Heading into the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta – the season finale for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – this is the first in a series in which the primary championship contenders in each of the three classes are compared.

Today, we’ll take a look at the Chevrolet vs. Ford battle for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship:

No. 3 Corvette Racing
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen

Engine: 5.5-liter normally aspirated V8 (front engine)
Points: 299 – 1st
2018 Victories: 0
2018 Podiums: 8

How The No. 3 Can Clinch the Title:
The No. 3 team will eliminate all others except for the No. 67 by starting the race. It can clinch the title outright with a fourth-place run or better.
It would be the team’s second consecutive WeatherTech Championship GTLM title.

2018 Performance:
The No. 3 team comes into Motul Petit Le Mans riding a streak of seven consecutive podium results and a total of eight podiums from 10 races this season.
The team has finished fourth or better in all but one race this season.

Noteworthy:
Since the start of the 2017 WeatherTech Championship, Magnussen and Garcia have finished inside the top five in 20 of 21 races.
They missed the top five with an eighth-place showing in March’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.

What They’re Saying:

ANTONIO GARCIA -

“There’s always pressure when you go to Road Atlanta, especially when you are fighting for a championship.
We were in a perfect scenario last season where we only needed to start to clinch. It won’t be like that this year.
I really like this track and the event itself. It’s very challenging.
Hopefully we have a good chance to win the championship by scoring a good result. Road Atlanta has always been a good track for Corvette Racing, but it’s one race that I still haven’t won. So, I definitely want to fix that.
Hopefully we can do that and win the championship, as well. It would be great for us to win our first race of the year to clinch the championship.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN -

“Last year was an easy Petit Le Mans for us; we basically took the green flag and won the championship.
This year for sure will be different. It’s a tough race because you race throughout the day and into the night.
Road Atlanta is a very tough circuit; it’s bumpy, super-fast and very old school. If you make a mistake, you’ll hit something!
There’s a lot of traffic and some new drivers because so many teams use three drivers.
The important thing is that we know what we need to. No one controls luck, but if we do the best we can and run the plan that we set out to do, we will be in good shape.”

No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing
Ford GT
Richard Westbrook/Ryan Briscoe

Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged Ford EcoBoost V6 (mid-engine)
Points: 290 – 2nd
2018 Victories: 3
2018 Podiums: 4

How The No. 67 Can Clinch the Title:
There are a several possibilities, but the most straightforward scenario is the No. 67 team would take the championship with a race win or a result of fifth or worse by the No. 3 Corvette. The No. 67 holds the tiebreaker with three victories to none for the No. 3 team.

2018 Performance:
Westbrook and Briscoe lead the GTLM class with three victories this season, in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.

Noteworthy:
The No. 67 team led the GTLM standings from the season opener at Daytona until the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, when they were overtaken by the No. 66 Ford GT team of Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller. One Ford Chip Ganassi Racing car or the other led the championship until the No. 3 Corvette team took the lead for the first time following the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway in August.

What They’re Saying:

RICHARD WESTBROOK -

"We had a test in Atlanta and hoped to see a preview of what the weather will be like in a few weeks during the race, but with fall now upon us, that is not always the case.
It was a good chance to try some different stuff to last year and build on the good performance we had there last year.
We are obviously going for the win after the disappointment of Laguna and will hopefully put some pressure on the (No.) 3 Corvette."

RYAN BRISCOE -

“I think obviously we’ve fallen a bit behind on the points, but we can still win it and we have one goal, to go out and win the race and see where the points fall at the end of it. It’s an important race to win no matter where you are in the championship, so you’re going to have everyone gunning for the win.
It’s always an exciting race, one of my favorites.”

Others in mathematical contention for the GTLM title:

No. 66 Ford GT (Mueller, Hand); No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR (Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor); No. 4 Corvette C7.R (Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin); No. 25 BMW M8 GTE (Alexander Sims, Connor De Phillippi); No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR (Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet).

