DETROIT (April 28, 2015) – Off first- and third-place finishes at Long Beach, Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype program heads up the California coast to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the fourth round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
The Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix is the first two-hour, 40-minute race for TUDOR Championship cars and is a return to four-class racing for the first time since March.
Corvette DPs have found success at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit that sits just off the Monterey Peninsula. Since its first race at Laguna Seca in 2012, the Corvette DP has won twice – VisitFlorida.com Racing in 2012 and Wayne Taylor Racing in 2013 as part of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
Richard Westbrook was part of the winning lineup in 2012 and is back in the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP alongside Michael Valiante.
Westbrook was the pole winner in 2012 (he also set the fastest race lap) and 2013. The latter year saw Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli win for Wayne Taylor Racing.
Taylor and brother Ricky are coming off a victory at Long Beach, the first at the circuit for the Corvette DP.
VisitFlorida.com Racing’s No. 90 Corvette DP and Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta entry are two of the four Corvette DPs entered for this weekend’s race at Laguna Seca.
TUDOR Championship Prototype leaders Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi will team again in Action Express Racing’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP.
In Action Express Racing’s No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP, Eric Curran and Dane Cameron will share duties.
“Laguna Seca is one of the more challenging tracks we visit in the TUDOR Championship,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager for Corvette Daytona Prototypes.
“The temperature fluctuation, cloud cover, and sand and tire rubber on the track can make finding grip difficult.
It requires a stable car with good handling and braking. Typically the lighter P2 cars have had an advantage but our Corvette DPs have improved in the areas where we needed to make gains. It should be a competitive event and another good points for Team Chevy.”
For the 2015 TUDOR Championship, all Corvette DP cars are running with updated Chevrolet bodywork that reflects the Corvette C7 production line.
The frontal area sees a striking change in design from the previous generation Corvette DP, including updates to the hood surface, headlights and radiator inlet area.
The rear window area also has been updated. The Corvette DP will take styling cues from the C7 including the rear taillights.
At the heart of the Corvette Daytona Prototype is a purpose-built 5.5-liter Chevrolet LS9 V-8 engine developed by ECR Engines.
The peak output is 560 hp as the power is regulated by a pair of sonic air restrictors that are mandated by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) – the sanctioning body of the TUDOR Championship.
The Corvette DP also features a new engine management system from Bosch Motorsport for 2015 and a continuation of a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle-shift. The brakes feature six-piston calipers with carbon rotors. Without the driver, the Corvette DP weighs 2,285 pounds.
The Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, the fourth race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, is set for 1:05 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 3, from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Live TV coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. ET. Flag-to-flag radio coverage also will be available via IMSA Radio.
CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP:
“It’s always great to lead the points. We will try our very best to leave Laguna with the points lead. Long Beach wasn’t the weekend we expected, so we are planning to turn things around for Monterey. Passing is very difficult in Laguna.
With all the different classes you might see more overtaking, primarily when you get a guy caught behind lapped traffic. Our car was good last year, but João had contact with another car toward the end of the race and that really hurt our chances.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, WAYNE TAYLOR RACING NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA CORVETTE DP:
“It’s nice to head to Laguna after our win at Long Beach. We’ve had strong runs at Laguna the past two years with a win and a second, so we have good history there. We know our car this year has the pace to compete for poles and wins.
Last year, we struggled a little with outright pace, and that made the sprint races a little tougher. It’ll be a little bit of a longer race than Long Beach – more pit stops and more strategy – but, thankfully, we have the best guys for that.”
DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINGEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP:
“Laguna Seca has always been a home event for me. Growing up in Northern California it was always the race at the end of the season I got to attend with my dad. It’s still great to go back because you get to see a lot of the people you grew up karting with and friends you went to school with.
This year I’m bringing my wife and kids out to be part of the event, so it’s really exciting. The track itself is tricky.
It’s a high-speed track but lacks a lot of grip because you have all the sand that gets kicked up on the racing surface. Turn 6 can be tough. It’s a high-speed corner and blind, and it also sets you up for the Corkscrew, which is legendary. Overtaking can be difficult, and with more cars this year there will be a bigger premium on track position.”
RICHARD WESTBROOK, VISITFLORIDA.COM NO. 90 CORVETTE DP:
“Racing at Laguna Seca is great. The track has a rich history in all forms of racing, so it’s great to be able to compete there in our VISITFLORIDA.COM Chevrolet Corvette DP.
You have a lot of passing opportunities which is great, but it also means that you have opportunities to be passed, or sometimes people think they can get position on you and pass, but they really can’t. You have to stay alert, take advantage of opportunities to pass when they present themselves, and push the car hard for two hours and forty minutes.”
