No. 3 Corvette C8.R on inside of second row in chase for ninth Road America win
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 6, 2022) – Antonio Garcia qualified third in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO as Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will start on the inside of the second row for Sunday’s IMSA Fastlane Sports Weekend at Road America.
Garcia set a time of 2:05.829 (115.814 mph) Saturday around the spacious 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit in scenic eastern Wisconsin. That put him 0.464 seconds off Jack Hawksworth’s pole-winning time in the class.
Garcia qualified at Road America for the first time since 2018 but knows how to go fast around the track with a pair of fastest race laps in 2018 and 2020. The contrast in weather between Saturday’s ideal conditions and predicted rain Sunday will play a major role in the race’s outcome.
Garcia and Taylor are seeking their second win of the year and second victory at Road America as a tandem following a GT Le Mans class in 2020. After seven races, the pairing sits second in the Drivers Championship.
Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day.
Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters each weekend.
Time to go qualifying! @AntonioGarcia_3 gets the call today in the 3 #Corvette #C8R. Live at 11a CT on https://t.co/ozXzGDR6Di and @IMSARadio… T&S at https://t.co/BxEPej51Ay #RoadAmerica @TeamChevy pic.twitter.com/yXKk89H4uo
— Corvette Racing (@CorvetteRacing) August 6, 2022
The IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend from Road America is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7. The race will stream live on Peacock and air same-day beginning at noon ET on USA. IMSA Radio’s race call Sunday also will be available on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED THIRD IN GTD PRO:
“That definitely was the maximum. I must say that I had really good prep so the tires were where they needed to be. Even I improved fractionally on the second lap, I thought my first was probably it. Maybe if you put together both, you could shave off a tenth. I’m happy with how the car felt and how I approached the actual qualifying session and how I built up temperature and pressure on the tires. Now we’re focused on the race. It’s good we are on the second row where yesterday we didn’t know where we would be. We are ready for tomorrow. Let’s see what the weather brings. From that point on, we can see the leaders right there so we need to stay in contact with them and do the job.
“I qualified once or twice on pole here but it’s been awhile since I qualified at Road America. It’s always very enjoyable. You feel like you have the track to yourself. Traffic didn’t play a part; it was perfect. This is the best track to have low fuel, new tires and space. It’s the best part of the weekend for sure.”
Source:
CorvetteRacing.com
Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing’s Garcia and Taylor Driving the New C8 Z06 at Road America
Corvette Racing at Road America: Drive for Nine in Elkhart Lake
Corvette Racing at Lime Rock: Tough Job in the Race
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I can smell the brats on the grills!! 🙂
I don’t understand why @ the last 2 races Corvette Racing has brought the qualifying driver in to the pits before the qualifying session ended. The race before Elkhart Lake Jordan Taylor had the pole & came into the pits with I think about 4 mins left, he dropped from 1st to I believe 6th. Today, @ Elkhart Lake, Antonio had the pole & they bring him in with 2-1/2 mins left & he drops from pole to 3rd. They use to leave the qualifying driver out for the entire session until the checkered flag dropped. If another driver ran a quicker lap the Corvette driver could answer with an even quicker lap & get the pole back. Any one have an answer???
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