The inaugural Lone Star Grand Prix will be held Friday night, May 12th and the two Corvette C6.R’s will have their work cut out for them as they battle the ALMS competition. The Lone Star Grand Prix marks the first street race since Miami Beach in 2003. The course is set up on a temporary 1.7 mile track through Houston’s Reliant Park.
The C6.R Corvettes will be battling the close quarters and unforgiving concrete barriers that define the Houston Circuit. Another factor that has tilted the playing field in favor of Corvette Racing’s competition is that series officials have granted Aston Martin Racing a 55 pound advantage in addition to the weight concessions announced prior to the start of the season. As a result, the C6.R Corvettes must weigh 176 pounds more than the Aston Martin DBR9s.
“The Corvette C6.R is at a point in its development where we’re very comfortable going to a street race,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “The challenge we have isn’t with the race track, it’s with the competition. Aston Martin has received additional performance concessions. That’s the challenge. “A weight handicap is magnified on a street circuit,” Fehan explained. “Generally the speeds are slower and the demands on braking and acceleration are greater. In those circumstances, a lighter car has an advantage.”The Lone Star Grand Prix, the second round of the 10-race 2006 American Le Mans Series, is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 12. The two-hour, 45-minute race will be televised tape-delayed on Saturday, May 13, at 1 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports. Visit CorvetteRacing.com for more information.
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