García, Magnussen, Taylor climb Le Mans podium in GTE Pro

LE MANS, France (June 18, 2017) – Corvette Racing has experienced highs and lows in its 18 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. America’s premier GT racing team added to that Sunday with a dramatic third-place finish in the GTE Pro category with Antonio García, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor climbing onto the podium together for the second time in four years.

The No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R came back from an early-race puncture and clawed its way back into contention before barely missing out on its ninth class victory at Le Mans since 2001.

Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler placed eighth in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C7.R. The trio had a fight-back of their own after Milner lost a wheel in the opening half of the race. It proved to be the only mistake by that trio but the four laps lost proved costly as the GTE Pro race was as much as a seven-car fight into the last six hours.

«The GTE Pro battle was intense and certainly garnered the most attention of any race that I can recall,» said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. «While our goal is always to win, it occurred to me that the Corvette Racing team has a never-give-up attitude. That element has been critical in many of the eight class wins in our Le Mans history. Jan, Antonio, Jordan and the entire 63 crew held together strong as a team and demonstrated incredible heart and determination all race long. I also want to thank the Corvette owners and fans around the world for the support they have been giving Corvette Racing at Le Mans from 2000 until today.»

The early puncture for the No. 63 Corvette set the stage for a phenomenal drive back toward the front by the driving trio, the crew and engineers. The crew performed a perfect brake change near the 10.5 mark – it took approximately 75 seconds to do all four wheels – and the engineering team got the car back on the same pit strategy as the race leaders just after dawn Sunday.

From then on, the Corvette asserted itself and cycled through the lead up until the final hour. Magnussen and Taylor alternated single stints over the last three-and-a-half hours. The Corvette Racing team elected to take fuel only and change to Taylor in order to gain track position over the final 46 minutes. The two cars ran within 1.5 seconds of each other until the final lap.

The next event for Corvette Racing is the Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen on Sunday, July 2 from Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.

ANTONIO GARCÍA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTE PRO: «That is this race. If you have a small mistake, your plan changes and this turns into a catch-up race. That’s what happened to us. It took us 18 or 19 hours to catch back up to the leaders after the small puncture in my first stint. Another small puncture took out the opportunity for us to win this race. We had two of them at exactly the wrong moments. It’s a shame. After all the good work and strategy calls we made today, it’s disappointing. We were in the right spot to win. It was a fair fight with the Aston Martin. We had a chance but it didn’t happen. We come here to win this race. There is no other place we want to be. It’s a shame for the entire team. We all worked very hard in preparation. Both Jan and Jordan did fantastic jobs driving. There were just a number of things that went against us.»

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTE PRO: «The race was one where everyone was so close and so evenly matched. When Antonio had a cut tire and had to come in early (in his second stint), that put us behind everybody and on a different strategy. That also meant that we would not be catching the slow zones in the same everyone else and that really started to bite us. So we fell further and further back. Until we got back on the same strategy as everyone else, it was an uphill fight. But the car was good and the team worked fantastic the whole time. Antonio and Jordan drove perfect throughout the whole race. When we perform like this as a team, it’s difficult not to be disappointed with the outcome. A podium at Le Mans is pretty decent; it’s just not what we came for.»

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – THIRD IN GTE PRO: «Obviously it was a disappointing finish. But if you look at the whole 24-hour race, we weren’t always up front. So leaving with a podium finish is something we can be proud of. When you come so close, extremely close, that is the frustrating part. I think we showed a never-give-up attitude. We went two minutes down early in the race and fought back from there. A lot of people doubted that we could bring it back. I think everyone executed well and unfortunately it just wasn’t our day.»

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO: «It was one monumental battle in GTE today, whether we were dealing with the conditions, the competition or the traffic. We were right up there when we had our incident which cost us four-and-a-half laps and basically ended our race. The competition in GTE is so tight it’s impossible to catch up that kind of delay. At Le Mans you can’t but recognize the efforts of everybody involved with Corvette Racing, especially the guys of the 63 car. I feel terribly sorry for them to have lost the race in this way.»

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO: «This was a race all of us at Corvette Racing had high hopes for. But those hopes fell just a bit short. For us, I’m disappointed to have had the problem we did, which put an end to our race. I’m super bummed for the No. 63 guys to have come that close to a win. But they did a great job all race long. Everyone at Corvette Racing can hold their head up high as this has been one of the greatest GT races Le Mans has ever seen. It’s always a pleasure to come to Le Mans with Corvette, and this result makes you want to start to prepare for next year starting tomorrow.»

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO: «I enjoyed the race and the Corvette really a lot. We had great overall speed, all three of us, and I think we would have had the chance to fight for the win or a podium finish like the sister car had we not had our issue. But Le Mans decides for you and it cost us four laps – the same four laps we were down on the winners at the end. I also feel sad for the sister car which had the puncture on the last lap. Even though it was a tough race, I enjoyed the event and the team enormously.»

