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Le Mans Update

Tom Bryant

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The number 64 Compuware Corvette driven by Gavin is off course and behind the armco about 6 miles from the pits. There seems to be some sort of problem relating to the shaft that connects the starter to the engine. The car will move on the starter motor so the driveshaft is ok, according to the commentators. Gavin attempted to drive the Corvette to the pits on the starter and was stopped by a course official and had to back the car off of the track. Moving a car to the pits on the starter motor has been done in the past many times so it is not clear why he was stopped. The track is under a full course caution for rain so no other car would come up on Gavin at a high rate of speed. The C6 R Corvette has 2 starter motors and should have been able to make the pits.

Speed coverage switched to F1 at Indy so we will have to wait to see how this comes out. The other Corvette is currently running in 2nd in GT1. Speed TV coverage of Le Mans continues at 5:30 pm today.

Tom
 
In an interview on radio LeMans a few minutes ago Gavin said that they thought that the carbon fiber drive shaft broke. They were following the pace car and had the engine in pace car mode which cuts the fuel delivery to some of the cyclinders to save fuel. However, that causes an engine vibration that they think damaged the carbon fiber driveshaft. He said that if he hadn't shut off the engine that he thought he could of made it back to the pits under the power of the starter motor. But the officials stopped him because the car was being run using the starter motor only and the engine wasn't running or turning over (the Corvette has the starter motor in the rear with the rear mounted transaxle and there was no way to turn over the engine with a broken driveshaft).

Kevin
 
Aston sorry to see a Corvette retire

By Mark Glendenning
Saturday, June 16th 2007, 18:38 GMT

Aston Martin were sorry to see one of their major GT1 rivals - the No. 64 Corvette driven by Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin and Max Papis - retire so early from today's race.

The normally reliable Corvette C6.R suffered a rare mechanical failure when a driveshaft broke just over 90 minutes into the race.

"It's genuinely a real shame," said Peter Kox, one of the drivers in the No. 007 Aston Martin. "We want to beat them, but not this way."

"I think this is the shortest 24-hour race I have ever been in," said Gavin.
"It's a great disappointment because Le Mans is the focus of our year. We've been preparing for this race for a long time, and it hasn't really sunk in yet that we've retired.

"I had no drive to the rear wheels and I was hoping I could get back to the pits on the starter motor, but the marshals stopped me from doing that."

It is the first time in eight years that a Corvette Racing entry has failed to make it to the finish at Le Mans.
 
Corvette Racing Third in GT1 at 12-Hour Mark in Le Mans
No. 63 Corvette Shrugs Off Close Call with Prototype

LE MANS, France, June 17, 2007 - At the halfway point of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen was holding position, running third in the GT1 class. The Corvette was on the lead lap, 3:46 behind the class-leading No. 007 Aston Martin.

The storm cells that swirled through Le Mans dissipated, leaving a crystal clear night for racing. At 6:57 into the race, Magnussen had a close encounter of the Audi kind when the LMP1 went inside the Corvette in the Dunlop chicane. Contact between the cars sent the Danish driver through the gravel, inflicting minor body damage on the Corvette.

"As for the Audi incident, that first corner is very difficult for us in a GT1 car; it's almost flat," Magnussen explained. "Halfway through the corner he decides to pass me on the inside and we hit. Fortunately I managed to get through the gravel trap all right, coming out on the other side in fifth gear, with no other problem than some gravel on the tires. On the same lap, the safety car came out, so I didn't lose any time changing tires. The Audi apparently had more damage so if he had waited like he should have it would have been better for us.

"The tires were okay throughout the double stint, a bit worn but otherwise fine," he continued. "I did my fastest race lap with 25 laps on them, which shows the consistency of the Michelin rubber."

O'Connell then replaced Magnussen and did a double stint, followed by Fellows who returned to the cockpit at 10:43 into the race.

"I was disappointed on my first stint because visibility through windshield was poor and I would have liked to have been able to push harder," O'Connell reported. "They pulled a tear-off from the windshield for the second stint, and we double-stinted the tires. There are many hours left, and anything can happen. There's a little bit of high-speed vibration after Jan's incident with the Audi, but the handling's fine. No dramas here."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will finish at 3 p.m. (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 17. SPEED is televising 17.5 hours of coverage in North America from 8:30 - 11 a.m., 5:30 - 7 p.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight EDT on Saturday, June 16, and from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday, June 17.

