C’est Bien – Corvette Racing off to Le Mans 24 Hour

Posted on 11 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on IMSA. Photo by Richard Prince for Chevy Racing

The #3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R driven by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor takes the checkered flag first in the GTLM class Saturday, July 4, 2020 during the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship WeatherTech 240 on the Road Course at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The stands were empty per IMSA and Florida Covid regulations.

Corvette Racing is returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only days following its most recent IMSA race at Road America, the program heads across the Atlantic for the French endurance classic – one of the most famous and storied races still running. The twice-around-the-clock race is set for Aug. 21-22 around the 8.4-mile circuit that is a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. Corvette Racing and other teams – including seven other entries in GTE Pro – will have nine hours of track time Sunday during the official Test Day.

This year’s Le Mans is the first time in France for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, and this year’s race marks Corvette Racing’s return after missing the 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended a run of 20 consecutive years at Le Mans that started in 2000. In that time, Corvette claimed eight victories with three different generations of Corvette… all with the engine in the front.

This year sees the debut of  the mid-engine Corvette C8.R. It is hardly an underdog – given its success since its first race in January 2020. Corvette Racing swept the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Manufacturers, Drivers and Team titles of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship a year ago, and the team finished 1-2 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.

Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on Corvette and the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin finished fourth in GTE Pro at the Six Hours of Spa with their No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – the opening round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Cup. Click to Enlarge.

Although the C8.R is new at Le Mans, it has run a race in Europe. Corvette Racing ran a single mid-engine Corvette in the Six Hours of Spa in May with Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin. It gave the team experience with a different set of rules than in IMSA –pit stop sequences, yellow-flag strategies and other driving situations and traditions. It didn’t win.

Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg were the winning drivers at Daytona, and they will reunite in the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R at Le Mans. Garcia and Taylor have won four times and lead this year’s IMSA GTLM standings. On the other side of the garage, the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette will see Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims back together.

Milner and Tandy were victorious in a non-points race at Detroit, and the combination of Tandy and Sims won a 100-minute qualifying race at Daytona. Corvette Racing’s lineup has combined for seven victories: Garcia with three; Milner with two; and Tandy and Taylor with one each.

Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on Aug. 18 and 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Sunday’s Test Day.

AutoInformed.com on Corvette

 

 

 

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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.
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2 Responses to C’est Bien – Corvette Racing off to Le Mans 24 Hour

  1. Pingback: Corvette Racing Goes Global – IMSA, FIA WEC in 2022 | AutoInformed

  2. Corvette Racing says:
    16 August 2021 at 5:18 pm

    At long last, Corvette Racing sent the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for its first laps around the Circuit de la Sarthe during nine hours of testing Sunday August 15 ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Tommy Milner led the Corvette Racing effort in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R on Sunday with a lap of 3:53.440 (130.550 mph) in a highly competitive GTE Pro field. Less than a half-second separated the top seven cars, which bodes well for a thrilling race in less than a week’s time.

    Milner shared the No. 64 Corvette on Sunday with Nick Tandy; the duo will welcome back Alexander Sims into the fold following a prior racing commitment earlier in the day.

    The No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R had an up-and-down day that included an engine change following an electrical issue that stranded Antonio Garcia on-course in the third hour of the morning session. Four hours later and after hard and thorough work, the No. 63 re-emerged from the garage to continue its test program.

    Nicky Catsburg, driving with Garcia and Jordan Taylor, was the quickest driver in the 63 entry at 3:54.281 (130.115 mph). The trio are back together after winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona earlier this season.

    Corvette Racing will return to the track Wednesday for two free practice sessions and qualifying.

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