

It's official. The two factory-sponsored Corvette C6.Rs have received invitations to join the ultra-competitive GT2 class this June for the 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The C6.Rs will battle a who's who of sports car racing teams and manufacturers including Porsche, Ferrari, BMW and Jaguar in the crowded class featuring 17 entries.

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August is a busy month for most of the preeminent automotive auction houses and RM Auctions is no exception. This weekend they host their highly anticipated Sports & Classics of Monterey event in Monterey, California. One of the Corvettes that will be offered for sale is the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 "Scuderia Filipinetti" Le Mans race car which is expected to fetch in the neighborhood of $500,000 – $700,000.

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Photo Credit: Richard Prince

If you are a frequent reader of AutoExtremist.com's Peter De Lorenzo, you know that he has been a big supporter of GM's Corvette Racing program because of its return on investment that racing brings via the technology transfer to production Corvettes. De Lorenzo has talked about the two distinct camps within GM corporate Marketing when it comes to Racing and is especially critical of the support the automaker gives to NASCAR year after year.

In his latest "Fumes" column, Peter reviews the awards and accolades that Corvette Racing has generated over the last decade and discusses the future of the program. As usual, this is a must-read for any racing enthusiast.

Read: Toasting a decade of excellence for Corvette Racing

Photo Credit: Richard Prince

Corvette Racing came to La Sarthe with a single-minded goal to win the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and that's exactly what they accomplished. Piloting the #63 Velocity Yellow Corvette C6.R across the finish line was Johnny O'Connell, who became the only American to win Le Mans 4 times. The #64 Corvette seized the GT1 lead with 3 hours left to run, but transmission problems knocked the Black Corvette out of the race.

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Photo Credit: Pierre BARRAU - ACO/Nikon

As Corvette Racing makes its run for a 6th victory in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we'll be here bringing you the latest news and updates from the variety of Le Mans coverage we're following.

Le Mans 24 coverage is sponsored by

Bondurant School of High Performance Driving

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Photo Credit: Frédéric GAUDIN - ACO/Nikon

If you're planning to follow flag to flag coverage of the Corvette Racing's final GT1 assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, here is the essential media guide for the best content online and on TV. Thanks goes out to CorvetteMotorsport.com for putting this list together.

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Photo Credit: Arnaud CORNILLEAU - ACO / Nikon

With a dry track and near perfect conditions, Jan Magnussen and the #63 Corvette C6.R won the pole in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second straight year with a time of 3:54.230. Olivier Beretta was right on his tail and qualified the Black #64 Corvette C6.R with a time of 3:54.702 in what will be Corvette Racing's final GT1 race.

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Source:
Endurance-Info.com

One of our biggest fears in a GM Bankruptcy was that the automaker would be forced to cancel the company's racing programs including Corvette Racing's final assault on the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as it focuses on reorganization. But recent comments by GM Vice President of Chevrolet Ed Peper appears to put those fears to rest.

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The ACO has released the entry list for the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. In what will be Corvette Racing's final battle for GT1 glory at La Sarthe, the factory-backed Corvette C6.Rs will face off against two rival Aston Martin DBR9's, two Lamborghini Murcielago's and two other Corvette C6.R's from privateer Luc Alphand Aventures.

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Corvette Racing has announced a new driver lineup for the 2009 American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two new faces have been added for the endurance events. Marcel Fassler (L) will team up with Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta in the #4 Corvette C6.R and Antonio Garcia (R) will join ALMS GT1 Defending Champions Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen in the #3 Corvette C6.R.

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Our friends at Badboy Vettes are telling us that the Black and Flames #28 GT2 Corvette belonging to LG Motorsports and Lou Gigliotti has applied to the ACO for a GT2 entry in June's 24 Hours of Le Mans. As for the rest of the season, Lou says its all about Le Mans.

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Last week we brought you the report from AutoSport Magazine that claimed Corvette Racing was pulling out of 2009's 24 Hours of Le Mans due to budget constraints. But Program Manager Doug Fehan rebutted that report as erroneous and says the Le Mans Challenge is a go.

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AutoSport Magazine is reporting that Corvette Racing will not return to France next summer to compete one last time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 class as originally planned due to budget constraints. However Steve Wesoloski, director of Chevrolet's road racing program denies the decision has been made.

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For the second consecutive year, Corvette Racing has finished second in the LMGT1 class. Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows ran 344 laps in their Velocity Yellow Corvette C6.R and was on the lead lap but finished 4:23.843 behind last year's winning #009 Aston Martin DBR9. The #64 Corvette C6.R piloted by Gavin, Beretta and Papis overcame a multitude of issues and fought their way back to a third place finish completing 341 laps.

