CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK PARK: 100th Victory in Program History
Landmark achievement for sports car GT racing’s premier tea
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 23, 2016) – Already sporting an unmatched collection of historic moments, Corvette Racing added another today by claiming its 100th race victory by winning Saturday’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Drivers Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner piloted their No. 4 Mobil 1/Sirius XM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to the landmark triumph.
It is the third win of 2016 for Corvette Racing, which opened the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season with back-to-back GT Le Mans (GTLM) victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Corvette Racing is the first team in IMSA history to score 100 event victories. The team’s first win came Sept. 2, 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway. Saturday’s victory also was the team’s 60th 1-2 class finish with Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen runners-up in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
%quot;Achieving 100 victories is a tremendous accomplishment for Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It’s a testament to the dedication of all the crew members, engineers, drivers and our engine team members over the past 17 years. We certainly couldn’t have achieved this milestone without the support of our partners at Pratt Miller, Mobil 1 and Michelin. Everyone with Corvette Racing operates as one team and embodies the competitive spirit of Chevrolet. We’re happy to share this success with our passionate Corvette owners and supporters.@quot;
The Corvette Racing team made its first start Jan. 31, 1999 at Daytona. Since that time, the program has claimed championships and victories on endurance racing’s most prominent stages:
Ten manufacturer and team championships in the American Le Mans Series, plus nine driver titles
Eight class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Three wins in the Rolex 24 including an overall victory in 2001
Ten class wins at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Corvette Racing also claimed endurance racing’s Triple Crown in 2015 with wins at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. It was the first team in 15 years to accomplish the feat.
The tally of Corvette Racing victories spans a number of different series. In addition to its record at Le Mans, Corvette Racing has nine wins in the WeatherTech (formerly TUDOR) SportsCar Championship, 82 in the American Le Mans Series (a record for entrants) and one in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
No matter the series or continent, however, the aim of Corvette Racing has remained the same, according to Campbell. “Importantly, technical learnings gained from racing directly benefit our production Corvette and powertrains,” Campbell said.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from Road America on Sunday, Aug. 7.