Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen this Weekend

[teamzr1]

While their run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended with disappointment, Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and the rest of Corvette Racing’s squad in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are back stateside for another shot at a long-distance race victory.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is the first race in the U.S. since May 1 for Corvette Racing and the rest of the field of competitors in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category. Through five races, Garcia and Taylor stand second in Drivers points, as does Chevrolet in the Manufacturers standings on the strength of a class victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

The No. 3 Corvette also arrives at The Glen leading GTD PRO in the Michelin Endurance Cup a championship made up of the WeatherTech Championship’s four long-distance races. Given recent success at The Glen, there’s a better than average chance that advantage remains going into the weekend.

Corvette Racing has three victories at Watkins Glen since 2014 including two last year.
Garcia and Taylor won in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in last year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours as well as the WeatherTech 240 sprint a race a week later.
Garcia is one of nine drivers to win more than once in the Sahlen’s Six Hours and has five podium finishes in his last five races at The Glen, while Taylor won for the first time in the event a year ago.

Chevrolet has a strong history of success in the race with 18 victories second among active manufacturers.
The GTD PRO Corvette differs in several ways from the C8.R that ran at Watkins Glen in 2021. Chief among the differences are additional weight, restricted power and customer Michelin tires that are mandated for all GTD entries as opposed to Michelins specifically designed for the C8.R in GTLM trim.

Chevrolet Motorsports Display On-Site at The Glen

In addition to the many series and events on the racetrack at Watkins Glen, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday and is located in the Fan Midway at Watkins Glen International. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• The 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible
• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Silverado ZR2, Camaro 2SS 1LE and Colorado ZR2
• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar and LT6.R engine
• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Team Chevy t-shirt

Fans should also be on the lookout for an additional Corvette on the racetrack. A Corvette Stingray will serve as Official Pace Car for the two-hour Tioga Downs Casino race for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge starting at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 26.
The race will stream live on Peacock with USA’s live television coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ETIMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I really, really like this race. I enjoy the track a lot. I believe it was my very first race in America in GRAND-AM. We’ve generally been strong there. Being a six-hour race, there always is something going on. It might be a super-hot race, there may be rainstorms, you never know what’s a race at Watkins Glen is going to be like. That’s why experience is a good thing to have there.
I think I’ve run in every different condition there, so I’m looking forward to going back in this new class and see how this spec of the C8.R fits in there.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Winning last year’s race was a big deal. It was always on my dad’s bucket list of races to win as a driver. I think it was the only endurance race that he hadn’t won. He won Daytona, Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Le Mans, so the one he always talked about was the Six Hours.
The same was happening for me. I had gone all these years without winning it. I finished second a couple of times, I think, and it was always something little. To finally have everything click and work out was pretty special. It really kicked off our season last year with a good run of success.”

“Watkins Glen was always a cool race for me from obviously watching sports car racing but also being a fan of motorsport. It was one of the few natural-terrain road courses that Formula One used in America. Seeing old footage of Formula One cars around there and still having the classic blue guardrails to pay homage to the history is pretty special. To win at those types of tracks is really nice.”

2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO
(After four of 11 Events)

Driver Standings
1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 1,345
2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1,295
3. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 1,265
4. Cooper MacNeil – 1,112
5. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 1,106

Team Standings
1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 1,345
2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 1,295
3. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 1,265
4. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,112
5. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 1,106

Manufacturer Standings
1. Porsche – 1,345
2. Chevrolet – 1,305
3. Lexus – 1,295
4. Mercedes-AMG – 1,220
5. BMW – 1,180

 

[teamzr1]

C8.R Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia, who drives the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Jordan Taylor, met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday to discuss this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the team’s performance heading Watkins Glen and other topics.

ON RETURNING TO IMSA GTD PRO COMPETITION AT WATKINS GLEN:

“Going back to The Glen will be great. I’ve always loved the race there. It has been quite a long time since we’ve raced the GTD PRO Corvette. I’m happy to go back there and go for two races in two weeks. I feel we are prepared for it. Let’s see how we are, and hopefully we can fight for a good result and a win. That’s the goal.”

MINDSET OF THE TEAM AFTER THE RETIREMENT AT LE MANS:

“It obviously was a shock. It’s been awhile since we’ve retired from such a big race like this. Le Mans is always tough for everyone, but I didn’t expect to retire going into the race. It’s disappointing in one hand, but in the other hand I was happy with the performance we were having. Unluckily, the sister car had to retire as well. It’s time to bounce back.
We’ll be back to the GTD spec, so we need to get used to this car configuration. The Glen has always been an excellent racetrack for us. It’s another new place for this car in this configuration, and we don’t know where we are against the rest (of the GTD PRO field). Looking back at other races, we’ve been competitive, so I hope everything stays the same, and we’re able to fight for it.”

