Month: July 2013

A week after it made its debut at the Indy 500, the Laguna Blue 2014 Corvette Stingray served pace car duties at the IndyCar/GRAND-AM races on Detroit’s Belle Isle. During the week leading up to the race, SPEED filmed a segment with GRAND-AM driver Eric Curran, who drove the 2014 Corvette Stingray and gave his impressions about the new sports car.

Curran, who pilots the Marsh Racing #31 Whelen Corvette in the Rolex Sports Car Series, is one of a select few outside the employ of General Motors who has driven the new Corvette. The obvious bonus is the fact that he is a professional driver who races a Corvette, so his first impression about the new Stingray was exactly what we wanted to hear.

Curran is joined by SPEED’s Brian Till during the laps at Belle Isle. Curran is shown putting the car through some high speed turns and about the Corvette he says “This technology is just amazing…It’s like a race car for the street!”.

We’re pretty sure those words are exactly what Corvette’s Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter wanted to hear!

Here’s the video of Eric Curran driving the 2014 Corvette Stingray at Belle Isle:

Source:
CorvetteVideos.TV

Related:
[VIDEO] Mark Reuss to Pace the Indy Dual in Detroit in a 2014 Corvette Stingray
2014 Corvette Stingray to Pace the 97th Indianapolis 500
[VIDEO] 2014 Corvette Visits Jay Leno’s Garage

 

Bloomington Gold’s long awaited move to Champaign, Illinois took place last weekend as the show celebrated its 40th anniversary there. It was a year of firsts in 2013: the first year in a new location, the first year for the GoldAutocross, the first year of a new judging schedule, and the first year for the C7’s to attend. Our wrap up from Bloomington Gold 2013 awaits you after the break.

Bloomington Friday featured the GoldSchool seminars as well as staging for the weekend’s judging activities. Saturday played host to Certification judging, the Mecum auction, and the GoldTour. Sunday was Survivor and Benchmark judging followed by the awards ceremony. The Great Hall, GM test drives, and the C7 and Corvette Racing Display ran throughout the weekend.

Overall we think the new location is a pretty good fit. Those expecting the show to be held on a concrete jungle outside Assembly Hall (us included) were disappointed. We were happy to see a healthy mix of grass, trees, and shaded areas. Anyone looking to get out of the sun had plenty of opportunities around the grounds to do so. Overall the show layout seemed both closer together and more spread out at the same time. No longer would you have to walk across 2 empty fairways to get to a different event. The swap and vendor areas seemed bigger compared to the old home in St. Charles as did the GoldMine. We didn’t make over to the GoldTour or autocross, but if you did tell us about it in the comments below.

Like any first year event, there were a few hiccups (Friday parking was quite difficult to find), but we’re certain that they’ll be ironed out for next year. Based on what we saw, we think the first year in Champaign was a success for Bloomington Gold and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for us next year.

Enjoy our gallery from the show below and stay tuned here for more coverage throughout this week from Bloomington Gold 2013.

Related:
Four Ways to Celebrate Corvette’s 60th Birthday this Weekend
Truck Carrying Four Corvettes to Bloomington Gold Crashes into Low Bridge
Bloomington Gold to Offer Gold Autocross
Bloomington Gold Corvette Show Moving to Champaign, IL in 2013

 

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (July 2, 2013) – Two weeks after both its Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars completed the Le Mans 24 Hours, Corvette Racing returns stateside to continue defense of its GT driver, team and manufacturer championships in the American Le Mans Series. Next up is scenic Lime Rock Park and the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix on Saturday, July 6.

The fourth ALMS round of the year will air live starting at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with simultaneous live streaming on ESPN3 beginning with a 2:45 p.m., pre-race show. It’s an event Corvette Racing has won four times but none since 2008.

At 1.474 miles with seven turns, Lime Rock Park is the shortest track on the ALMS calendar but offers a surprisingly quick lap with average speeds in qualifying nearing 105 mph. The compact nature of the venue coupled with the two-hour, 45-minute race length means constant overtaking and frequent car-to-car contact.

Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen return to ALMS competition as the most recent winners in the GT class at Laguna Seca in May. The pairing – fourth in GTE Pro at Le Mans with Jordan Taylor – drive the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner share the No. 4 Compuware Corvette. The defending ALMS GT champions – seventh with Richard Westbrook at Le Mans – stand second in this year’s drivers’ standings and are three points out of first. Magnussen and Garcia are fifth but just 12 points from the lead. The Lime Rock round pays 20 points to the race-winners, 16 for second and 13 for third.

Corvette Racing leads the team standings, as does Chevrolet the manufacturers’ race. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner are second in the drivers standings just 3 points behind Dirk Muller.

