cor123

GM MEDIA:

CORVETTE RACING IN CANADA: Garcia, Magnussen Earn Hard-Fought GTLM Win

Corvette DPs take two spots on overall podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park



· Second victory in a row at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Corvette Racing

· Westbrook, Valiante finish second overall for Spirit of Daytona

· Chevrolet maintains leads in both Prototype, GTLM manufacturer championships



BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (July 13, 2014) – Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen kept the momentum going for Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with a victory Sunday in the Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.



Garcia, Magnussen and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R won their fourth consecutive race in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans class. Garcia finished 11 seconds clear of the second-place Viper as he and Magnussen extended their lead in the GTLM driver’s championship, along with Chevrolet’s and Corvette Racing’s advantage in class manufacturer and team points, respectively.



“Today was an exciting day for Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The win in the GTLM class did not come easily. Strategy, teamwork and persistence of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and the Corvette Racing crew were key to the win. The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R also showed improved performance each time it was on the track throughout the weekend.”



Magnussen started and ran second for the majority of his stint before the class leader went off track just before the first round of pit stops. Magnussen pitted a lap later and handed off to Garcia, who had to fend off several challenges from the Viper before race traffic stabilized the Corvette’s advantage.



“Congratulations to Antonio, Jan and the Corvette Racing team on a hard-fought and well-earned victory today,” said Mark Kent, Director of Chevrolet Racing. “It took strategy, skill and even just a little luck. Today’s result is a tremendous achievement and continues to grow the championship lead in the GT Le Mans class.”



The story was not as bright for the No. 4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner. Running third 30 laps into the race, Milner was hit and spun by a slower GT Daytona car in heavy traffic at the exit of Turn 3. Milner had light contact with the tire barrier but was able to continue albeit in sixth position. Gavin and Milner, last year’s winners at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, finished seventh class.



Spirit of Daytona, Wayne Taylor Racing Finish on Overall Podium

Corvette Daytona Prototypes filled two of the three podium positions in the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype class as Michael Valiante and Richard Westbrook placed second in the first race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Corvette DPs.



The finish for No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP backed up its victory two weeks ago at Watkins Glen. Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor were third Sunday and maintained their lead in the Prototype driver’s championship standings.



The two Corvette DPs battled in the final 30 minutes with the cars running nose-to-tail for multiple laps before Westbrook began to pull away slightly in the waning moments.



Oak Racing was the race’s overall race winner.



The next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the Brickyard Grand Prix, set for 5:45 p.m. ET on Friday, July 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.



GTLM QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER

WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT SEEMS TO WORK WELL FOR THE CORVETTE?
"I don't know, but we end up winning. As you see, last year and this year it was really close between us and the Viper. During the first stint, we were bumper-to-bumper. During the second one, I went out with a little bit of a lead – like three seconds. The most it went was eight seconds because of traffic. So it was really hard. (Before the race) I was expecting safety cars. And I was also counting on them to help save just a tiny bit of tires to have at the end. But everything ran perfect. The Corvette Racing team did a perfect job everywhere, in every single situation."



JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER

THREE MONTHS AGO WOULD YOU EVER OF THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THE NO. 3 CORVETTE C7.R HAVING FOUR WINS IN A ROW?

“No, not in this category. It’s such a tough category and every tenth of a second counts. For us to be here now with four wins in a row is just an absolutely fantastic result. We owe it all to the team and everybody behind Corvette Racing to first of all give us a fantastic race car, but also making sure that it runs every time. Our engineers are making really good decisions every time we are racing. I’m just super pleased and very proud to be part of this.”



OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED 7TH
ON THE RACE

“We came into the weekend confident but today despite a tremendous effort by everyone at Corvette Racing, we again faced frustrating challenges. It seems that no matter what we try, nothing is giving us the positive results we need to turn this season around. That combined with Tommy’s unfortunate hit by a slower car is the epitome of our season. Our luck has to turn around at some point. Hopefully it comes at Indianapolis.”



TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED 7TH
ON HIS STINT AND ON-TRACK INCIDENT

“We came up on two slow guys in GTD cars who didn’t know where they were or what they were doing. They caused a big pile of cars behind them. There was nowhere for me to go and nowhere for anyone to go. They were kind of two-wide and just blocking the road. I had a little bit of a gap for the two or three GTD cars that were behind me. I got a decent run through Turn 2 and the guy in the Ferrari just came up on the situation; he may have gotten squeezed a little bit by one of the other cars in the group. It obviously wasn’t on purpose but it was a bad situation made by two guys who didn’t know what was going on. It’s like they were saying, ‘You go ahead. No you go ahead. No you go ahead.’ Then what happens is that I get hit from behind. That’s sort of our luck this year.”



DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Anybody who watched the Watkins Glen race would have to notice the similarities between there and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The tracks are both very quick. The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R crew simply has it figured out. The car is hooked up, the drivers are performing flawlessly and the crew showed a total team effort with great pit stops. If you look at the traffic at the end, Antonio was masterful working his way through it. That’s what really created the opportunity to win. It was just a great opportunity by everyone on this team.”



PROTOTYPE QUOTES

MICHAEL VALIANTE, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 2ND

“We had some gearbox issues on the downshifts early on. I got passed by (Christian) Fittipaldi; it just wasn’t selecting the lower gear. It seemed to be OK as long as we are patient with the downshift. Other than that, the car had good pace. On the first stop we had an issue and lost about 12 seconds. But I knew then we had the pace to finish second or third.”



RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 SPIRIT OF DAYTONA CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 2ND

"It was pretty good racing with Jordan (Taylor).I don't race hard enough with him. We always seem to avoid each other on the track. So it is good to have a battle with him. It is a good day for us. P2 - we'll take that. It was nice to put the No. 42 (Nissan Morgan -winner) under some pressure. You never know. He had a quite comfortable spot but I wanted to put some sort of pressure because with all the traffic, you never know what a little bit of pressure can do. It wasn't our today, but it was really enjoyable racing. My first time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and I actually loved it."



RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 3RD

"I'm okay. I've had a virus for the last three or four days and I haven't really been keeping up with my fluids, but I'm okay. The medical center guys took care of me, I'm fine. It was a good day. We got good points. The 90 (Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP) gained on us. They are proving to be really strong this year. We'll go on to Indy and hopefully get back to our winning ways."

IT WAS A GOOD COMEBACK FROM AN EARLY OFF: "The off was not a good mistake. But, it worked out to be the perfect timing if you are going to have an off. It put us off sequence, but we still only had two stops, so it is good."



JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CHEVROLET CORVETTE DP – FINISHED 3RD

“It was a tough race. We were flat-out the whole time. We were off strategy so we had to push really hard and it was tough. The car wasn’t the fastest so we were fighting a lot. We were happy to get track position in front of the No. 90 (Spirit of Daytona Corvette), but it was just a matter of time for them to get by us. We had no chance to battle the No. 42 or the No. 1 car. Considering how bad of a day it was, it was pretty good for the points.”



JIM LUTZ, CHEVROLET DAYTONA PROTOTYPE PROGRAM MANAGER

“Second and third in the first race for the Corvette Daytona Prototype at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park are solid results. As we suspected, the track ended up favoring the P2 cars but our teams still came through with great efforts. We are glad to maintain the championship lead in the Prototype engine manufacturer standings and head to Indianapolis with continued momentum.”

sdurg24

Were the PC's there? I didn't even notice and certainly didn't care. Great race for the 3 car. Just a feeling but the 4 car is about to break out of it's malaise at Indy. Thanks be to Corvette Racing. You make us all proud.

cor123

Here is the video of the Viper losing 1st place and taking out a sign:

http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/video...r-championship

sdurg24

Thanks cor123 for yet another great bit of info on Corvette Racing! So where is all the "Crowing" about the continued success of "Our Corvette Race Cars"? I mean, isn't this the Corvette Forum? Aren't these supposed to be America's True Sports Cars? Sure seems like Corvette people are taking this entire effort for granted. Four race victories in a row for the new C7R program headed up by Doug Fehan! That is amazing and seldom happens. I must be missing something. Lots of places on CF talking about this and that and I can't seem to find a thread loaded with Rabid Vette fans sharing their excitement over what a great sports car is supposed to do. Maybe I'm missing something and the car really is about fitting 2 golf bags in the trunk and not mind bending performance and handling that gives me such a kick every time I drive it.

cor123

When you find the answer please let me know. Interest is low just not on this forum but on all of them. That is why Corvette Racing fans have to be extra loud in their support.