REVIEWING THE SEASON SO FAR:

“We’ve had good races so far. Even though we aren’t leading the championship, we’ve been near the top. We’re all looking forward to the next part of the season which is more important. Let’s see where the Corvette stands against the rest of the field.”

ON THREE RACES IN 20 DAYS AND IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION FOR AN INTENSE STRETCH:

“The team has been flat-out since they got back from Le Mans. Luckily, the car we use in the States is a completely different one (than the Le Mans chassis) so they already had prepared the car for this part of the season right after Laguna.
So on that part we are set. Now we need to get back in our mindset of IMSA racing, knowing the rules, pitlane sequence and how everything works in America. It’s been good to have both teams running either WEC or IMSA.

As we showed, we were very prepared to run Le Mans. Now it’s time to get back to our normal season. Corvette Racing has always been prepared. We’re all looking forward to these two races and racing at two of my favorite tracks back-to-back, The Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Let’s see if the Corvette is fast enough to be up front and if we can go for the win.”

HAVE YOU TESTED AT THE GLEN WITH THE GTD PRO CAR, OR DO YOU KNOW THE CAR WELL ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO RELATE AT A NEW CIRCUIT?

“No, we didn’t test (at The Glen). I think there was some testing going on, but we were fully focused on Le Mans. As we have at every other racetrack, we will correlate all the data we have from the GTLM car and translate everything we know up to now to what we think a baseline would be for this car. We don’t know how it will go yet, but I think we have a narrow path to know where the car should be.
So far we’ve been pretty good off the bat in the first practices. I hope we are the same here at this new track for this car. It’s always a challenge to learn on the new tire. Every racetrack is different, and The Glen was pretty tough on the GTLM tires. We don’t know yet what to expect, but the tire will be the main thing.”

DESCRIBING WATKINS GLEN AND WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT From OTHER TRACKS:

“Foremost, it’s very fast. There are only a couple of slowish corners, but everything else is mid- to high-speed cornering.
That’s what makes it a little different. There is also the actual flow on the track with traffic. We are expecting quite a big field out there. Not only will it be a fight in our class, but it will also be tough with the interaction of the other classes.

That’s the main thing. Now we are actually slower, so in a way that makes it easier compared to GTLM where we were having to pass a lot of cars but also were kind of in the way of the prototypes. Now it’s more about fighting in our class and just getting passed instead of trying to get past some other classes.

That may make it a little easier, but it’s still a question mark for Jordan and me to know how this car will feel. The track is definitely high-demand.
Yes, there are some straight lines, but there also is a lot of action come the race.”

FIGHT AMONG ALL THE MANUFACTURERS IN THE GTD PRO CLASS:

“It will be a big challenge. Knowing there are seven cars out there (from seven manufacturers) and it being a longer race, we’ll have a few more superb drivers coming over to join the teams. That will make things more interesting.

Even being in the mix of the GTD class, they will be running three drivers in those cars, and some pretty good guys will probably be in at the end (of the race). So not only will it be a GTD PRO fight, but it will be a mix of GTD and GTD PRO all the way. It should be interesting.
We need to be smart on strategy, don’t make any mistakes and be up front so not to get caught up in anything. It will be challenging.”

 

[Stingray]

Back in 2019 I put a car round the Glen in pouring rain. Didn't even run into the back of the Nissan GT-R or BMW M5 in front of me...

Definitely a decent road course, alongside Laguna Seca in my book. More interesting than Sebring or Sonoma.

 

[teamzr1]

The on C8.R running in IMSA GDT-Pro performed poorly at last place for the practice session today

Need to step it up for qualify tomorrow !

 

[teamzr1]

C8.R did no better in practice today, still about 1 second per lap slower than lead car

Qualify later today for Sunday's IMSA Watkins Glen 6-hour race

 

[teamzr1]

Looks like the 1 C8.R will be a let-down again for this race as they were almost 2 seconds slower than lead car in qualify
and would be a good race to win as you notice all the other non-American nameplates they will race against

 

[teamzr1]

WATKINS GLEN, NY – Corvette Racing will roll off second to last place of the GT Daytona (GTD) category and in sixth position among GTD PRO entries for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday.

Jordan Taylor set a qualifying lap of 1:46.259 (115.190 mph) in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R around Watkins Glen International during Saturday afternoon’s 15-minute session.
He will start Sunday’s race, the first for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD PRO class in nearly 2 months, as the pairing of Taylor and Antonio Garcia go for a second straight Sahlen’s Six Hours class victory and third straight at The Glen.

The No. 3 Corvette was 1.5 seconds off the GTD PRO pole time.

