Corvette C8.R Racing’s appearance this weekend in the Chevy Sports Car Classic will not count toward GTLM points, it will be the first time the iconic Chevy Corvette has appeared in its Grand Touring (GT) form at the Detroit race since 2008.

The addition of Corvette’s stalwart 2 car GT Le Mans (GTLM) team in the annual Belle Isle street race in the shadow of GM's headquarters is a nod to the manufacturer that has its name on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event, which shares the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear weekend with the IndyCar Series.

Racing in front of the hometown crowd is a thrill for the team’s drivers, Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, Nick Tandy & Tommy Milner.
“At any racetrack where you’ve had success, you’re excited to go back & enjoy being there,” said Taylor, a five-time winner at Detroit who co-drives the No. 3 Corvette C8.R with Garcia. “For me, I’ve been with GM for so many years.

I won there in 2012 in a Camaro, three times in a Corvette Daytona Prototype, and then 2017 in a Cadillac (prototype). To be there always in a GM vehicle with the (GM headquarters) Renaissance Center nearby and all the big bosses coming to the race, it always adds a lot of pressure but always means so much more when the race goes well.”

GM played a crucial role in the revival of the Detroit Grand Prix in 2012 after a three-year hiatus.
GM was founded in Detroit in 1908 and ranks 18th in the Fortune 500 of U.S. companies by total revenue in sales of vehicles from its four U.S.-based brands – Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac & GMC.
Showing the hometown crowd & GM executives the famous Corvette GTLM entry up close & in action is a dream for drivers.

“Even though this isn’t a points race, I’m glad we are back at Belle Isle,” Garcia said.
“It’s the first time for me racing in Detroit. Knowing we are racing with one of the most iconic cars around there is pretty cool.”

The Detroit Grand Prix began in 1982 as a Formula One race on downtown city streets, with the late Ayrton Senna winning in 1986, ’87 and ’88.
In 1989, the race became an IndyCar event under CART sanction, moving to Belle Isle in 1992, where it was held annually until 2001.

The race was revived in 2007 as an IndyCar series event.
After three idle years, it was revived again in 2012, where it remained an annual part of the schedule until last year’s race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sports cars have been part of the Detroit lineup for 10 years (2007-08, 2012-19).

In addition to being the home of Cx.R Corvettes, the event takes place in the backyard of Pratt Miller Engineering, which has designed, developed and constructed the Corvette GTs that have competed in IMSA for more than two decades.
Pratt Miller is based in New Hudson, a Detroit suburb.

“This is something that I’m looking forward to meeting some of the team members who have designed and worked on this car and seeing the people of Detroit who want to come and see us,” said Tandy, who co-drives the No. 4 Corvette C8.R with Milner.

“It’s my first time at Belle Isle.
From a competition standpoint, I’m looking forward to getting onto a brand-new circuit.
It’s not often that we go to a new track so it’s something that is exciting for me personally.”

WeatherTech Championship practice & qualifying will take place Friday, June 11, with the 100-minute race starting at 5:10 p.m. ET Saturday, June 12,
airing live on NBCSN and IMSA Radio (Sirius 219, XM 202, SiriusXM Online 992).

In addition to the Corvettes, the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) & GT Daytona (GTD) classes will be racing.

CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Home, Sweet Home
• First race for program on Belle Isle since 2008
• Two mid-engine Corvette C8.Rs to compete in front of home crowd
• Corvette brand with victories in GT, Prototypes at Detroit over the years

For the first time in more than a decade, Corvette Racing will compete in its hometown when the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Detroit and the Belle Isle street circuit this weekend for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.

Both of the team’s mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will compete in the 100-minute race that airs live at 5 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN as part of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend. While the GT Le Mans (GTLM) contest in a non-points event, that doesn’t lessen the importance of having Corvette Racing back on Belle Isle.

For one, Belle Isle will provide an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet production team members both within the Corvette team and others outside the main program, all of whom contributed in some way to the C8.R and the road-going Corvette Stingray to see Corvette Racing in-person for the only time in 2021.
The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was the culmination of almost six years of work between all facets of engineers and designers from the Corvette production side and Corvette Racing.

What resulted was a racecar that won six times during its 2020 debut season and swept the full-season IMSA GTLM championships for Manufacturers,
Drivers and Teams. The Corvette C8.R also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.

Second, it’s Corvette Racing’s first IMSA event since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. Competing on Belle Isle will serve as a tune-up for a busy summer schedule that includes four races in a six-week span, plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August.
It also will be the first time the full-season driver pairings compete together, defending GTLM champions Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.

Corvette racing competed at Belle Isle in 2007 and 2008 with the sixth-generation racing Corvette, which took American Le Mans Series class victories each year.
The event date shifted from September to June in 2012, which was in conflict with the 24 Hours of Le Mans one of the premier events on Corvette Racing’s calendar.

Two of the four Corvette Racing drivers Milner and Taylor have previous experience on Belle Isle.
Milner twice raced GT2 cars in the American Le Mans Series, and Taylor is a five-time winner in prototypes at Belle Isle, including three in a Corvette Daytona Prototype.

