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07-19-2011, 03:41 PM
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#1
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Marianna
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Grand Prix of Mosport
Corvette Racing at Mosport: The Real Deal
High-Speed Canadian Circuit Favors the Brave and Suits Corvette Racing's Strengths
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 19, 2011 – America is the home of the brave, but that description also applies to a twisting ribbon of asphalt in the Canadian countryside. Mosport International Raceway, a legendary circuit that will host Sunday's Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, separates the brave from the meek with its sweeping turns and soaring speeds.
Mosport demands commitment, courage, and unflinching self-confidence. Not surprisingly, this daunting 2.5-mile road course ranks among the favorites of the Corvette Racing squad.
"I like fast, fast race tracks, and Mosport is definitely fast," said Tommy Milner, who will share the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R with teammate Olivier Beretta in the fourth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series. "Even Turn 5, the slowest corner on the circuit, has an approach that's quick. It's a flowing race track, and once you get your rhythm, it's a blast."
Mosport has been the stage for many of Corvette Racing's winning performances. The team has tallied eight victories there, including its first win in the GT2 category (since renamed GT) in 2009. That race featured a spectacular wheel-to-wheel duel between Jan Magnussen and Ferrari rival Pierre Kaffer in the final 30 minutes. Magnussen prevailed by .331 seconds at the finish.
"The whole circuit is a huge challenge, one that I relish," said Magnussen's teammate, Oliver Gavin. "We always go into that race with a strong car and the track seems to suit the Corvette's strengths.
"Our car's balance and braking is very good, and we seem to be quick in the tight Turn 5 area and coming into Turn 8 at the end of the back straight," Gavin explained. "One of the most daunting parts is Turn 2, and it's also the most fun when you get it right. The corner entry is blind, you turn in and the track starts to fall away almost immediately. You need absolute trust in the marshals to tell you if there's a problem ahead."
Corvette Racing has unfinished business at Mosport. Last year's event was red-flagged with 30 minutes remaining when the guardrail lining the high-speed Andretti Straightaway was severely damaged in an accident. The twin Corvettes had completed their final pit stops and were in position to race for the win when officials cancelled the remainder of the race.
"If the race had restarted we would have been in a good position," said Magnussen. "We had a strong car, things were shaping up, and we would have had a shot at it. I'm looking forward to going back there and setting the record straight."
Corvette Racing ambassador Ron Fellows, who scored three GT1 wins at Mosport in 2001-03 with teammate Johnny O'Connell, has a new role at Mosport as co-owner of the historic circuit. Fellows and partners Carlo Fidani and Alan Boughton purchased the track on June 1.
"Mosport has a storied history that goes back to 1961," said Fellows. "From Formula 1 and Can-Am to Trans-Am, Group C and motorcycles, Mosport has had it all over the decades. To have the opportunity to be part of the ownership group at a circuit that's been part of my life for over 40 years is very exciting. The ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport is our marquee event, and we intend to build on its success in the future."
Fellows' new responsibilities are appreciated by his former teammates. "Ron promised that if we have too much understeer, he'll straighten that bit out," Magnussen said with a laugh.
The Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users, supplemented by live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. ESPN2 will televise the race on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.
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07-23-2011, 07:08 PM
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#3
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Marianna
Posts: 901
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Mosport Qualifying
Corvettes Qualify Sixth and Eighth for ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport
Corvette Racing Contends with Heat and Traffic in Qualifying at Fast Canadian Circuit
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 23, 2011 – In 90-degree heat on a blistering 114-degree track, Corvette Racing qualified sixth and eighth for Sunday's Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. The fourth round of the American Le Mans Series will see the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin start sixth in the hotly contested GT class. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Olivier Beretta and Tommy Milner will grid eighth.
The heat was on at Mosport, with summertime temperatures that far exceeded the cool weather that traditionally prevailed on the event's previous Labor Day date. With Magnussen at the wheel, the No. 4 Corvette C6.R turned its quickest time on its fifth lap at 1:17.580 (114.107 mph), while Beretta clocked his best lap (1:17.997/113.497 mph) on his fourth circuit. Dirk Mueller put the No. 56 BMW M3 GT on the Mosport pole with the session's fastest lap at 1:17.083 (114.842 mph).
"It was a really good qualifying lap, no traffic and as mistake-free as you can make one," said Magnussen. "That was absolutely as fast as I could go today. We don't have the same balance in the car as we did last year at Mosport, and the difference is it was cooler. Maybe the cooler weather that's predicted for tomorrow will help us, but usually it helps everybody.
"It's very, very close, less than a tenth of a second between each car, but it's not where we want to be and we have our work cut out," Magnussen said. "We'll have to race hard and smart tomorrow. It shows there are some adjustments that need to be made to the performance of the various cars, if only small adjustments."
Beretta was pleased with the improvement in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R following the final practice session. "The performance in qualifying was better, no question, and the team did a good job," Beretta said. "The problem on my lap was traffic. I did my qualifying time, and then I had traffic on the next three laps. Sure, I could have been quicker, but it looks like some of the other cars are definitely quicker than us – but it's a long race!"
Balance of performance adjustments announced after the Lime Rock race two weeks ago will be implemented in the upcoming round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
"It was a difficult day at a very fast race track," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "You look at the top six cars and they're within a half a second – almost nothing. I think that promises an extremely close competition tomorrow. As we move on to Mid-Ohio, the performance balancing rules will take effect and we'll see even closer competition."
The Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24. Live video coverage is available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users, plus live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. ESPN2 will televise the race on July 24 at 10 p.m. ET.
Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport GT Qualifying (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time
1. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 1:17.083
2. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 1:17.142
3. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:17.312
4. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:17.511
5. 62 Melo/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:17.543
6. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 1:17.580
7. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:17.964
8. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:17.997
9. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 1:18.847
10. 98 Jones/Moran, Jaguar RSR, 1:19.302
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07-23-2011, 08:47 PM
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#4
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Roadster's Rule...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 5th Wheel Living
Posts: 32
Name :
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May the best Vette win!
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07-24-2011, 08:57 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Marianna
Posts: 901
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Mosport Race Results
Replay of the race is tonight, July 24:
ESPN2 TV Broadcast 9:00PM - 11:00 PM CST
Corvette Racing Wins Grand Prix of Mosport
Corvette Notches Ninth Win at Canadian Circuit, Scores First ALMS GT Victory of Season
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada, July 24, 2011 – Corvette Racing returned to the winner's circle today at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport as Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen scored the team's first American Le Mans Series victory of the season. Gavin and Magnussen won the GT class by 4.4 seconds in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R over the Ferrari 458 Italia of Jaime Melo and Toni Vilander. Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta finished sixth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R after contact with a backmarker cost them valuable time on the high-speed Canadian circuit.
After qualifying sixth and eighth on Saturday, Corvette Racing rebounded with a strong race day setup that ultimately broke BMW's three-race winning streak. The two-hour, 45-minute race was anything but predictable as spins, crashes, close calls and penalties added to the drama.
"We had a team meeting after qualifying and agreed that we all just needed to do our jobs because anything can happen," said team manager Gary Pratt. "The crew made great pit stops, the drivers made smart decisions, the engineers made good calls, and here we are with a victory. You have to be able to take advantage of opportunities, you have to be able to close the deal, and today we did."
Gavin and Milner were the starting drivers, and slotted into sixth and eighth respectively as the race began. The running order changed dramatically after the first round of pit stops under a full-course caution, as Gavin emerged in third after two cars were penalized. When the second-place Porsche went off track shortly after the one-hour mark, Gavin moved into second and began an extended battle with Vilander in the Risi Competizione Ferrari.
"We started coming on these big clumps of traffic, and things started getting crazy," Gavin said. "I had this mad battle with Toni, where he passed me going into Turn 2 and then he went around the outside of a GTC car. I managed to undercut them both and come back around the outside into Turn 3 – it was fantastic racing!"
Contact with the Ferrari in Moss Corner punctured a tire, and the crew scrambled as Gavin dove into the pits with one hour and four minutes to go. Magnussen took over the No. 4 Corvette and emerged in third. The Dane passed the Ferrari with 30 minutes to go, and then took the lead with 20 minutes remaining when the leading No. 55 BMW driven by Dirk Werner was assessed a stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact.
"I knew that for us to get a good result out of this race, we had to be 100 percent focused every second," Magnussen said. "We could never relax, just push all the time. To pull a win from where we were after qualifying is just fantastic. These guys have done it before and they'll do it again – you can never count Corvette Racing out. The way this team pushes, I'm so proud to be part of it."
Gavin agreed: "The team won this race," said the Englishman. "We got our first win on the board and we've broken BMW's stranglehold on ALMS victories this year. I'm absolutely delighted!"
The No. 4 Corvette's second pit stop proved pivotal. "We had 10 seconds for everyone to get ready," said crew chief Brian Hoye. "The guys know what to do and they were ready to go. We knocked out a quick stop, kept the car in contention, and we ended up with a victory. We used every session to make the car the best it could be for the race, and it turned out be a spectacular result."
The No. 3 Corvette was less fortunate today as contact with the No. 11 Porsche GTC and a resulting spin took them out of contention. Milner had executed a series of passes to pull the No. 3 up to fourth place before the accident.
"The No. 3 Corvette was really, really good, the best I've driven all year long," said Milner. "My spot today was Turn 5, where a lot of people were getting held up in traffic and I was able to get underneath them entering 5B. It's a pretty safe spot to pass, and you can rub fenders there without it being an issue. I got a number of passes done there, but then we had that contact in Turn 10. Unfortunately we have a few drivers who need more seat time, especially running with other class cars. I gave him a lot of room going into 9, but he wanted to race me. The result was I got spun out."
The contact damaged the Corvette's left-rear suspension and an extended pit stop dropped the No. 3 off the lead lap. Beretta drove the last 62 minutes to secure sixth for the Le Mans-winning Corvette.
"It's a good win for the No. 4 Corvette and good for the whole team," Beretta said. "Tommy did a very good job, we were just unlucky to be touched by a gentleman driver and that was the end of our race. I was hoping for a yellow to close up the field, but it didn't come, so I just brought the car home."
Corvette Racing celebrated its ninth win at Mosport and captured the Michelin Green X Challenge as the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient entry in the GT class.
"As the inaugural winner of the Michelin Green X Challenge, it's always an honor when Corvette Racing collects one of these trophies," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "It's a testament to how hard our engine group, our chassis group, and our aero group have worked to maximize the efficiency of the Corvette. It's also a testament to Chevrolet's willingness to race with cellulosic E85, and as the world's largest producer of flex-fuel vehicles, it's only appropriate that the Chevrolet team won the Green X Challenge today."
ESPN2 will televise the Grand Prix of Mosport tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge in Lexington, Ohio, on Saturday, August 6, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live video coverage will available on ESPN3.com in the US and americanlemans.com for international users. ESPN2 will televise the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on Sunday, August 7, at 10 p.m. ET.
Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport GT Results (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps
1. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 121
2. 62 Melo/Vilander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 121
3. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 121
4. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 121
5. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 120
6. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 119
7. 04 Murry/Lazzaro, Doran Ford GT, 119
8. 44 Neiman/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 118
9. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 117
10. 48 Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 117
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07-25-2011, 11:00 AM
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#6
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Defender of the C4's
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Orlando
Posts: 98
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Nice work, boys!
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