Two widely disparate versions of Corvette road-racing activity got underway at two Florida venues early this year. Three privateer teams fought horrendous weather as well as the competition, which as usual was mostly comprised of Porsches, in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. A day later, Chevrolet's C5-R factory squad traveled a few hours farther south of Daytona Beach to test in Sebring.
Two of the Corvettes entered at Daytona competed in the GT Class while the third ran in SGS. In theory, the GT and SGS cars are production-based, the former being C5 coupes and the latter Z06-based. However, it's a transition year for Rolex Series rules and one of the GT cars, the No. 60 Xtreme Racing Group entry, was what used to be called an AGT (American Grand Touring) racer (basically a tube-frame car wearing a Corvette silhouette). AGT cars that competed before the rules change were grandfathered in for inclusion in the GT ranks this year, though not without modifications that slow them down considerably.
Of the three Corvettes racing at Daytona, the Specter Werkes No. 24 coupe appeared to have the most potential for success, despite the team having to overcome a fire at the Daytona test a few weeks before the race. Besides the usual excellent preparation from Jeff Nowicki's Specter Werkes/Sports shop, this team also benefited from some experienced driver talent. In addition to Nowicki taking a turn behind the wheel, GM engineer and performance-car guru John Heinricy, Tom Bambard, and Pete Halsmer all drove during the race. Among the hard workers behind the Specter Werkes coupe was none other than Ken Brown, who headed up C5 chassis engineering for GM and worked on the factory C5-R race team.
Besides the torrential rain that led to more than a three-hour red flag (race stoppage), the Specter Werkes car and both of the other Corvettes suffered a series of mechanical woes that put them way off the GT/SGS pace. The highest-finishing Corvette was Specter Werkes, which ran 407 laps to finish 14th in class and 34th overall in a field of 53. The Z06 of Michael Baughman Racing completed 369 laps for a 13th in SGS Class, 38th overall position.
Sebring Test SessionThe weekend went considerably better for Chevrolet's factory Corvette crew at their Sebring session. The team was there as part of its ongoing winter testing and development regimen. One of the primary objectives of the Sebring test was to give the program's new drivers, Max Papis, Olivier Beretta, and Jan Magnussen, more seat time in the Corvettes. Formula One, CART, and sports car racing veteran Papis came to the test straight from a miserable experience in rain-soaked Daytona, where he drove a prototype that filled with water and ran most of the race without windshield wipers. Beretta and Magnussen, two of the most successful sports car racers on the scene today, were spared the agony of Daytona and had a good laugh when Papis described his water-based driving experience.
General Motors is the biggest car company in the world, and it's an honor to represent them, especially in a Corvette, which is the American sports car-Max Papis, new C5-R team driver.
All three have driven against the C5-R Corvettes and all are ecstatic about joining their former foe. "General Motors is the biggest car company in the world," explained Papis, "and it's an honor to represent them, especially in a Corvette, which is the American sports car."
Besides giving the new drivers experience behind the wheel, the test also served to get veteran C5-R competitor Ron Fellows back in the saddle. Fellows suffered a severely dislocated shoulder in a rock climbing accident on September 20, 2003, near his home in Mississauga, Canada. Despite the painful, debilitating injury, he managed to drive the final two races of 2003 and, in so doing, clinch the American Le Mans Series GTS driver's title. Once the season ended, however, he underwent surgery and has been receiving intense rehabilitative therapy, although he's still sore and not as strong as he'd like to be.
The two C5-Rs that competed at Sebring last March are chassis No. 10 and No. 11. Number 10 made its debut last year after one of the 2003 cars was destroyed in the Miami accident, and No. 11 is a brand-new specimen. Both benefit from a revised front fascia and various other aerodynamic improvements worked out over the winter, as well as a new sequential gearbox. Both cars will be riding on Michelins as a result of the deal GM Racing brokered with the French tire supplier toward the end of last year.
The new drivers don't have a point of reference for comparison, but Fellows, Oliver Gavin, and Johnny O'Connell all have high praise for the Michelins, which have proven to be quicker and more consistent than the previously used Goodyears.
At Sebring and beyond, Corvette Racing will compete against several ferociously fast 550 and 575 Ferrari Maranellos, Saleen S7Rs, and at least one Dodge Viper. The battle for GTS supremacy promises to take up where it left off at the conclusion of 2003, providing some of the closest and most exciting racing to be found anywhere.