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The telemetry in the #63 Corvette C6.R was showing the right front brakes running hotter than normal so the decision was made to pit the Corvette, do a visual check and if needed, change out the pads and rotor. Watch the crew go to work and in particular keep your eye on Crew Chief Dan Binks as he whips off his helmet and dives right into the wheel-well to get the job done. Total time for the brake change is just one minute 24 seconds.

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Once the rain started falling, cars began making a beeline for the pits to change to their rain tires. Unfortunately for Johnny O'Connell, his #63 Corvette C6.R still had racing slicks on when he came up on the #33 LMP2 Lola Judd practically stopped on the entrance of pit row.

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The Aston Martin DBR9 vs Corvette C6.R battle is in full force at the midway point of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #009 Aston Martin is currently leading the class with Jan Magnussen and the #63 Corvette just 41 seconds behind. The #007 Aston Martin is third and then the #64 Corvette C6.R is a lap down at 4th in class.

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Corvette Racing has the LMGT1 Pole for the 76th running of the 24 Hours of LeMans and C6.Rs are looking as strong as ever for the most famous endurance race in the world. CorvetteBlogger.com will be offering fanatical coverage and we're sharing some of our Le Mans viewing tips. SPEEDTV is providing a ton of coverage, but where will you go once the network switches from Le Mans to NASCAR on Saturday afternoon? After the jump you will find the programming schedule for SPEED as well as other links to help you follow Corvette Racing in their quest for their 6th Class win.

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For the first time ever at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the factory-backed Corvette Racing team will be starting on the Pole. Both C6.Rs were faster in today's qualifying rounds than yesterdays but it was Jan Magnussen in the #63 Corvette C6.R that won the GT1 class Pole with a fastest lap time of 3:47.668. After running 1st and 2nd most of the day, the Saleen S7R was able to break the 3:50 mark with a lap of 3:47.761. Oliver Gavin and the #64 Corvette will start 3rd on the grid with a time of 3:48.539.

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The twin Velocity Yellow C6.R Corvettes belonging to the Corvette Racing team should be very pleased with their performance today in the opening qualifying sessions of the 76th running of the 24 Hours of LeMans. Both Corvettes traded the lead in the GT1 class with each other during the two periods and at the end of the first day it was Jan Magnussen in the #63 Corvette leading the GT1 class with a lap of 3:49.406 while Oliver Gavin is 1.360 seconds behind with a time of 3:50.766.

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On Tuesday the Corvette Racing team went through the Scrutineering process which culminates in the taking of team photos. I am assuming that Scrutineering is like a NASCAR technical inspection but I do know the process allows fans to get up close and personal with their favorite LeMans teams. If you have any insight to the process, please leave a comment. Activities at LeMans go into high gear today with the start of two days of official practice rounds and qualifying. As we wait for Team Corvette to take to the track, enjoy the team photos taken earlier this week.

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Corvette Racing's group of drivers for the 24 Hours of Le Mans has a record any team in the paddock would envy. The six pilots have combined for 144 class wins in the American Le Mans Series and 17 at Le Mans with Corvette Racing winning five times since 2001. Despite all the success, the memories, history and significance of Le Mans still resonate throughout the team.

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The Corvette Racing team has been deployed to France for the 24 Hours of LeMans and Sunday's Test Day was their first and only day for testing on the LeMans course prior to the start of official practice and qualifying sessions beginning June 11th. During the day-long session which featured occasional downpours, showers and red-flags, the team had the opportunity to test a range of Michelin tires as well as evaluating chassis and gearbox setups.

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Last week and throughout the weekend I set a goal to provide timely and interesting updates about Corvette Racing's attempt to defend their GT1 championship at Le Mans. Truth be told, it was probably the most fun I've had on this blog since its inception in 2005. Despite the letdown that comes with your team falling short of the overall goal, second place is still an honor and the Corvette Racing streak of seven consecutive podium finishes is nothing short of amazing.

Here are some related post-race links worth checking out, as the comments and stories come from the people that were there:

CorvetteRacing.com
The official press release about the Second Place Finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

GM FYI Blog
Listen to four podcasts from the the Corvette Racing Team. The post-race comments come from GM Racing Director Mark Kent, Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan and drivers of the 2nd place #63 C6.R Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen.

PaddockTalk.com
Oliver Gavin reflects on what's it's like when it goes wrong. The defending GT1 Class championship driver was piloting the #64 Corvette C6.R when the prop shaft failed. Unable to fix the car from the side of the track, Gavin was forced into an early retirement and found other ways to spend the time at Le Mans, including narrating this clip of the #63 Corvette C6.R making contact with a P1 Audi.