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: By the Numbers

DETROIT (Oct. 8, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship comes to a close this weekend at a track it has visited more often than any other during its illustrious history.
On the verge of another IMSA championship, Corvette Racing is back at Road Atlanta for the 22 time since 1999 – this time for the 20th running of Petit Le Mans.

The collection of Corvette Racing’s statistics and honors at Road Atlanta is impressive – a theme that has been present throughout the team’s 20th season of competition.

1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 20 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
2: Double-podium finishes this season for Corvette Racing: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road America.
3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road Atlanta since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013) and Corvette C7.R (2014-current).
6: Career victories at Road Atlanta for Oliver Gavin – all with Corvette Racing. His first came in 2003 (Grand Prix of Atlanta), and five have come in Petit Le Mans (most among active drivers).
7: Consecutive GTLM podium finishes for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette – Mid-Ohio (third), Watkins Glen (second), Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (second), Lime Rock Park (second), Road America (third), VIR (second) and Laguna Seca (third).
10: Number of Road Atlanta victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2000 – eight of those at Petit Le Mans.
8: As in Chevrolet’s small-block V8. More than 100 million units have been sold worldwide and is the most successful engine in American motorsports.
10: Petit Le Mans wins for Chevrolet – eight in GT and two in Prototype. That ranks third among manufacturers in event history.
12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
16: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. That’s the most of any manufacturer and team in GTLM.
19: Consecutive Petit Le Mans starts for Jan Magnussen, the longest streak for any driver in race history.
23: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta. Of those, 10 went on to win at Road Atlanta including current drivers Gavin and Magnussen.
24: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
28: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.
107: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 99 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
211: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 following the most recent race at Laguna Seca.
31,699.44: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Road Atlanta. That represents 12,703 laps or nearly 500 trips around Interstate 285 – Atlanta’s Perimeter.
279,772.06: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles.

As the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship draws to a close this weekend, Corvette Racing finds itself in a familiar spot: fighting for another title at Road Atlanta. Saturday’s 10-hour Petit Le Mans is the final race on the IMSA calendar with championships in each of the three classes up for grabs at the series’ cornerstone event.

That includes GT Le Mans (GTLM), where Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen look to successfully defend their Driver Championship from a year ago. The pairing, who share the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, lead the Driver standings by nine points and need to finish fourth or better to clinch their third title together.

It would give Corvette Racing three consecutive Driver and Team championships, as well as increase the total to 13 Team titles and 12 Driver titles for the program in its 20-year history.

Garcia and Magnussen will have some help at Road Atlanta as Marcel Fässler will be entered in both Corvette Racing entries.
The physical nature of the event around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit an hour north of Atlanta can take a heavy toll, so long-distance drivers for Petit Le Mans are common.

Fässler also stands to see time in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R alongside full-season teammates Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner.
The latter pairing has Corvette Racing’s lone victory this season, which came at Long Beach.
The No. 4 Corvette duo stands fifth in points and is only six points out of third place.

Corvette Racing hasn’t missed a Petit Le Mans since the program began in 1999. It has eight class victories – the most of any team in race history – and two additional Road Atlanta wins that came in American Le Mans Series sprint events.

Not surprisingly, two Corvette Racing drivers rank among race leaders in victories and starts.
Magnussen will make his 20th consecutive Petit Le Mans start, and he has won four times.
Gavin is tied for most race victories with five, and he hasn’t missed a start since 2000.

Corvette Racing on Display at Road Atlanta

The final race for Corvette Racing of the IMSA season also means the final chance for fans to visit Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing Display. Located in the Fan Midway, the display will allow fans a chance to view and learn about a variety of Chevrolet vehicles, accessories and attractions including:

• The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the most powerful production Corvette ever built

• The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, Camaro 2SS Coupe, Silverado LT Trail Boss and HD High Country, Equinox Premier, Cruze Premier and Traverse High Country

• A Corvette C7.R show car and Camaro GT4.R race car

• Samples of Chevrolet engines, performance parts and accessories available to fans for purchase from their local Chevrolet dealer

• A variety of Chevrolet and racing related activities for adults and kids

• Commemorative t-shirts for fans who sign up with Corvette Racing.

