Attention turns to race setup and strategy in quest for eighth Road America win
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (Aug. 4, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will line up astern Sunday for the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America after Saturday’s qualifying session for GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The yellow Corvettes found themselves on the second and third rows in class following the 15-minute session. Antonio Garcia qualified third in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with a lap of 2:02.746 (118.722 mph), followed closely by Oliver Gavin in fifth place with a lap of 2:03.170 (118.314 mph) in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.
The qualifying results are the best for Corvette Racing at Road America since 2015, and spirits are quietly confident heading into Sunday’s race. The top five cars qualified within 0.691 seconds, which bodes well for the team’s chances for an eighth class victory at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course – and 100th in IMSA competition.
The GTLM Driver’s Championship is a tight battle entering Road America. Garcia and Jan Magnussen stand second and are one point out of the championship lead with four races to go. Gavin and Tommy Milner are fifth but just 13 points back; they won in class two years at Road America.
Chevrolet remains second in Manufacturer points – 11 back with four races remaining.
The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase is set for 1:35 p.m. CT with FOX Sports 1 airing the race live. Streaming in-car footage along with live audio coverage of practice, qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTLM:
“It wasn’t a bad session. I think we can be happy with the results. Second and fourth was very optimistic. I almost did three identical laps. Considering how good the car was in the last practice, I think we have a good Corvette for the race. The 66 and 67 typically show very good race pace as well, so we need to be a little more clever than them perhaps and see where that puts us. That is our target. We are in a good spot again. We’re fighting the two cars ahead of us for the championship so the battle is on.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTLM:
“I’m a little frustrated that the session didn’t go a little better. We’ve been working on the car and finding the quick way around here. I was on a good enough lap to be right up there with what Antonio had done but I lost the car into the last corner on that lap, and I never could get it back to that point. That seems to be a common theme for us this year; we can get the car to perform for a lap but can’t hold it at that point. You have to hit it exactly right, and if you don’t then you’re not at the sharp end. The good news is that we usually race better than we qualify. So we’re eyes forward and hopefully moving up the order tomorrow.”
Source:
Corvette Racing
Related:
Corvette Racing at Road America: By the Numbers
Corvette Racing at Road America: A Favorite Stop for All
[VIDEO] Michelin Recaps the GTLM Class from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Corvette Racing at Lime Rock: Third Straight Runner-Up for Garcia, Magnussen
Corvette Racing at Lime Rock: Antonio Garcia Takes the Pole
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