-credit: cr/gm racing
 
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No. 63 Corvette Moves Up in Class as Sun Also Rises in Le Mans

LE MANS, France, June 17, 2007 – At dawn's early light in Le Mans, Corvette Racing was running second in the GT1 class. The No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R continued its trouble-free run, stepped up its pace as the sun rose, and benefited from its rivals' misfortunes. Jan Magnussen recorded the Corvette's fastest lap, and Ron Fellows moved up from third to second shortly after the 16-hour mark when the No. 007 Aston Martin made an extended pit stop. After 18 hours of racing, the No. 63 Corvette is seventh overall, one lap down to the class-leading No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 and one lap ahead of the third-place No. 008 Aston Martin DBR9.
"We thought that as fast as the Astons were running, they must have been on soft tires," Fellows said. "We hadn't had much luck earlier with the soft compound, but it was cool enough this morning that it was worth a shot, and they were pretty good. We debated whether to keep them on for another stint and I was too tired to make a decision. With six hours to go, we've still got lots of time. When the sun comes up, it's Corvette time."
Although the dawn was clear and crisp, a looming weather front is predicted to bring rain to Le Mans before the finish of the 24-hour race at 3 p.m.
"It's déjà vu all over again," said Steve Wesoloski, GM Road Racing Group manager. "Just like the last two years, we're in second place and running well going into the final quarter of the race. We'd like the temperature to heat up, but the weather forecast doesn't look very promising and the last few hours could be very wet. It's going to come down to who makes the right calls and keep the cars safe. We're very pleased with our rain setup for the Corvette C6.R, so we're ready for whatever comes."
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will finish at 3 p.m. (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 17. SPEED is televising the closing laps from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EDT.
24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 Top Five Standings at 18 Hours:
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. (009) Brabham/Rydell/Turner, Aston Martin DBR9, 260
2. (63) Fellows/O'Connell/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 259
3. (008) Bouchut/Gollin/Elgaard, Aston Martin DBR9, 258
4. (007) Enge/Herbert/Kox, Aston Martin DBR9, 258
5. (54) Groppi/Prost/Belloc, Saleen S7R, 255

No. 63 Corvette C6.R Has Flawless Run to Second Spot on GT1 Podium

LE MANS, France, June 17, 2007 – Corvette Racing experienced the agony and the ecstasy of endurance racing in the 75th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Drivers Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen piloted their No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R to a runner-up finish in the GT1 class and sixth overall in the world's most prestigious sports car race. It was the team's eighth consecutive podium finish, a streak that began with the team's first foray to Le Mans in 2000. While the No. 64 Compuware Corvette of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Max Papis was sidelined by a broken driveshaft in the race's second hour, its sister car had a flawless run throughout the long day and night of racing.
Clear skies through the night gave way to storm clouds and heavy rain in the afternoon as the cars raced toward the 3 p.m. finish. With Canadian ace Ron Fellows at the wheel, the No. 63 Corvette C6.R was carving into the one-lap lead held by the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9. Gaining as much as 30 seconds per lap, Fellows' charge was stymied by a safety car period for rain that began 49 minutes before the scheduled finish. A final 10-minute dash under the green flag was not enough time for Fellows to catch the Aston Martin.
"Visibility was terrible and there were lots of puddles, but we were trying to make up time without hitting anything," said Fellows. "It was a real challenge. I'm not too happy about when that safety car came out, but that's history. The crew and my teammates Jan and Johnny did an incredible job throughout the race. We just didn't have the speed on the straights to match those guys consistently, but the rain was a bit of an equalizer. It should have been a 4 o'clock finish!"
The long-anticipated rain arrived at the start of the 22nd hour. As Fellows entered the pit lane, crew chief Dan Binks exclaimed, "It's raining big time!" The team brought out full rain tires and Fellows stayed in for the final two hours and 53 minutes. When the deluge began, times for the GT1 field slowed by more than a minute per lap on the wet track.
"At the end I thought the rain could save us until the safety car put an end to that," said Jan Magnussen. "Ron was so fast at the end, he was fired up and it was so cool to watch him. He was gaining seconds every lap, and we were calculating when he would catch the Aston Martin. I love those kind of endings.
"It was a great race between two strong rivals," Magnussen continued. "For our part it was almost a perfect race. We didn't stop once in the pits except for fuel, tires or a driver change. It was probably the most flawless Le Mans I've done. The only problem was that there was somebody else who had a nearly flawless run and they were just a tick faster."
The No. 63 Corvette C6.R made 27 pit stops during the race and completed 342 laps, a distance of 2,897 miles. Today's runner-up finish ended Corvette Racing's three-year winning streak in the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the team finished third in 2000 and second in 2003.
"There's disappointment in not winning, but this is an impossible race to win," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Just the honor of competing with the world's best sports car teams and finishing on the podium is a huge reward. There's no shame in finishing second – we've actually finished second here before and lived through it."
Corvette Racing's next event is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. on July 6-7, 2007.
24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 Top Five Finishers:
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. (009) Brabham/Rydell/Turner, Aston Martin DBR9, 342
2. (63) Fellows/O'Connell/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 342
3. (008) Bouchut/Gollin/Elgaard, Aston Martin DBR9, 340
4. (007) Enge/Herbert/Kox, Aston Martin DBR9, 337
5. (54) Groppi/Prost/Belloc, Saleen S7R, 336
Not classified:
15. (64) Gavin/Beretta/Papis, Corvette C6.R, 22
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:
Johnny O'Connell: "Everybody pulled together and we pushed as hard as we could under very difficult conditions. It was a shame how it ended; we were running 20 to 30 seconds faster than our competition, Ron got back on the same lap, and then the safety car came out. It could have been one of the most exciting finishes in Le Mans history, but it is what it is.
"We're proud of what we did, and hopefully the Aston Martin team will come to the U.S. and race us. Finishing second just makes you hungrier for a win. Under the current rules we were about two seconds per lap slower than the Aston Martins under all conditions except the rain. This is a hard event; and this is the most special race for me. I had my son with me and got to share the experience of Le Mans with him. I guess this means that we've got to keep coming back until we get another win for him."
Mark Kent, Director, GM Racing: "Just finishing at Le Mans is a tremendous accomplishment. I'm tremendously proud of the Corvette Racing team and the efforts of everyone on the team. Their never-give-up attitude is evident in their finish."


