They tried hard but could not regain the GT1 honours
6 Hours
12 Hours
18 Hours
24 Hours
Click a link to go directly to that story!
6 Hours
Corvette Racing First and Fourth at Six-Hour Mark in Le Mans
Corvette vs. Aston Martin Battle Lives Up to Advance Billing
LE MANS, France -- The contest between Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing for GT1 supremacy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is living up to expectations. After six hours of racing, the leading Corvette C6.R and the two works Aston Martin DBR9s were on the same lap on the 8.48-mile Sarthe circuit. As the cars cycled through their pit stops at the six-hour mark, Jan Magnussen led in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R with 91 laps. Max Papis was fourth in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R, one lap behind his teammate.
The seesaw battle has seen both marques lead the GT1 category in the first quarter of the race. GT1 pole winner Jan Magnussen took the point at the start in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R and held the lead through two stints. He handed off to Johnny O'Connell on the second pit stop after completing 25 laps. At 2:11 into the race, the No. 009 Aston Martin passed O'Connell to take P1. O'Connell also ran two stints, and was replaced by Ron Fellows, who ran to 5:17. With 80 laps completed, Magnussen returned to the driver's seat.
Oliver Gavin started in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R, completing 24 laps in two stints. Olivier Beretta then drove two stints, and was replaced by Max Papis at 4:09.
Among the visitors to the Corvette Racing garage today was Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:
Olivier Beretta, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "The stint was good, the car was good. I just tried to stay with the Aston. It's too early to say. We are flat out -- my last stint was like a qualifying run. I was on old tires with a lot of fuel, and I had to stay with the Aston."
Ron Fellows, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "It's good fun -- the car is fast and I turned the fastest lap I've ever run here before. The tires might have been just a little too hard. They were great for eight to 10 laps, but when I got into traffic I lost some temperature in the tires and couldn't get it back. When you lose temperature in the tires, you start to fall off the pace a little."
Oliver Gavin, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "It was a tough couple of stints. The circuit became quite slick, and we seemed to be oversteering and loose. We're fighting hard with the Aston Martins; I think the Aston that passed me was on newer tires and I was double-stinting mine."
Jan Magnussen, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "The car is not absolutely fantastic at the moment, so we're trying to settle in. It's not too bad, but it's different from what it was in qualifying. We'll just massage it at every pit stop and take it from there. Maybe the track conditions have changed more than we thought."
Johnny O'Connell, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "It's clear it's going to be a mighty long fight. So far we're doing all right. It's obvious the competition has improved its performance and their cars are getting better, but then so are ours. During the pit stops we adjusted the roll bars a bit to get rid of the oversteer. We're not double-stinting our tires anymore, because on Jan's second stint in the beginning of the race the car got too loose. We'll see what we do during the night."
12 Hours
Corvette Racing Second in GT1 at Midpoint of 24 Hours of Le Mans
Magnussen 41 Seconds Behind Leader at 3 a.m.
LE MANS, France, June 15, 2008 ? At the halfway point of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the quest for the GT1 title has become a four-car race. The duel between Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing took on the aspects of a chess match as darkness descended on the Le Mans circuit. The first nine hours of the race were run without a full-course caution, but the first safety car period began at the 9:10 mark and lasted for 32 minutes. Strategy emerged as the two teams jockeyed for track position and made calculated pit stops to ensure full fuel tanks when racing resumed. The extended safety car period negated the fuel mileage advantage that had allowed the No. 63 Corvette C6.R to run 14 laps between stops on several stints versus 13 laps for its rivals.
Earlier in the evening, the No. 64 Corvette encountered an electrical problem at the six-hour mark when a connection on the alternator failed. The Corvette Racing crew replaced the alternator in six minutes, losing a lap to the leader. Oliver Gavin replaced Max Papis in the cockpit and returned to action at 6:03 into the race.
As the race reached its midpoint at 3 a.m., Jan Magnussen was second in the GT1 standings in the No. 63 Corvette, 41 seconds behind the class-leading No. 009 Aston Martin. The No. 007 Aston Martin was third, and the No. 64 Corvette driven by Max Papis was fourth, one lap down.
The Corvette drivers have been running double stints throughout their rotations and double-stinting their Michelin tires in the cool temperatures. Gavin was followed by Beretta and Papis in the No. 64 Corvette C6.R while Magnussen was followed by O'Connell and Fellows in the No. 63 Corvette C6.R. After 12 hours of hard racing, both Corvettes had made 13 pit stops. The top four contenders have turned fast laps that range from 3.49.387 (No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9) to 3:50.650 (No. 63 Corvette C6.R).