The Corvette Racing Display opens at 8 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday.

Petit Le Mans is set for 11:05 a.m. ET on Saturday with live television coverage on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.
Streaming in-car footage along with live audio coverage of practice, qualifying and the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“There’s always pressure when you go to Road Atlanta, especially when you are fighting for a championship. We were in a perfect scenario last season where we only needed to start to clinch. It won’t be like that this year. I really like this track and the event itself.
It’s very challenging. Hopefully we have a good chance to win the championship by scoring a good result. Road Atlanta has always been a good track for Corvette Racing, but it’s one race that I still haven’t won! So I definitely want to fix that.
Hopefully we can fix that this year and win the championship, as well.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Last year was an easy Petit Le Mans for us; we basically took the green flag and won the championship.
This year for sure will be different. It’s a tough race because you race throughout the day and into the night
. Road Atlanta is a very tough circuit; it’s bumpy, super fast and very old school. If you make a mistake, you’ll hit something! There’s a lot of traffic and some new drivers because so many teams use three drivers.
The important thing is that we know what we need to. No one controls luck, but we do the best we can and run the plan that we set out to do, we will be in good shape.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Petit Le Mans is always an intense race. Road Atlanta itself is a tight track; it has a lot of elevation changes with a lot of speed.
Each year it seems to get quicker and quicker. You know you’re going to get a big grid, so traffic will be an issue. Add on to that that championships are be decided, and those altogether really crank up the intensity you feel. It’s fun but there’s still a bit of a battle.
Winning that event is a really big feather in your cap and carries good momentum into next year.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Petit Le Mans is definitely a highlight. There is something extra about Petit Le Mans where you go into a championship weekend.
People from around the world come to Road Atlanta and really embraced it as a really big event, which it is.
In a lot of ways, it’s like Sebring where people line up early to get their camping spot.
It’s a lot of people who enjoy great sports car racing at one of the best tracks we go to. It makes that event so special.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 3 and NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:

“Petit Le Mans is something special and exciting for all of us. It has been growing from year to year. It has become a race that is growing toward being a legend. Maybe it’s not quite on the same level as Sebring, but it is getting close.
It’s a big event for all of us, especially us in Europe, because you want to be part of a race like this.
It’s exciting for us to come to the track and see the fans lined up and waiting to come in before the gates open. It’s always nice to see that kind of environment.

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:

“Another championship run for Corvette Racing comes down to Road Atlanta. Petit Le Mans has earned its stature as one of endurance racing’s prime events over the last 20 years. The track, the fans, the atmosphere and level of competition make it a can’t-miss race.
Road Atlanta presents a number of challenges we don’t see many other places. The layout and elevation changes throughout the lap put a real importance on managing traffic. Add in a couple hours of running in the dark to the end of the race, and you have a true championship-caliber test.
It’s one we’ve conquered eight times before and are eager to do again.”

It all comes down to this Saturday at Road Atlanta.

Titles will be on the line for both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in the 21st Motul Petit Le Mans. The 10-hour race takes the green flag shortly after 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Live television coverage of Motul Petit Le Mans begins Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, with continuing coverage on FS2 from 12 p.m. ET through the checkered flag. FSGO also will offer a complete broadcast with FS1 authentication.
Live IMSA Radio coverage also will be available on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio (Sirius 119/XM 202/App 972). Tickets are available now at RoadAtlanta.com.

And as the season finale weekend approaches, there are storylines aplenty in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class:

· Corvette Racing heads into Motul Petit Le Mans looking for its third consecutive GTLM title.
Two years ago, it was the No. 4 Corvette C7.R shared by Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin that took the crown.
Last year, it was Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette.
Magnussen and Garcia come into the weekend with a nine-point lead in the GTLM standings and will clinch the title outright with a run of fourth or better.

“Another championship run for Corvette Racing comes down to Road Atlanta,” said Corvette Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan. “Petit Le Mans has earned its stature as one of endurance racing’s prime events over the last 20 years.
The track, the fans, the atmosphere and level of competition make it a can’t-miss race.”

