Press Release:
CORVETTE RACING AT MONTEREY: Points the Name of the Game
Still in
the driver’s seat for all three GTLM championships
Garcia, Magnussen
coming off VIR victory to boost points lead
Gavin, Milner look to add to
team’s late-season momentum
Chevrolet ahead in ultra-tight Manufacturer’s
Championship battle
Corvette Racing looks to repeat past success at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca
DETROIT (Sept. 19, 2017) – With two races left in
this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Corvette Racing is hoping
this weekend’s results at a very familiar venue will boost its advantage in the
GT Le Mans (GTLM) points battle.
The team will race for the 19th
consecutive year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – more than any other active team
in the IMSA paddock – with hopes of tightening its grip on another GTLM title.
The 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit has been good to the team with seven victories
including three in a row from 2012-14.
Heading into Sunday’s American
Tire 250, Corvette Racing and Chevrolet lead all three GTLM points categories.
The tightest race is the Manufacturer’s Championship, which Chevrolet leads by
just two points. The Bowtie Brand has won 11 Manufacturer’s titles since
Corvette Racing debuted in 1999 – the season in which it also raced at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time. In fact, the track is one of only three
at which Corvette Racing has competed in each season. The others are Sebring and
Road Atlanta.
Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, teammates in the No. 3
Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, lead Driver’s Championship on the
strength of three victories this season. That includes an overall victory in the
GT-only race at VIR last month. They haven’t trailed in the championship since
winning at Circuit of The Americas in May, and the pairing also won the Mobil 1
Twelve Hours of Sebring with Mike Rockenfeller.
The Garcia/Magnussen
pairing leads the Driver’s Championship by 16 points but 72 possible points
remain over the final two races – Monterey and then Road Atlanta’s 10-hour Petit
Le Mans in two weeks. They also won at Laguna Seca in 2013 and
2014.
Before that, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner teamed to win in class
during the 2012 Monterey weekend. They are back again in the No. 4 Mobil
1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in search of their second victory of the
year. They have tremendous potential to gain valuable points in the
Manufacturer’s battle and support the sister car in the Driver’s and Team
championships.
All four Corvette Racing drivers have won multiple times
in the professional ranks at Laguna Seca. Gavin and Magnussen lead the roster
with four; each of Gavin’s has been with Corvette Racing. Garcia has three wins
in Monterey and Milner owns two victories.
The America’s Tire 250 from
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is set for 2:05 p.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 24. FOX
Sports 1 will air the race live starting at 2 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from
IMSA Radio and a Corvette Racing In-Car feed will be available on
IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
“We have been able to hold and most times extend our championship lead for the
last couple of months. Even though we didn’t win a race between COTA and
Virginia, our Corvette team was consistent and made no mistakes. Now that we
have won at VIR, our points advantage is more significant but we cannot relax.
The GTLM competition over the final two races will be the strongest as it has
been all season. That is why we need to continue doing the things we have been
this weekend at Laguna Seca – good strategy and pit work by the team and no
mistakes by the drivers. If we do that, we will be in great shape heading to
Atlanta.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:
“The win at Virginia was huge. We really needed that for the championship, and
now Antonio and I have a significant lead in the points. We are confident but
not comfortable with our advantage – especially in the Manufacturer’s race with
Chevrolet leading by just two points. There are still too many laps in the
season for us to rest. That is especially true at a place like Laguna Seca,
where there are a number of places where you can run into trouble. The grip
level around the track can vary greatly in short amounts of time so you have to
be very careful not to get too far off the racing surface. Corvette Racing has
had a lot of success over our many years in Monterey. We are all confident we
can add to that again this year.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM
CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “Although our championship position isn’t what we had
hoped at this point in the year, we on the No. 4 Corvette team still have a lot
to race for. Our focus has to be on helping secure the Manufacturer’s
Championship for Chevrolet and supporting the No. 3 Corvette in its championship
run. It’s wonderful to have that opportunity at Laguna Seca in the fall once
again. The track itself is iconic – one of the best-known in the world – and is
one where we have almost 20 years of history and positive results. We would
happily take another of those weekends in both our Corvette C7.Rs.”
TOMMY
MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “In years past, we’ve
always come into Laguna still learning about the Michelin tire and updates we’ve
done in the offseason. Coming here later in the year will be a little different
for us in that respect. We have a better grasp on tires, chassis setup and
things like that. So we’re maximizing the package we have. Unfortunately we
haven’t had good results the last few races. At VIR, we did show that we were
pretty darn quick there toward the end of the race. Although we may not have had
the best finishes, we’ve had a competitive Corvette. We can definitely be a huge
help in the Manufacturer’s Championship. The guys on the No. 3 Corvette have had
done a great job with strategy, having a fast car and not making mistakes; I
don’t expect that to change much. They feel comfortable, and I think the team
feels comfortable that if something does go wrong that Olly and I can easily
pick up the slack to help Chevrolet and the team score what are becoming
valuable points as the season winds down.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING
PROGRAM MANAGER: “We’re back at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the fall, as it
should be! This is one of the most iconic tracks at which we race, and for good
reason: elevation changes - most notably the Corkscrew - plus an unpredictable
track surface and full range of temperatures. The change to September also makes
this much more important in terms of the GTLM championship. Even though we’re
leading, the margin of error is razor thin. The crew, engineers, drivers…
everyone at Corvette Racing will have to be on their game to make sure we arrive
at Road Atlanta with as many championship points as
possible.”
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