2022 LeMans June 11th Weekend

[teamzr1]

This year, C8.R Corvette has split its racing strategy, running one C8.R in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and one in the WEC.
Tandy and Milner currently lie fourth in the latter's GTE Pro class after second in the Sebring 1000-mile race and fourth in the six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps

Despite Le Mans being worth double points and a poor finish or even worse, a DNF likely to end their title quest, both drivers are prepared to risk running flat-out in order to achieve victory in the WEC’s marquee event.
“Running WEC doesn’t change anything for me in terms of preparation,” said Milner, who won Le Mans with a Corvette C6.R in 2011 and with a C7.R in 2015" (the team’s last win at the track).

No matter what, we finish the race, and we finish as strongly as we can. We race hard to the end no matter what our position is.
Now that we have some concerns for points in the full WEC championship, we’ll race with that in mind.
But it doesn’t change the fact that winning Le Mans would be the crown jewel for this season.

This is how we’ve always raced, and it won’t change. It just means that the points at the end of the weekend will mean a little bit more.

Tandy, who won the race overall with Porsche back in 2015, declared: “Le Mans is Le Mans. It’s always been its own event.
Now it’s a part of our championship and a double-points one at that, so it takes on extra significance now for us this year, at least on the #64 side.

One of the reasons we entered the [full] WEC is that it gives us more preparation, information and experience of the series’ rules and regulations. It’s things like pit stop sequences, maximizing strategy information and bits and pieces that are different from series to series.
We have more information about what we can do better going into Le Mans. We’re coming into Le Mans with the best level of preparation that Corvette Racing has ever had.

“It’ll be the first time that we’ll run the low-drag aero kit, so the car will be a little different from what we were used to at Spa.
The other good thing is that we have last year’s experience and data to look back on. We’re not coming into this with a brand-new car.”

Milner and Tandy will be joined in the #64 C8.R by Alexander Sims, while the sister #63 car will be driven by the usual IMSA endurance race line-up of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg.

With IMSA no longer running the GTLM class (a WEC GTE Pro equivalent) but instead GTD Pro (GT3 cars), it means this trio has to re-adapt to cars with Corvette-specific tires from Michelin, no anti-lock braking system and slightly more power. However, two of them at least aren’t expecting this to be an issue.
Said Garcia: “It would be way different if we were running the GTD Pro spec. We are going back to our regular GTE setup in the C8.R, and I’m looking forward to that. Part of it won’t be ideal as Jordan, Nicky and myself will need to re-adapt to that car a little bit.

"Having the #64 car in the WEC will help the whole team, though. We will need to get up to speed at the start, and maybe the #64 car will start some development early on.
"We’ve done this race so many times and have raced the GTE spec so many years that it won’t take much to get on the pace. To be honest, it is more difficult to drive the IMSA [GTD Pro] car compared to what we have driven for the last 15 years!”

Catsburg added: “The last time I drove a car without ABS was Petit Le Mans in the Corvette.
That’s a bit of a handicap but we’re all more than capable to make that adjustment and be ready for it.
I’ve always been going back and forth between GTE and GT3 whenever I would come race in the States, last year…
“I honestly prefer a car without ABS. We’re all in the same boat, and we can all do this, for sure.”

Taylor, who completed some tire testing in a GTE-spec Corvette in March, sounded a more cautionary note, stating:
I still think it’s going to be a big adjustment for us going back to that, especially with it being such a tight schedule on [Le Mans] race week.

There is such limited time to get three guys through the car with such a long lap and adding in the car development we want to do.
Hopefully we can hit the ground running and get comfortable right off the bat to get into development.”

 

[Oneball]

Didn’t realise they were running two cars. That’s good news, although I imagine team orders may come into play. Can you still swap drivers at Le Mans?

 

[teamzr1]

You can read all the regulations at

LeMans Rules

 

[Oneball]

You can read all the regulations at

LeMans Rules

No then. Main driver plus two other nominated drivers per car.