Marcel Fassler joins the driver lineup for both the No. 3 and No. 4 team this weekend.

· Barring unforeseen circumstances, the No. 67 Ford GT pairing of Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe are the only drivers who could take the title away from Magnussen and Garcia.
They’ve got three victories on the season and need another strong performance – as well as some bad luck for the No. 3 team – to win the championship for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.


“I don’t think anyone at Ford CGR is giving up the fight quite yet,” said Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook.
“It’s been quite a season for the Ford GT and the team and all of our partners, and we’re looking forward to seeing the conclusion.

· The other Ford Chip Ganassi Racing entry, the No. 66 Ford GT with drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, is in the catbird seat for the Patrón Endurance Cup, holding a four-point lead, 33-29, over the No. 911 Porsche duo of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet.
There will be three Patrón Endurance Cup scoring intervals at Motul Petit Le Mans, at the four-hour and eight-hour marks, as well as the finish.

The No. 67 team also is a top Patrón Endurance Cup contender currently sitting third in the standings, just one behind the No. 911. Bolstering the team’s chances in the endurance race are IndyCar stars Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon.
Bourdais is reunited with Hand and Mueller in the No. 66, while Dixon – who just picked up his fifth IndyCar Series championship last month – joins Briscoe and Westbrook in the No. 67.

· The pair of Porsche GT Team entries will be sporting special, “throwback” liveries on both cars at Motul Petit Le Mans. The liveries on both cars recall the Mobil 1 scheme used by Porsche in the first Motul Petit Le Mans in 1998, with blue, red and orange stripes over a white base and gold wheels.

The No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR shared by Tandy, Pilet and Frederic Makowiecki will have a white windshield banner and rear wing with orange spots on the nose.
The No. 912 co-driven by Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet will have a black windshield banner and rear wing, as well as yellow spots on the nose.

· BMW Team RLL comes into Motul Petit Le Mans riding a two-race winning streak with its No. 25 BMW M8 GTE. Two races ago, in August’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, No. 25 co-drivers Alexander Sims and Connor De Phillippi delivered the first victory anywhere in the world for the new-for-2018 race car, while teammates John Edwards and Jesse Krohn finished third.

Atop the GT Le Mans (GTLM) championship standings and the Thursday afternoon leader-board was the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Marcel Fassler. Magnussen, who set the quickest time of 1:18.300 (116.781 mph), and full-time co-driver Garcia currently lead their class standings by nine points, although they will be seeking their first win of the season on Saturday.

Hot on their trails is the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook.
The duo – who are joined by 2018 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon this weekend – sit second in the standings and were second after two practice sessions on Thursday.

Results of 3rd practice Thursday

ANTONIO GARCIA AND JAN MAGNUSSEN, DRIVERS OF THE NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R, met with members of the media today at Road Atlanta to discuss their lead in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver Championship, the outlook for Saturday’s 10-hour race and the strengths of the Corvette C7.R. Full transcript:

GENTLEMEN, YOUR THOUGHTS COMING INTO THE WEEKEND? YOU’RE LEADING THE POINTS, LOOKING TO WIN ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP.

Jan Magnussen:

“It’s a good position to be in. Nine points gives us some room so we don’t have to push like crazy, but we still have to be smart.
Basically, if we can do what we’ve done in the last seven races then we’re good. Fourth place wins the championship, so we’ll try to do just that.
But we also haven’t had a win this year and the car so far this weekend has felt pretty good, so we’ll look at how things go and try to get that win.”

Antonio Garcia:

“It’s been kind of a strange season for us. We’re used to winning at least once or twice a year and that hasn’t happened.
I think we’ve been very close to winning at least three or four and we probably deserve those wins, but at the end what counts is those points.
There have been quite a few years when we’ve won three or four races and we end up not winning the championship, so I think maybe it’s time to do the opposite.”

THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2005 THAT A TEAM WOULD WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP WITHOUT WINNING A RACE.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE KEYS TO YOUR CONSISTENCY?