I'd like to congratulate the #63 Corvette C6.R team for giving the race their all, especially when 90 minutes into it you were suddenly shouldered with the sole responsibility of winning Le Mans. And for the #64 C6.R Team, you boys handled adversity and bad luck with class and dignity. We know you'll be back next year with a vengeance!

Lastly, I'd like to thank Richard Prince who loaned us three great Corvette Racing photos to use throughout the week as our Le Mans banner. You can view his work at Le Mans this year by visiting the Corvette Racing Photo Gallery.

Related:
Le Mans: #63 Corvette C6.R Finishes in 2nd Place
Le Mans: #64 Corvette Stalled and Possibly Out
LeMans: Podcasts From Corvette Racing Team Members
Le Mans Starting Grid Set: Corvette's 3rd and 5th
Best Video Yet: C6.R Corvette Lapping Le Mans
Le Mans Preview: 2007 Corvette Racing Team Photo
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

With an hour left in the Race, Ron Fellows was hunting down the class leading #009 Aston Martin. The #63 C6.R was turning lap times 20-30 seconds faster than their British rivals and had closed the gap to a lap when the safety cars were deployed, effective ending the team's chances at winning the class. Adding insult to injury, the Green Flags waved one last time with 11 minutes left to race but the damage was already done.

The #63 Corvette finished the 24 Hours of Le Mans completing 342 laps and coming in just 6:08.031 behind the #009 Aston Martin. The Corvette finished 6th overall as well.

While the 2nd place win is welcomed by the team, we are left to wonder what the outcome could have been if only the Safety Cars would not have deployed. We are left to wonder what the outcome could have been had the #64 C6.R Corvette would not have been forced to retire after suffering driveshaft failure just 1:45 into the race. And finally, what role did the weather actually play in holding back the lone C6.R from going all out?

Questions aside, our boys did a fantastic job at Le Mans and should be proud of their accomplishment. Competition breeds success and while this year it went to the Prodrive Aston Martin team, rest assured that Corvettes will be back next year, better equipped and motivated to take on the Aston Martins once again.

Source:
LeMans.org

Related:
Le Mans: #64 Corvette Stalled and Possibly Out
LeMans: Podcasts From Corvette Racing Team Members
Le Mans Starting Grid Set: Corvette's 3rd and 5th
Best Video Yet: C6.R Corvette Lapping Le Mans
Le Mans Preview: 2007 Corvette Racing Team Photo
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

With just under 2 hours into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, bad luck hits the Corvette Racing team. According to Program Racing manager Doug Fehan, the #64 Corvette may have broken a driveshaft and is currently sitting on the side of the track. It is highly unlikely it will be able to return to the race.

The #63 Corvette driven by Jan Magnussen is currently second in GT1. The #009 Aston Martin is first in class.

Source:
LeMans.org

Related:
LeMans: Podcasts From Corvette Racing Team Members
Le Mans Starting Grid Set: Corvette's 3rd and 5th
Best Video Yet: C6.R Corvette Lapping Le Mans
Le Mans Preview: 2007 Corvette Racing Team Photo
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

Members of the Corvette Racing team checked in from France with the GM FYI Blog yesterday to give their take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Interviews include Corvette Racing's Program Manager Doug Fehan and drivers Johnny O'Connell, Max Papis and Oliver Gavin.

Visit the GM FYI Blog to listen.

Source:
GM FYI Blog

Related:
Le Mans Starting Grid Set: Corvette's 3rd and 5th
Best Video Yet: C6.R Corvette Lapping Le Mans
Le Mans Preview: 2007 Corvette Racing Team Photo
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

Looks like the weather is going to play a major role in this weekend's running of the 24 hours of Le Mans. Rain and the accidents that accompanied it shortened the first day's qualifying (Q1) and washed out day number two (Q2), thereby all but guaranteeing that the starting grid for GT1 will be based on Wednesday's Q1 runs:

Driver	Team	Car	Time
Bouchut	AMR Larbre Comp	#008 Aston Martin DBR9	3:50.761
Ayari	Team Oreca	#55 Saleen S7R	3:51.240
Gavin	Corvette Racing	#64 C6.R	3:52.130
Brabham	Aston Martin Racing	#009 Aston Martin DBR9	3:52.471
Magnussen	Corvette Racing	#63 C6.R	3:52.657

The fastest time recorded today in GT1 was 4:27.761 seconds by Team Oreca in the Saleen S7R, way off the pace of Wednesday's #008 Aston Martin which leads GT1 at 3:50.761. The #64 Corvette C6.R ran a fastest lap at 4:35.281 while the #63 Corvette C6.R came in at 4:36.285.