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: «Just as predicted this may have been one of the most epic GT races in Le Mans history. To have all the manufacturers so closely matched is a testament to all the hard work of the ACO and the FIA. We saw an event over the past 24 hours in which all of the 13 cars entered in GTE Pro were capable of leading and winning. That’s good racing and we couldn’t be more proud to have been part of it.»

GARY PRATT, CORVETTE RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL: «Whenever you have a great race like that… it’s always nice to win, but you can’t feel bad about having a great race like that and it coming down to the last lap of a 24-hour race. It’s just fantastic racing and hats off to those guys. They did a good job and we were one lap shy.»

No. 63 Corvette C7.R remains in thick of GE Pro battle LE MANS, France (June 18, 2017) – This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is halfway complete with the No. 63 Mobil

1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R still in the thick of things in the GTE Pro class. Jordan Taylor drove an impressive two hour-plus stint in the second six hours to keep the No. 63 Corvette on the lead lap as it chased a ninth class victory at the French classic.

Taylor, driving with Antonio García and Jan Magnussen, was within two minutes and five seconds of the lead group. Numerous slow zones and a pair of safety car periods widened thegap from the No. 63 to the group of three cars running within 56 seconds of each other.

The No. 63 team did take advantage of the second safety car period to change all four brakes on the Corvette near the 10.5-hour mark.

The No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette suffered moderate damage in an accident near the eight-hour mark with Tommy Milner at the wheel. Milner lost the left-rear wheel near the end of the lap. He lost the rear wing on the impact with the retaining wall.

Milner was uninjured, the remarkably the team lost only four laps as it replaces the wing assembly and parts of the left-rear wheel. Teammate Marcel Fässler was in the middle of a triple-stint at halfway and turned similar laptimes to Taylor.

Corvette Racing’s next update will be at the 18-hour mark near 9 a.m. CET/3 a.m. ET Sunday.

Live television and streaming video continues between FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports GO. Live audio coverage is available from Radio Le Mans, which also will broadcast on Sirius Channel 138 and XM Channel 201.

ANTONIO GARCÍA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «We managed to play a bit with the slow zones in how we organized our pit stops. We made the right calls at the right moment, the downside of which was that I had to do four stints, some of which were shorter than normal. The upside was that it got us back into sequence with the other cars’ pit stops. The track meanwhile is getting better and better, and we will be able to do proper triple stints.

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «Unfortunately I picked up the wrong safety car, as we somehow always seem to do in Le Mans. They certainly aren’t helping us getting back to the front. We’re good on pace, but we’re not hitting the slow zones in the right place. But I managed to stay out of trouble. It’s still a long way.»

Both Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs among the GTE Pro leaders after first quarter of Le Mans

LE MANS, France (June 17, 2017) – Corvette Racing’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs were in the top-six of the GTE Pro class Saturday after the first six hours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Oliver Gavin was fifth in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C7.R with Antonio García sixth in the No. 63 Corvette.

Both drivers were in the early stages of their second tours in their cars one quarter of the way through the annual French classic. The opening six hours were mostly uneventful with the exception of two items: García suffered a puncture early in the race and had to cut short his second stint, which put the No. 63 Corvette slightly off sequence in the pits. Meanwhile, Gavin suffered a damaged wheel when another GTE Pro competitor hit him in the first corner of the race’s opening lap.

Both Corvettes soldiered on in the opening quarter of the race and experienced no further issues. Tommy Milner followed Gavin in the No. 64 Corvette with Marcel Fässler finishing the first six hours. In the No. 63 Corvette, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor rotated through before Garcia took over again. All six drivers drove two stints.

Corvette Racing’s next update will be at the halfway mark near 3 a.m. CET Sunday/9 p.m. ET Saturday.

Live television and streaming video continues between FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports GO. Live audio coverage is available from Radio Le Mans, which also will broadcast on Sirius Channel 138 and XM Channel 201.

ANTONIO GARCÍA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «Initially the car felt quite decent but I suddenly couldn’t quite follow the others. It appeared I had a slow puncture at the right rear, for which I had to compensate in my driving which led to the front tires getting destroyed. There was no point in continuing like that so I pitted just four laps into my second stint, which means we’re now out of sequence compared to the other competitors. But it’s still early days and anything can still happen.»

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «That wasn’t too bad. The car handles well, even though it has a bit of understeer. But the lap times are decent. I tried to change the car a bit to suit the track conditions. It’s a pity about the puncture Antonio picked up which shortened his second stint and puts us out of sequence compared to the others. The heat so far doesn’t cause any issues.»

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «That was a good stint. I quickly got into the rhythm which was easy because the car feels strong and is very comfortable and consistent to drive. It wasn’t difficult to keep the pace with the others. Everybody is really pushing, you can tell by the small mistakes they all make.»

