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<div align="center"><b>Corvette Racing Takes GTS Win at Sebring</b></div>
From TheRaceSite.com:
3/16/2003 - by Beth Wyse
Corvette Racing took another GTS victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, as the No. 3 Corvette C5-R of Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon finished first in class and eighth overall at the 51st annual race.
The No. 4 Corvette C5-R of Oliver Gavin, Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgrim took the early lead from the GTS pole, with the two Veloqx Prodrive Ferraris in close pursuit. The No. 3 Corvette trailed in fourth.
The first retirement in the GTS class came just 40 minutes into the race when the Carsport America Pagani Zonda GR retired with an engine failure.
Shortly after, the No. 80 Veloqx Prodrive Ferrari took the lead in the class. The Ferrari and the No. 4 Corvette would swap positions throughout the opening hours of the race.
The second GTS retirement came early in the third hour when the Team Olive Garden Ferrari 550 Maranello retired with engine problems.
When Gavin brought the No. 4 Corvette into the pits for a stop at four hours, the No. 3 Corvette took the class lead for the first time.
When Fellows in the No. 3 pitted just a few minutes later, Collins put the No. 3 back into the lead.
Halfway through the race, the No. 4 Corvette again took the lead when its sister car pitted.
For the next four hours, the Corvettes continued to run, with the No. 4 car building up a lead of one lap. Unexpectedly, the No. 4 Corvette pulled off course at turn six with a gearbox problem. The other Corvette took the lead and held on for the next two hours for the GTS class win.
The No. 80 Veloqx Prodrive Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello finished second in class and 13th overall. The team of Anthony Davidson, Darren Turner and Kelvin Burt were 16 laps behind the winning Corvette.
The No. 4 Corvette was so many laps ahead of the fourth-place finishing Carsport America Dodge Viper GTS-R that they only dropped back to third place, so they earned a podium win despite their retirement.
O’Connell’s win is his 5th class win at Sebring. “I think it’s a combination,” reflected O’Connell on his success at such a challenging track. “A lot of drivers don’t like this place, but I’ve always had a good feel for the rhythm of it. And I’ve been lucky enough to get in really good cars. Without a doubt, Pratt and Miller is the best team I’ve ever been with and Franck and Ron are the best teammates I’ve had.”
Fellows felt that a large part of the team’s success was because of an improvement in their tires. “I think a lot of credit four our speed in terms of durability goes to Goodyear,” he said. “We had two good tires for the conditions. This car is what we used last year, with some updates.”
From TheRaceSite.com:
3/16/2003 - by Beth Wyse
Corvette Racing took another GTS victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, as the No. 3 Corvette C5-R of Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon finished first in class and eighth overall at the 51st annual race.
The No. 4 Corvette C5-R of Oliver Gavin, Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgrim took the early lead from the GTS pole, with the two Veloqx Prodrive Ferraris in close pursuit. The No. 3 Corvette trailed in fourth.
The first retirement in the GTS class came just 40 minutes into the race when the Carsport America Pagani Zonda GR retired with an engine failure.
Shortly after, the No. 80 Veloqx Prodrive Ferrari took the lead in the class. The Ferrari and the No. 4 Corvette would swap positions throughout the opening hours of the race.
The second GTS retirement came early in the third hour when the Team Olive Garden Ferrari 550 Maranello retired with engine problems.
When Gavin brought the No. 4 Corvette into the pits for a stop at four hours, the No. 3 Corvette took the class lead for the first time.
When Fellows in the No. 3 pitted just a few minutes later, Collins put the No. 3 back into the lead.
Halfway through the race, the No. 4 Corvette again took the lead when its sister car pitted.
For the next four hours, the Corvettes continued to run, with the No. 4 car building up a lead of one lap. Unexpectedly, the No. 4 Corvette pulled off course at turn six with a gearbox problem. The other Corvette took the lead and held on for the next two hours for the GTS class win.
The No. 80 Veloqx Prodrive Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello finished second in class and 13th overall. The team of Anthony Davidson, Darren Turner and Kelvin Burt were 16 laps behind the winning Corvette.
The No. 4 Corvette was so many laps ahead of the fourth-place finishing Carsport America Dodge Viper GTS-R that they only dropped back to third place, so they earned a podium win despite their retirement.
O’Connell’s win is his 5th class win at Sebring. “I think it’s a combination,” reflected O’Connell on his success at such a challenging track. “A lot of drivers don’t like this place, but I’ve always had a good feel for the rhythm of it. And I’ve been lucky enough to get in really good cars. Without a doubt, Pratt and Miller is the best team I’ve ever been with and Franck and Ron are the best teammates I’ve had.”
Fellows felt that a large part of the team’s success was because of an improvement in their tires. “I think a lot of credit four our speed in terms of durability goes to Goodyear,” he said. “We had two good tires for the conditions. This car is what we used last year, with some updates.”