Here are quotes from the team regaring the return to racing in the ALMS at Lime Rock:

DOUG FEHAN – CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER

“Le Mans was as challenging as ever. We battled the weather as well as the competition and I can tell you we are glad to get back to racing in the ALMS,” said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “The crowd is always great at Lime Rock, and the racing is as tough as anywhere else we compete the rest of the season. At just 1.5 miles in length, Lime Rock presents some unique challenges. You can’t make a green flag pit stop without losing a lap, so your strategy there will most likely determine your level of success. Our guys thrive on that pressure and are ready to go racing again.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“Because it is such a short track, everything has to run really, really smooth. It is easy to lose time and get in a position that conflicts with your strategy. You must run the whole race full-on and 100 percent. Knowing we ran a perfect race at Laguna – and I have to say we almost ran a perfect race at Le Mans – we need a repeat to be successful at Lime Rock. Our crew is running at its best and is pumped in the job they have done. We have to be consistent and not make any mistakes. That is what it takes every race to win in the GT class.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“I enjoy driving at Lime Rock. It’s a very short lap and the penalty for making a mistake can be quite big. Lime Rock is a fun track with interesting corners and is very, very old-school. In the past we have done quite well there but it has been awhile since we have won a race there but maybe that means we are due. It will be a case of us trying to have another race like Laguna Seca where we were almost perfect. With the competition being as equal and difficult as it has been in the first three ALMS races, it will take a perfect race with perfect pit stops and a good-handling race car. We know we have that and need to execute on race day.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“At Le Mans, you have 55 cars on a long track. At Lime Rock, you feel like you have 200 cars because there is no place for you to run off and hide. You can’t get a nice little piece of tarmac to run around by yourself for two hours and 45 minutes. It’s one of those places where you can never let your guard down even for a millisecond. You’re either on top of someone else or someone is coming to overtake you. You have to have eyes in the back of your head to deal with the traffic situation. The likes of someone like Brian (Hoye, No. 4 crew chief) spotting for us it critical too. There are people coming from every which way, not to mention incidents that may be developing in front.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R

“Le Mans wasn’t a great race for us. It was frustrating on many levels. But coming back to the U.S., I think we’ll be on par and pace with our competitors. Once we get back going again at Lime Rock, we will be right in the thick of things again. Our focus turns back to our duties here in the ALMS and putting Le Mans behind us. Lime Rock is tough both physically and mentally. There are no breaks; you’re always working. I’ve had tough races there where I’ve driven two hours in the car with high heat humidity and had to work hard to survive there. It’s one of those races that you know what to expect – hot, humid and tough.”

The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix takes place at Lime Rock Part on Saturday, July 6th. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 starting at 3pm.

Source:
CorvetteRacing.com

Related:
Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Corvettes Complete the 24 Hour Race
The No.3 Compuware Corvette C6.R with Magnussen, Garcia Wins at ALMS Lagnua Seca
[VIDEO] The Corvette Racing Seminar at the 2013 NCM Bash

 

The dream of a National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park is roaring closer and closer to reality with each passing day.

Corvette enthusiasts and community and state leaders gathered Friday, June 28th in Bowling Green, Kentucky for a groundbreaking ceremony for the $20 million, 184-acre, dual-track park located just across from the museum off I-65.

Officials expect the park, which is slated to be open by Labor Day 2014, to have a huge economic impact on the Bowling Green area, with up to 80,000 visitors and $15 million in tourism and racing revenues forecast annually.

It was a big day for folks like Doug Fehan, program manager of Corvette Racing, who was on hand for the ceremony.

“Corvette Racing has long hoped for just such an outstanding track with exciting features,” Fehan said. “Our drivers and many proud Corvette owners are looking forward to experiencing this premier motorsports facility. We enjoyed every minute of our participation in the design process.”

Likewise, Wendell Strode, executive director of the museum, praised the thousands of contributors for their “outpouring of financial support,” including the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau, which will enable the park to be ready for use by the museum’s 20th anniversary Labor Day weekend 2014.

The chair of the museum’s board of directors, Jack Matukas, was also enthusiastic about the impact of the motorsports park, saying when the gates open next year, “our region will not only see increased visits and events sponsored by Corvette owners and fans, but from just about every different sports car club in America.”

And the chair of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Brad Howard, said the park “will turbo-charge Bowling Green’s already-powerful position in the high-performance motorsports world.”

The museum purchased 184 acres for the motorsports park, which will feature two circuits, East and West, that can be configured in several ways, ranging from a high speed loop of 1.96 miles to an extended 3.15 mile technical course. The technical course will include features of the Corvette Racing/Pratt and Miller Team’s favorite and most challenging track, the Le Mans circuit.

Source:
National Corvette Museum

Related:
[VIDEO] The Reveal of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition at the Corvette Museum
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