 

[teamzr1]

Not sure if this covers it ?
o Drivers must drive only the car for which they have been designated, unless prior and express dispensation has
been granted by the Stewards in a case of force majeu

 

[teamzr1]

After first practice

Separate dramas affected the morning run, which was held in gloomy but dry conditions, for both factory-run Porsche 911 RSR-19s running in the GTE-Pro class.
The No. 92 car driven by Michael Christensen stopped with a left drive shaft failure early in the second hour, causing a slow zone at Tertre Rouge.

Around an hour later, the sister No. 91 Porsche went off at Mulsanne, with Gianmaria Bruni rejoining the track before parking up a few turns later at Indianapolis.
The car is understood to have locked up significantly into Mulannse. It was later transported back to the paddock with a deflated left-front Michelin tire.
Porsche placed third and fifth in the GTE-Pro times as Corvette Racing led the way.

Tommy Milner reeled off the 3:54.690 that put the No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R on top and was backed up by Nicky Catsburg who banked a 3:54.766 in the No. 63 machine.
Milner stopped on track in the closing stages due to his car running out of fuel.

Before his incident, Bruni came through in third on a 3:55.467, ahead of the independent Riley Motorsports Ferrari 488 GTE Evo which was Maranello’s quickest car in Pro

 

[teamzr1]

Second practice completed
C8.Rs split with being in 1st and last places
Corvette Racing maintained its grip on the GTE Pro class thanks to a late lap from Alexander Sims.

The Briton posted a 3m54.001s to move ahead of Davide Rigon in the the best of the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evos.

Rigon’s 3m53.037s was two tenths up on Frederic Makowiecki’s 3m54.263s in the #91 Porsche 911 RSR.

Kessel Racing led the way in GTE Am courtesy of a 3m54.827s from Mikkel Jensen, who will form part of Peugeot's Hypercar roster later this year in the WEC.

Track action resumes at Le Mans on Wednesday: practice for the 24 Hours begins at 14:00 local time, with the one-hour first qualifying session beginning at 19:00.

 

[teamzr1]

LE MANS, France (June 5, 2022)
Corvette Racing’s Alexander Sims set the fastest GTE Pro time in testing Sunday ahead of next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans the second time at the French endurance classic for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

Sims set the fastest GTE Pro time of 3:54.001 (130.239 mph) behind the wheel of the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R during the second of two four-hour sessions. Sims led a GTE Pro category that was separated by a bit more than a half-second, an amazing development around an 8.5-mile circuit. He will drive next weekend with Tommy Milner who was fastest in class during the morning session – and Nick Tandy.

The Milner/Tandy duo are full-season teammates in the FIA World Endurance Championship, of which Le Mans will pay double points toward.
They are third in the championship after two races.
Antonio Garcia was the quickest driver in the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette at 3:54.504 (129.991 mph). He, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg are racing the GTE-spec C8.R for the first time since last year’s Petit Le Mans in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The WEC Corvette has given the entire Corvette Racing team much-needed insight and data on a wide variety of items that will be key at Le Mans.
Things like pit stop procedures, tire selection and performance, and racing rules will be key to the team’s outcome.

Meanwhile, the Garcia/Taylor/Catsburg trio spent Sunday relearning the GTE C8.R instead of its GT Daytona (GTD) configuration from IMSA, which features less power, an ABS system for driver assistance and a common Michelin tire that is available to all teams, as opposed to the GTE Michelin that is designed specifically for the Corvette.

Corvette Racing is going for its ninth class win at Le Mans since 2001.

Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the Motor Trend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on June 8-9. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Wednesday’s first official practice session.

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“It’s nice to be back at Le Mans and back in the Corvette. It was a little bit of a crazy night flying here from Formula E in Indonesia and doing a decent chunk of laps, something I wasn’t able to do last year. It was nice just to get a good feeling of the car and find my rhythm.

