C6Performance Journal

Not many of us will ever have a chance to race around Road America, but now we can at least take a virtual tour of the famous racetrack set amongst the hills and valleys of Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine.

Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner took a few moments recently to talk with paddocktalk.com about the track that covers four miles and includes 14 turns.

“I like race tracks that are fast, with quick corners and a layout that has a rhythm – and Road America has all of those things,” Milner said. “When my Corvette’s setup is right and the car feels comfortable, it’s a very rewarding lap.”

Each turn holds a different challenge or opportunity for drivers, Milner points out.

For example, Turn 1 is “very fast and very difficult” because he has to turn and brake at the same time.

Turn 3 can be a good chance to pass if you’re close behind another car coming out of the first turn, Milner says, and so can Turn 5. “The braking zone for Turn 5 is a great place to pass,” he says. “We decelerate from 150mph … and there’s room on the exit to run wide.”

Turn 6 is an exciting part of the track “because the car gets very light going over the crest of the hill,” he says. “It’s a blind corner, too, which adds to the excitement factor.”

Milner hits the throttle hard going into Turn 7 and through the Hurry Downs, which he says is one of his favorite parts of the track.

Then there’s Turn 8, which is a tight, 90-degree corner, “so if the guy in front makes a mistake in Turn 7, you can really put the pressure on here,” Milner says.

That leads into Road America’s most famous corners, the Carousel and the Kink, which prompt Milner to hold his breath a bit on what he describes as a “very difficult series of turns.”

Milner says Turn 13 seems to get faster every year as engineers come up with new ideas to give drivers more downforce, and it’s important to get good exit from the last turn because it leads onto the long, uphill straight.

The action gets underway on Thursday, August 16 with practice and qualifying, followed by the first races for IMSA GT3 Cup, IMSA Lites, USF2000, SCCA Pro Racing, and Trans-Am on Friday, August 17. The ALMS event starts at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 18.

“Corvettes have raced at Road America since the good citizens of Elkhart Lake opened the track in 1955,” Milner says. “When I think about the great Corvette drivers who have competed at this historic track, it makes me proud to carry on the tradition at one of the world’s greatest road courses.”

Source:
PaddockTalk.com

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The General Motors Design Team is responsible for drawing up the latest vehicle designs for the company, but have you ever wondered what these members have in their garages?

For the last three years, the GM Design Team has hosted a car show on the Wednesday prior to the Woodward Dream Cruise featuring their own personal cars. From Corvettes to ratrods, classic Chevys to modern customs, the rides of the designers show an eclectic mix of love for all things automotive.

One of the members of the team we ran into was Craig Sass, who is the interior designer for the C6 Corvette. Craig was showing off his 1967 Pontiac LeMans which was the very first car that he got at the young age of 17 in 1986. Over the years, the car has been modified from its previous regular LeMans drivetrain which featured a 326ci V8, 2 barrel carb and a 2 speed transmission with 2:64 rear end gears. Today, Sass now has what is essentially a GTO drive train with a 400 ci V8, 4 barrel carb, turbo 400 trans, and 3:55 rear end. Craig reminds those behind him that the car is a Lemans and not a GTO with the vanity license plate that reads “NO GOAT”.

Chevy also brought out some of their latest vehicles to show off including the 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible, the new Camaro COPO and the 2014 Chevrolet Impala.

Here are some of our favorite cars from the GM Design Team’s Design on Woodward show:

Related:
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All eyes of the collector car world are focused on California this week as Monterey Week 2012 gets underway. Each year thousands of collector car enthusiast head west to participate in the weeks’ activities which culminate at the esteemed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Included in the car shows, race car reunions, and road rallies are 5 high-end collector car auctions. Mecum, RM, Russo and Steele, Gooding and Company, and Bonhams all are holding events this week. Our handy guide to those Monterey auctions awaits you after the jump.

About 80 Corvettes in all will be auctioned this week. Mecum Auctions will offer 57 of those and Russo and Steele has 18 others available. Gooding, RM Auctions, and Bonhams have a total of 5 Corvettes listed between them. The big sellers of the week are likely to be the 1968 Owens-Corning racer at RM and the L88 convertible at Mecum provided each of them reach their respective reserves.

