Corvette takes a surprise win at Monza

“You gotta be in it to win it”.  Nick Tandy in the # 64 C8.R GTE came out of nowhere to snatch victory for the Corvette Racing Team in this WEC 6-hour endurance race.

Each of the # 51 & # 52 AF Corse Ferrari 488s was on pace to win at their home track, Autodromo Nazionale, situated within a lush park north of Milan ITALY.

Then in the final minutes with just 2 laps to go, Antonio Fuoco in the # 52 suddenly pitted for a splash of fuel while Tandy had been instructed to save enough for the finish.  Call this performance poetic justice after an LMP 2 car shoved the # 64 into the ARMCO at Le Mans!

Tandy, who had experience at Monza, qualified a strong 2nd.  From there on the race came down to a winning pit strategy, timely caution flags and swapping off to Tommy Milner, making his first career start at Monza. 

Tandy tanked up in his final stint during a full-course yellow.  With about an hour to go, resigned to second place, the astonished Corvette team and we fans rejoiced when the last of the Ferraris had to pit. 

The 3.60-mile, 11-turn circuit known as Monza is one of the world’s fastest with long straights interconnected by slow corners and big braking zones. 

Corvette Racing engineers employed Chevrolet’s Driver in the Loop system to establish an all-important baseline from data collected at Le Mans which Tandy credits for the C8.R to start 2nd and hold its own in its first outing at a new circuit. 

On a Historical Note, Monza was built as a mecca for speed in 1922 as Mussolini came to power.  It originally had a notorious banked oval section (featured in the movie Grand Prix starring James Garner) that was abandoned since 1969 and now preserved for history.

 The next race for the # 64 C8.R GTE in the FIA WEC takes place in Japan at the Six Hours of Fuji on Sept. 9-11.

 Photos by Richard Prince