# 3 C8.R Corvette penalized by IMSA for illegal passing at Laguna Seca

In what could have been a landmark victory, Antonio Garcia in the # 3 C8.R Corvette finished fourth in the GT PRO class at the 2.24-mile Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey CA.

Garcia served a two-minute + 50 second penalty for passing GTD cars in the lead pack in what he mistook as a “wave around” during a fourth caution period that occurred with less than 30 minutes remaining in the 2 hour and 40-minute race. 

The Corvette Racing Team in its twenty-fifth consecutive start at the famed Laguna Seca Circuit was optimistic, even though co-driver Jordan Taylor had qualified fifth in class, (seventh including allegedly slower GTD cars).

Nonetheless, just four tenths of a second separated the Corvette from the class pole-sitter.

Taylor and the team made good by moving to the front until the penalty.

Garcia remains a huge asset having won 20 times in the 100 races he started since joining the team in 2009.

Neither team blamed IMSA for waving around Garcia and Ross Gunn in the Heart of Racing team # 23 Aston Martin while running 1-2 at the time.  They should have known better.

In what could have been a landmark race to remember, it is a race to forget.

 While the sugar-coaters can call it a “learning experience, the chance to prove themselves right is the 6-hour race at Watkins Glen coming up on Jun 23-25.

 Photo credits Richard Prince, Mike Waal

Hats off to Ben Keating, the stellar bronze-rated “amateur” # 33 WEC GT3 Corvette driver who co-piloted the Oreca chassis # 52 of PR1 Mathiasen Motorsport to second place in the LMP2 class.