The first cars will roll across the stage on Thursday August 16th and sales will wrap up on Sunday, August 19th. Below is a brief summary of the all the Monterey auctions, when they occur, media coverage, and just how many Corvettes you can attempt to buy at each event.

We’ll be following all of the action this week so keep an eye on CorvetteBlogger.com as well as our Facebook page for updates and sales results.

For more information on the all of the Monterey Week festivities checkout the Monterey Car Week website.

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1968 Owens-Corning L88 Racer Heading to RM’s Monterey Auction
1964 Corvette Supernova Racer Heading to Russo and Steele Monterey

 

Three low-mileage C1 Corvettes are going under the microscope to help the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) update its Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide for 1953-55 Corvettes.

A long-time Corvette restorer and NCRS member, Troy Pyles, volunteered for the task of examining the three cars, with the goal of improving and ensuring the accuracy of the current handbook and adding any newly found details. He talked first with David Brigham, the 1953-55 Corvette Judging Leader, to seek out all the knowledge he has collected through the years, before heading on to Effingham, Ill.

That’s where one of the three historic cars Pyles will be looking at resides – at the MY Garage Museum & Retail Store – the Mid America Motorworks’ 1954 Pennant Blue Corvette. The roadster is a virtual trip back in time with just 3,087 original miles – not to mention the original paint, upholstery, hoses, and wires. It’s even still registered to the original owner, who bought it on Nov. 9, 1954!

Pyles spent a whole day going over that car from top to bottom, checking it for date codes and numbers of original parts.

He also plans to thoroughly examine two other low-mileage C1s in Indiana and Missouri before writing articles about his findings, both in general terms and in detail, no doubt helping restorers to be as accurate as possible for years to come.

MY Garage Museum & Retail Store, of course, is located on the campus of Mid America Motorworks, founded by Mike Yager. It’s open seven days a week, and admission is free.

Yager, of course, is an avid Corvette collector who loves to share his enthusiasm with other Corvette fans. The museum has thousands of automotive collectibles and memorabilia, along with a rotating display of 20 to 25 prototype, rare, and racing cars from Yager’s personal collection.

Source:
Mid America Motorworks

Related:
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Billed as the world’s largest one-day automotive event, the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit this Saturday is expected to attract more than a million car fanatics. Chevrolet is once again the presenting sponsor and one of the highlights will be the celebration of Corvette’s 60th anniversary.

Visitors to the Dream Cruise can expect to see all manner of vehicles along the famous boulevard that runs through the heart of America’s car capital, and you can count seeing many examples of Corvettes on the route.

Chevrolet will be hosting several events and activities this week in preparation for Saturday’s cruise.

On Wednesday, August 15, the GM Design team is hosting a car show from 1pm to 9pm at the Northwood Plaza on the southwest corner of Woodward and 13 Mile Road. The show will feature personal vehicles owned by members of the Design team and there will be live entertainment as well.

On Thursday, the Chevrolet Performance display will take over Memorial Park which is on the Northwest corner of Woodward and 13 Mile Road. The display will feature a collection of performance show cars and production vehicles, a motorsports display and a variety of Chevrolet performance parts.

Saturday, August 18th is the big day of course and there are many acitivities and displays set up in Birmingham Triangle. The day’s activities kick off at 8 am Saturday and run through the conclusion of the Dream Cruise at 9 pm.

• A Corvette timeline will feature a display of milestone Corvettes and engines that span the 60 years and six generations of America’s sports car.
• Detroit graffiti artist Shades will paint a large Corvette-inspired mural throughout the day.
• Chevrolet military display.
• Chevrolet modern family dispay showcasing chevrolet vehicles and accessories.
• Display of Chevrolet heritage and specialty vehicles.

“The Woodward Dream Cruise is a true celebration of America’s love affair with the automobile and the open road, and for Chevrolet it is an opportunity for us to connect with some of our most passionate consumers and their families,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet global vice president of marketing.

CorvetteBlogger will be on the streets taking part in both of the official and unofficial Woodward Dream Cruise activies and we’re expecting our arms to be very tired from all the waves to fellow Corvette drivers on the street. Check back as we’ll have a full wrap-up of all the activities in the coming days.

