Corvette Racing Receives Invitation for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Corvette Racing Receives Two Invitations for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans
Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Team Chevy

While Corvette Racing has been planning on running the 83rd annual 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of its 2015 campaign, the race requires an invitation from the ACO. Last week the field was announced and the factory-backed race team did indeed receive two of the 21 at-large invitations available for the race at Circuit de la Sarthe in France this June.

The twin Velocity Yellow C7.Rs will join seven other cars to round out the GTE-Pro class which will feature a total of nine entries.

With the invitations in hand, Corvette Racing announced the endurance drivers that will be joining the four full-time drivers for the race. Ryan Brisco will rejoin his class winning Rolex 24 at Daytona teammates Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No.63 Corvette C7.R while Jordan Taylor will join Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner for the first time in the No.64 Corvette C7.R.

“Le Mans is the biggest challenge an endurance sports car driver or team can face,” said Mark Kent, Director of Racing for Chevrolet. “Over the 15 years that Corvette Racing has been an annual participant at Le Mans, we have captured seven class victories. Winning at Le Mans requires not only a great race car like the Corvette C7.R and outstanding drivers, but also great execution by the entire team. In addition to victories, another measure of our success at Le Mans includes the lessons we learn by competing in this grueling race and how we transfer these learnings to our production vehicles. The Corvette C7.R and Corvette Z06 are perfect examples of technology transfer between the race track and the Chevrolet showroom.”

This will be the second year that the Corvette C7.Rs have taken the grid at Le Mans. Last year at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, both cars placed in the top-four in GTE Pro. Garcia, Magnussen and Taylor were runners-up in the No. 73 car while the No. 74 Corvette placed fourth.

Corvette Racing Receives Two Invitations for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans
Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Team Chevy

Thirty-Five of the 56 entries for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans are competing in the full FIA World Endurance Championship. That left just 21 at-large spots available to round out the field. It was believed that about 70 entry requests were filed in December.

Corvette Racing’s two C7.Rs are the only TUDOR series contenders in GTE-Pro with the other seven entries campaigning in the FIA WEC. Here’s the nine cars that will be competing in the GTE Pro class:

  • 51 – AF Corse – Ferrari F458 Italia
  • 63 – Corvette Racing-GM – Corvette C7.R
  • 64 – Corvette Racing-GM – Corvette C7.R
  • 71 – AF Corse – Ferrari F458 Italia
  • 91 – Porsche Team Manthey – Porsche 911 RSR
  • 92 – Porsche Team Manthey – Porsche 911 RSR
  • 95 – Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Vantage
  • 97 – Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Vantage
  • 99 – Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Vantage

This will be Corvette Racing’s 16th 24th Hours of Le Mans. The team will be bringing a wealth of experience to the race with 7 wins in 15 starts at Le mans. Its six drivers have a combined 12 victories at Le Mans – four each for Gavin and Magnussen, three for Garcia and one for Milner. The group of six has 49 Le Mans starts between them: Magnussen 16 and Gavin 14 (all consecutive starts for both), Garcia with nine, Milner with six, Taylor with three and Briscoe with one.


Source:
CorvetteRacing.com
Sportscar365.com

Related:
Larbre Competition to Race a Corvette C7.R in the FIA WEC Series
Ryan Briscoe Set to Join Corvette Racing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Corvette Racing at Daytona: Rolex 24 GTLM Win for Corvette C7.R

 



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