Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey

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Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey


Program has competed in Monterey every year since 1999

DETROIT (Sept. 10, 2019) – Corvette Racing heads westward again this week with sights set on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and an eighth class victory in 21 appearances on the Monterey Peninsula.

The Monterey Sports Car Championship – airing live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC – is the 10th of 11 events for Corvette Racing in this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The goals are simple: score a 100th victory in IMSA competition and remain in contention for a fourth straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship.

Nestled near Monterey Bay, the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit presents another daunting challenge for Corvette Racing and the rest of the IMSA field. Temperature fluctuations, sand and dust blowing on the circuit and other factors are wildcards on a Monterey race weekend. But they are ones Corvette Racing has successfully overcome before.

Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey


Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen are the most recent winners for Corvette Racing, having won back-to-back in 2013 and 2014. The pairing in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R stand third in the GTLM Drivers’ Championship with two races left and have a chance for their third consecutive title.

Magnussen has four wins at Laguna Seca to rank second all-time in IMSA history. The driver tied with him is teammate Oliver Gavin, who drives the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C7.R with Tommy Milner. The Gavin/Milner pairing were winners at Laguna Seca together in 2012, and Gavin was the GTLM pole-winner a year ago.

Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey


WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is one of three tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each season of its existence since 1999. Sebring and Road Atlanta are the others. In 20 races in Monterey, Corvette Racing has accumulated nearly 12,000 racing miles and more than 5,300 racing laps.

The Monterey SportsCar Championship powered by McLaren at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is Sept. 13-15. Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race will air live at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and the NBC Sports App. Live audio coverage will be available on IMSA Radio, Sirius 113, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.

Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey


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

“We’ve had really good races in Monterey. It’s always a question mark if you can find the right tires and right compound that make the car work around there. Until I hit the track Friday and we try all the options, you don’t know where you are against the competition. We’re all looking forward to this weekend – a challenging racetrack and a big drop-off on tires so that management is key. Strategy and tires will decide the race.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Laguna Seca is fantastic and in a beautiful area. It has a great flow to it, and when you get the car just right then it’s super-enjoyable. We’ve had pretty good success out there; hopefully we can get a bunch of points out there. It’s very low-grip there. The key there is having a good setup that produces grip so you can produce good lap times. Having a good balance in order to get through traffic and not cost yourself lap time is a big thing. It’s so easy to overdrive and make mistakes because of that grip level. You have to disciplined to use what you have.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“I’ve been coming to what’s now WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for quite a long time and been fortunate to win four times there. It’s a track that has a lot of history not just in sports car racing but many other forms of motorsport. Practically everyone knows of Laguna Seca and the Corkscrew, so we are lucky each year to compete there. It’s down to the final two races of the season and all of Corvette Racing want to end the season strong. A victory here this weekend would give everyone here a lot of satisfaction heading to Road Atlanta.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“What stands out is the drive to the track – way up the mountain and into the facility. There is something that’s a little intimidating about it, but it’s another track on the ISMA calendar that has a lot of history. It’s a challenging one, for sure. For whatever reason – maybe it’s the sand that gets on the racing surface – it’s always a challenge to get a quick lap and to be fast and competitive over a whole stint. It’s fun to race on and one that lots of people like to go to, and I’m sure one that fans enjoy watching from with lots of great vantage points. It’s definitely a highlight for us.”

Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Twenty-First Trip to Monterey


2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings
(After Nine of 11 Events)

Driver Standings
1. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 280
2. Nick Tandy/Patrick Pilet – 269
3. Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 259
4. Richard Westbrook/Ryan Briscoe – 256
5. Dirk Mueller – 248
8. Oliver Gavin – 223
11. Tommy Milner – 175

Team Standings
1. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 280
2. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 269
3. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 259
4. No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – 256
5. No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – 248
8. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 223

Manufacturer Standings
1. Porsche – 304
2. Ford – 278
3. Chevrolet – 272
4. BMW – 265


Source:
CorvetteRacing.com

Related:
GTLM Untouched After IMSA Makes Balance of Performance Changes to the DPi and GTD Classes
Corvette Racing Has Already Won Where it Counts The Most
Corvette Racing at VIR: Back on the Podium for No. 3 Corvette

 



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