Source:
Chevrolet

Related:
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Classic Wisconsin Circuit Is Corvette’s Proving Ground and Ancestral Home

ELKHART LAKE, Wis., Aug. 13, 2012 – The long and winding road to the American Le Mans Series championship runs through Road America, a track that is revered and respected by generations of sports car racers. The classic 4-mile circuit in the rolling Wisconsin countryside will host the Road America Road Race Showcase, the seventh round of the 2012 ALMS on Saturday, followed by the Corvette World Tribute on Sunday.

Like the famed French circuit that is the series’ namesake, Road America’s soaring straights and high-speed curves are a test of both horsepower and fortitude. The track has long been a proving ground for America’s iconic sports car, from the early days of solid-axle Corvettes, Sting Rays, and Grand Sports to today’s advanced Corvette C6.Rs.

“Road America is a fantastic circuit, a great track for teams, drivers, and race cars,” said Oliver Gavin, who shares the GT championship points lead with teammate Tommy Milner. “It’s got all the ingredients to make a great race. It’s the highest speed track we run on apart from Le Mans, and it’s the one track where we can test for the 24-hour race.”

“I like race tracks that are fast, with quick corners and a layout that has a rhythm – and Road America has all of those things,” said Milner, Gavin’s co-driver in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R. “When the setup is right and the car feels comfortable, it’s a very rewarding lap. With the long straightaways and heavy braking zones, you can make passes happen.

“We tested at Road America early in the year when we were preparing for Le Mans,” Milner revealed, “and the new wide-body C6.R was very good there. I got a feel for how far the car has progressed since last season.”

Gavin and Milner are riding a wave of momentum after scoring their third win of the season and regaining the points lead in the preceding round at Mid-Ohio. With four races still to run, both are mindful of the championship scenarios.

“Every race is important, and there are bonus points on the table at Road America because it’s a four-hour race,” Milner explained. “It would be great to have a cushion going into Baltimore because anything can happen at street races.”

Gavin agreed: “I think that a four-hour race at Road America suits Corvette Racing’s strengths,” he said. “We seem to have a good approach to these longer races. With the opportunity to clock up some more points, it’s vital to keep that scoreboard ticking over.”

Jan Magnusssen and Antonio Garcia are aiming to rebound after contact in the closing minutes at Mid-Ohio knocked them out of the lead in the GT championship race. They will go into Road America third in the standings, 13 points behind their teammates.

“Road America is a very challenging track with mega-fast bits and some good technical corners,” Magnussen said. “Of course there is the Carousel and the Kink that everyone talks about. It’s a fantastic feeling going through there when the car works – and when it doesn’t work, it’s not so fantastic!

“Racing for four hours at Road America adds both strategy and points,” he continued. “The track lends itself to really good racing because of the long straights; it’s possible to tow up behind people and then outbrake them going into Turn 1 and Turn 5. We’re going there with a clear goal – to win the race.”

The action at Road America will continue on Sunday, August 19, with the Corvette World Tribute, a gathering of vintage and contemporary examples of America’s favorite sports car that celebrates the marque’s 60th year in production. The Corvette World Tribute offers a full slate of activities for participants, enthusiasts, and spectators to experience the Corvette lifestyle. Autocross and slalom courses, a concours featuring People’s Choice awards, a road rally, and track sessions for touring and race-prepared Corvettes will provide nonstop activity.

The Corvette Racing Display also will on hand at Road America on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and fans can receive a Corvette Racing T-shirt for registering at the display. On Friday and Saturday, the Team Chevy Test Drive will be in operation in the karting area near Turns 7 and 8. This ride-and-drive gives customers the opportunity to drive a variety of Chevy vehicles, including Corvette, Camaro, Volt, Cruze, and Sonic. Participants in the Test Driver will receive a 60th Anniversary Corvette T-shirt.

The four-hour Road America Road Race Showcase, the seventh round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, will start at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 18. The race can be viewed live on ESPN3.com starting at 3:15 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will televise the race at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 19.

Source:
Corvette Racing

Related:
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