Corvette finishes 4th in IMSA GTD Pro class at Lime Rock Park

The Lime Rock race for GT cars only (no GTP prototypes) was a procession as expected so strategy (2 vs 3 pit stops, etc) and execution would decide the outcome which is exactly how things turned out.  

Under perfect skies, fans packed the hillsides around the deceptively fast short 1.474-mile circuit with just one lefthand bend where today’s advanced machines qualify at speeds over 100 mph.  A mere 1.1 seconds separated the top four in the total GT Car field numbering 20.

Antonio Garcia in the # 3 C8 Corvette Racing team started 3rd having been leapfrogged by Ross Gunn the # 23 Aston Martin Heart Vantage of Racing team and Jack Hawksworth in the # 14 Lexus RC-F GT3 series-leading Vassar Sullivan team. 

Ride along with Garcia on a lap around Lime Rock Park: https://twitter.com/i/status/1682788671479480320

Tire wear, fuel consumption and caution periods factored in as Garcia pitted for the last time in 3rd place with 72 minutes left in the 160-minute race. The swap to Jordan Taylor looked routine until the Corvette gearbox failed to engage costing 10 seconds.

The Corvette team finished 4th yet gained 2nd in the standings while the highly confident Aston Martin team notched its first victory with four more races to go.  Road America is next on Aug 4-6. 

 The rising levels of data acquisition and communications now require nine technicians, stacked like sardines in the pit box, to help direct the race vs three back in the C6 era.

 Photos by Richard Prince, Jake Galstadt, Jan Hyde