We learned a lot about tire longevity; I was fortunate to have a couple of safety cars and slow zones to go through the Le Mans-specific rules and things that can happen in the race, so that was really useful. Things like this and getting to double-stint the tires will prove helpful, too. In general, it was a good day.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“All in all, it was a pretty good day. A lot of work that we did in the off season to improve the car, we felt today, which was great. There were a couple of issues here and there, but they aren’t things we can’t solve.
I’m happy with the progress the team has made since the off season and the progress the team has made today. We came here with a plan of what we needed to learn about the tire here at Le Mans.

It’s a new compound for us here. We accomplished what we needed to. The Corvette is quite comfortable for us, which is a nice improvement from last year. On lap-time, we seem certainly better than last year, which is good since we’ve had some power taken away. So far, so good.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R

“For sure, having everything and everyone ready from doing the previous two WEC races has given us a head start.
Day One here at Le Mans and things went really smooth, and we got through everything we wanted to do. It’s great to have Alex back with us and to get some laps.
The track looks good and it looks clean. The Corvette feels good. Things can change between now and the race, but we’ve definitely started with our best foot forward.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’m pleased. I was expecting rain, a lot of red flags and all that. At the end of the day, especially compared to last year, we managed to put in a lot of laps. We did 50 laps this afternoon, which around here is plenty. There is a lot of data to see and compare to all the pre-event data we had.
We will look and see what the best way is to start practice Wednesday.
A lot of things have been tested, so now we need to figure out the best package for the race week.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“It’s our first time back since last year, which was our first time here with this car. Obviously since then we’ve done a lot of work in the simulator to make developments and came back with some new setup strategies, so it was nice to put these to the test in real life as opposed to the virtual world.
I think we’re pretty happy with how we rolled off the truck here. The car seemed to be a bit of a step ahead of where we were last year from a balance perspective.

Obviously, it’s good to get all three of us back in the car. For us on the 63 side, we’re racing a much different car in IMSA these days, so adjusting to a different tire and no ABS is definitely an adjustment. It was nice that all of us got a good amount of running today. We can come back tomorrow and Tuesday and look at some data and hit the ground running on Wednesday.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“It was excellent to get back in this spec of the C8.R. The biggest thing between here and IMSA is the lack of ABS, which I like and is nice. It requires more skill and is more of a challenge, so you do have to adjust to that. It was about a bit of that today and getting back into the rhythm of the track

I really loved it today. I always love getting back in the Corvette after a few months away. We made some improvements on the car since last year.
Also doing the WEC season on the 64 side has helped. The car feels nice and is good to drive. I can’t wait for the rest of the week.”

 

[teamzr1]

For the first time since 2019, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is fully open to spectators with popular activities such as public scrutineering, pit walks, autograph sessions and the parade of drivers returning to the event.

With these and other fan engagements returning, Le Mans is bound to attract a significant number of new spectators many of whom will go into the event wide-eyed and somewhat overwhelmed by the scope and amount of things to do.
The six drivers from C8.R Corvette Racing can help, however. Each has their own perspective on the reopening of the event and recommendations for newcomers to the 24 Hours

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Going back to Le Mans with fans being here this year is something we all wanted. Obviously it’s one of the biggest races of the year. Missing a large portion of the fans last year was very unusual for everybody. So it’s great to see them all back at Le Mans.”

Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I only have the driver’s view of Le Mans, other than 2015 (the No. 63 Corvette didn’t start). I walked around the track a little bit on Saturday but that was it. The amount of opportunities where you see interactions between fans and drivers are huge. I’ve never seen longer autograph sessions than what you have at Le Mans

That’s on top of scrutineering where you are signing all the time and seeing people everywhere. Those are two of the good things. So scrutineering downtown and the autograph session before practice… then there are the pit walks where you can see the whole team working on the cars.
This year is back to normal, which will be great. As a race fan, I will definitely do the experience more than once after I retire in some years!”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“My first time going, events like the autograph session, scrutineering and the parade were huge events around the race itself. As a kid watching from America, you’d get online and look at the pictures from those things and wonder what it would be like in person.
When you’re there, you understand the magnitude of the event and how special it is not just for motorsport but for the city and how everyone embraces it. Not being able to connect with fans as much as we have in the past was tough. But it’s nice to get back to that normal and makes all the traditions come full-circle.

Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans: “I think you have to do the parade.
That’s where you get the energy of the whole city that embraces the event. You see how massive it is and all the traditions that go with it. At the race itself, somehow getting around most of the track gives the perspective of how big the circuit is in itself. It reminds you of the history of the event and guys going around with tiny seatbelts, basically no headlights and things like that.
You can get an idea of how crazy it is when you go down Mulsanne and there are no lights or anything. Think about what those guys in the 60s and 70s were doing at 220 mph and old-style headlights. You feel so alone out there. It’s something you don’t see anywhere else in the world.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Having the parade and public scrutineering back is big. Drivers always joke that there are some sides of it which give us more work and more time to be away from where we want to be on track. But I think we all love it. The Le Mans parade is a parade unlike anything else. You go through the city with so much history and so many great fans.
Of course Jordan will steal the show so I can’t wait to be next to him and watching him do what he does with the fans. And what would our sport and Le Mans be without fans?
So I’m super happy that Le Mans is going to be back to normal in a way and we can all enjoy the massive amount of fans that are down there. Le Mans and Nürburgring 24 are events that driven by the fans being there, and we’ve missed that the last couple of years. I can’t wait.”

Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans:

“I’d do the parade. You also have these little streets around Arnage and in some of the small towns that are just full of fans eating food and drinking beer. The atmosphere is so, so cool even though you are half-a-kilometer from the track. That is something I really like about Le Mans. You can see the whole area is breathing the event for that week. So I would soak up some of that.

At the track, I would recommend that my friends just go walk. Go for a huge hike and leave for a couple of hours. Go around the track and to spots where it might not be so crowded. You can really see the crazy speed differences and approaching speeds into the corners.
You get to see the event from a different point of view than just sitting around in a hospitality room looking at a TV screen. That’s definitely something I would do.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“It’s a big deal for the race and all the fans, sponsors and competitors to get back to normal. While the last two years with the world situation as it is, the bare-bones required people have been there to make the event happen. What makes the event special, as we see with any marquee sporting event, is the atmosphere and ambiance.

It’s all the extra stuff and energies that come together and make these events as special as they are. When you don’t have all those ingredients, there definitely is a different feel to the race.
We had some fans last year, which was great. It adds to the event and makes it feel as special as the race always has been. We’re all looking forward to getting to back to a normal Le Mans.”

Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans:

“I’ve never experienced things from the fan side, but there are some awesome things around the event. The parade is always great. The fans look like they’re always having a great time. Some may enjoy just sitting back, having a beer and enjoying the atmosphere that way. The best thing I’d tell someone is to find another fan who has been there multiple times and ask their opinion on what their favorite thing to do on the weekend, where to go, where to watch the race. You’ll definitely get different opinions the more you talk to people.

When I do have friends that come to the track, I can show them the cars up close and talk to them what we experience as drivers. But the best advice I can give anyone is to find and talk with other fans. I’ve always found sports car fans to be super approachable.
They’re all obviously knowledgeable and very much fans of the race.
Even at big events like Le Mans, you have people there that understand what’s happening in the race and have a good perspective on how best to enjoy themselves.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Even comparing Le Mans to other sporting events I’ve been to, Le Mans is one of the top ones in the world. It’s been different the last couple of years.
Yes, we are a racing team and we go to concentrate on our racing. That’s what we’ve focused on the last couple of years. When I first went to Le Mans, I wasn’t prepared for the scale and amount of people that watch and follow it.