Garcia & Taylor arrived at The Glen second in GTD PRO points and first among GTD PRO competitors in the Michelin Endurance Cup a championship made up of the WeatherTech Championship’s four long-distance races.
The No. 3 Corvette already has an endurance victory this year to its credit: the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

Corvette Racing has three victories at Watkins Glen since 2014 including two last year.
Garcia and Taylor won in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in last year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours as well as the WeatherTech 240 sprint race a week later.

Garcia is one of nine drivers to win more than once in the Sahlen’s Six Hours and has five podium finishes in his last five races at The Glen, while Taylor won for the first time in the event a year ago. Chevrolet has a strong history of success in the race, with 18 victories, second among active manufacturers.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 26.
The race will stream live on Peacock with USA’s live television coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio’s streaming audio coverage begins at 9:55 a.m. ET on IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SIXTH IN GTD PRO:

“Frustrating, the car actually feels pretty good.
We’ve made some improvements and picked up time from the practices. But it wasn’t enough to gain 1.5 seconds around a place like this.

We have a few things we can try for the warm-up tomorrow, but the track conditions won’t be anything like what we’ll have in the race.
Strategy might be our way to gain track position. It’s gotten us out front before this year when we were down on performance, but you can’t plan for that at every race.”

 

[teamzr1]

Three of the six hours of race have elapsed

C8.R is 24 seconds behind lead car

 

[teamzr1]

Two races in a row that C8.Rs performed lousy

Did not help,
the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD had been charging through the field after qualifying sixth in the GTD Pro class.

The Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia-driven Corvette was running in second before being handed a drive-through penalty for multiple track limits violations.

 

[teamzr1]

Nearly all the late-race luck went against Corvette Racing on Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finished sixth in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO after the class’s fifth round in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

It was the first GTD PRO race since early May for Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, who were coming off a similarly disappointing result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Corvette had crossed the line Sunday seventh in class, but the class-winning car was sent to the back of GTD PRO due to a post-race drive time violation.

The race’s first two hours saw five full-course caution periods, which prevented any sort of rhythm. It wasn’t all bad for Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette team, though. Fuel savings and the crew’s usual sterling pit work gained Taylor two spots to fourth place on the first stop for fuel and tires.

Taylor stayed in the car for just shy of three hours. The fuel-saving strategy from Corvette Racing engineering offset a performance deficit and continued to provide benefits in terms of track position, as did a decision to take fuel only during a full-course caution period 90 minutes into the race.
It netted the No. 3 C8.R another spot, and Taylor ran second as the halfway point approached.

Unfortunately, things went south just shy of the three-hour mark when Taylor had to serve a drive-through penalty for exceeding track limits.
Without the outright pace of the pursuing cars, Taylor had to maximize the boundaries of the track and hence the call from race officials.

Garcia drove the rest of the way and continued saving fuel while trying to produce as much pace as possible.
The plan was working as Garcia was slowly but surely reeling in the class leaders who were on the same pit strategy until the severe weather warning stopped the race with 88 minutes to go and Garcia running fifth, still a positive gain from the Corvette’s starting position.

The race started back with 35 minutes on the clock. With the fuel situation dicey for a majority of the GTD PRO field, Garcia set out in search of a podium spot but was hit almost immediately by the No. 25 BMW, which was trying to overtake on the outside of the first corner.
The contact caused one of the Corvette’s rear tires to go down and relegated the No. 3 to seventh.

The slow drive to the pitlane for four fresh tires grew more frustrating as the four GTD PRO cars ahead of Garcia had to stop for fuel inside the final five minutes, leaving the Corvette Racing team to wonder what might have been.

There is no rest as Corvette Racing immediately moves to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Chevrolet Grand Prix, which is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 3.
The race will air live on NBC and stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air on-track sessions beginning with Saturday morning’s practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTD PRO:

“We deserved better today. We had a chance for a good result after the last restart until the 25 hit me right away. Without that, I think we definitely were on the podium and had a good chance to steal a win with almost everyone else pitting late.
The car felt excellent and consistent. Full credit to the team for the improvements from practice and qualifying.
I think we had maximized the car’s performance. But the result, none of us are happy at all.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTD PRO:

“We started toward the back and were able to pass some guys on some restarts.
Plus, we saved a lot of fuel and made up some positions in the pits; the guys really made some good calls and stops.
So we were kind of maximizing where our strengths are. On track, we don’t have many strengths.

We can hold guys off, but can’t really drive forward on pace. That was frustrating, and the penalty was unfortunate.
The only way to hold some guys off was to drive off the track a little.
I was trying to maintain track position knowing that and not thinking they’d give us a penalty for it.”