Press Release:
CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Steamy Runner-Up for Garcia,
Magnussen
No. 3 Corvette on GTLM podium for second straight season; Gavin,
Milner finish top-five
WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 1, 2018) – Corvette
Racing endured one of its most trying races in recent memory Sunday, and the
team was rewarded with a runner-up finish by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in
the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet
Corvette C7.R led 30 laps at Watkins Glen International as the squad soldiered
through record-setting heat in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
The
result moves Garcia and Gavin to third place in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) points
standings in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Chevrolet stands third
in Manufacturer points heading into next weekend’s race at Canadian Tire
Motorsport Park just outside Toronto.
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner also
spent considerable time out front Sunday in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette
and ultimately finished fifth in class.
“The Corvette drivers, crew and
engineers executed their race plan in extreme conditions with the same
never-give-up effort that has defined this program for the last 20 years,” said
Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and
Motorsports. “We picked up some critical points in the Driver and Manufacturer
standings with the top-two finish.
“It’s always great to race with the
support of so many Corvette owners here at Watkins Glen in the Corvette Corral
and watching around the world,” he added. “We can’t wait to race at Canadian
Tire Motorsports Park Motorsports Park next weekend.”
Sunday’s race
featured multiple strategies over the six hours as the two Corvettes started
from third and fourth. The pair of cars couldn’t match the pace of its four
strongest competitors, but the race’s second half saw Corvette Racing makes its
move to the front.
Magnussen began the push with a strong second stint
that saw him manage his fuel enough to be the last GTLM car to pit just before
the three-hour mark. By going a lap longer on fuel, it meant the No. 3 Corvette
needed less fuel than its competitors 30 minutes later and moved from sixth to
third.
The same caution period saw Gavin move into the lead in the No. 4
Corvette as he was able to make a pit stop just before the yellow flag came out
and the pits closed. He and Milner traded single stints throughout, and both
Corvettes were in position to challenge for the race lead when the final caution
period ended with nearly 40 minutes left.
Corvette Racing is back in
action this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Mobil 1 SportsCar
Grand Prix. The race will air at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and live on the FOX
Sports Go app. Streaming in-car footage along with live audio coverage of
practice, qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on
IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R
– SECOND IN GTLM: “I think we had very close to a perfect race. You’ll always
look back and think about things we could have done differently. I had fuel
reserve for the last six laps or so. I don’t know how much fuel we were able to
use at the end so maybe that didn’t allow us to go as hard at the end. We had to
play it more conservative just in case. Perhaps we would have been able to be
more aggressive and race the Fords harder. Thinking about where we have had
lately and where we have been in practice and qualifying… to be fair we weren’t
dreaming about a win. We wanted a good result, and today was almost a win where
we led a lot of laps. We can’t be upset or depressed by second place. That’s a
top job and result for everyone at Corvette Racing.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3
MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a tough race
in many areas. The heat was a problem. The double stint early for me was not
easy, but I have to say I liked the car all the race. But there at the end, we
just didn’t have the pace when it mattered so we’ll work a little harder on it.
Antonio did great in the heat and trying to get the Michelin tires to last – a
fantastic job. The team did, as usual, everything they could in the pits to try
and improve our position which they did. But second was all we could get out of
it today. I’m very happy with that for the points… fantastic. But after six
hours of sweating, you want to win.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM
CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “The race had a lot that happened. It
was brutally hot, and that was pushing everything to the limit whether that was
the tires, the car, the brakes, the crew, the drivers... At points today we
were over the limit with some of those things. It was a real battle out there
today just to get through to the finish. Tommy did a fantastic job there at the
end just to get the car home. Fifth points… is that where we wanted to be?
Absolutely not. We want to be up there at the sharp end battling for the
victory. But it wasn’t our day. We need to go back and look and see what we can
do better. I’m glad that Tommy made it through unscathed as we leave here. It’s
also good to see the sister car on the podium and get some good points for
us.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FIFTH
IN GTLM: “The two Fords at the start were definitely the quickest, and the
Porsches were strong. Our qualifying position stymied them early. It was a
phenomenal job by the 3 Corvette guys to hold on to second place at the end.
Both the Porsches had a little bit of pace on us. We were struggling at the end
with the brakes, so it took me a little bit to figure how to drive the car with
the brakes in that condition. It’s something to look at for the future and see
why we struggled there. Fifth isn’t too bad, but it’s a little frustrating when
you’re a little further up for a good chunk of the race and things fade at the
end.”
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