People make a holiday out of it. It’s just incredible. For our sport as a whole, it’s great that we have our showpiece back in its normal slot, back open and back where people can see the cars during scrutineering in the city. I’ve not seen a lot of friends and family that are always in the same spots for the driver parade each year. That’s part of the week. It’s great for everyone that we’re back to how it should be. I hope it goes smoothly so everyone can enjoy what we’re doing.”

Recommendations for first-time fans at Le Mans:

“Learning from other people’s experiences from the times they’ve been there is helpful. When you’re open to moving around, that’s ideal. I know people who have made friends in France that are now life-long friends back in the UK. They don’t live near each other but they meet at places like this and have similar vested interests. People go there for the social side of it, meeting and talking and sharing the same passions is just as much of a draw as seeing the cars, the drivers and action on-track.

One of the draws of a 24-hour race is that you don’t have to sit there for an hour-and-a-half to follow it. You can dip in and out. You can go around to different parts of the track. You can go and have dinner in one village and then have breakfast in another to meet other people to get involved with what’s going on. I’ve always said that if I wasn’t driving at Le Mans, I’d definitely go there with friends to have a good time and enjoy the event.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“To me, this is what Le Mans is about.
The size of the event is enormous. I’ll always remember the first Le Mans I did, I had been in single-seaters to that point and was around Formula One. I knew of Le Mans but it wasn’t until I went there and realized the scale of the event and how it completely surpassed any F1 weekend I had been to. It’s still the same with the times I’ve been to Le Mans. Even last year with limited fans, you still had the sensation of it being an awesome event with loads of people that are coming from around Europe and across the world.

 

[teamzr1]

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers

• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 21 appearances at Le Mans: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021).
• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004.
• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011.
• 7: Number of Le Mans victories for Corvette Racing’s lineup.
Antonio Garcia: 3 Tommy Milner: 2 Jordan Taylor: 1 Nick Tandy: 1
• 8: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001.
• 9: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett and Jordan Taylor.
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 23: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grew in 2021 with Nick Tandy, Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims joining the lineup.
• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
• 121: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 256: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 27,557.8: Approximate freight weight in pounds (12,500 kgs!!) sent by Corvette Racing to Le Mans by air and by sea! The first shipment left Detroit in April via rail and sea, and the last left in early-May by air.
• 104,343.44: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 12,376 laps… or more than four full trips around the Earth at its equator. The two Corvettes combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark in the 2021 race.
• 340,225.78: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and part of the way back!
Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)
2000
No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
2001
No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002
No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2003
No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
No. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS
2004
No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS
2005
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2006
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1
2008
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1
2009
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1
2010
No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF)
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF)
2011
No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2012
No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 6th in GTE Pro
2013
No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro
2014
No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro
2015
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash)
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro
2016
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2017
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2018
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2019
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2021
No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro

 

[teamzr1]

C8.R driver Tommy Milner reckons that Corvette Racing is better prepared for its 2nd 24 Hours of Le Mans with the C8.R thanks to its decision to commit to a full-season FIA World Endurance Championship campaign for the first time, as opposed to running a one-off round prior to the French enduro.

The American manufacturer is in the midst of a full-season tilt in the GTE-Pro category, with Milner and co-driver Nick Tandy driving the No. 64 Corvette C8.R against factory efforts from rival manufacturers Ferrari and Porsche.
In previous years, Corvette would typically run one or two single-car entries in the buildup to Le Mans as a way to prepare for the event.
In 2018, it ran a single C7.R in the 6 Hours of Shanghai, followed by appearances at Sebring (2019), COTA (2020) and Spa (2021).

