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CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK PARK: 100[SUP]th[/SUP] Victory in Program History
Landmark achievement for sports car GT racing’s premier team
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 23, 2016) –Already sporting an unmatched collection of historic moments, Corvette Racing added another today by claiming its 100th race victory by winning Saturday’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Drivers Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner piloted their No. 4 Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to the landmark triumph.
It is the third win of 2016 for Corvette Racing, which opened the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season with back-to-back GT Le Mans (GTLM) victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Corvette Racing is the first team in IMSA history to score 100 event victories. The team’s first win came Sept. 2, 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway. Saturday’s victory also was the team’s 60[SUP]th[/SUP] 1-2 class finish with Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen runners-up in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
“Achieving 100 victories is a tremendous accomplishment for Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It’s a testament to the dedication of all the crew members, engineers, drivers and our engine team members over the past 17 years. We certainly couldn’t have achieved this milestone without the support of our partners at Pratt & Miller, Mobil 1 and Michelin. Everyone with Corvette Racing operates as one team and embodies the competitive spirit of Chevrolet. We’re happy to share this success with our passionate Corvette owners and supporters.”
The Corvette Racing team made its first start Jan. 31, 1999 at Daytona. Since that time, the program has claimed championships and victories on endurance racing’s most prominent stages:
· Ten manufacturer and team championships in the American Le Mans Series, plus nine driver titles
· Eight class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
· Three wins in the Rolex 24 including an overall victory in 2001
· Ten class wins at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Corvette Racing also claimed endurance racing’s Triple Crown in 2015 with wins at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. It was the first team in 15 years to accomplish the feat.
The tally of Corvette Racing victories spans a number of different series. In addition to its record at Le Mans, Corvette Racing has nine wins in the WeatherTech (formerly TUDOR) SportsCar Championship, 82 in the American Le Mans Series (a record for entrants) and one in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
No matter the series or continent, however, the aim of Corvette Racing has remained the same, according to Campbell. “Importantly, technical learnings gained from racing directly benefit our production Corvette and powertrains,” Campbell said.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from Road America on Sunday, Aug. 7.
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CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK PARK: One-Two Finish on an Historic Day
Gavin, Milner take third GTLM victory of season; Garcia, Magnussen take second
- 100[SUP]th[/SUP] win, 60[SUP]th[/SUP] 1-2 team finish in Corvette Racing history
- Gavin, Milner and No. 4 Corvette increase GTLM Championship lead
- Runner-up finish for Garcia, Magnussen move them to third in GTLM points
- Chevrolet grows lead in GTLM Manufacturer Championship
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 23, 2016) – Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner led a 1-2 class finish for Corvette Racing on Saturday with a GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. The victory was the 100[SUP]th[/SUP] all-time for Corvette Racing – the first team in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) history to accomplish the feat – and was the fifth win for the program at Lime Rock Park.
Gavin crossed the finish line in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R by 0.975 seconds over teammate Antonio Garcia, who finished second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R along with teammate Jan Magnussen.
The result was the 60[SUP]th[/SUP] 1-2 finish for Corvette Racing for another all-time record in IMSA competition.
Saturday’s victory allowed Gavin and Milner to increase their lead in the GTLM Driver’s Championship to 10 points, the same lead for the No. 4 Corvette C7.R in the Team Championship. Chevrolet also grew its advantage in GTLM Manufacturer points to 10.
With their second consecutive podium finish and second runner-up finish of the year, Garcia and Magnussen leapt from fifth to third in GTLM points.
The race was a typical one for Lime Rock with plenty of close-quarters racing. Milner qualified third and drove the opening 90 minutes – which featured five full-course caution periods – and moved up to second before handing off to Gavin when the No. 4 Corvette pitted for the second time. Gavin stayed close to the then-leading Ferrari and took the lead for good with 31 minutes left when Giancarlo Fisichella went off track.
Magnussen also drove the first hour-and-a-half after starting sixth. He moved up a position early before the first pit stop 32 minutes with the race under caution. Unfortunately, the No. 3 Corvette was called for a penalty in the pitlane and had to serve a drive-through penalty after the race started again.
He rejoined seventh but the No. 3 Corvette team benefitted from a later caution period that allowed Magnussen to catch back up to the field and run as high as fourth. He handed off to Garcia, who came out in fifth place but picked up three positions in less than 45 minutes to move to second place.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from Road America on Sunday, Aug. 7.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: "It is pretty amazing to get the 100th (win for Corvette Racing). We have had some great wins this year. When you look at Daytona this year, that was phenomenal; Sebring too. Our Le Mans win last year. But to get the 100th is pretty special. I have to thank the team and everybody involved. I have had a few of the wins with the team, but I have to say this is a pretty special one. To fight off the No. 67 car and having our teammates on the podium… it is pretty special for everyone at Corvette Racing!"
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: "I feel very lucky to say I was in the car that got the 100th win for this team, but you think about all the people that have worked on this team - all of the drivers, the crew, the marketing and PR people, everybody that has contributed to this, I just feel fortunate to be a part of that. It is good to get that monkey off of our back. It was a small monkey, but it was lingering."
ON HIS RACE: “We still have five races to go in the season and the lead in the championship in the moment. So there’s a bigger picture to think about in a lot of ways. So that mindset paid off in the middle of the stint. We lost quite a bit of track position there in the end. The car isn’t bad. It’s pretty slippery out there but it’s the same for everyone. As usual traffic is pretty difficult. You can gain a lot and lose a lot with the traffic here. I’m pretty happy with this Corvette but we have to be smart. I knew going into this race how amped up I was after qualifying because the car was so good; I kind of had a little moment to remind myself that there is a lot more going on than this race. Everyone in the class was racing super-hard in our class.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RUNNER-UP: "It is a fantastic result for the team and well deserved. Everyone works so hard to try and win every single race that we're in. Today was just a hard-fought race all the way through for both cars. Just a fantastic result. The 100th win and 60th 1-2… not a bad day!"
ON HIS RACE: “There was so much going on the whole time in traffic. I was quite happy with the Corvette. It’s too bad we got a penalty in the pitlane so that put us back. I could keep up with the field and catch them in certain situations. But I didn’t really have the speed to pass any of them. It was so close.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: "For Corvette Racing to get 100 victories is really, really good. That number is just huge when you think we are a single program with two cars. So to achieve that is just amazing. I'm glad I won a few of those. I am very proud of that. Today, I was probably the only car that overtook today and probably the only car that really made positions up. I was fifth at one point and then there two mistakes by the Ferrari. I passed both of the Fords, actually twice. I’m very proud of Corvette Racing today and very happy to get a 1-2 finish.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “If you’re going to win your 100th race, you may as well do it with a 1-2 finish. We never diminish the input the engineers have in giving the team great Corvettes, and the crew today just had absolutely terrific pit stops. But today, this one goes to the drivers. On this race track and in these conditions, those guys brought it home. I’m tipping my hat to the drivers today.”
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Relive Corvette Racing's 100th Win at Lime Rock Park, the eighth race of the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Entire race now on youtube:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiSD-fc-6n4[/URL]
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Mobil 1 The Grid -Last seconds of the race:
https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CoFMORlWAAAtNh7.mp4
Victory celebration in the pits
Ryan Smith - What a special, incredible day to be part of... | Facebook
[h=2]Corvette Racing wins 100th race:[/h] Corvette Racing wins 100th race
No. 1 came at Texas Motor Speedway. No. 100 came at Lime Rock Park. So many #Corvette Racing memories in between.
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