Corvette Racing at COTA: Aiming for On-Track Success in Lone Star State

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Corvette Racing at COTA: Aiming for On-Track Success in Lone Star State


Two Corvette C7.Rs hoping to replicate past victory in Austin

DETROIT (Sept.16, 2015) – Corvette Racing returns to one of sports car racing’s biggest stages this weekend for the Lone Star Le Mans weekend at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The team and its two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will race in Saturday’s two-hour, 40-minute event for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which shares the stage at COTA with the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Just two events remain on the TUDOR Championship schedule – the Lone Star Le Mans and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans in two weeks at Road Atlanta. Corvette Racing remains in the thick of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Championship with Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen second in points heading to Austin with their No. 3 Corvette C7.R.

The pairing won Corvette Racing’s first race at COTA in 2013 as part of the American Le Mans Series’ GT class. Garcia drove nearly a full hour under heavy pressure from multiple cars to propel he and Magnussen to the ALMS GT title.

This year, the pairing scored victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring to open the TUDOR Championship schedule.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R may be seeking their first victory in the TUDOR Championship, but the pairing won arguably the biggest race of the season when they teamed with Jordan Taylor to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. It was the eighth time that Corvette Racing won Le Mans since 2001.

That also was the last time Corvette Racing competed with the FIA World Endurance Championship, which races at COTA following the TUDOR Championship event. Both series will compete on the same 3.4-mile, 20-turn layout.

The Lone Star Le Mans race for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is set for 11:35 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 19 and is the ninth race of the 2015 season for Corvette Racing. It will air live on FOX Sports 2 and again at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 20 on FOX Sports 1. Flag-to-flag radio coverage also will be available via IMSA Radio.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“I can’t think about Circuit of The Americas without remembering the 2013 win for Jan and I. It was a very difficult weekend and race. The fight during the last hour was one of the toughest I’ve had. That is the kind of race that a circuit like COTA can promote. You can afford to be aggressive because there is a lot of concrete runoff. The danger risk isn’t as high as other places we race. As a result it likely will be a green race the entire way, so good pace and strategy will be important. We need a good result to stay in the GTLM championship heading to Road Atlanta, and I know the Corvette Racing team will do all it can to give Jan and I the best Corvette C7.R we can have.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Circuit of The Americas is a very different type of circuit than what we have raced on recently in the TUDOR Championship. It’s a very nice facility and up to Formula One specification. We had a very good test in Austin last week where we evaluated some different setup options and tire choices. We feel like we found a pretty good direction to start with for this week’s first practice. This is a big weekend in the championship, and we need every advantage we can get.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“We’re really coming down to the business end of the season. Every point matters. Any decision you make in any session and any race is vital. We’re very much playing a supporting role to our sister Corvette in the TUDOR Championship. Things haven’t really run our way once our season kind of snowballed at Sebring. It was a bad event for us with mechanical issues and other things. The No. 3 car with those two wins has put itself front-and-center in the championship. We’ll continue to push and work through everything we have. Tommy and I are very much buoyed by our efforts at Le Mans and what it means to our season and Corvette Racing’s season as a whole. It will be nice to be back with the WEC and be with them for the weekend. I’m sure there will be some reminders of our Le Mans victory!”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“It’s a track that lends itself to good racing. As we saw with Antonio a couple years ago – even without one of the fastest cars – you can with good pit strategy get a win. That makes a big difference in how you can approach this event. We know that if we don’t have the fastest car, we can make something happen. The track has a nice blend of everything. It’s not too busy or drawn out during the lap. You have a nice, fast section in places and some slow corners in others. It’s a fun track to drive by yourself but also provides some great passing opportunities during the race.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:

“It’s always a thrill for us to compete at such a sterling venue as Circuit of The Americas. It’s one of sports car racing’s biggest weekends with IMSA and our friends from the FIA World Endurance Championship. From our standpoint, the TUDOR Championship race is critical as we are winding down to the end of the season. Every lap and every position is important for GTLM points. The current BoP isn’t favorable but that doesn’t lessen our efforts and expectations to put on a great show for all the Corvette Racing fans in Austin!”

TUDOR Championship – GTLM Standings (After eight events)

Driver Standings

  1. Patrick Pilet – 248
  2. Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 243
  3. Bill Auberlen/Dirk Werner – 240
  4. John Edwards/Lucas Luhr – 233
  5. Giancarlo Fisischella/Pierre Kaffer – 233

7. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 206

Team Standings

  1. No. 911 Porsche N. America – 248
  2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 243
  3. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 240
  4. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 233
  5. No. 62 Risi Competizione – 233

8. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 206

Manufacturer Standings

  1. Porsche – 260
  2. BMW – 252
  3. Chevrolet – 246
  4. Ferrari – 242

Lone Star Le Mans – GT Le Mans (all times CT unless noted)

  • TUDOR Practice 1: 10:25 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 17
  • TUDOR Practice 2: 4:35 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17
  • TUDOR Practice 3: 9:10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 18
  • TUDOR GTLM Qualifying: 4:10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18 (IMSA.com)
  • TUDOR Warmup: 8 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 19
  • Race: 11:35 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 19 (FOX Sports 2)
  • Replay: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20 (FOX Sports 1) 


Source:
Corvette Racing

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Corvette Racing’s 2016 C7.R Getting Ready for FIA Performance Tests in France
Corvette Racing at VIR: Still in the Running for GTLM Titles

 



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