Rob Loszewski
CORVETTE RACING AT LIME ROCK PARK: One-Two Finish on an Historic Day
Gavin, Milner take third GTLM victory of season; Garcia, Magnussen take second
- 100th win, 60th 1-2 team finish in Corvette Racing history
- Gavin, Milner and No. 4 Corvette increase GTLM Championship lead
- Runner-up finish for Garcia, Magnussen move them to third in GTLM points
- Chevrolet grows lead in GTLM Manufacturer Championship
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 23, 2016) – Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner led a 1-2 class finish for Corvette Racing on Saturday with a GT Le Mans (GTLM) victory in the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. The victory was the 100th all-time for Corvette Racing – the first team in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) history to accomplish the feat – and was the fifth win for the program at Lime Rock Park.
Gavin crossed the finish line in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R by 0.975 seconds over teammate Antonio Garcia, who finished second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R along with teammate Jan Magnussen.
The result was the 60th 1-2 finish for Corvette Racing for another all-time record in IMSA competition.
Saturday’s victory allowed Gavin and Milner to increase their lead in the GTLM Driver’s Championship to 10 points, the same lead for the No. 4 Corvette C7.R in the Team Championship. Chevrolet also grew its advantage in GTLM Manufacturer points to 10.
With their second consecutive podium finish and second runner-up finish of the year, Garcia and Magnussen leapt from fifth to third in GTLM points.
The race was a typical one for Lime Rock with plenty of close-quarters racing. Milner qualified third and drove the opening 90 minutes – which featured five full-course caution periods – and moved up to second before handing off to Gavin when the No. 4 Corvette pitted for the second time. Gavin stayed close to the then-leading Ferrari and took the lead for good with 31 minutes left when Giancarlo Fisichella went off track.
Magnussen also drove the first hour-and-a-half after starting sixth. He moved up a position early before the first pit stop 32 minutes with the race under caution. Unfortunately, the No. 3 Corvette was called for a penalty in the pitlane and had to serve a drive-through penalty after the race started again.
He rejoined seventh but the No. 3 Corvette team benefitted from a later caution period that allowed Magnussen to catch back up to the field and run as high as fourth. He handed off to Garcia, who came out in fifth place but picked up three positions in less than 45 minutes to move to second place.
Corvette Racing’s next event is the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from Road America on Sunday, Aug. 7.
CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “It is pretty amazing to get the 100th (win for Corvette Racing). We have had some great wins this year. When you look at Daytona this year, that was phenomenal; Sebring too. Our Le Mans win last year. But to get the 100th is pretty special. I have to thank the team and everybody involved. I have had a few of the wins with the team, but I have to say this is a pretty special one. To fight off the No. 67 car and having our teammates on the podium… it is pretty special for everyone at Corvette Racing!”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “I feel very lucky to say I was in the car that got the 100th win for this team, but you think about all the people that have worked on this team – all of the drivers, the crew, the marketing and PR people, everybody that has contributed to this, I just feel fortunate to be a part of that. It is good to get that monkey off of our back. It was a small monkey, but it was lingering.”
ON HIS RACE: “We still have five races to go in the season and the lead in the championship in the moment. So there’s a bigger picture to think about in a lot of ways. So that mindset paid off in the middle of the stint. We lost quite a bit of track position there in the end. The car isn’t bad. It’s pretty slippery out there but it’s the same for everyone. As usual traffic is pretty difficult. You can gain a lot and lose a lot with the traffic here. I’m pretty happy with this Corvette but we have to be smart. I knew going into this race how amped up I was after qualifying because the car was so good; I kind of had a little moment to remind myself that there is a lot more going on than this race. Everyone in the class was racing super-hard in our class.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RUNNER-UP: “It is a fantastic result for the team and well deserved. Everyone works so hard to try and win every single race that we’re in. Today was just a hard-fought race all the way through for both cars. Just a fantastic result. The 100th win and 60th 1-2… not a bad day!”
ON HIS RACE: “There was so much going on the whole time in traffic. I was quite happy with the Corvette. It’s too bad we got a penalty in the pitlane so that put us back. I could keep up with the field and catch them in certain situations. But I didn’t really have the speed to pass any of them. It was so close.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “For Corvette Racing to get 100 victories is really, really good. That number is just huge when you think we are a single program with two cars. So to achieve that is just amazing. I’m glad I won a few of those. I am very proud of that. Today, I was probably the only car that overtook today and probably the only car that really made positions up. I was fifth at one point and then there two mistakes by the Ferrari. I passed both of the Fords, actually twice. I’m very proud of Corvette Racing today and very happy to get a 1-2 finish.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “If you’re going to win your 100th race, you may as well do it with a 1-2 finish. We never diminish the input the engineers have in giving the team great Corvettes, and the crew today just had absolutely terrific pit stops. But today, this one goes to the drivers. On this race track and in these conditions, those guys brought it home. I’m tipping my hat to the drivers today.”
Source: Corvette Racing
