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CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Focus Turns to Run for Fourth Rolex 24 Win

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#1 ·
Press Release:

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Focus Turns to Run for Fourth Rolex 24 Win

Magnussen leads Corvette Racing qualifying efforts in No. 3 Corvette C7.R

Corvette Racing finished 1-2 in 2016, separated by just 0.034 seconds at finish
Team can become first in nearly a decade to win three straight Rolex 24s
Chevrolet the most successful manufacturer at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2017) – Corvette Racing will go for a third straight class victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona from the fourth and fifth rows of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class following qualifying Thursday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.

A trio of practice sessions and time trials will give way to a final single practice Friday before the official start of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday. When it gets under way, Jan Magnussen will start the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R seventh after a lap of 1:44.359 (x mph). In the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Oliver Gavin will roll off ninth from the grid following his best lap of 1:44.685 (x mph).

Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler won last year’s Rolex 24 in GTLM in a thrilling race that saw the two Corvettes separated by just 0.034 seconds at the finish. Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller were runners-up a year after the No. 3 Corvette C7.R won the race in 2015.

For reference the two Corvettes qualified seventh and eighth last season, and the gap to the class pole-winner was much closer Thursday.

The Rolex 24 was the site of Corvette Racing’s debut on Jan. 31, 1999. Since that first race, the team has competed in more than 170 events around the globe with 102 victories worldwide – including five wins in 2016 – along with 11 Manufacturer and Team championships in the American Le Mans Series and WeatherTech Championship to go along with eight victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona is the start of the 2017 IMSA season and is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 28. It will air on live on FOX beginning at 2 p.m. ET with coverage also on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports Go. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com. [http://imsa.com/&h=atmjr4azzjom6aqk...8wxrbo4ab49mditorxssqjvxxwn6txwgah&s=1_green]

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SEVENTH IN GTLM: "It's been a little tougher than everyone expected coming back here for the race weekend. I think everyone left the Roar pretty happy with how the Corvette was handling and how we were stacking up against everyone else. But today for sure, we've been struggling a little bit. Qualifying I think is a good indication of where we are right now. It will be a tough race ahead of us."

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED NINTH IN GTLM: "The session was OK. We were struggling a little bit with the balance. It seems like this weekend has been very different than how the two tests have gone - the Roar earlier this month and the test in December. It is warmer now, and also the wind direction is very different. There is a lot of sand on the track. That has been playing with us a little bit. I know it is the same for everyone. But I just think we are just slightly outside of our window to get the car to operate in a comfortable spot for us. But as we know, in qualifying here it is nice to be in the front, but it certainly is not everything. This is race is long and tough. There are many sort of treacherous points you have to get through. We are mindful of that and just need to be there at the end to race whoever is left. Hopefully our car will come to us. That is the way we are thinking. Temperatures are certainly going to cool down and we might get some rain. This race, like I said, is long and tough with many hurdles that will be thrown in front of us. No, we aren't exactly where we want to be. But we know there are many things we an do to changes that we can do to change our position. We will be pushing just as hard as we always do to try and get that Corvette win like we did last year."
 
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#2 ·
You got to admit, Qualifying was pretty much a Ford affair, Corvettes were disappointing. Almost to a point where I thought they were sandbagging. Then there is the BMW M6, man, they are not even looking like they belong to the class. Heavy carbon core pigs.. the M4 was much much better. You can never ever underestimate Corvettes in an endurance race. The team runs their race like a perfect atomic clock. Speed is not always the winner in a 24 hour race.

Meanwhile, I suspect Cadillac will get hit with BOP, then there was Ricky who was getting yelled at by Daddy for not laying a better lap.
 
#4 ·
I hate that the number 4 car is using a backup car. You can tel they aren't up too speed.
 
#8 ·
Press Release:

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Six-Hour Update

No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R among the GTLM leaders; No. 4 Corvette encounters trouble



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2017) – Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R was among the leaders in a rapidly changing Rolex 24 At Daytona after six hours of the opening race of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.



