Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From Crash.net:
Corvette aim to keep Mid-Ohio run going
WEDNESDAY 18TH MAY 2005
Johnny O'Connell, Ron Fellows and Corvette Racing bring a perfect record to the third round of the ALMS season at Mid-Ohio, with the duo having won the GT1 class in every race for the series at the venue and Corvette having finished first and second in each of the three races so far.
O'Connell and Fellows held off teammates Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins to claim victories in 2001 and 2002 and, while no race was held in 2003, the layoff didn't deter O'Connell and Fellows from returning to the top step of the podium in 2004 when they edged fellow Corvette racers Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta to score their third victory at Mid-Ohio.
With the duo having given the new C6-R its first win in the last round of the series at Road Atlanta, Fellows and O'Connell will go for a fourth Mid-Ohio win this weekend although team boss Doug Fehan admitted it will be tough.
"Mid-Ohio presents a challenge on several fronts," he said. "First, every track we visit this season is a new track for the Corvette C6.R. Track time is very limited during a race weekend, so we have to correlate what we learned previously with the C5-R with the new C6-R.
"Second, the Mid-Ohio race takes place just days before we have to load the race cars on an airplane to fly them to Le Mans. The drivers will be on notice that the cars must leave Mid-Ohio in the same shape as they arrived.
"Mid-Ohio is unique because it has both asphalt and concrete surfaces in several corners, so staying on the racing line is essential. The cars are set up for the optimum line, so the surface changes can surprise a driver if he's just a little off. It's also a difficult track because there are not many places to pass. The braking zone at the end of the back straight is the key passing area, but if the race car doesn't have good straight-line speed, passing is difficult."
With three wins from three starts at Mid-Ohio, it's clear that Fellows has a winning formula for the Ohio track, something he will hope to take advantage of this weekend.
"It's a combination of good race cars, good calls in the pits, and good fortune," the Canadian driver said. "Mid-Ohio is like a mini roller coaster ride, it's good fun to drive. The track requires aggressive patience to get a nice rhythm through the turns; it's one corner after another, with sharp elevation changes. The fastest corner is turn one, and it's critical for a good lap time to get the car to work well there.
"The first time I went to Mid-Ohio and saw how beautiful it was, it looked like a manicured golf course. I thought, I don't want to be the guy who goes off the road and puts tyre tracks in the grass!"
This weekend will be the closest thing that the Corvette team has to a home race, and as a result the team expects to have a bumper turn out and Brit Oliver Gavin, driver of the #4 C6-R said he was confident they would have reason to cheer.
"The track is close to the factory so many of the mechanics' families and people from GM come to the race," he said. "They get to see the cars running on the track and experience what happens at an ALMS race. There is a family atmosphere, but there might be a little more pressure because so many people you know are watching.
"I like Mid-Ohio because it's one of the first tracks I drove on when I came to America. Mid-Ohio is a real driver's circuit. You're busy the whole time, and you have very little time to rest. It's narrow and rather bumpy in places, and traffic is always an issue because there are long sections where you simply can't get by safely. Generally if you have a good car at Atlanta or Sebring, you'll have a good car at Mid-Ohio. We seem to have had good cars at both of those places, so I think we should be strong at Mid-Ohio.
"The drivers must be wary because Le Mans is so close. I think it's great to have three events before Le Mans. We're racing every month, and that keeps the drivers and team fresh. The schedule also gives us three opportunities to learn about the new C6-R before the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
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Corvette aim to keep Mid-Ohio run going
WEDNESDAY 18TH MAY 2005
Johnny O'Connell, Ron Fellows and Corvette Racing bring a perfect record to the third round of the ALMS season at Mid-Ohio, with the duo having won the GT1 class in every race for the series at the venue and Corvette having finished first and second in each of the three races so far.
O'Connell and Fellows held off teammates Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins to claim victories in 2001 and 2002 and, while no race was held in 2003, the layoff didn't deter O'Connell and Fellows from returning to the top step of the podium in 2004 when they edged fellow Corvette racers Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta to score their third victory at Mid-Ohio.
With the duo having given the new C6-R its first win in the last round of the series at Road Atlanta, Fellows and O'Connell will go for a fourth Mid-Ohio win this weekend although team boss Doug Fehan admitted it will be tough.
"Mid-Ohio presents a challenge on several fronts," he said. "First, every track we visit this season is a new track for the Corvette C6.R. Track time is very limited during a race weekend, so we have to correlate what we learned previously with the C5-R with the new C6-R.
"Second, the Mid-Ohio race takes place just days before we have to load the race cars on an airplane to fly them to Le Mans. The drivers will be on notice that the cars must leave Mid-Ohio in the same shape as they arrived.
"Mid-Ohio is unique because it has both asphalt and concrete surfaces in several corners, so staying on the racing line is essential. The cars are set up for the optimum line, so the surface changes can surprise a driver if he's just a little off. It's also a difficult track because there are not many places to pass. The braking zone at the end of the back straight is the key passing area, but if the race car doesn't have good straight-line speed, passing is difficult."
With three wins from three starts at Mid-Ohio, it's clear that Fellows has a winning formula for the Ohio track, something he will hope to take advantage of this weekend.
"It's a combination of good race cars, good calls in the pits, and good fortune," the Canadian driver said. "Mid-Ohio is like a mini roller coaster ride, it's good fun to drive. The track requires aggressive patience to get a nice rhythm through the turns; it's one corner after another, with sharp elevation changes. The fastest corner is turn one, and it's critical for a good lap time to get the car to work well there.
"The first time I went to Mid-Ohio and saw how beautiful it was, it looked like a manicured golf course. I thought, I don't want to be the guy who goes off the road and puts tyre tracks in the grass!"
This weekend will be the closest thing that the Corvette team has to a home race, and as a result the team expects to have a bumper turn out and Brit Oliver Gavin, driver of the #4 C6-R said he was confident they would have reason to cheer.
"The track is close to the factory so many of the mechanics' families and people from GM come to the race," he said. "They get to see the cars running on the track and experience what happens at an ALMS race. There is a family atmosphere, but there might be a little more pressure because so many people you know are watching.
"I like Mid-Ohio because it's one of the first tracks I drove on when I came to America. Mid-Ohio is a real driver's circuit. You're busy the whole time, and you have very little time to rest. It's narrow and rather bumpy in places, and traffic is always an issue because there are long sections where you simply can't get by safely. Generally if you have a good car at Atlanta or Sebring, you'll have a good car at Mid-Ohio. We seem to have had good cars at both of those places, so I think we should be strong at Mid-Ohio.
"The drivers must be wary because Le Mans is so close. I think it's great to have three events before Le Mans. We're racing every month, and that keeps the drivers and team fresh. The schedule also gives us three opportunities to learn about the new C6-R before the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
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