Credit: GM.com racing news
 
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24 Hours of Le Mans results:

Pos. # Class Drivers Team Car Laps
1. 1 LMP1 Biela, Pirro, Werner Audi Sport North America Audi R10 TDI 369
2. 8 LMP1 Sarrazin, Lamy, Bourdais Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 359
3. 16 LMP1 Collard, Boullion, Dumas Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo-Judd 01 357
4. 18 LMP1 Short, Barbosa, Hall Rollcentre Racing Pescarolo-Judd 01 347
5. 009 LMGT1 Turner, Brabham, Rydell Team Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 342
6. 63 LMGT1 Fellows, O'Connell, Magnussen Team Corvette Racing Corvette C6-R 6:08.031
7. 008 LMGT1 Bouchut, Gollin, Elgaard AMR Larbre Competition Aston Martin DBR9 341
8. 15 LMP1 Charouz, Yoong, Mucke Charouz Racing System Lola-Judd B07-17 337
9. 007 LMGT1 Herbert, Enge, Kox Team Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 1:46.406
10. 54 LMGT1 Prost, Groppi, Belloc Team Oreca Saleen S7R 336
11. 100 LMGT1 Babini, Davies, Malucelli Team Aston Martin BMS Aston Martin DBR9 1:26.391
12. 72 LMGT1 Alphand, Policano, Goueslard Team Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6-R 326
13. 17 LMP1 Primat, Tinseau, Treluyer Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo-Judd 01 324
14. 67 LMGT1 Pergl, Vasiliev, Kostka Convers Menx Team Ferrari 550 Maranello 322
15. 76 LMGT2 Narac, Lietz, Long Imsa Performancec Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 320
16. 55 LMGT1 Ortelli, Ayari, Lapierre Team Oreca Saleen S7R 318
17. 59 LMGT1 Garcia, Fittipaldi, Menten Team Modena Aston Martin DBR9 1:11.406
18. 31 LMP2 Binnie, Timpany, Buncombe Team Binnie Motorsports Lola-Zytek B05-40 5:04.070
19. 99 LMGT2 Jonsson, Krohn, Braun Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT 313
20. 19 LMP1 Berridge, Evans, Owen Team Chamberlain - Synergy Lola-AER B06-10 310
21. 93 LMGT2 Ehret, Erik Nielsen, Simonsen Team Autorlando Sport Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 309
22. 78 LMGT2 Macari, Aucott, Newey Team AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT 308
23. 82 LMGT2 Dean, Tomlinson, Bell Team LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM 307
24. 73 LMGT1 Vosse, Andre, Blanchemain Team Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C5-R 306
25. 14 LMP1 Lammers, Bleekemolen, Hart Racing For Holland BV Dome-Judd S101 305
26. 12 LMP1 Frei, Cochet, Besson Courage Competition Courage-AER LC70 304
27. 33 LMP2 Kurosawa, Fernandez, Kerr Team Barazi Epsilon Zytek 07S/2 301
28. 70 LMGT1 Gosselin, Peter, Smet Team PSI Experience Corvette C6-R 288
29. 006 LMGT1 Fiskin, Bornhauser, Berville AMR Larbre Competition Aston Martin DBR9 271

credit: Speed TV.com
 

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