Jan Magnussen:

“Well, the key has been consistency. It’s a tough championship, a tough category and it’s not like we’ve been taking it easy and trying to be completely safe the whole time. We run our races, run to the plan we set out to do.
We have more or less stayed out of trouble the whole season, and that’s paid off with the points. To have this many podiums shows that we’re competitive. We have had some wins taken away from us for different circumstances being a little bit unlucky.
But it’s difficult to say it’s been an unlucky season that we’ve had; it’s been a great season so far.
We’ve just missed out on the wins so far. We’ll try to change that this weekend.”

KNOWING YOU NEED A FOURTH-PLACE FINISH TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP,
DO YOU PUSH TO GET THE WIN JUST TO HAVE THAT STAMP ON YOUR SEASON, OR DO YOU PLAY IT CONSERVATIVELY?

Antonio Garcia:

“You definitely need to have that thing in the back of your mind, but every time you are too cautious is when everybody hits you in a way.
You need to be in control of the race somehow and always fighting for the best position you can. I know fourth is what is needed, but if we are competitive enough to win then we’ll definitely go for the win.
If you think too much about that, you’ll probably end up finishing fifth. We just definitely need to focus on the race and go get that win.”

THE CORVETTE C7.R HAS BEEN IN THE WEATHERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE IT STARTED IN 2014.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CAR THAT MAKES IT WORK SO WELL?

Jan Magnussen:

“The Corvette is a great car.
The crew and support behind it is what makes a difference the engineering group and how they plan out the races plus the development of the car, plus how the crew conducts themselves with pit stops and the good discipline they have so we can get the best out of a race every weekend.
We try and learn from every situation and mistake and try not to repeat them.

“But from the beginning the C7.R has been a great car, and the Corvette has always been great.
This car has been through some developments – some tiny from year to year and some big ones with change of rules.
But the key to Corvette Racing is the people behind it and the support we get not only race to race but from year to year in order to improve an existing product that you can’t change much because of rules.”

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE CORVETTE ARE FROM YOUR POSITION, AND HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WILL WIN THIS RACE?
WILL IT BE IN THE PITS OR WILL IT COME DOWN TO SPEED OR ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT AGGRESSION?

Antonio Garcia:

“Speed is the key thing, for sure. You need to be fast to be able to win. But Petit Le Mans is so long that strategy is a key thing.
There can come a point in the last two hours where you are leading the race before someone takes a gamble and goes for it. In that respect, we definitely protect ourselves and follow a little bit what the 67 does.
That’s the smart thing to do. Even if they make a gamble, we would have nothing to lose against them.
That’s the safe play. As we saw last night, traffic is going to be a key thing between us in GTLM and other the other categories.
This race is one where you need to be smart, especially in the last two hours.”

SO SAVE THE CAR FOR THE LAST TWO HOURS FOR THE FINAL SPRINT TO THE END,
OR ARE YOU EXPECTING THE RACE TO BE FULL OF SAFETY CARS AND YOU HAVE TO GO

Antonio Garcia:

“You need to be in contention, first of all. That’s also a key thing about a race of this distance.
We have a lot of knowledge about this place and this race. In the first four or five hours, we will have an idea of how traffic will be developing.
From that point we can look ahead and work toward having the car competitive for the end. That’s when it counts.
And we are the best team to follow all those conditions and be in the right place.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU EXPECT MARCEL(FÄSSLER) TO DRIVE BOTH CARS THIS RACE?

Jan Magnussen:

“I’m not sure there is a plan as of yet. A third driver at this race is important because without one, you can run into the limits of the drive-time regulations.
Usually a third driver will do an hour or two in the middle of the race.
So he may jump from one car to the other and help both entries out that way. Marcel has been great and fast in both cars.
He’s the only person that gets to drive both on the weekend, so even though we may think both cars are the same he can come in and explain the small differences between them.
It’s been good for our weekend development.”

All but one Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup titles now have been clinched in a dramatic, 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans as darkness falls on Road Atlanta.

The No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT team wrapped up the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Patrón Endurance Cup team title, while its full-season co-drivers, Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller clinched the drivers’ title when points were awarded at the eight-hour interval.

