• Team arrives with back-to-back victories at Daytona, Sebring
• Chevrolet, Garcia, Taylor enter as GT Le Mans Championship leaders
• Sebring winners Gavin, Milner team’s most recent Road America victors
• Mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to serve as Official Pace Car for first time
• IMSA Road America round to air live on NBC network
DETROIT (July 28, 2020) – Corvette Racing will ride a two-race winning streak in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship into one of North America’s greatest tracks: historic Road America. The program will look to extend its GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship lead in the class’s Manufacturer, Driver and Team categories before a national NBC audience Sunday afternoon.
The first-year, mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R has been on a roll following the IMSA shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The work done by the whole of Corvette Racing – drivers, crew and Chevrolet and team engineers – has been evident with back-to-back class victories and pole positions at Daytona and Sebring earlier this month.
Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor arrive at Road America carrying the GTLM Driver’s Championship lead on the strength of a victory at Daytona in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. That win was the first for the mid-engine racing Corvette and also was Corvette Racing’s 100th in IMSA competition. Garcia and Taylor also were runners-up two weeks ago at Sebring, where Taylor also set a GTLM track record en route to pole position.
He and Garcia finished second in class at Sebring behind winning teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. The paring claimed Corvette Racing’s most recent Road America victory: 2016 when Milner passed five cars in the last 15 minutes. Milner set the fastest race lap a year ago, and Gavin leads all active IMSA drivers with four class victories at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn “National Park of Speed.”
Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing today. Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and another chapter of the eighth-generation Corvette will be written this weekend.
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will serve as Official Pace Car for the IMSA rounds of the WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge at Road America. Named by MotorTrend as 2020 Car of the Year, the 2020 Stingray is Chevrolet’s first mid-engine production Corvette. It features a 6.2-liter V8 engine with an output of 495hp, goes from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds and achieves a top speed of 194 mph.
Both the Corvette Stingray and Corvette C8.R were developed simultaneously with a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and a production Corvette than ever before, which helps contribute to many of its advancements. As a result, the C8.R shares the highest percentage of parts between the production and race car than any previous generation.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road America is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. ET on Saturday with live network coverage on NBC plus streaming options on the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will broadcast all practice and qualifying sessions as well as the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It will have been two years since I drove the C8.R for the first time at Road America. Things have improved so much on it since that day. It will be very nice to go around and feel how far the car has come. Road America is one of my favorite tracks in the IMSA championship. I’m pretty sure this car will make a difference in our results from past years. I’m looking forward to seeing how we perform. If a car is good, it makes going around Road America that much more fun.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “When people talk about Road America, you’re talking about long straights, big brake zones and a lot of high-speed corners. Looking at what we experienced with C8.R in testing and racing at Daytona and Sebring, the car seems to suit a lot of different types of corners. It will be a lot different from our experiences at Daytona and Sebring with the layout of the track and how it flows. The Corvette should suit Road America quite well. It’s very well-balanced, drivable and predictable. This is a place where you’re on edge at a lot of parts around the track. You want to be comfortable with your car and trust in it. You have to do that lap after lap.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We will have that little bit less racing experience under our belt going to Road America than we thought we would have when we were looking at the schedule at the start of the season. Road America is a great track with a lot to really like and enjoy about it. It’s a driver’s favorite for sure. You go up and down the pitlane and everyone raves about it. It generates great racing. Having tested the Corvette C8.R there for the first time and now what we’ve achieved with the team and our partners at Michelin, I think we’ll have a solid car there and it’s something I’m really looking forward to driving in and competing with.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s crazy that it’s been two years since we drove the C8.R for the first time. I’m definitely excited to get back to Road America. I didn’t have a lot of laps for that first test, but I still remember it pretty well. Obviously, the C8.R has moved on development-wise quite a bit since that first test. It’s not like we’re going there with a completely brand new car, but going there with the testing we’ve done, the racing we’ve done and knowledge that we’ve gained, it will be fun to back there with this new car. We were really excited at that first test with what the potential of what the car had to offer at that point and what it could be. Now with all the development that’s gone on, that excitement hasn’t gone away. It’ll be fun to go back to Road America with this car that has moved on with all the updates we’ve done. Any opportunity to drive a race car like this after the five months is exciting for sure. It’s even better go drive it at a place like Road America.”
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2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings
(After Three of 11 Events)
Driver Standings
1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 95
2. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 94
3. Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 86
4. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 85
5. Fred Makowiecki/Nick Tandy – 85
Team Standings
1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 95
2. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 94
3. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 86
4. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 85
5. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 85
Manufacturer Standings
1. Chevrolet – 100
2. Porsche – 96
3. BMW – 95
4. Ferrari – 28
Corvette Racing at Road America
2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS
2003
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2004
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap)
2005
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap)
2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2007
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2009
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2
2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT
2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT
2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes)
2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap)
CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 20 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2004 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-19). The 2020 event will be the first race appearance for the mid-engine Corvette C8.R.
• 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM title.
• 4: Road America wins for Oliver Gavin, the most among active IMSA drivers.
• 7: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA.
• 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers.
• 8: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Magnussen, Milner and Andy Pilgrim (one each).
• 8: As in Chevrolet’s small-block V8. More than 100 million units have been sold worldwide and is the most successful engine in American motorsports.
• 10: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America, including four by Gavin and one by Magnussen. Tommy Milner was the quickest driver in the 2019 GTLM race.
• 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 18: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.
• 24: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
• 29: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 109: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 101 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 230: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 11,075.38: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 18 previous trips to Road America. That represents 2,728 laps or more than 93 trips across Lake Michigan.
• 305,357.40: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
