Press Release:
CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: Another Go on California
Streets
Perennial GT powerhouse program to make 12th appearance at famed
street event
Corvette Racing a six-time winner at Long Beach
All four
team drivers with victories in southern California
Gavin, Magnussen among
leaders in poles, fastest race laps
DETROIT (April 10, 2018) – After
opening its 20th season of competition with two long-distance races in Florida,
Corvette Racing makes its annual trip to the West Coast this week for the
shortest event on its calendar in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship.
The defending IMSA GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship-winning
program will race for the 12th time at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, the
longest-running street race in America. No team in the IMSA paddock has more
appearances and victories at Long Beach than Corvette Racing – numbers that it
will look to pad at Saturday’s Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, which will
air live on FOX.
Although the race is 100 minutes – compared to the 24-
and 12-hour events that opened Corvette Racing’s season – Long Beach is often
the most tense with very little room for error. Part of that is due to the
concreate barriers and close-quarters racing that comes with the 1.968-mile,
11-turn circuit. The other is mostly due to limited time to make up for mistakes
during what is expected to be a one-stop race in the pits and from a standpoint
of strategy.
No one has done that longer or better than Corvette Racing.
The team has claimed six victories in 11 previous tries including a victory last
year for Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet
Corvette C7.R. It was the second victory for the tandem at Long Beach and the
fourth for Gavin at the venue – more than any other current IMSA
driver.
Last year’s victory came at the expense of teammates Antonio
Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
The duo was leading on the last lap when a multi-car accident blocked the track
at the final corner. Garcia became stranded in one lane while Milner was able to
sneak through after briefly being stopped in the incident as
well.
Magnussen and Garcia scored the first victory for the Corvette C7.R
in 2014 at Long Beach, and no driver has a record of going faster in GT cars
around Long Beach than Magnussen. He has three pole positions – including last
year – and two fastest race laps.
Corvette Racing stands sixth and
seventh in GTLM points after two events with Chevrolet third in the
Manufacturer’s standings.
Chevrolet, Corvette on Display at Long
Beach
Along with its two, familiar yellow Corvette C7.Rs on the Long Beach
race track this weekend, Chevrolet also will have a presence off it with its
Corvette Racing Display, which will be located inside the Long Beach Convention
Center.
Opening on Friday, the Corvette Racing Display features a number of
Chevrolet vehicles and products for spectators to view and learn more
information.
Among the Chevrolet automobiles on display will be the new
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – a supercar that establishes a new standard at Chevrolet
for power output, track performance and technology. Also among the lineup of
Chevrolets at the Display include:
Performance models such as the Chevrolet
Corvette Grand Sport, Camaro SS and Colorado ZR2.
Production vehicles like
the Tahoe RST, Silverado 2500 HD High Country and premier models of the Cruze,
Malibu and Equinox.
A Corvette C7.R show car
Samples of Chevrolet engines,
performance parts and accessories available to fans for purchase from their
local Chevrolet dealer
A variety of Chevrolet and racing related activities
for adults and kids
Commemorative Corvette Racing 20th Season t-shirts for
fans who sign up with Corvette Racing.
The Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand
Prix at Long Beach will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX. 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:
“Every year at Long Beach is different. It’s our shortest race of the year with
ether one or two stops. The strategy can be very complicated there. People who
go out of sequence early because of an issue can have things turn around in
their favor by the end of the race. That’s what happened to us last year after
an early puncture. We went pretty aggressive on the strategy fuel-wise and ended
up having a shot at the end. What happened at the last corner was of course
unfortunate. We’ll learn from that. In the heat of the moment and you hear the
last corner is blocked, you don’t stop racing. Perhaps I should have been more
calm and patient. It was a weird way of losing the race, but fortunately it
didn’t really impact our championship. For Corvette Racing, Long Beach has
always been really good with a number of victories. We need to carry on with
that and do the things that made us successful in the past.”
JAN
MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “At Long Beach, you
need a little more luck that usual. You really have to nail the pit stop because
it’s such a short sequence and race. It’s difficult to get the driver change and
everything done before the car is ready to get released and back on the track.
If you hit that, you can put yourself in a good position. We’ve historically
been really good there with great results. Last year we were looking at another
good one but it was taken away in the cruelest manner. But I’m looking forward
to another good race there so we can hopefully get back in the fight of the
championship.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE
C7.R: “Long Beach is always a challenge because we run often at the start of the
day Friday, end of the day Friday… you see a big evolution in track performance
from that very first practice session to how the car drives in the race. We have
a pretty good way of figuring that out – going through things from the past. The
Long Beach race is always a big challenge even though it’s only 100 minutes.
Things can turn against you or go your way very quickly, as we found last year.
It was up and down a little, and were settling for second place until at the
last corner where it all unraveled for our teammates. You just never, ever can
predict what will happen there until you cross the finish line. Two years ago,
we were looking like we were headed to victory until we got turned around on the
last lap. So, it can go for you or against you. It’s always challenge and will
be a really tough event. We’ll have to use all our experience to try and extract
a podium finish or a victory.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM
CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “Street races often add an extra element of surprise.
Certainly it has been that way the last couple of years for our team – one year
it went against us and last year it went for us. That’s the nature of
street-circuit racing. Above all, our Corvettes have been competitive
historically at Long Beach. This year, it seems like we have our work cut out
for us based on the first two events. But a street race like Long Beach is a
wild card… especially coming off our two longest events in the IMSA season at
Daytona and Sebring. I would say everyone’s tension is a little bit higher
because you sort of get set in your ways for the endurance events as far as not
taking too many chances in traffic and getting to the end. But at Long Beach,
you’re going as hard as you can and take every opportunity you can for however
long you are in the car.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:
“We go from 24 Hours at Daytona to the 12 Hours of Sebring and now to the
streets of Long Beach for 100 minutes. You certainly can't find three more
challenging racing scenarios than that. It’s an iconic event with tremendous fan
turnout each year. While this may be our shortest race of the year, it won’t
lack drama. To win at Long Beach there is zero room for error on the driving,
crew or engineering side which I think works in our favor. Of course, you always
need good fortune to be successful in this sport. You just need a little more
than normal at Long Beach!”
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