Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From Crash.net:
C6.R passes first Le Mans test with flying colours
MONDAY 6TH JUNE 2005
Corvette Racing introduced its new C6.Rs to Le Mans on a day of trouble-free testing at the Sarthe circuit, where extended running provided valuable information on the cars for both the team's six drivers and engineers.
The nine hours of track time were the only opportunity for Chevy's factory team to evaluate its new cars on the 8.5-mile course before the start of official practice and qualifying on 15 June and, while out-paced by the two Aston Martins and a lone Ferrari, the US squad announced its satisfaction with the day.
The #64 Compuware-backed car, driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen, ran a fastest lap of 3min 54.183secs to place fourth among the nine GT1 class cars present, while the #63 sister machine of Johnny O'Connell, Ron Fellows and Max Papis registered a 3min 56.174secs effort good enough for sixth. The #63 ran a total of 91 laps, the most by a GT1 entry, while the #64 completed 89 laps, as the team evaluated tyres, brakes, shock absorbers and aerodynamic settings without the hint of a mechanical problem.
"I think we found again today that there is only one Le Mans," said programme manager Doug Fehan, "We made some great improvements in the cars today, and we still have a way to go before the race.
"Much of what we projected for Le Mans was extrapolated from what we had learned at Sebring, Atlanta and Mid-Ohio. Now that we've actually run the C6.Rs at Le Mans, we have real data to analyse. In the days ahead, the engineering team will be looking at that information and coming up with a testing plan for race week."
Fehan also responded to questions about the new cars' speed in relation to the two Aston Martins, in particular, but appeared less than concerned.
"Corvette Racing has never been on the pole at Le Mans, and that's not our objective this year either," he insisted, "Our objective is to win the race, and we know how to do that. We just want to get a car that's a little quicker and a little more comfortable for the guys to drive."
"Our competition seems to be going fast and we have to see how that plays out on race week, but this race is a lot more than going fast - it's about finishing," Gavin agreed, "If you can race smart and stay out of the pits, you will be a winner."
Two-time Le Mans winner Fellows reported that the track was very dirty for the first half of the morning session, but improved all day, in line with the team getting a better handle on Michelin's Le Mans-spec tyre.
Beretta is a fan favourite at Le Mans, having won the race three times previously, including a victory in his first season with Corvette Racing in 2004, but admitted that taking an all-new car to La Sarthe to replace the venerable C5-R was a new challenge.
"Right now, everything is working according to the plan that the team set up before we came," said the Monegasque driver, "We are trying many different things on the car because, with the new C6.R, this is like the baby that takes its first steps at Le Mans. All of the testing and the simulations that we did in America never give you exactly the same results as when you put four wheels on the track.
"We have a lot of information and we will have one more week to think and to make some changes. Performance was not the target of the day - that was to learn the maximum about the car and then to work to be ready for the big week to come."
"The car definitely behaves differently to the C5-R and we are still on the learning curve," agreed Max Papis, who returns to the Corvette line-up as the third driver alongside Fellows and O'Connell, "It's one thing to go fast in practice, but to win a 24-hour race is a different game."
C6.R passes first Le Mans test with flying colours
MONDAY 6TH JUNE 2005
american lemans series 2005. mid ohio sports car course. 20-22 may 2005. lexington, ohio. #3 corvette.
Corvette Racing introduced its new C6.Rs to Le Mans on a day of trouble-free testing at the Sarthe circuit, where extended running provided valuable information on the cars for both the team's six drivers and engineers.
The nine hours of track time were the only opportunity for Chevy's factory team to evaluate its new cars on the 8.5-mile course before the start of official practice and qualifying on 15 June and, while out-paced by the two Aston Martins and a lone Ferrari, the US squad announced its satisfaction with the day.
The #64 Compuware-backed car, driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen, ran a fastest lap of 3min 54.183secs to place fourth among the nine GT1 class cars present, while the #63 sister machine of Johnny O'Connell, Ron Fellows and Max Papis registered a 3min 56.174secs effort good enough for sixth. The #63 ran a total of 91 laps, the most by a GT1 entry, while the #64 completed 89 laps, as the team evaluated tyres, brakes, shock absorbers and aerodynamic settings without the hint of a mechanical problem.
"I think we found again today that there is only one Le Mans," said programme manager Doug Fehan, "We made some great improvements in the cars today, and we still have a way to go before the race.
"Much of what we projected for Le Mans was extrapolated from what we had learned at Sebring, Atlanta and Mid-Ohio. Now that we've actually run the C6.Rs at Le Mans, we have real data to analyse. In the days ahead, the engineering team will be looking at that information and coming up with a testing plan for race week."
Fehan also responded to questions about the new cars' speed in relation to the two Aston Martins, in particular, but appeared less than concerned.
"Corvette Racing has never been on the pole at Le Mans, and that's not our objective this year either," he insisted, "Our objective is to win the race, and we know how to do that. We just want to get a car that's a little quicker and a little more comfortable for the guys to drive."
"Our competition seems to be going fast and we have to see how that plays out on race week, but this race is a lot more than going fast - it's about finishing," Gavin agreed, "If you can race smart and stay out of the pits, you will be a winner."
Two-time Le Mans winner Fellows reported that the track was very dirty for the first half of the morning session, but improved all day, in line with the team getting a better handle on Michelin's Le Mans-spec tyre.
Beretta is a fan favourite at Le Mans, having won the race three times previously, including a victory in his first season with Corvette Racing in 2004, but admitted that taking an all-new car to La Sarthe to replace the venerable C5-R was a new challenge.
"Right now, everything is working according to the plan that the team set up before we came," said the Monegasque driver, "We are trying many different things on the car because, with the new C6.R, this is like the baby that takes its first steps at Le Mans. All of the testing and the simulations that we did in America never give you exactly the same results as when you put four wheels on the track.
"We have a lot of information and we will have one more week to think and to make some changes. Performance was not the target of the day - that was to learn the maximum about the car and then to work to be ready for the big week to come."
"The car definitely behaves differently to the C5-R and we are still on the learning curve," agreed Max Papis, who returns to the Corvette line-up as the third driver alongside Fellows and O'Connell, "It's one thing to go fast in practice, but to win a 24-hour race is a different game."
