Press Release:
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Gearing Up For Championship Defense in
2018
Three days of testing ahead of Rolex 24 and open of WeatherTech
Championship
Corvette Racing a three-time Rolex 24 winner
Fifth year
of competition for Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Both Corvettes and all six drivers
to attend Daytona test
Corvette Racing celebrating 20th season of
competition
DETROIT (Jan. 2, 2018) – A new calendar year also brings a
new season for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
It all begins this weekend at the annual Roar Before the 24, which serves as a
prelude to the Rolex 24 At Daytona and opening round of the IMSA
season.
For Corvette Racing, the three-day test is a chance to gear up
for its chance at a fourth class victory at the twice-around-the-clock endurance
race at Daytona International Speedway. Both Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will be
on-track along with its full complement of three drivers in each car.
Defending GT Le Mans (GTLM) Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen team up
again with Mike Rockenfeller in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette
C7.R. In the No. 4 Corvette, full-season teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner
will drive with Marcel Fässler in hopes of replicating their 2016 class
victory.
Corvette Racing celebrates its 20th season of competition in
2018 – longevity not matched by any other team in the IMSA paddock. The
Chevrolet/Corvette Racing partnership is the most successful in professional
North American endurance racing with 98 victories in the United States and
Canada. Add eight Le Mans victories, and Corvette Racing’s global tally is 106
during the last 19 seasons.
The roll of honor for Corvette Racing also
includes 12 Manufacturer and Team championships, as well as 11 Driver titles. In
2017, Garcia and Magnussen won three times and won their second IMSA title
together. Gavin and Milner also posted a victory of their own last
year.
Since the start of the 2014 season – the first under the
ALMS/GRAND-AM merger – no manufacturer or team has won more often in the
WeatherTech Championship than Chevrolet and Corvette Racing. Team Chevy has 35
victories with 15 coming in GTLM with Corvette Racing.
The Rolex 24
served as the first event for the Corvette Racing program in 1999, and one of
the team’s Corvette C5-Rs finished fourth. Two years later, Corvette Racing won
the race overall. Fast forward to the current era, and the program added class
victories in both 2015 and 2016. The latter was the thrilling 1-2 finish that
saw the No. 4 Corvette beat its sister entry by just 0.034 seconds.
That
is just one of more than 40 victories for Chevrolet across all motorsports
events at Daytona, making it the most successful manufacturer at the World
Center of Racing.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET
CORVETTE C7.R: “It has been a busy period since the end of last season. Corvette
Racing has put a lot of effort into testing for our 20th season in 2018 – both
on the track and in our simulator. We can make use of every piece of data we can
find. Hopefully that helps us at Daytona. We were disappointed not to win last
year’s Rolex 24 after we led twice after pit stops in the final hour. After
missing just a little pace then, I hope we can find what we need after these
three days of testing.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET
CORVETTE C7.R: “With everything we accomplished last year, one of the
disappoints we had was not winning Daytona. So we will go into the Roar with
that goal in mind. We are there for three days but there is a huge amount of
items we need to run through for the Rolex 24. Winning there would be the best
way to start Corvette Racing’s 20th year.
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3 MOBIL
1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It will be great to get back in the
Corvette C7.R at Daytona. As a team, we have a lot to work toward to give both
our cars the best possible to chance to win this race. That means we need to get
everything we can out of testing this week. I am continually impressed by the
level of racing in GTLM with the number of great manufacturers, drivers and
teams. So it is imperative we start strong with a good showing at the
Roar.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I’m
very eager to get this year started off right. Tommy, myself and everyone on the
No. 4 Corvette side want to put last season out of our minds and focus on having
a good, positive weekend at the Roar. This stands to be a big year for Corvette
Racing… our 20th season and going for three straight GTLM championships.
Checking off all the items on our testing list would be a great
start.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
“This is a huge year for everyone at Corvette Racing. It’s our 20th season and
from the competition standpoint, this will be the biggest challenge we’ve faced.
There’s additional motivation for our side of the garage after last season’s
tough going. The best thing about our team though is the talent and experience
we have working together for so many years. We need to use that advantage this
weekend to get us in the best possible shape heading into the Rolex
24.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I’m
ready to get back to the track with Corvette Racing. Daytona is a big event and
one that we have been lucky to win before. For me personally, my comfort level
in the Corvette is higher than it has ever been. I was fortunate enough to
participate in a couple of test days after the 2017 season that proved to be
very beneficial. Our confidence is very high going into Daytona so hopefully
that will mean a successful start to the season for Corvette
Racing.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “Well, 2018 is
dawning with some new and exciting things for Corvette Racing and the entire
WeatherTech Championship fan base. For the first time, the Roar will actually
have some impact on the Rolex 24 as we will be ‘qualifying’ for our pit lane and
garage assignments. This can have a direct impact on the race itself when you
consider the GTLM margin of victory in 2016 was a scant 0.034 seconds between
our two Corvettes. In addition, the Roar will mark the first time for a variety
of new machinery, including new cars in GTLM. The 2018 season looks like pretty
darn exciting from where we sit.”
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