Birthdate: Sept. 29, 1972
Birthplace: Huntington, England
Residence: Yardley Hastings, England
Family: Wife Helen, children Lily, Isaac, Fergus
Notable: Three-time ALMS GT1 champion, 31 career ALMS class victories, four class wins in 24 Hours of Le Mans
Web site: www.olivergavin.com
American Le Mans Series Career Record |
||||
Year |
Starts |
Wins |
Fast Qualifier |
Notes |
2000 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
LMP900 with Jon Field |
2001 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
First ALMS win for Saleen |
2002 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
First season with Corvette Racing |
2003 |
8 |
2 |
4 |
Third in GT1 drivers championship |
2004 |
9 |
4 |
4 |
Second in GT1 drivers championship |
2005 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) |
2006 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) |
2007 |
12 |
9 |
4 |
ALMS GT1 co-champion (with Beretta) |
2008 |
11 |
3 |
2 |
Second in GT1 drivers championship |
Total |
66 |
31 |
17 |
|
24 Hours of Le Mans Record |
||||
Year |
Finish |
Class |
Car |
Co-drivers |
2001 |
3rd |
GTS |
Saleen |
Borcheller, Konrad |
2002 |
1st |
GTS |
Corvette C5-R |
Fellows, O'Connell |
2003 |
2nd |
GTS |
Corvette C5-R |
Collins, Pilgrim |
2004 |
1st |
GTS |
Corvette C5-R |
Beretta, Magnussen |
2005 |
1st |
GT1 |
Corvette C6.R |
Beretta, Magnussen |
2006 |
1st |
GT1 |
Corvette C6.R |
Beretta, Magnussen |
2007 |
14th |
GT1 |
Corvette C6.R |
Beretta, Papis |
2008 |
3rd |
GT1 |
Corvette C6.R |
Beretta, Papis |
2009 |
4th |
GT1 |
Corvette C6.R |
Beretta, Fassler |
Career Highlights
1991: British Formula First champion (11 wins), McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award
1992: British Formula Vauxhall Championship runner-up
1993: British Formula 3 Championship runner-up
1995: British Formula 3 champion (six wins)
1996: Competed in International Touring Car Championship (Opel)
1997: Competed in International Formula 3000 Championship
2000: Competed in Grand-Am Championship (Lola)
200l: One ALMS win (Saleen); two Grand-Am wins (Lola), won GTS pole at 24 Hours of Le Mans (Saleen)
2002: GTS winner in 24 hours of Le Mans, two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Sebring, Atlanta)
2003: Two ALMS wins with Corvette Racing (Atlanta, Trois-Rivieres), third in drivers championship
2004: GTS winner in 24 Hours of Le Mans, four ALMS wins (Lime Rock, Mosport, Elkhart Lake, Atlanta) with Corvette C5-R
2005: ALMS GT1 co-champion, six wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans (Corvette C6.R)
2006: ALMS GT1 co-champion, five wins; GT1 winner, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Sebring 12-hour (Corvette C6.R)
2007: ALMS GT1 co-champion, nine wins (tied ALMS single-season record); GT1 winner at Sebring 12-hour and Petit Le Mans (Corvette C6.R); four poles and three fastest race laps
2008: Second in ALMS GT1 drivers championship with three victories; runner-up in GT1 class at 24 Hours of Le Mans; two poles and five fastest race laps; finished in London Marathon.
With his rich accent and polished manners, Oliver Gavin may seem the quintessential Englishman, but he has successfully adapted to racing in America. A native of Cambridgeshire, Gavin won multiple championships in British open-wheel formula cars before scoring his first victory with Corvette Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2002. He became a full-season Corvette driver in 2003, and won three consecutive American Le Mans Series GT1 drivers championships with Corvette Racing teammate Olivier Beretta in 2005-07. Gavin and Beretta tallied a record-tying nine victories en route to their third straight championship in 2007.
Recognized as one of the world's best talents in sports car competition, Gavin has an impressive resume of victories and track records. He began his racing career in karting in the '80s, competing in British national series. In 1990, Gavin moved up to single-seaters and promptly won the British National Formula First Series in 1991, scoring 11 wins in 12 races. This remarkable season earned Gavin the prestigious McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. The following year he finished second in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship. In 1993, Gavin moved up to the highly regarded British Formula 3 Championship and finished as runner-up in the drivers championship.
In 1994, Gavin competed in the FIA International F3000 championship. Returning to British Formula 3 in 1995, he dominated the series with six victories and won the championship while also working as a test driver for the Pacific Formula 1 team. In the late '90s Gavin competed in the International Touring Car series as a factory Opel driver while also working as a Formula 1 test driver for Benetton and Renault (1997-2005) and driving the safety car during the Formula 1 season.
In 2002, Gavin was named as the third driver for Chevrolet's Corvette Racing program. Teamed with Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell, Gavin scored his first class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the trio swept all three endurance events in the GTS class (Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans). In 2003, Gavin was selected for a full season in the Corvette C5-R in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to four record-setting pole positions, Gavin captured two GTS victories en route to finishing third in the drivers championship.
In 2004 Gavin posted his second class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-drivers Beretta and Jan Magnussen in the Corvette C5-R. The trio also won Petit Le Mans. Gavin and Beretta scored a total of four wins in the ALMS in 2004, and finished as runners-up in the championship to their Corvette teammates.
2005 was a championship season for Gavin, as he and Beretta shared the GT1 title with the new Corvette C6.R. The pair posted six victories in the 10-race ALMS series. Again teamed with Magnussen in endurance events, the trio won the GT1 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second straight year and repeated as winners of Petit Le Mans.
Gavin and Beretta repeated as GT1 co-champions in 2006, scoring a runner-up finish in the season finale at Laguna Seca to seal the title. The pair scored five victories in a season marked by frequent performance adjustments that affected the speed of their Corvette. Gavin captured his third straight GT1 Le Mans title and his first Sebring 12-hour victory with Beretta and Magnussen.
In 2007, Gavin and Beretta reeled off nine wins in 12 races to capture their third consecutive GT1 drivers championship. The pair won the GT1 class in the season-opening Sebring 12-hour endurance race for the second straight year and notched their third victory in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans, with Max Papis joining the driver roster for endurance races. The team's biggest disappointment came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where a broken driveshaft sidelined their Corvette C6.R at the two-hour mark and ended their bid for a fourth consecutive class victory in the world's most famous sports car race. Gavin also drove a Corvette C6.R in selected FIA GT races with the French Luc Alphand Aventures team.
Gavin's string of GT1 titles came to an end in 2008 as the pairing of O'Connell and Magnussen claimed the class championship. Gavin and Beretta made motorsports history by scoring the first win with E85R cellulosic ethanol in St. Petersburg, Fla. They also won on the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix circuit and finished the season with a victory at Laguna Seca.
When not racing, Gavin competes in marathon, biathlon and triathlon events. He resides in Yardley Hastings, Northampton, with his wife, Helen, and children Lily, Isaac and Fergus.
# # #
Contact:
Rick Voegelin
Chevy Racing
Communications