In the GT Daytona (GTD) class, the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports team wrapped up its second consecutive Patrón Endurance Cup, as did drivers Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen. The team’s third driver, Luca Stolz, will receive his first Patrón Endurance Cup at WeatherTech Night of Champions on Sunday.

Another repeat performance came in the Prototype manufacturer race, as Cadillac clinched its second straight manufacturers’ Patrón Endurance Cup when it led at eight hours with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi and co-drivers Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

The battle for the GTD Patrón Endurance Cup manufacturers’ title will go down to the finish. Mercedes-AMG currently leads Lamborghini by two points, 39-37.

While the Patrón Endurance Cup titles are mostly sorted, the overall championships for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are anything but. In a dramatic turn of events in the eighth hour, the No. 3 Corvette team and full-season drivers Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia saw their championship hopes placed in real jeopardy after Garcia hit the barrier exiting the pits.

He immediately brought the car around to the team’s transporter, where lightning-quick repairs were made, but the car had fallen two laps behind the GTLM leading No. 911 Porsche of Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Frederic Makowiecki. It was running ninth in class at the eight-hour mark.

If the No. 3 finishes seventh or lower, the No. 67 Ford GT and full-season co-drivers Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe can win the GTLM championship with a finish of second or better. Alongside their third driver, IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, the No. 67 duo was running second at eight hours.

If the No. 3 makes it to seventh place, the No. 67 team would need to win the race to take the title, as would also be the case if the No. 3 made it as high as fifth. The No. 3 would take the title with a run of fourth or better, regardless of the No. 67’s performance.

The margin for the Prototype title also was razor thin at eight hours. No. 31 Whelen Cadillac DPi teammates Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr were running eighth, while the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2 machine of Colin Braun and Jon Bennett was fifth. If that’s how the race ended, the No. 31 would take the title by one point.

In GTD, the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini and full-season drivers Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow were in position to take the title, running second in class, while the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Katherine Legge was fourth. The No. 48 would clinch with a podium result.

The dramatic conclusion to Motul Petit Le Mans is live now on FS2 through the checkered flag at 9:05 p.m. ET. The race also is available on the FOX Sports Go app with FS1 authentication. Live IMSA Radio coverage also is available now on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio (Sirius 119/XM 202/App 972).

GT Le Mans

Remarkably, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen became class champions despite never winning a race, despite finishing two laps down in the #3 corvette they shared with Marcel Fassler.

Ryan Briscoe/Richard Westbrook looked to be in the winner seats in second behind the Porsche 911 RSR of Nick Tandy, but Briscoe was passed out of the pits by the #4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Fassler and later fell behind the two BMW M8s and could only salvage fifth.

Tandy, Frederic Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet not only showed exceptional pace to deservedly take the class win, Tandy also showed an amazing ability to feather-foot on fuel despite stopping earlier than his competitors before the final stint and still win by 11sec over the #4 Corvette taking 2nd place

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Quick Championship Quotes

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 13, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won their second straight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) Driver title Saturday following the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

It is the 12th Driver Championship for Corvette Racing and 13th Team title.


MARK REUSS, GM EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT GLOBAL PRODUCT GROUP AND CADILLAC:

“Congratulations to Antonio, Jan and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team on clinching the GTLM Driver Championship.
This team never gave up all season to deliver our 12th Driver title for Corvette Racing over 20 seasons of competition. And congratulations to Corvette Racing and Pratt & Miller on their 13th Team Championship.
They prepared a race car that delivered consistent performance and that great combination of power, durability and efficiency.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM DRIVER CHAMPION:

“It was definitely a tough race. From Lap 1, I went in the lead and every time I was in the car I was going for it instead of holding position.
It probably went from one of my best races of my career to the most embarrassing moment of my career.

Thank you to the # 4 car for keeping the pressure up on the 67 car, which had to go for the win for the (championship) result.
That’s part of this championship – the 4 car keeping the pressure up at the end. I’m very happy.
It will take me a little bit to forget that mistake, but I’m very happy for the whole team.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SIRIUS XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM DRIVER CHAMPION:

“The way it turned out, the way the 4 car went in there and really put pressure on changed things around. Fantastic.

