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ALMS @ Mid-Ohio

10K views 102 replies 12 participants last post by  cor123 
#1 · (Edited)


August 5-7, 2010
3:00 p.m. ET
2h 45m

Corvette Racing debuted the GT2 Corvette C6.R at this track last year and finished 2nd and 4th.

Race Schedule

Entry List

Track Map

Ticket Information

Spotter Guides

Radio Le Mans

Live Timing and Scoring

Race will be shown LIVE Online Aug 7 at 2:30pm ET
Sign Up Here or is you signed up before for Leguna Seca, use the same login.

Or you can watch the race in documentary form on CBS on Aug 15 at 12:30pm ET

Qualifying will also be shown live online at the link above at 1:45pm ET on Friday Aug 6th.
 
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#83 ·
3 DNF's in the past 4 races for Corvette Racing.......

Race coverage was excellent. Even better then any SPEED coverage.

Risi is still too fast.

Corvette is getting faster.
 
#87 ·
Corvette Racing Runner-Up in Mid-Ohio Sports Car Duel



Gavin and Beretta Score Hard-Fought Second in Battle of the Brands



LEXINGTON, Ohio, Aug. 7, 2010 – Corvette Racing was up to the challenge in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta drove the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R to a runner-up finish in the fiercely contested GT class at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, finishing .582 seconds behind the winning No. 62 Ferrari 430 GT of Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni.



History repeated itself one year after Corvette Racing made its debut in the GT2 class at Mid-Ohio with a runner-up finish. This time, however, it was Gavin and Beretta who put Corvette on the second step of the podium after the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen retired with overheating problems. The two-hour, 45-minute race featured a battle of the brands as Corvette, Ferrari, BMW, and Porsche raced in tight formation at the head of the GT class.



"I know I've been in a real race today, and it's all due to everybody at Corvette Racing pulling together," Gavin said. "We've a great team around us, and we can really build on this momentum and move forward."



Beretta started third on the GT grid, holding a determined pair of BMW drivers at bay until the first full-course caution came at 48 minutes into the race.



"The car was good, and I was quite happy about my stint," Beretta reported. "I was trying to follow the Ferrari and then I realized that I had to conserve my tires, so I just wanted to be quick, to stay on the track, and to let the race go."



Gavin took over the No. 4 Corvette on a yellow-flag stop, emerging in third again after the pit stop sequence. A brilliant five-car battle for the GT lead then broke out, with Magnussen fourth in the No. 3 Corvette. The running order shifted suddenly when the No. 62 Ferrari lost positions due to a reported fuel pump problem, and the No. 3 Corvette went to the pits for coolant. Gavin moved to second, and then took the lead with an outside pass in the Turn 2 Keyhole. He raced wheel-to-wheel with Bill Auberlin's BMW through the next three corners. Gavin finally made the pass stick, and quickly opened up a 1.4-second gap.



"Bill is a hard racer, but he gave me room and that was great of him to do that," Gavin said. "After all that's happened in the last few races, I think people are getting the message that we can have a little bit of bumping, but nobody can be pushed off the road. You've just got to work and work to overtake, and I managed to do that today with everyone except Jaime."



In a replay of their duel in Le Mans, Gavin and Melo raced nose-to-tail until the second full-course caution at 1:49. Gavin pitted for fuel and four tires, but his rivals opted for only two tires to gain track position. He found himself fifth in the queue, but methodically picked off his opponents, passing the No. 45 Porsche, the No. 90 BMW, and the No. 92 BMW. When the race resumed after the third caution period with 10 minutes remaining, Gavin was on the Ferrari's back bumper. It was a fight to the finish, but the Corvette came up half a second short at the checkered flag.



"It was fantastic race, but I'm just a little frustrated that we didn't have quite enough at the end," Gavin said. "It looked like we were going to be able to get Jaime because he had older right-side tires, but the Ferrari was just a bit quicker than us. That's what we'll go back and continue to work on. This is still a great result for the team."



The overheating problem on the No. 3 Corvette proved to be terminal, and the car was retired after completing 49 laps.



"The car was handling well, but this track has an enormous amount of rubber on the racing line and marbles off the line," Magnussen said. "I got a lot of pickup on the tires running behind the safety car, and it took some laps to get that off, but then I thought I had the best car out there. But the engine was losing water and it was going under the rear tires, so it was a good call to bring in the car."



Today's runner-up finish was Corvette's best result since a second in the Long Beach round in April.



"Today's performance was the result of total focus, dedication to a mission, and a commitment of resources to do some additional testing," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "That always reaps benefits for an experienced team like Corvette Racing. I think it has put to rest any questions about whether this team had lost its resolve or that Corvette was not capable of competing with the best brands in the world. Today is what everyone has waited for – great, great racing."



Corvette Racing’s next event is the American Le Mans Series powered by eStar at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The two-hour, 45-minute race will start at 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 22, and will be televised live on SPEED. Live radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio, Sirius Channel 127, and XM Channel 242.



