Press Release:
CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING:
‘Super’ Weekend on
Tap for Corvette C7.Rs
Team set for races in WeatherTech Championship, FIA
WEC on same weekend
• Corvette Racing seeks 12th victory in Sebring
12 Hours with pair of Corvette C7.Rs
• Garcia, Magnussen, Rockenfeller to
pilot Corvette in 1,000-mile WEC race
• Chevrolet among leaders in Sebring
victories for manufacturers
DETROIT (March 11, 2018) – Corvette Racing is
used to facing sports car racing’s toughest tests. But this year’s trip to
Sebring International Raceway may be its challenging yet.
The IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship each
will race around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit March 15-16 with
Corvette Racing participating in both events. It’s another opportunity for the
program to show why it’s one of the best in the sport’s history.
Two
Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs will contest Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve
Hours of Sebring in the WeatherTech series’ GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. The day
before, one Corvette C7.R will compete in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in the
WEC’s GTE Pro category. All in all, it makes for one of Corvette Racing’s most
demanding events.
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by
Advance Auto Parts
In its 20-plus years of competition, Corvette Racing has
racked up more victories than any team in IMSA history. Those 99 have come on
some of North America’s classic road courses with 11 at the famed Sebring
International Raceway. That’s where Corvette Racing returns for the 21st time in
search of a fourth victory in five years at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of
Sebring.
The event may as well be a home race. In 20 years, the
Corvette Racing program has racked up 11,613 laps for 43,107.40 racing miles.
There also are thousands of testing laps and miles that have filled the
engineering and crew notebooks since 1999. What’s more, the six Corvette Racing
drivers have combined to win 19 times at the circuit.
This year’s
race offers a chance for a redemption of sorts following the first race of 2019
at Daytona. Both Corvettes led the GTLM class in the opening half of the Rolex
24. After coming back from a pitlane collision by its sister car, the No. 3
Corvette of defending GTLM Driver Champions Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen
along Mike Rockenfeller made up three laps and led near the halfway point before
running out of fuel on track. It was the result of a loss of telemetry between
the Corvette and the pit stand.
Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel
Fässler were in contention at Daytona before a crash near the 16-hour mark after
a high-speed hydroplane sent the No. 4 Corvette hard into the Turn 1 tires. It
had been a remarkable run to the front for the trio, which started the race
ninth in class.
FIA World Endurance Championship 1,000 Miles of
Sebring
As if 12 hours around Sebring isn’t enough, Corvette Racing will be
the only team to contest in both feature races of the Sebring weekend. Garcia,
Magnussen and Rockenfeller will pilot the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet
Corvette C7.R in Friday’s race for the FIA WEC, which goes either 1,000 miles or
eight hours.
It will be the third event for Corvette Racing in the
FIA WEC’s “Super Season”, which began with the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gavin
and Milner also raced a Corvette C7.R in the Six Hours of Shanghai in November.
That chassis will be the same one that Garcia, Magnussen and Rockenfeller will
drive in the Sebring WEC round.
This will mark the second time
Corvette Racing has competed in IMSA and FIA WEC rounds on the same weekend. The
team entered a Corvette C7.R for Milner, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor at
Circuit of The Americas in 2014.
Chevrolet, Corvette on Display at
Sebring
This year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will again feature a
heavy dose of Chevrolet – the official vehicle of Sebring International Raceway.
In addition to Corvette Racing’s three Corvette C7.Rs competing on the track,
the field also will include a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that will serve as the
event pace car. The Corvette C7.R and production Corvette Z06 represent the
closet link between race car and street car with the two sharing a common
aluminum chassis, engine technology and aerodynamic strategies.
In
the Sebring Midway, the Chevrolet Motorsports Display is a must-see for any fan.