Such a massive team effort to make this happen. I’m so proud to be a part of this. We had a good car and were going to be right there in the mix and the pit exit stuff happened and put everything on its head.
It looked like we were out of it, trying to figure out how to still make it happen.
I think what really did it was the 4 car got sent super aggressively and changed the balance of things.
Obviously the 4 car went for the win but they knew why they were doing it. It turned things in our favor.”

It wasn’t exactly how the team drew it up, but Corvette Racing won its third consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) class championship Saturday in the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

The 10-hour race was won in class by the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR and co-drivers Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Frederic Makowiecki, but it was the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team and co-drivers Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, joined at Road Atlanta by Marcel Fassler, who defended their title from one year ago with an eighth-place finish.

In what was an ultimate display of teamwork, the No. 3 team – who entered the race needing to finish fourth or better to clinch the championship – was forced to cheer on its sister car, the No. 4 Corvette C7.R of Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Fassler, as it held off the No. 67 Ford GT in the final hour to secure a second consecutive championship for the No. 3.

With a little over two-and-a-half hours remaining and their car in contention for a race victory, Garcia spun exiting pit road and made contact with the inside wall, forcing him to go behind the wall to make repairs.
He returned to the track in ninth, three laps down, setting up a scenario where all the No. 67 had to do was finish second or better to win the championship.

While in position to just that, Briscoe pit the No. 67 from second with 48 minutes to go, but was beat back out on track by the No. 4, who ended up holding on to the second position while the No. 67 fell to fifth.

“It probably went from one of my best races of my career to the most embarrassing moment of my career,” said Garcia.
“Thank you to the (No.) 4 car for keeping the pressure up on the (No.) 67 car, which had to go for the win for the (championship) result. That's part of this championship, the 4 car keeping the pressure up at the end. I'm very happy. It will take me a little bit to forget that mistake, but I'm very happy for the whole team."

"The way it turned out, the way the 4 car went in there and really put pressure on changed things around,” added Magnussen.
“Such a massive team effort to make this happen. I'm so proud to be a part of this.
I think what really did it was the 4 car got sent super aggressively and changed the balance of things.
Obviously the 4 car went for the win, but they knew why they were doing it. It turned things in our favor.”

It was the 13th team championship and 12th driver title for Corvette Racing in its 20-year history.
The championship-winning No. 3 team managed to win the championship without scoring a win, riding remarkable consistency that included eight podium finishes in 11 starts. That was the first time since 2005 a team had won a championship with winning a race during the season.
The runner-up effort for the No. 4 team, meanwhile, moved them up to third in the year-end standings.

“Congratulations to Antonio, Jan and the No. 3 Corvette C7.R team on clinching the GTLM Driver Championship,” said Mark Reuss, GM Executive Vice President and President Global Product Group and Cadillac.
“This team never gave up all season to deliver our 12th Driver title for Corvette Racing over 20 seasons of competition. And congratulations to Corvette Racing and Pratt & Miller on their 13th Team Championship.
They prepared a race car that delivered consistent performance and that great combination of power, durability and efficiency.”

Ford, meanwhile, secured the GTLM manufacturer championship with five wins on the season between its two entries.

The win for the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR was the team’s second endurance victory of the season, after winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts in March, and Porsche’s third GTLM win on the season.

It was also Porsche’s 20th win in the Motul Petit Le Mans, extending its record among active manufacturers.

“It still feels amazing to win this race,” said Pilet. “It’s the last race of the season.
We won Sebring, but since then we had a lot of bad luck and we missed a lot of victories during the season.
But like I said, we’re right here with a brand-new motivation. We know that the team was really strong. And we have our lucky charm, Fred.”

Three manufacturers made up the top three spots in the finishing order with the No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTLM of John Edwards and Jesse Krohn rounding out the podium.
It was BMW’s third consecutive podium to close out the 2018 season.