García, Magnussen finish second from seventh at race’s start

• Second consecutive podium for defending GTLM champions
• Second place in unofficial points for Garcia, Magnussen
• Mechanical issue prevents victory challenge by Milner, Gavin
• Team’s final race before 24 Hours of Le Mans

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 5, 2019) – Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen climbed the GT Le Mans (GTLM) podium for the second consecutive year at Mid-Ohio on Sunday in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Acura Sports Car Challenge.

The pairing went from seventh at the race’s start to a second straight runner-up finish in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. Solid driving, a clever early-race strategic call and the team’s usual excellence in the pitlane all contributed to the result.

With Sunday’s showing, Garcia and Magnussen unofficially moved to second place in the GTLM Driver’s Championship as they seek a third consecutive title in the category. Chevrolet also moved to third in the Manufacturer’s Championship and one point out of second place.

From the early going, it appeared the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette of Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin would control the GTLM race. Milner went from fourth to second at the start and assumed the point as officials ruled the then-lead Porsche jumped the green flag. The No. 4 Corvette led the rest of Milner’s 50-minute stint and remained in the best position following the opening pit stop cycle.

Then disaster struck. Running second to Garcia, Milner reported a mechanical problem near the one-hour mark of the race. Once back in the garage, the Corvette Racing crew replaced the left-rear axle and sent Oliver Gavin out for the rest of the way.

Back in the No. 3 Corvette camp, the team opted for a three-stop strategy. Magnussen drove the first 36 minutes and handed over to Garcia on a strategic call by No. 3 Corvette race engineer Kyle Millay. Using input from Magnussen and with a rapidly improving track, Garcia moved into the class lead at the end of the GTLM pit cycle.

Garcia stopped again for fuel and fresh Michelin tires with a little more than an hour to go and this time cycled through to second place for the final race to the finish.

The next event for Corvette Racing is the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16. It will be the team’s 20th consecutive appearance at the French endurance race. The next IMSA event for the program is the Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen on June 30.

ANTONIO GARCÍA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “Most of the race was compromised from qualifying. It was a difficult weekend. The good thing about being at the rear means you can gamble on strategy. We knew right away what we had to do. That was the maximum we could achieve today. It was difficult on the restart; I think I did 50 laps during the first stint, so I think we had more knowledge on how to drive the tire. I’m very happy for the whole team and where we ended up but 11 podiums without a win is a little too much!”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “From where we started to where we finished, today was a good result and good for the championship. At the beginning for me, the balance wasn’t great and I had very little grip. We made some adjustments for Antonio, and as the track built some rubber into it, things got somewhat better. So we’re happy with P2. But we really need a win. I don’t know what we need to do, but we need a win. Kyle (Millay, No. 3 Corvette race engineer) did a fantastic job calling the strategy. I think we need to do more of that and be brave on the strategy to try and get some wins. Podiums get championships but so do wins!”