Mid-Ohio Sports Challenge GT Results:

Pos./Drivers/Car/Laps

1. Melo/Bruni, Ferrari 430 GT, 112

2. Gavin/Beretta, Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 112

3. Auberlen/Milner, BMW M3 GT, 112

4. Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 112

5. Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari 430 GT, 112

6. Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 112

7. Pilet/Neiman, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 111

8. Sellers/Henzler, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 110

9. Gentilozzi/Goosens, Jaguar XKRS, 107

10. Fisichella/Vilander, Ferrari 430 GT, 100

11. Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari 430 GT, 96

12. Robertson/Robertson/Murry, Ford GT-R, 96

13. O'Connell/Magnussen, Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, 49
 
#88 ·
Cool Pics From Mid Ohio

Check these pics out. I was in the Corvette Pit during the race and we had the Risi Ferrari pit next 2 stalls up pit road.
These were taken with my simple Canon Powershot, point & shoot camera.

The #4 Corvette in the pits during a Full Stop with Driver Change




The #4 leaving the pits


The #62 Risi Ferrari in the Pits


 
#90 ·
They had me wear a Corvette Racing Fire Suit and Full Access Credentials. They let me keep the credentials but I had to turn in the fire suit. :lookinup:

When we headed down to the pits I did let them know I had my helmet with me in my Z06. You know, just in case Oliver Gavin wasn't feeling quite up to it when Olivier Baretta came in for the driver swap.. :laughing:
 
#93 ·
They drew tickets from those in the Corvette Corral for pit access during the race.
Of interest were some remarks made by Doug Fehan on Friday:
The Corvettes have been running with a weight penalty since day 1 of this season;
The BMWs are allowed to run a configuration that is only legal in the U.S.;
Corvette Racing showed better out of the box at Mid-Ohio due to testing and useable race data from last year's event, which was their first outing with the GT2 configuration.
Keep the faith! CR is making progress, even though the ALMS folks are doing their best to make it difficult.
Their was lots of fantastic racing at Mid-Ohio, and it is only going to get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
 
#97 ·
.......Of interest were some remarks made by Doug Fehan on Friday:
The Corvettes have been running with a weight penalty since day 1 of this season;
The BMWs are allowed to run a configuration that is only legal in the U.S.;
Corvette Racing showed better out of the box at Mid-Ohio due to testing and useable race data from last year's event, which was their first outing with the GT2 configuration.
Keep the faith! CR is making progress, even though the ALMS folks are doing their best to make it difficult.
Their was lots of fantastic racing at Mid-Ohio, and it is only going to get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
He also mentioned the "new for this year", engine is still in a development stage, which has previously suffer from a valvetrain issue and to also not believe anything you may see or read in any auto magazines regarding the development of the C7. They are only in the buisiness of selling magazines. In his words, "It is going to be COOL, and it will not disapoint the Corvette heritage". :surprised :thumbsup:

An Excellent Weekend with a good assortment of cars in the corral.
 
#95 ·
I want to see if Rici gets any weight added or a smaller air restrictor. Anybody with half a brain can see they are faster than any other team out there. I know I am a diehard CR fan, but let’s face facts. They had that fuel issue and fell back, yet they were able to run through the field and regain the lead. I know there was a caution that helped, but that should have only allowed them to bunch back up. Another point, they were able to regain the lead and then once they were there they stayed just far enough ahead of the #4 car to win. Every time Ollie got on their tail they would pull away just a little. I know they have more power and they just aren't showing it. Well Road America will see just how much they have because that track is suited for the Corvette.

As for IMSA and ACO making it hard on Corvette what else is knew. Remember when Aston Martin returned to ALMS GT1 a few years back. CR was give a weight adjustment (added weight) as well as a smaller restrictor. When the Aston Martin started win every event, Doug asked to have something done to help Corvette, and Aston Martin said that if that happened they would pull out of the remaining season. Guess what Aston Martin got it way. I really believe IMSA does not want to make the powers to be at ACO unhappy.

OK I am off my soap box.
 
#96 ·
Well first of all, IMSA is the sanctioning body that controls all things ALMS, Grand-Am, and other American sports car racing series.

The ACO is the sanctioning body for the 24hrs of Le Mans and other European sports car series.

So whatever IMSA does, the ACO really doesn't care. When our ALMS cars go over to Le Mans the ACO applies it's own regulations and handicaps on all the cars.

The only thing IMSA and the ACO have in common is that IMSA adopts the ACO's regulations for LMGT2 and LMP1 and LMP2 for the American Le Mans Series. But IMSA still applies it's own handicaps to the ALMS cars.

This is why at Sebring and Petit Le Mans there are LMP1 and 2 categories instead of just the 1 since these races are qualifiers for the 24hrs of Le Mans.

This is also why the BMW's body work is only legal in the USA. It is not ACO legal. The BMW's that were at this year's Le Mans had different body work, as well as a slightly different suspension package.
 
#98 ·
Sorry Chris, I was not trying to imply that IMSA and the ACO were working together. I was only trying to say how Corvette Racing seems to run into hurtles with both rule making bodies. I remember Doug Fehan saying that when they to LeMans originally and were not as fast as the other GT1 cars. They asked the ACO for a little help so they would be a little more competitive, and were told by the ACO to go make their car faster. And in the ALMS series it seemed as though IMSA would give the other teams weight breaks larger air restrictors or add weight to Corvette or reduce the air restrictor. I also realize they were trying to keep as many teams in GT1 for the fans. As big a Corvette Racing Team fan as I am I will admit, it was not as much fun when it was just the two cars racing each other , well except for Mid Ohio two years ago when they were leaving the pits.
 
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