Now, with more WEC running leading into Le Mans, Milner believes that the team was able to learn the nuances of the series in a way that it was not able to do previously, which has boosted its preparation.
“More than anything, it’s probably the operational side of things that is a benefit for the team,” Milner stated.
“The team has spent a lot of time in the off season preparing for the way the pit stops work, which they do most years anyway, but a lot of the time is also spent practicing IMSA pit stops.
“We saw at Sebring and at Spa as well that there was a bit of time to be gained in the pit lane compared to our competitors. So I think in that sense, it’s been a huge help.”

According to Milner, the extra running has also allowed Corvette to get a better grip on the WEC-specific tire compounds.
This was especially useful as the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship traded the ‘confidential’ Michelin specification for customer-spec Pilot Sport S9M tires when it introduced GTD Pro at the beginning of the year.

That switch meant that Corvette would have been at a disadvantage, had it not committed to the full WEC campaign, says Milner.
“It’s also been helpful for us as we haven’t done as much testing as now this year and with IMSA being on a customer Michelin tire, we normally would have run on the confidential tire [there],” he said.

“So had we not done the WEC this year, we would have been behind the eight-ball a bit on track running on the compound of tires that we’ll use this year.”
“So we have some experience on that, and we have a good baseline for that as well.

“It’s always different coming here to Le Mans, with the track being so unique, long straightaways.
“The compounds that we typically use here are a little bit different from what we would normally use in the U.S.

“So all things considered, it has been a good change for Corvette Racing to spend more time here in WEC and understand how the pit stops work and more running on a tire that we wouldn’t normally have run in the U.S.”

Tandy, who is going into his second Le Mans start with Corvette, echoed his co-driver’s sentiment and indicated that the added preparation will allow the team to launch a serious bid for class honors, something Milner agrees on.
“I think we have everything needed to have a really strong run at it,” Tandy said.

“We’ve done the whole WEC season buildup, we know the car, we know the tires, we know from this race last year what we need to focus on.
“So there are no excuses, we’re here to win and anything else will be a failure.”

 

[teamzr1]

Do not forget qualify is tomorrow, Weds

 

[GCorvette]

Looking forward to it.
TV & Radio broadcasts are already running.
Go Corvette!

 

[teamzr1]

The 62 cars entered the 90th 24 Hours will hit the track today for free practice and qualifying sessions, as will competitors in the support races Road to Le Mans, Ligier European Series and Porsche Sprint Challenge.

24 Hours of Le Mans Free Practices​

From 14:00 to 17:00 then from 22:00 to midnight, the teams will take advantage of five hours of track time to fine-tune their cars for the race. Their marching orders will include long stints and tests related to aerodynamics, tires and fuel consumption. Naturally, drivers will be tempted to push their cars to assess potential at the unique 24 Hours circuit.

24 Hours of Le Mans Qualifying​

During qualifying, scheduled from 19:00 to 20:00, the action will ramp up as drivers hit the track for a race against the clock. The top six in each class will qualify for tomorrow's Hyperpole.

Road to Le Mans​

Created in 2016, Road to Le Mans is the highlight of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season every year. This race is reserved for cars in compliance with the FIA GT3 and LMP3 regulations, and represents the ACO's desire to set up benchmark events to help drivers advance. The entrants will participate in two one-hour free practice sessions, the first from 12:25 to 13:25 and the second from 20:30 to 21:30.

 

[teamzr1]

3 hours of practice has started and then qualify later today

Live timing here

 

[teamzr1]

Completed first practice Weds

 

[teamzr1]

End of Qualify and Le Mans gave gifts to others, but not to C8.Rs as BoP
allows others to have less wing angle which give them higher top end speed

Le Mans BoP update today :

Ferrari, The minimum rear wing angle has been changed from 5.3 degrees to minus 5.3 degrees.
Additionally, a rear wing angle change for all Porsche 911 RSR-19s sees the German manufacturer’s cars shift from 2 degrees to minus 1.8 degrees.

Neither the Pro-class Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs nor the Am-class Aston Martin Vantage GTEs have been affected by the BoP amendment, which was communicated right at the start of the three-hour Free Practice 1 session.
Qualify was interrupted by a red flag due to a crash for the No. 93 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Michael Fassbender.
After the session then resumed, only a handful of drivers were able to post improved lap times until it began raining.