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:
Olivier Beretta, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "We ran for a long time behind the safety car and the exhaust from the car in front of me was giving me a headache. The car is OK, everything is fine."
Ron Fellows, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: ?It was very slick out there. I was struggling and I don?t quite know why. The soft tires didn?t quite work for some reason. Jan took over on soft stickers. Traffic was not too bad but I got stuck for a while behind the No. 59 Aston and the Saleen which were fighting each other. There?s still a long distance to go, and anything can happen, so we?ll have to wait and see.?
Oliver Gavin, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "It's been a bit crazy. There have been moments when the traffic is so bad you're just dawdling around the track for several corners. The car is still running quickly, but then you can lose five seconds in traffic. If you get a clear run you can do 3.50s and 3.51s, and 3.49 if you're really lucky. I think that will be the pace for the rest of the night."
Jan Magnussen, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "That wasn?t too bad, just cruising around and staying out of trouble. Which isn?t easy, as there are a lot of guys out there who clearly haven?t driven a lot in the dark before. The balance of the car is okay, it?s just moving around a bit. When the sun comes out again we?ll be stronger than the Astons, I?m sure.?
Johnny O'Connell, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "The car is a bit nicer than it was before. The toughest thing is getting a clear lap in. We?ve got a good car, and the fuel consumption is very good. We?re doing 14 laps a stint, so each time we?re gaining some time back on the Astons.?
Max Papis, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "We've been pushing very hard since we had the alternator problem and it doesn't seem like we can make up much ground. We're very consistent, but not as fast as I was expecting us to be. It's still a long way and everyone is pulling the best out of themselves."
The team at work
18 Hours
Corvette Racing Holds Second and Third at 18 Hours in Rainy Le Mans @Wet Track Challenges Everything in Early Morning
Le Mans lived up to its reputation as the ultimate challenge in endurance racing when rain arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe at 4:10 a.m. A combination of steady showers and persistent drizzle kept the circuit wet and treacherous as Sunday dawned.
At 9 a.m., with 18 hours of the race completed, the No. 63 and No. 64 Corvettes held second and third in the GT1 class, one and two laps behind the class-leading No. 009 Aston Martin respectively. The No. 007 Aston Martin slipped to fourth after an extended pit stop at 5 a.m., one lap ahead of the No. 72 Corvette C6.R of Luc Alphand Aventures in fifth. The changing track conditions, which went from wet to damp and back again, made tire decisions difficult. Lap times on the wet track were nearly 30 seconds slower than the times recorded in dry conditions.
Both Corvettes have made 21 pit stops to date with six hours still to go. At 7:28 a.m. the Corvette Racing crew installed a new right front brake rotor and pads on the No. 63 Corvette in one minute and 24 seconds. Jan Magnussen replaced Ron Fellows in the cockpit during the stop after the Canadian had spent nearly three hours on the wet circuit.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:
Ron Fellows, No. 63 Corvette C6.R:
"The conditions were changing every lap -- there were dry areas in the Porsche Curves and then heavy rain in the front straight and in Dunlop. I got caught out by a shower in Mulsanne, had to back up and lost maybe 30 seconds. At that point I think we'd spent too much time in semi-dry conditions, and then when it turned wet again we'd built up too much tire pressure. It's incredibly difficult because the track changes every lap."
Oliver Gavin, No. 64 Corvette C6.R:
"I was in the car when it started to rain and I thought we might be able to get away with dry tires for a couple of laps. My engineer, Steve Cole, was looking at the weather radar and he thought that the showers might pass, but the weather just built and built. We went to intermediate tires for a while, but then realized we needed to go to full wets. The track was still very slippery and it took a long time to get the wet tires up to temperature. Olivier has been doing some great times, and with six hours still to go, we'll have to see what the weather brings."
Johnny O'Connell, No. 63 Corvette C6.R:
"Our game plan went out the window when it started to rain. We had an unbelievably good stint before the rain, and we were just starting to double on soft tires. I was chasing down the Aston, and then the rain started. At that point you're tired, the visibility is terrible, and you can't tell where it's raining on the track. Maybe we stayed out one lap too long on the slicks. Coming into pit lane, there was a car moving very slowly and I couldn't get slowed down in time. There was contact, but I don't think it affected the car's handling. When this place is wet, it's extremely difficult, and I think that everyone is struggling with the same issues."
