Challenges with weather, pace work against Garcia and Taylor in GTD PRO
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Aug. 7, 2022) – Corvette Racing came home third in class Sunday at Road America in the IMSA Fastline SportsCar Weekend. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished on the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO podium in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for their second straight top-three finish at the circuit in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Garcia started third and drove the first 40 minutes in mostly dry conditions, although track conditions grew more treacherous on his slick Michelin tires toward the end of his stint.
The Corvette Racing crew got the No. 3 Corvette and Taylor out at the head of GTD PRO after the first stop. Unfortunately, Taylor had the worst of the conditions as he rejoined the race on wet-weather tires. Even more frustrating was the No. 3 Corvette’s lack of straight-line speed also started to rear its head as Taylor went from first to third on the restart in a matter of two corners.
He fell down to fourth behind the No. 23 Aston Martin, but more than once he took back the position into one of Road America’s brake zones only to fall back again on the long runs between corners. Meanwhile, the rain was somewhat consistent at the start of Taylor’s stint but moved to drying conditions as the second of three full-course yellows flew with 78 minutes remaining. Garcia got back in on slick tires and restarted fourth in class.
He finally got the No. 3 Corvette back onto the podium with less than hour to go while a number of GTD cars were in a fuel-savings mode to try and make the end in case the race went green the rest of the way.
That didn’t happen as a third yellow came out with 54 minutes to go. Corvette Racing engineers elected to keep Garcia out to try and gain an advantage in track position, but a number of GTD cars had the same idea – including the eventual race-winning Lexus.
Close call for @jordan10taylor with the 31 coming back on track at T14 right through the racing line. Didn't help our straight-line deficit #Corvette #C8R #IMSA #RoadAmerica pic.twitter.com/4RshAUYeoA
— Corvette Racing (@CorvetteRacing) August 7, 2022
The race went green with 36 minutes to go but Garcia was swallowed up and passed by two more lapped GTD cars on the run from the final corner to the start-finish line. He was able to hold on to the third position in GTD PRO before a final yellow ended the race with eight minutes left.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR from Virginia International Raceway on August 26-28.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO:
“The way to you get laptime in our car is completely different to everyone else. On every restart we lost at least one or two positions. So you feel helpless and frustrated. There’s nothing we can do to make our car faster. Hopefully the next race at VIR is better.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTD PRO:
“It was a frustrating day as a whole. It seems our pace over a lap isn’t too horrible, but where our pace is made against everyone else makes it almost impossible to race anyone. It’s the same story on a different weekend from the last five or six races. It’s frustrating overall, so hopefully we can go to Virginia and be a little more competitive than this.”
Source:
CorvetteRacing.com
Related:
Corvette Racing at Road America: Happy Garcia Third in GTD PRO Qualifying
[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
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Well we see that the C8 R is still neutered. Sad. Funny how the Lexus was all of a sudden untouchable this time out. Hmmmm…..
I am so sick & tired of the Corvette “not having the pace”. With all of the BS BoP penalties that IMSA has put on the Corvette, they have rendered it an also ran. They have barely done anything to the other cars, especially the porsche & the lexus. Only 2 other GTD PRO/GTD cars had slower fastest lap times. This is ridiculous! IMSA, get off your arses & remove the BoP crap you have put on the Corvette now.
Glad I don’t watch anymore. What a joke.
Is there no arbitration process to get IMSA to adjust an unjust BOP. If no process exists I would work after the season to try and get an arbitration process established for next season.
I continue to contend the BOP process should be administered by an independent Engineering Organization with IMSA having no say in the BOP process!!!!!!!!!
With the way IMSA is running the show if they can’t be convinced the BOP process should be independently run & with GM’s clout I would consider organizing another Racing Organization altogether & leave IMSA to suffer the consequences.
Lexus has never been a contender in GT Pro. Guess it was their turn for a trophy
When Garcia is passed by an am driver and the C8 looks like a moving chicane for Porsche and Toyota something is definitely off. I thought the c8 was going to solve all the Corvette woe’s. Maybe that flat-plane ain’t all that. As a Corvette fan boy all the way back to the Greenwood days its hard to watch.
IMSA BoP makes racing a joke. Its difficult to escape the conclusion that the races are decided before the race is run.
I think most of us have known for years BOP is rigged. You build a better car and win it is up to the other mfg to improve their cars if they want to win. Typical progressive mentality.
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