A number of vehicles will be on-site for visitors to view and learn about,
including the 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:
• Production vehicles like the new Blazer RS, Traverse High Country,
Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Colorado Crewcab Z71, Malibu RS, Equinox Premier and
Traverse Premier Redline
• 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
• Corvette Racing t-shirts for fans who sign
up with Chevrolet Motorsports
The Corvette Racing Display will be
open at 9 a.m. on Thursday, and 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Fans
at Sebring also can get behind the wheel of select Chevrolet vehicles at the
Chevrolet Ride & Drive located at the Sebring skidpad near the drive-over
bridge on the outside of the track. Vehicles available include Corvette, Camaro,
Blazer, Silverado and Traverse.
The Ride & Drive opens at 9 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday.
The 67thMobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
presented by Advance Auto Parts is the second race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech
SportsCar Championship season and begins at 10:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 16.
It will air on live on CNBC starting at 10:30 a.m. ET with additional coverage
across NBC Sports Network and the NBC Sports app. Live audio coverage of
practice, qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.
The FIA WEC’s 1,000 Miles of Sebring is set for 4 p.m. ET on Friday,
March 15. It will air live on Velocity with live audio coverage of practice,
qualifying and the race on RadioLeMans.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 and NO.
64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “This Sebring for sure will be much
different than any we have done in the past. It’s the first time I have driven
two GT races on the same weekend. Doing two races of these lengths on this track
will be very tough to say the least! We have done enough laps and years at
Sebring to know how much this will test us and our Corvettes. The cars should be
very close to the same in performance for the IMSA and WEC races. So one of the
benefits is that we will be able to gather extra data during the week.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 and NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE
C7.R: “We come to Sebring every year to test ourselves and our Corvettes. This
takes it to a new extreme! But we will be in racecars the whole time so it will
good. Both of these races are important in their own way. Friday’s WEC race is
good in that we get a chance to size up the competition we usually at Le Mans.
It will be good race them on our turf this time. Of course everyone wants to win
the 12 Hours. In a lot of ways it’s still the most physically demanding race we
do. It’s important to everyone at Corvette Racing and you can see that with the
number of victories over the years. We need a good showing in the 12 Hours to
get ourselves in the championship again.”
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3
and NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I always wondered what it
would be like to race for 24 hours at Sebring. This will be close! I have done a
few long-distance endurance tests at Sebring where we would run for 25-30 hours.
But this event will be much different with the separate practices, qualifying
sessions and the race. The good thing is that our WEC program should help us
with data for the 12 Hours. Overall, having success at Sebring will be the best
way to rebound after Daytona.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM
CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:“To say that Sebring is unique would be a massive
understatement. Just like Le Mans, you can’t find a track like Sebring anywhere
in the world. Add the atmosphere and you get an event that has a tradition like
Le Mans, Monaco or any of racing’s great spots. Of course everyone at Corvette
Racing enjoys coming to the 12 Hours. We have a long history at Sebring with a
lot of wins. Adding another would make up for how we started the year at
Daytona.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE
C7.R: “We’re all still pretty disappointed with how Daytona ended up for us.
Those kinds of races are few and far between for Corvette Racing. The
encouraging part is that both our Corvettes were strong in the early going. We
just had too many mistakes. I know everyone on the team has reflected and
reviewed everything that went on, and we’ll come back at Sebring with hopes of
getting back on the right track.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL
1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:“It’s always a challenge to have success at
Sebring. In many ways you need more luck than other places because of the bumps
and the way the track beats you up. That is what makes this race unique. You
know that anything can happen. It will be a long weekend – longer for the guys
on the No. 3 Corvette – but this is one of the most enjoyable races we do.”
2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings (After One
of 11 Events)
Driver Standings
1. Augusto Farfus/Colton
Herta/Connor De Phillippi/Philipp Eng – 35
2. Alessandro Pier Guidi/Davide
Rigon/James Calado/Miguel Molina – 32
3. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor/Mathieu
Jaminet – 30
4. Richard Westbrook/Ryan Briscoe/Scott Dixon - 28
5.