24 Hours
Corvette Racing Finishes Second and Third in 24 Hours of Le Mans
American Team Scores 15th Podium Finish in France
LE MANS, France -- For the second consecutive year, Corvette Racing finished second in the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows completed 344 laps in their No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R, finishing on the lead lap with the winning No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 of David Brabham, Antonio Garcia, and Darren Turner. The No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Max Papis finished third with 341 laps completed.
The twice-around-the-clock race featured a hard-fought battle for the GT1 title between Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing. The No. 63 Corvette C6.R and the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 were in lockstep from the start, trading the lead and separated by less than a lap in the running order for hour after hour. Rain arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe before sunrise and returned as the race drew to a close, compelling teams and drivers to develop new strategies and make difficult tire decisions in the rapidly changing conditions.
The turning point came in the 17th hour when the Corvette Racing crew had to replace the No. 63 Corvette's right front brake pads. Although the work was finished in less than 90 seconds, the Aston Martin gained valuable track position. After scoring five wins in seven years, Corvette finished second to Aston Martin Racing for the second year.
"Once again, we saw one of the epic battles in all of sports car racing," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "When you can take two cars, run them for 24 hours, and have them finish just minutes apart, it's an incredible achievement for both teams. We had a brake issue with the No. 63 Corvette and overcame a problem with the alternator in the No. 64 Corvette, and both cars finished on the podium. When we look at Corvette Racing's overall record and performance here at Le Mans, Chevrolet can be proud."
In the sixth hour, the No. 64 suffered a broken alternator connection that required six minutes to repair. Then at 19:24 into the race, the crew removed and replaced the engine compartment undertray. Papis rejoined the race five minutes later, losing one lap in the process. Both Corvettes made 29 pit stops during the 24-hour race.
"This has probably been the best we've been able to race for the entire distance," commented team manager Gary Pratt. "We had a good strategy to pick up a lap by running 14-lap fuel stints, but we got hung up by the safety car. In the night and in the rain, the Astons could pull away from us a little, and we couldn't seem to get it back. We started to catch up in the daylight, but then the rain returned. The Corvette Racing team worked hard, we never gave up, and we made it a close race."
"The effort that Chevrolet and Corvette Racing put into this event is gigantic," said Johnny O'Connell. "Ninety-nine percent of teams would be ecstatic to finish second at Le Mans two years in a row, but we have high expectations and lofty goals at Corvette Racing. Had the weather not gone the way it did, with our strategy of going 14 laps on a fuel stint, the race might have gone our way. The spectators saw the two best teams in sports car racing go toe-to-toe today, and I'm very proud of the effort that everyone put forth."
Corvette Racing's next event is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., on July 12.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:
Olivier Beretta, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "I'm already thinking about 2009 Le Mans. Everyone at Corvette Racing did a fantastic job preparing the cars. We just had bad luck on the No. 64 Corvette with the alternator and the safety car, and that was two laps gone. When it was raining, I pushed hard, I felt comfortable, and did four or five stints. At Le Mans, the last thing to do is to give up, so I just pushed and hoped that we would have better luck. It's a disappointment to finish second or third, so there is only one place to be -- in first. We did that three years in a row with Corvette, I did it five times in my career, and I hope that the sixth one will come next year with Corvette Racing."
Ron Fellows, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "I felt that we had the opportunity to win this one. We were well prepared and both teams put up a hell of a fight -- and we were second best today."
Oliver Gavin, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "This is a race that just sort of got away. I think we were fast enough and any one of the four cars from the Corvette and Aston Martin factory teams could have won today. It just came down to the one that had the cleaner race. We had bad luck with the alternator and then the floor issue. Maybe we were lacking some pace in the night, and got some unlucky breaks with the safety cars. It all adds up to the three laps that we were behind. That's Le Mans for you. We'll be back to fight them next year."
Jan Magnussen, No. 63 Corvette C6.R: "Standing on the podium at Le Mans is special, but second is not exactly the spot we wanted. We hoped to improve on last year, and we had a nearly flawless race -- but unfortunately, so did Aston Martin. In the night they had a little more speed than us, and it was tough to get back that gap. All of the guys worked so hard for this, they deserve a win. We'll just have to work even harder and get a victory next year."
Max Papis, No. 64 Corvette C6.R: "You need a perfect race to win Le Mans against Aston Martin, and my hat's off to them. Sometimes you win or lose over a small detail, and that's what happened to us. We tried every Michelin tire, from rain to dry to intermediates. I felt that everyone did everything they could. It's great to be able to count on your teammates, to know that everyone who gets in the car will contribute. We came up a little short, but a podium finish at Le Mans is always something special.