In three classes, the top six drivers in class secured a spot in Hyperpole tomorrow
GTE-Pro saw the six factory-entered cars occupying the top six, with Riley Motorsports eliminated.
Laurens Vanthoor was fastest in the No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 with the best lap of 3:50.999, which was 0.133 seconds faster than the No. 63 Corvette C8.R of Antonio Garcia.

Fred Makowiecki was third in the sister Porsche, with Nick Tandy fourth, ahead of the two AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evos of James Calado and Antonio Fuoco.

 

[Oneball]

They’ve been topping the timing sheets all week, I did wonder when they’d get stung.

 

[teamzr1]

Corvette Racing led the way in second practice in the GTE Pro ranks as Nicky Catsburg set a best effort of 3m53.492s early on in the quickest of the American marque's pair of C8.Rs, the #63 car.

Next up was the best of the factory Porsche 911 RSR-19s, the #91 example of Frederic Makowiecki, with the #64 Corvette of Tommy Milner a mere three hundredths further back in third.

The quickest Ferrari 488 GTE Evo was the privateer Riley Motorsports entry in fourth with Felipe Fraga at the wheel, ahead of the #92 Porsche of Kevin Estre and the two works AF Corse-entered Ferraris.

 

[teamzr1]

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: C8.Rs Advance to Hyperpole

Garcia, Tandy among GTE Pro leaders in first official practice, qualifying sessions

Both C8.R Corvette Racing entries advanced Wednesday to the Hyperpole final qualifying session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the pair of mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs continuing their strong showing from Sunday’s Test Day.

Antonio Garcia, driving the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, was the second-fastest driver in an ultra-competitive GTE Pro category with a lap of 3:51.132 (131.855 mph).
A three-time Le Mans winner, Garcia was only 0.133 seconds off the class-leading pace of Laurens Vanthoor.
Nick Tandy wasn’t far behind in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette. His best lap of 3:51.491 (131.669 mph) put him comfortably inside the top-six, as the six fastest cars in each class from Wednesday qualifying advance to Thursday’s 30-minute Hyperpole session.

Wednesday’s five hours of practice saw all six Corvette Racing drivers cycle through the C8.Rs.
Aside from a brief heavy shower during the qualifying session and a couple of slow zones in the two-hour night session, neither of the Corvettes lost significant running time due to technical or mechanical issues.

Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11-12 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 Thursday.
Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Wednesday’s first official practice session.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R SECOND IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“It was a good day and so far the car is good. We had a clean run in free practice to validate a few things we had in mind and putting things together from the Test Day. You always get a little nervous with this new qualifying format because in an hour, anything can happen. We saw that last year when I got caught with a ton of red flags and slow zones.

I knew we had the speed, but you had to put down a lap or two, to be sure. We did it and did it early enough with the unexpected rain. I couldn’t believe that after I went out for my second run that the team told it was raining hard. Even at Pit-In, there were zero drops.
It was another Le Mans qualifying, and tomorrow is the real one. The important thing was to run as much as we could tonight and again tomorrow. We have five more hours of free practice left. Let’s see if we can improve things even more.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R FOURTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“Raceweek is always a little bit different from the Test Day.
That’s always the first day when the public roads are opened up to us and the rubber from the tires start going down. We’re pleased to see that the car is still in excellent shape from the test.
We’re continuing to work through and figuring out what tire compounds we want to be running at certain times. So far, the practice is going well. In qualifying, the key aim of course was to get both cars into the Hyperpole.
We managed to get some idea of what we need to do to gain a bit more performance for Hyperpole.

From our side, it’s been a pleasing day.
Everything that we have worked on has made sense with what we hoped would happen with the car.
Hopefully the rest of the week will go as smoothly as today.”