High Expectations Dashed by Reality at the IMSA WeatherTech 24 Hours of Daytona
Hey, we’re all human so it was only natural for Corvette fans expecting a repeat of last year when the Corvette Racing Team C8.R swept to 7 wins in 10 races vs limited opposition in the final year of the GTLM class.
The reality this year is the Corvette C8.R is about a full second off the pace in the GTD Pro class - which translates to about 7 laps or some 24 miles (give or take) behind the winner assuming no major setbacks before the checker flies at the 3.5-mile high-banked and infield circuit.
Much has been said about the transition to the GTD Pro class so we’ll just say in addition to more weight and a bit less power, the big factors are a mandated switch from “customized” (grip, wear, pressure settings) to customer Michelin tires; and dealing with various components such as re-arranging weight ballast and various components to comply with the rules.
For more watch this interview w/IMSA’s Michael Kurdock: https://racer.com/2022/01/28/insight-converting-the-corvette/
The yellow # 3 C8.R led by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished 6th (13 laps down) and the silver/grey # 4 C8.R led by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy finished 10th (86 laps down) in a field of 13 cars.
At Daytona the 2 Corvettes faced off against 3 Porsches, 2 BMWs, 2 AMG Mercedes, a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin and a Lexus. (Audi, McLaren and Mustang could be in the cards)
Jordan Taylor explains more in his short video Behind the Scene. https://youtu.be/xbODA8mlOpA
After 24 hours of racing, the GTD Pro race came down to the final lap between the Porsche 911 RSR GT3s # 9 Pfaff Racing and # 2 Asian KCMG that was nothing short of ferocious.
Despite the best efforts to manage tire wear, fuel economy, pit stop strategy etc, the # 3 Corvette fell back to repair a broken alternator while the # 4 Corvette lost an excruciating 2.5 hours to replace the diffuser, exhausts, starter motor and re-plum from a big hit from behind.
A period of time will be needed for the Corvettes to become contenders but there is no reason to fear. Looking back to 2009, it took the C6 Corvette a full 2 seasons to really start winning in the ALMS GT2 class after having literally wiped out the competition in GT1.
The Pratt & Miller team is incredibly deep and while the old guard is gone, Laura Klauser, the new GM Program Director for Sportscar racing (both Cadillac and Corvette under her wing) has the engineering background, the years of experience and a full grasp of what it takes to win on and off the track.
Credits to Mike Waal, Richard Prince, Gary Rosier, Rich Martin
Results compiled by Wayne Ellwood https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p2Hx_LOyL-tbPPHMOmXKi8zKvs5TUOUuUu1qLBSInAE/edit?usp=sharing
