Corvette Racing Secures GTLM Championships at Road Atlanta

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Corvette Racing Secures GTLM Championships at Road Atlanta


Driver and Team titles clinched in opening hours of Petit Le Mans

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 7, 2017) – With the opening stages of the 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance race in the record books, Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen clinched the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver title in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The start of the season finale also means the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R squad earned the GTLM Team Championship.

The Garcia/Magnussen pairing claimed three class victories this season entering today’s race at Road Atlanta, having won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as well as GTLM rounds at Circuit of The Americas and Virginia International Raceway. They also finished third at Watkins Glen.

“This championship was absolutely a team effort,” said Mark Reuss, Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “The drivers, crew members and engineers were versatile and adaptable, and everybody on the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team contributed throughout the season. Jan and Antonio were consistent, smart behind the wheel and took advantage of opportunities when it mattered most. This was a hard-earned championship.”

It is the second championship effort for the duo with the first coming in the 2013 American Le Mans Series GT class. As a result, both of Garcia’s championships have come with Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette. Magnussen also was ALMS GT1 Driver’s Champion in 2008 with Corvette Racing.

In all, Corvette Racing has now earned 11 Driver titles and 12 Team championships in North American professional sports car racing dating back to 2001. Corvette Racing won both GTLM Driver and Team titles for the second consecutive year as Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were 2016 champions in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R.

Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta continues today with coverage on FOX Sports 2 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET and 5 to 9:30 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio and a Corvette Racing In-Car feed will be available on IMSA.com.


ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – 2017 GTLM DRIVER’S CHAMPION:

“This was a very hard year. We haven’t had the strongest car this year. If we had a Corvette to finish third, fourth or fifth, we would finish first, second or third. No matter the kind of car we had, we could gain two or three positions ahead of that. The Corvette Racing team did a great job all season with pit stops, strategy and preparation. No one put a foot wrong all season. Most of the time we stuck with the pace we had and let others make mistakes or apply pressure to our competitors. This was a very intense year but we maximized our results every weekend. Those fourth- and fifth-place finishes are where we got the most out of things. That’s a large reason why we have won this championship.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – 2017 GTLM DRIVER’S CHAMPION:

“I’m super happy for the whole team to be in this position to take the green flag. It has been a hard season where we have had to make the most of sometimes bad positions, and I think that is what made the difference. We overachieved on the tough weekends and got the absolute most out of things when we needed. We also won the races we could. This is an absolutely fantastic feeling and a fantastic program to be in. Now on to the Manufacturer’s Championship!”


Source:
CorvetteRacing.com

Related:
Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta: Garcia Qualifies Points-Leading No. 3 Corvette Second in GTLM
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin Previews Petit Le Mans for Mobil 1 The Grid
Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta: It’s Championship Weekend in GTLM
Corvette Racing at Monterey: Garcia, Magnussen On Doorstep of GTLM Title

 



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