Mike Rockenfeller, the 36-year-old Audi factory driver who has been “on loan” to Corvette Racing the last two years for the various endurance races will not be part of the expanded line-ups in 2020 due to a calendar clash with a DTM race and the 24 Hours of Le Mans happening on the same day.
That means the Corvette Racing squad will be looking for a driver to fill that endurance seat in the No.3 Corvette C8.R for the three IMSA endurance races as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Rockenfeller expressed his disappointment to Sportscar365.com during last weekend’s “Dream Race” at Fuji Speedway. “Of course, I understand the complexity of calendar planning and all the various events that have to be taken into account, but a clash between a DTM round and Le Mans is really annoying,” Rockenfeller said. He added, “Audi has always been very helpful in letting me race elsewhere, and particularly with Corvette, but there is no doubt that in this case, my DTM season has priority. And that means I can’t be with Corvette.”
There are some great drivers available for 2020 that may see some familiar names vying for a seat in the new mid-engine C8.Rs. With the Ganassi/Ford partnership ended, two former Corvette drivers, Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe come to mind, as does long-time Corvette Racing driver Jan Magnussen who was let go at the end of last season.
Corvette Racing announced their 2020 full-time drivers line-ups last month which will see Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner paired up again in the No.4 Corvette while Jordan Taylor will hook up with Antonio Garcia in the No.3 Corvette C8.R.
Pratt and Miller will be making an announcement with the official driver line-ups in the next few weeks.
Source:
Sportscar365.com
Related:
[VIDEO] Mobil 1 The Grid: Corvette Racing’s Internal Rivalry
Corvette Racing Sets New Full-Season Driver Lineup for 2020
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing Introduces the Corvette C8.R
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I know a guy who sorta knows his way around the track in a Corvette: Jan Magnussen ?
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