Frederic Makowiecki/Nick Tandy/Patrick Pilet – 26
6. Antonio Garcia/Jan
Magnussen/Mike Rockenfeller – 25
8. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler
- 23
Team Standings
1. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 35
2. No. 62 Risi
Competizione – 32
3. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 30
4. No. 67 Ford Chip
Ganassi – 28
5. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 26
6. No. 3 Corvette Racing –
25
8. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 23
Manufacturer Standings
1. BMW
– 35
2. Ferrari – 32
3. Porsche – 30
4. Ford – 28
5. Chevrolet –
26
Corvette Racing at Sebring
1999
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron
Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. - 4th in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4
Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy - 7th in GTS (Pilgrim
fastest race lap)
2000
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris
Kneifel/Justin Bell - 6th in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy
Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon -
5th in GTS
2001
No. 3
Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Chris Kneifel - 3rd in GTS
No. 4
Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon - 2nd in
GTS
2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Oliver
Gavin - 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly
Collins/Franck Freon - 4th in GTS
2003
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron
Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Franck Freon - 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R:
Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim - 3rd in GTS (Gavin
pole)
2004
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max
Papis - 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver
Gavin/Jan Magnussen - 6th in GTS (Gavin fastest race lap)
2005
No.
3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max Papis - 2nd in GT1
No. 4
Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen - 3rd in
GT1
2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Max
Papis - 4th in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan
Magnussen - 1st in GT1
2007
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron
Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen - 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest
race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis - 1st
in GT1
2008
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan
Magnussen - 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max
Papis - 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2009
No. 3 Corvette
C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia - 1st in GT1
No. 4
Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler - 2nd in GT1 (Gavin
pole, fastest race lap)
2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan
Magnussen/Johnny O'Connell/Antonio Garcia - 8th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R:
Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard - 9th in
GT2
2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio
Garcia - 3rd in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard
Westbrook - 4th in GT
2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan
Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor - 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)
No. 4
Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook - 3rd in
GT
2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan
Taylor - 11th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard
Westbrook - 1st in GT
2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan
Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe - 8th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R:
Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell - 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race
lap)
2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan
Briscoe - 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver
Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud - 9th in GTLM
2016
No. 3
Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 9th in
GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 1st in
GTLM (10th Sebring team win)
2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan
Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring
team win)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler -
10th in GTLM
2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio
Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller - 8th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver
Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler - 6th in GTLM
Corvette Racing By the
Numbers at Sebring
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car
for 20 years: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet.
• 3: Wins in four years for
Corvette Racing heading into the 2019 Sebring weekend. Antonio Garcia/Jan
Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe won in 2015, Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler in
2016, and Garcia/Magnussen/Mike Rockenfeller in 2017.
• 3: Tracks where
Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 20 years: Sebring, Laguna
Seca and Road Atlanta.
• 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver
Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history.
• 8: Sebring
victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who
drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class
wins.
• 8: As in Chevrolet’s small-block V8. More than 100 million units
have been sold worldwide and is the most successful engine in American
motorsports.
• 11: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing. It’s
tied with Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the most at any venue in team
history.
• 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing
since 2001
• 16: Number of GTLM wins for Corvette Racing since the start of
2014. That is the most of any manufacturer and team in the category.
• 20:
Starts at Sebring for defending GTLM race and Driver Champion Jan Magnussen. He
broke Johnny O’Connell’s record for consecutive Sebring starts last season.
• 21: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, COTA,
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca,
Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road
Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres and Utah.
•
24: Corvette Racing drivers at the Sebring 12 Hours through the years: – Justin
Bell, Olivier Beretta, Ryan Briscoe, Emmanuel Collard, Kelly Collins, Marcel
Fässler, Ron Fellows, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy,
Chris Kniefel, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, Max
Papis, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Jordan
Taylor and Richard Westbrook.
• 30: Number of hours that Corvette Racing
entries will be on track at Sebring during both the FIA WEC Sebring 1,000 Miles
and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
• 107: Victories worldwide for
Corvette Racing – 98 in North America and eight at Le Mans
• 215: Event
starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 43,107.40: Number of racing miles
completed by Corvette Racing during the 12 Hours of Sebring. That’s close to two
full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles).
•
281,650.90: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its
inception. That is enough to launch a shuttle from Earth to the moon with more
than 30,000 miles in excess.
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