Corvette Racing Team Finishes 1-2 at Road AmericaSavvy driving, smart race strategy, and spot-on execution propelled Corvette Racing to a 1-2 finish in the GT1 class in the American Le Mans Series Generac 500 at Road America. Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell scored a popular victory in their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R with a one-lap margin over the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta.
The race was essentially decided at 2 hours and 16 minutes when the third full-course caution period of the race began. The two Corvettes had adopted different pit strategies, with the No. 3 car making its second pit stop at 1:12 and the No. 4 pitting at 1:41. When the pace car came out for the final caution, the No. 3 Corvette C6.R had a one-lap lead on its sister car and the No. 007 Aston Martin. O'Connell then pitted under caution and completed his run to the checkered flag in the final half-hour without pressure. Beretta conserved fuel and ran his final one-hour, three-minute stint without a stop.
This win was the 25th career ALMS victory for both O'Connell and Fellows. The pair broke a year-long drought with their first ALMS win since July 2005 and their first victory at Road America.
"I first raced here in 1986, and I've had more second place finishes than they have bratwursts," O'Connell says. "It's been a long time for us, and it's great to be back on the top step of the podium. Since our last win together, there have been many races that could have gone our way but didn't. We had a beautiful race car today and a lot of good competition."
Fellows agreed. "It was great fun," says the Canadian ace. "I hated to get out of the car; the longer we ran, the better it got. We've been in position to win and then got unlucky with track position and cautions. This time a caution went our way. The guys never gave up, and Johnny did a fantastic job as always."
"When the No. 009 Aston Martin went into a gravel trap early, we were essentially in a situation with two cars versus one," explains Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "We had an opportunity to put our cars on different strategies in case there was an inopportune yellow flag, or one car got caught behind the pace car. We covered our bets, and it worked out well for us today."
"The engineers did a great job with the strategy, and with the luck of the caution it could have gone either way for either car," says team manager Gary Pratt. "We don't care which car wins as long as it's a 1-2 Corvette finish. The Astons fought hard, and it was tough for us with the extra weight our cars were carrying. Our tires held up perfectly; the engines ran flawlessly; all of the drivers did a fantastic job."
Defending GT1 champions Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta continue to lead the standings with 122 points. Fellows and O'Connell are second with 110 points, and Aston Martin drivers Tomas Enge and Darren Turner are third with 107.
Corvettes Dominate at Sandhills Open Road ChallengeImagine Motorsports teamed up with Optima Batteries to compete in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge in Arnold, Nebraska, on August 10-12. The OPTIMA Z06 Corvettes performed beyond expectations, and the drivers and navigators returned unblemished. Optima sponsored two cars in the event, both '06 Z06 Corvettes: car No. 206 with Cam Douglass as the driver and Daryl Brockman navigating, and car No. 218 with Steve Kepler at the wheel and Jimi Day providing the direction. Team OPTIMA competed in the SORC Shootout on Friday, which is a one-mile top speed run. Car number No. 206 piloted by Cam was clocked at 167.1 on his first pass, and car No.218 with Steve at the wheel turned in a speed of 166.9.
On Saturday, the teams competed in the Open Road Challenge-a 55-mile, up-and-back, open road race. Both cars competed in the 100-mph class with the object being to complete both runs on the course in the "perfect time" for the speed class. The course is very technical with tight turns, blind corners, and serious elevation changes. The start was delayed as a competition Viper in the unlimited class experienced a car fire on the course. The 1,000hp twin turbo V-10 apparently overheated the turbos, catching the body on fire. Both driver and navigator escaped unhurt, but the race was red flagged for nearly 2 hours. Once the fire was out and the course cleaned up, the racing resumed. No. 206 and No. 218 made admirable runs on the first leg of the race, and both were in close competition for the final return run. Unfortunately, due to a rollover accident on the course, the return run was also red flagged with both OPTIMA cars already on the course. Since timing and scoring is official only from the starting line, neither team was able to post an official time on the return run.
The final results had both Vettes finishing in the middle of the largest racing class, which was admirable for the newly formed teams. The Z06 Corvettes performed extremely well and, with the exception of a couple of rock chips, returned unharmed to their daily driver status.
For more information on the Sandhills Open Road Challenge, visit their web site at www.sorcrace.com. For more information on Optima Batteries, visit www.optimabatteries.com.
Barrister-Type Corvette FoundWe are a Corvette Restoration Shop in New Jersey that obtained this customized '72 Corvette. We were told that Wayne Newton drove this car in a movie, but who knows if there is any truth to that. This car looks like it could have been built by the same person who built Liberace's Corvette Barrister.
We have been tracking people down for info on this car; so far we have found this car was built for the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, but it never made it there. It has very low miles and the original drivetrain. The car was customized out West by Denny Locandro, who also built other oddball stuff. here is a link to some of his works: http://www.hotchariots.com/pages/concept.html.
I do not know if this info is 100-percent accurate. It would be great if you could put this in your Inside Track, maybe somebody out there knows this car.Russell Luterzo
How about it? anyone have any info on this wild Corvette? -Ed.
Zip products corvette trivia challengeThis month, Corvette Fever is continuing the new Zip Products Corvette Trivia Challenge. The Zip Products Corvette Trivia Challenge question will be featured in each issue of Corvette Fever and at www.corvettefever.com. You will be able to answer via e-mail or regular mail. The online poll will start at 12:01 a.m. on 10-17-06, and expire at 11:59 p.m. on 11-13-06. Those who answer correctly will be part of a drawing for a $200 gift certificate from Zip Products. The winner of the contest will also be featured in the next issue of Corvette Fever. Enter the Zip Products Corvette Trivia Challenge by answering the question and filling out the required information online, or by sending the answer on a 3x5 card with your name, address, phone number, and date of birth. See Rules on page 96.
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This month's Zip Products Corvette Trivia Challenge question is:The XP-895 mid-engined Corvette show car was built by which automotive industry supplier?