Mike Rockenfeller stood fourth in GT Le Mans (GTLM) in the No. 3 Corvette as rain began pelting Daytona International Speedway. Teammates Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia each drove solid triple-stints to move the Corvette from seventh at the start to as high as second in class.



The cold temperatures and light rain played havoc with tire selections near the quarter mark of the event – one that Corvette Racing is attempting to win for the third season in a row.



The No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C7.R, the class-winner in 2016, was 10th in class after it lost power with Marcel Fässler at the wheel just shy of six hours. That happened only a few laps after Fässler, driving with fellow defending class winners Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, was hit from behind by Harry Ticknell while running third in class behind Garcia.



After stopping on track, the No. 4 Corvette came back to the garage where the crew changed the power controller. Shortly after returning to competition with Gavin at the wheel, the Corvette had to pit with a broken lower control arm – presumably from the earlier contact. It was 13 laps down at the six-hour mark.



The Rolex 24 was the site of Corvette Racing’s debut on Jan. 31, 1999. Since that first race, the team has competed in more than 170 events around the globe with 102 victories worldwide – including five wins in 2016 that led to a sweep of IMSA GTLM Manufacturer’s, Driver’s and Team championships for a total of 11 Manufacturer titles for Chevrolet.



JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R “That was a good start to the race. At the moment we are trying to find out in what direction the balance is going to go. Right now I quite like this Corvette. We aren’t quite as fast as a couple of our competitors. But we have a good race car and we are being safe. In another 18 hours the real race starts so we are being smart and safe, and making good decisions.”

(You’re feel pretty good considering you started with a triple stint?) “I felt fine. I thought I was doubling but they asked me if I could do another and I felt good. This was a great way to get going. I’m warm now!”



ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SEVENTH IN GTLM: “It wasn’t bad. We are lacking some pace. Whenever the faster cars decide to go, then they go. But this isn’t all about pace; traffic also plays a role. That’s why I was out there fighting so hard with the leader. We may be missing a little pace but with the rain who knows. We don’t know how the track will develop. We need to stay out there and not make mistakes. If we are still lacking pace later, we can try something different to get up there. But I think it will be another classic Daytona. No one will know how it ends up until the end of the race. We hope to be up there.”



OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “The first lap, as it always is here, was difficult to weigh the risks of looking to pass someone, shooting a gap with so many cars. You try to weigh the risks. It was a good first couple of laps. I was able to pass a couple of cars and it seemed to go backward and forward. The Fords looked slow in starting. Maybe their tires seem to take a bit to come up. Then it was a stint-long battle between one of the Porsches and the 67 Ford with Jan just in front of them. We went back and forth a little. With three or four laps from the end, I managed to get past Richard (Westbrook) in the 67. Overall it was a good first stint. I was pleased to get it done and out of the way. I don’t feel too bad myself, get some rest and pace myself a bit through the race. It’s gone well so far and these are positive signs for later in the race.”



TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “The car has been the best it’s been all weekend. So far the balance on the Corvette has been really good and so has the grip in the Michelin tires. This team excels in consistency and teamwork and strategy, and those are three key things you need to win the race.”

(The temperatures have come down in practice. Has the grip come up?) “It seems that way for us. Certainly the car feels better with more grip. Unfortunately all our competitors are on Michelins so it seems like they have picked up their pace as well. There are a couple of small things we can do with tire pressures and things like that make our cars quicker. We seem to be quite good in the draft, so if we can get up with the leaders then we can hang with them. That’s all you can ask for. We’re definitely close enough now while we weren’t in practice. We have an idea where we stand now. For us, there’s no reason for us to push. You can push to gain a couple of tenths but you eventually lose those anyway. We are more concerned with having a good Corvette at the end of the race.”
 
#10 ·
Looking back it now seemed over kill by Chip to have four Ford GT entries but it's his money. All of the Taylor racing haters are out in full force over the Web. I'm loving how competitive all of the GT class cars are. It should be a pretty good season. I'm definitely going to try to make the race in Austin.
 
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#14 ·
I get the feeling like they are going to mail things in until they get there new ride.
 
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