PS: Corvette Racing fans did get out the vote for the "Team to Win" award and we won by 59.75% of the vote. Doug Fehan and "our boys" were very proud of the support by the fans. They heard about the results before the race.

troyguitar

Most of us are more interested in our own cars than some race cars that cost millions and have little to nothing in common with a Corvette that you can actually buy.

cor123

I love the factory Corvette Racing Vettes as they at least look similar to my car unlike Nascar or the P class. Hopefully, interest will always be strong so that Corvette Racing continues. I don't race my car as I don't have that talent but I do respect and enjoy immensely seeing others that do, including the factory race team. I am proud of "our boys" and what they have accomplished against some of the greatest racing teams in the world.

lemans

The benefit of racing is technology in the race cars gets filtered down to the street cars.

Things we take for granted, like ABS, traction control, carbon ceramic brakes, exotic materials in engine, body, frames.... etc, all were developed at the race track.

So in reality the race cars have a lot in common with the road cars.

cor123

Tommy Milner, at the 2014 NCM bash, said "That's why we go racing, we improve the race car and then improve the street car"

ZR1 136

Just go to a race and get the Corvette Corral ticket. Get to know more about Corvettes than what someone post on some magazine. Meet Corvette people and not just from the Forum. Stops a lot of the same ole questions in the Forum sound of cat backs....what tire should I run...what wax are you using to get that kind of shine. See the cut away Corvettes to see whats under the fiber glass and carbon fiber. Last year I went to two races Road America and Circuit of the Americas. This year added another race Sebring, still have the other two yet to roll around. Road America is only one month away. I live in South Texas so limited to tracks close by (only Circuit of the America's) .......but then again I dont play golf. If you were at last years race in Austin you would have heard the shout out from across the front stretch from the Corvette pit crew over to the Corvette Corral for taking 1st place. SRT Corral right next door had to be hard to swallow. Kicking ascot and going for 5 in a row.

cor123

I can only do two a year, Sebring and Petit Le Mans, however, we have been going since 1999. Hoping for Le Mans next year!

08velocity

it was a great race !!! they seem to be getting #3 really dialed in !!! Hey Rhett hows things in Tx ? we've got to get to COTA !! that track looks amazing . We will be at Petit again this year looking forward to that race and NOT being in Fl !!!!!!'

ZR1 136

Little warm over here....but I can not stand the cold. Just like FL every day is a Corvette driving day. This coming up Saurday I will get to see what 500+ Corvettes looks like in one spot (expected turnout).

cor123

Did you miss yesterday's Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park? Want to watch it again?

IMSA.com has you covered with the full race broadcast:

http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/...park-broadcast

sdurg24

Well, I certainly respect that point of view. However, I go to several TUDOR/IMSA races a year including Daytona, Sebring, VIR, Watkins Glen, and COTA. There are hundreds of Corvettes at the various Corvette Corrals throughout the circuit. In addition I watch all of the races that are broadcast. With all of the interest in the Broadcast I would think there is a lot of interest in the race result on the part of Corvette owners all over in general and in the Corvette Forum in particular. Unlike you I simply don't know what "most of us" are more interested in but I can certainly see that you are among those that are not interested in the race results.

After reading many of the posts before this I am heartened by those who see the connection between racing and Corvette and that it just may be more important than it is to a minivan.

ZR1 136

The people that design corvettes seem to listen to people that post on the Forum (and corrals?). I can not remember right offhand all the updates that seem to be from forum chats and the race team. I dont know any of the following to be true...but this is the internet and my opinion... Forum members wanted a reverse camera to be able to park: its on the C7. The curved back glass is a pain to tint and get right: C7 flatted out the glass. The electronics was out dated way before it was even put in the Corvette: C7 has more bells and whistles (something about recording track laps, drag times, and video) C7.R uses some kind of radar system to see the other cars on the track. Corvette owners complained about the milage of GY's: C7 has Michelins.

So someone is listening that can make design changes to the Corvette platform.......Keep Up the Great Work Now for all those that have put deposits on a C7 Z06: YOU should be first to get your Corvette before then general public.