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «As always, the start here was eventful. At the very first corner, a Ford hit me going into Turn One. I was really surprised. I gave him lots of room on the inside but he drove across the track and just smacked me. It was very bizarre and very unnecessary on Turn One of Lap One of a 24-hour race. Fortunately, it didn’t give us a puncture but it did damage the wheel, and I could feel that for several laps. Then it settled into a relatively stable position. The slow zones seem to be hurting our tire pressures when we go through them, particularly in the Porsche Curves. We struggled at times with the balance of the car until the pressures would come back up. It was a bit frustrated. I got the car over to Tommy with no damage – other than from the Ford. Let’s see where we go from there. I’m sure a lot will go on between now and 3 p.m. Sunday.»

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «It feels good to finally get your feet wet in the race and get a rhythm. I feel good. I’m hoping when the track cools down a little bit it might suit us a little better than it did in the heat of the day. All in all, the Corvette is good. I was able to catch one of the Ferraris ahead of me and had a good battle. I was catching some of the others a little bit toward the end but kind of faded a little bit at the end. Overall it was a fun first stint. As with any of these races, I’m looking forward to no problems from here on, getting into a rhythm and getting some hours out of the way.»

García puts No. 63 Corvette on third row, Milner on fifth row in No. 64 C7.R in final qualifying

LE MANS, France (June 15, 2017) – Corvette Racing declared itself ready for its 18th attempt at the 24 Hours following Thursday’s final two qualifying sessions with both Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs within 1.2 seconds of the fastest time in the GTE Pro category.

Antonio García put the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R on the second row in the class, and Tommy Milner’s best lap in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette assured that both cars will be in the thick of the fight in this weekend’s twice-around-the-clock endurance classic.

García’s best lap was a 3:51.484 (131.731 mph) lap in the opening moments of Thursday’s final session. The No. 63 Corvette, which also will see Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor driving, finished qualifying just 0.647 seconds off the pole-winning car. García and Magnussen arrived at Le Mans with the championship lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans class with two victories including the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Milner’s best lap was a 3:52.017 (131.420 mph) in the car he shares with Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fässler. Their gap to the front was relatively small considering the enormity of the track – about 8.5 miles in length.

For the second night in a row, the Corvette Racing team ran to its preplanned strategy to sort the two Corvettes for Saturday and Sunday’s race conditions. It is a formula that has worked in the past with eight class victories since 2001.

The 85th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours is set for 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 17. Practice and qualifying sessions are scheduled for June 14-15. Live television and streaming video will be available between FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports GO. Live audio coverage of practice, qualifying and the race will be available from Radio Le Mans, which also will broadcast on Sirius Channel 138 and XM Channel 201.

ANTONIO GARCÍA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «We have a good car and I had a good run, working a bit on getting the car ready for the race. We have a fast car, which is good, and more so we had no major issues. We’ll now sit down and see how we can further improve our car for the weekend.»

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «The balance of the car is really, really nice; the best we’ve had all week, and that’s the most important thing to me. The track developed really a lot since yesterday, and with the races and practice sessions they had all day today a lot of rubber was laid down. The difference compared to last year is so big when I felt uncomfortable in the car. Now the car is so good; it’s easy to play around with the brake balance and such, which gives you confidence. I’m quite looking forward to the race.»

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «We made some good changes for the race and we now have a good idea on how the car will behave in the race. This definitely is the best Corvette I’ve ever driven here in the past six years. It is fast and comfortable and that is exactly what you want for the race.»

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «I think we are in a positive spot. Our Corvette has been good through practice. We’ve made some good steps with it, and the track has rubbered in nicely. We’ve managed to keep in step with the evolution of the circuit. It was great to see Tommy get a good lap in there and keep us right in the hunt. Our mindset is that if people went faster, then so be it. We’ll start where we start. I’m really confident that we will have a good strong, raceable car that will be able to compete with anyone. We’ve stuck to our plan the last two days, and they’ve been very good ones. We’ll see what the race brings, but right now this is very positive.»

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «There’s no doubt that if you don’t win Le Mans, the desire to win the next year gets even stronger. You kind of mentally ramp up for the race in the weeks before; you replay Le Mans in your head from the year before and from years past. That’s something I’ve done though my career… analyze what I’ve done and isolate the areas where I’ve not been strong and work on those for the next year. You don’t want to repeat mistakes if you’re in contention Sunday for a win. Your successes give you confidence in the following years, and any failures give you that extra drive at the same time.»

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: «Each time in the car for me is helpful. In the end, I was pretty happy with the balance of the Corvette and how it was to drive. Therefore I’m pretty optimistic for the race. Qualifying was not our main target for today; we had some items to sort out of the race. This was much more important than trying to win the pole. It was the right decision to make.»