Jan Magnussen, driving #63 Corvette C6.R said, “we are checking the car with all three drivers, making sure that it's OK to run in the wet, and that there is no water getting in. We won't do much more. It's too easy to lose the car in these conditions. The visibility is hard when you are running with other people. It's good that I was here in 2001 when it was very wet. If it's wet like this for the race, the results will depend more on who avoids mistakes and less on the racing."

Teams will now have to adjust and adapt as conditions on the ground change. Corvette Racing has the capabilities to overcome all obstacles, and that can-do spirit goes along way in a 24 hour race. As the Saleens and Astons have proven to be faster, Corvettes win endurance races because of smart driving and the overall reliability of the Corvette C6.R, and that has proven to be the great equalizer at Le Mans.

Source:
LeMans.org

Related:
Best Video Yet: C6.R Corvette Lapping Le Mans
Le Mans Preview: 2007 Corvette Racing Team Photo
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

BadBoyVettes.com is in France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and sacrificed a Canon PowerShot camera to get this awesome video of the #63 Corvette C6.R driven by Ron Fellows on a reconnaissance lap of the track. The site has photos of Program Manager Doug Fehan and a crew member taping the camera to the outside of the vehicle. By mounting the camera outside you really get the full effect of the sound coming from the Corvette as well as the ability to really see how fast these cars can go.

BBV also acknowledges that "the video download crashed the team's computers between sessions, so we are busy mending fences with the Corvette Crew so as not to be extradited back to the US before the race." Let's hope they do!

Source:
BadBoyVettes.com

Related:
Video: 1 Lap Around LeMans in a C5-R Corvette Race Car

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

Corvette Racing had their annual team photograph session on Monday. You can view more photos by wading through the official Le Mans photo gallery at www.lemans.org

Qualifying starts today and concludes on Thursday. The start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is 9am EST and SPEEDtv will be providing 17 ½ hours beginning at 8:30 EST Saturday, June 16th.

Source:
LeMans.org

Related:
Video: Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Le Mans
Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell Previews LeMans
Corvette Racing Team Pranks Aston Martin's Crew Chief

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Le Mans

As reported by (cough, cough) WindingRoad.com, the Corvette Racing team wasn't satisfied in taking the top spot in last week's LeMans testing session, with Jan Magnussen driving the #63 Corvette C6.R around the course in 3:49:207, shaving 1.641 seconds from the #007 Aston Martin piloted by Enge/Herbert/Kox. They needed something else to let everyone know they owned Aston Martin.

According to the story, Aston Martin's Crew Chief George Howard-Chappell hurt his back earlier in the week and left his car at the track overnight. Seems the boys from Corvette Racing found out about that and slightly modified his ride. Corvette Racing's manager, Doug Fehan said "It didn’t take the boys long to make sure Ol' George had all his bases covered for the race!"

Stay with us this week as we cover the 24 Hours of LeMans.

Source:
WindingRoad.com

Related
LeMans Preview: Corvette Racing Fastest In GT1 Pre-Qualifying

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Aston Martin | LeMans

Corvette Racing's Johnny O'Connell writes on his website about LeMans and the competition that the two C6.R teams will face. For the first half of the ALMS season, Team Corvette faced only one challenger - an Aston Martin at Sebring. That will change when the teams head to LeMans later this month where there will potentially be 15 or more cars in the GT1 class.

Here's some of what Johnny O has to say:

This year could perhaps be our most difficult ever. Not only will the factory Astons be there with a stronger package than what they had last year, but there will also be a few Saleens run by a very strong team that knows how to do well at Le Mans. The Saleen on paper should be the fastest, followed by the Aston….then us. Just kind of the way the ACO has written the rules. I think there are something like 15 or 17 GT1 cars. Most of them strong, so it will be a battle indeed.

Our strength though, will be in the back of every teams mind. Our cars are the strongest. Bar none. We’ve proven it year after year. Both cars have always finished, and always at least one on the podium. In my mind it will take an extreme effort to qualify in the top 5. Again, just how things will play out speed wise. But Around the 20 hour mark, as others are struggling and getting fatigued as well as there cars, know that we’ll be pushing even harder.

The 24 Hours of Lemans will be held June 16-17th in France. SpeedTV will once again be providing coverage. For more Lemans Pre-Race notes from Johnny O'Connell, check out his website at JohnnyOConnell.com.

Source:
JohnnyOConnell.com

Related
2006: Corvette Racing Wins The 24 Hours of LeMans

Technorati Tags:
Corvette | LeMans