Corvette Racing Makes Podium at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California
- 13 Oct 2009
Corvette Racing scored its fifth podium finish in five races with GT2 Corvette C6.R. Teammates Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell were runners-up in the season ending Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
After qualifying first and third, twin Corvettes ran one-two until the first round of pit stops during the ALMS season finale at Laguna Seca, photo by GM Corp.
Corvette Racing pit crew works on Corvette C6.R at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, photo by GM Corp.
The American Le Mans Series race ended as Magnussen spun across the track and hit a wall in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. The Danish driver was examined and released from the trackside medical center after his encounter with the concrete barrier. The Corvette’s safety systems and energy-absorbing structure performed as designed during the impact.
Corvette Racing scored its fifth podium finish in five races with GT2 Corvette C6.R, photo by GM Corp.
Corvette Racing's next event is the season opening Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Florida in March of 2010, photo by GM Corp.
The finish capped off a battle between the No. 3 Corvette and the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche driven by Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister.
Magnussen had cut down the lead of the class leading Porsche in the final 50 minutes of the four hour race. With the checkered flag on display for the winner, the Corvette and Porsche had contact in the final corner and raced side-by-side to the finish line.
“It was really good, hard racing,” said Magnussen. “It was a drag race up the hill, and I managed to get a little ahead of Joerg. Then he turned me into the wall, and he kept turning in. Then I spun around the nose of his car.”
In the end, the No. 45 Porsche was credited with a 1.037 second victory over the No. 3 Corvette C6.R and Corvette Racing scored its fifth podium finish in five races since moving to the GT2 category.
The Corvette C6.Rs use K&N air filters. “The filters K&N makes for Corvette are critical to the design of our intake system,” said Mike Atkins, Pratt and Miller Program Manager. “K&N makes the best air filter for horsepower and filtration.”
The No. 5 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta finished 10th, 12 laps down to the leader after hard contact in a restart at the one-hour mark. After qualifying first and third, the twin Corvettes had been running one-two until the first round of pit stops during the second caution period.
“Jan and I were working the traffic really well and managed to open up a gap over the third place Ferrari,” said Gavin. “When we got to the first pit stop, the crew did a fantastic job and we got out in front of our sister car. On the restart, I came down the inside of the first turn and was trying to see if I could get ahead of the BMW. I went too far to the inside and got on the dirt. The BMW was squeezing me and I hit the brakes too late. I didn’t want to hit the prototype ahead of me, so I went even farther left onto the sand. I started to spin and started hitting people. It’s embarrassing for me. I’m sorry for the crew. I think we had a car that was fast enough to win. I don’t think I make many mistakes, but I made a big one.”
Corvette Racing’s program manager Doug Fehan commented on the finish of the race. “Those last six laps were as exciting as I’ve seen in motor racing in a long time, two great teams, two great cars and two great drivers,” Fehan said. “It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did. I’m sure we’ll be working with the sanctioning body to address it and put into place safeguards to make sure incidents like this won’t happen again. Now we go back to the shop, make repairs and get ready to race at Sebring.”
Corvette Racing’s next event is the season opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Florida on March 20, 2010.
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
After qualifying first and third, twin Corvettes ran one-two until the first round of pit stops during the ALMS season finale at Laguna Seca, photo by GM Corp.
Corvette Racing pit crew works on Corvette C6.R at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, photo by GM Corp.
Corvette Racing scored its fifth podium finish in five races with GT2 Corvette C6.R, photo by GM Corp.
Corvette Racing's next event is the season opening Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Florida in March of 2010, photo by GM Corp.
The finish capped off a battle between the No. 3 Corvette and the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche driven by Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister.
Magnussen had cut down the lead of the class leading Porsche in the final 50 minutes of the four hour race. With the checkered flag on display for the winner, the Corvette and Porsche had contact in the final corner and raced side-by-side to the finish line.
“It was really good, hard racing,” said Magnussen. “It was a drag race up the hill, and I managed to get a little ahead of Joerg. Then he turned me into the wall, and he kept turning in. Then I spun around the nose of his car.”
In the end, the No. 45 Porsche was credited with a 1.037 second victory over the No. 3 Corvette C6.R and Corvette Racing scored its fifth podium finish in five races since moving to the GT2 category.
The Corvette C6.Rs use K&N air filters. “The filters K&N makes for Corvette are critical to the design of our intake system,” said Mike Atkins, Pratt and Miller Program Manager. “K&N makes the best air filter for horsepower and filtration.”
The No. 5 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta finished 10th, 12 laps down to the leader after hard contact in a restart at the one-hour mark. After qualifying first and third, the twin Corvettes had been running one-two until the first round of pit stops during the second caution period.
“Jan and I were working the traffic really well and managed to open up a gap over the third place Ferrari,” said Gavin. “When we got to the first pit stop, the crew did a fantastic job and we got out in front of our sister car. On the restart, I came down the inside of the first turn and was trying to see if I could get ahead of the BMW. I went too far to the inside and got on the dirt. The BMW was squeezing me and I hit the brakes too late. I didn’t want to hit the prototype ahead of me, so I went even farther left onto the sand. I started to spin and started hitting people. It’s embarrassing for me. I’m sorry for the crew. I think we had a car that was fast enough to win. I don’t think I make many mistakes, but I made a big one.”
Corvette Racing’s program manager Doug Fehan commented on the finish of the race. “Those last six laps were as exciting as I’ve seen in motor racing in a long time, two great teams, two great cars and two great drivers,” Fehan said. “It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did. I’m sure we’ll be working with the sanctioning body to address it and put into place safeguards to make sure incidents like this won’t happen again. Now we go back to the shop, make repairs and get ready to race at Sebring.”
Corvette Racing’s next event is the season opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Florida on March 20, 2010.
Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
