American Le Mans Series

Corvette Taps Fountain Of Youth For Sprint And Endurance Events

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Corvette Racing (Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Corvette Racing Photo)

Corvette Racing (Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Corvette Racing Photo)

 As the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring draws nearer, Corvette Racing have a pair of potential aces up their sleeves to pilot the new Compuware Corvette C6.Rs. 

The No. 3 Corvette C6.R will retain Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia as full-season pilots while adding Jordan Taylor as a third for the team's endurance efforts (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). The No.4 C6.R will see the duties split between Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Richard Westbrook.  Westbrook will participate in the three endurance events.

GM Racing Director, Mark Kent shares the team philosophy and review of off season number crunching, “As part of our comprehensive review of Corvette Racing, we considered every element of the program, from the chassis and engine to the driver pairings. Preseason testing and data analysis suggest that a revised driver alignment could improve the team's overall performance.  Certainly physical size is a factor in minimizing the time required for driver changes during pit stops, but we also evaluated other drivers' individual styles and their preferences on chassis setups. With these pairings, we can minimize compromises and maximize driver confidence.”

Kent went on to add, “This new alignment also combines experienced and younger drivers.  We expect veteran drivers to mentor the younger drivers, accelerating the process of learning and development.”

The shuffling of drivers has not been a major upset and drivers are getting promotions within the team.   The 38 year old Magnussen returns to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that he drove from March 2007 to August 2010.  Antonio Garcia moves from the “third” position driving role that he began in 2009, to a full-season endeavor in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The third driver slot will be filled by Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old from Apopka, FL.

When Tommy Milner joined Corvette Racing in 2011, he was the full-season driver for the No. 3 Corvette.  He now takes up his duties in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R with Oliver Gavin.  Gavin has driven for Corvette Racing since 2002.  Richard Westbrook will celebrate his second year as the No. 4 Corvette C6.R third.

On February 8-9, Corvette Racing will introduce their new driver lineup at the Sebring Winter Test.  The test is in preparation for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17.

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