Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin, drivers of the #4 Chevrolet Corvette Racing C7.R took third place in GTE Pro at the 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance race at Road Atlanta this weekend. The podium finish earned Gavin and Milner the IMSA Driver Championship and the North American Endurance Cup Championship.
The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE of Giancarlo Fisichella, Toni Vilander and James Calado won the GT Le Mans class in the race. Ferrari has been fast, but this was its first victory in the fastest class where the cars are recognizable as being production based.
Due to the way points are structured, at the drop of the green flag, Chevrolet captured both the 2016 Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship and the GT Le Mans Manufacturer Championship. There is no MLB wild card silliness in endurance racing.
Ford Drivers Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and Sébastien Bourdais – winners at the Le Mans 24 Hours in GTE Pro in June – combined once again to make the podium at the 10-hour race that ended in a close finish.
The #66 Ford GT placed second with Müller behind the wheel one day after its sister car, the #67 Ford GT, qualified on the pole for the fourth time with Richard Westbrook driving.
Ford of course took a Victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans during its first year in current endurance racing, much to the surprise of other automakers.
“We were lucky enough to have some great wins this year at some big races. It’s going to be a busy off-season,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