Chevrolet on Display at Belle Isle

In addition to happenings on the racetrack on Belle Isle, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet.
That’s because the Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 7:30 a.m. from Friday through Sunday in the fan midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• A Corvette Racing C8.R show car and the No. 16 Paretta Autsport IndyCar
• Additional Chevrolet products such as the Camaro ZL1, Silverado and Blazer Redline Edition
• An opportunity to receive a 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix special edition T-shirt

The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12.
The race will air live on NBCSN and stream on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App.
IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R

: "Even though this isn’t a points race, I’m glad we are back at Belle Isle. It’s the first time for me racing in Detroit. Knowing we are racing with one of the most iconic cars around there is pretty cool. Combining that with fans being back in the grandstands and in the paddock is even better.

I’m looking forward to getting back on the racetrack and back to racing after a long period since Sebring. I had a chance to race at Spa, but it still feels like a long time since I’ve raced in the States. It’ll be nice to get back to doing what we are used to doing, being around the fans and seeing them.
That’s one of the biggest things."

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

"At any racetrack where you’ve had success, you’re excited to go back and enjoy being there.
For me, I’ve been with GM for so many years. I won there in 2012 in a Camaro, three times in Corvette Daytona Prototype, and then 2017 in a Cadillac.

To be there always in a GM vehicle with the Renaissance Center nearby and all the big bosses coming to the race, it always adds a lot of pressure but always means so much more when the race goes well.
You can see those guys in person, and they are so passionate for these programs that it’s awesome to see their excitement. To go back there with the Corvette C8.R after such a strong opening year in 2020 and a strong start in 2021, it’s going to be cool to show them in person what these cars are able to do."

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

"I’m excited to get back in the C8.R again. It’s been a bit of a break since Sebring.
There has been some testing, but there’s nothing like a race weekend. The Detroit event will be a little different for us since it’s a non-points event.
We will treat it as a race event, but it will be a good warm up with quite a few races coming up.
There won’t be much time to take a breath before the end of the season. We’ve missed the atmosphere of having the fans there.

For me at least, I still feel that’s a missing element.
Fundamentally, that’s why we go racing to showcase these amazing Corvette race cars and allow the people to get up close and see how cool they are five feet away.
For the fans who have been around sports cars so long to get back, the access is pretty special. For us, that’s something that is fun to see."

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

"I’ve been to Detroit to visit the Corvette Racing shop. But due to things associated around COVID, I haven’t yet been able to integrate fully into the Chevrolet and Corvette programs. So this is something that I’m looking forward to meeting some of the team members who have designed and worked on this car and seeing the people of Detroit who want to come and see us.
We’re all looking forward to having the paddock open again to show off these cool machines and interact with people. On top of that, it’s my first time at Belle Isle. From a competition standpoint, I’m looking forward to getting onto a brand-new circuit. It’s not often that we go to a new track, so it’s something that is exciting for me personally."

The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship returns to Detroit for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic after a 2 absence owing to the cancellation of the 2020 event by the COVID pandemic.
Much about the WeatherTech Championship has changed since Dane Cameron & Juan Pablo Montoya steered Team Penske’s Acura ARX-05 to the overall and Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class win in Motown in 2019, even as Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand captured GT Daytona (GTD) honors in the AIM Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3.

For openers, the DPi and GTD cars won’t have the 2.35-mile Belle Isle circuit all to themselves as, only fitting for a race entitled the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic,
the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class will be represented by a pair of corvettes Racing Corvette C8.Rs.

Interestingly, each of the 3 classes will be competing for different spoils in Saturday’s 100-minute race.
Points for the season-long WeatherTech Championship are on the line for DPi competitors, while the dozen GTD cars entered will vie for IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup points awarded in the second of the season’s eight non-endurance races.

And those ‘Corvettes?

They’ll compete against each other in a non-points-paying race between the No. 3 of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor and the No. 4 piloted by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy.
While Corvette Racing will surely look forward to putting on a good, clean show in their hometown, suffice to say the elbows will be out in force on a day when there’s nothing more (or less) than bragging rights at stake among those four alpha males.

As for DPi, whether you consider “recent form” to be the 2021 season to date or the most recent Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, it would seem Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 must count as a favorite this weekend.
Acura is the “defending” DPi winner at Detroit and the combination of WTR, Acura and Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque lead the team, manufacturer and driver championships, thanks to wins at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Acura Sports Car Challenge Presented by the TLX Type S at Mid-Ohio.

Speaking of redressing things, the No. 01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi V.R has been positively snake-bitten to date, snatching defeat (or having defeat snatched) from the jaws of victory on a couple of occasions.
Needless to say, CGR would like nothing better than to celebrate its return to prototype racing by claiming its first overall win in IMSA competition since 2015 in front of the Cadillac/General Motors brass.

Catch all the action from Detroit on NBCSN and IMSA Radio beginning at 5 p.m. ET Saturday.

IMSA veteran Jordan Taylor is usually headed for France this time of year for the classic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

But with the 2021 Le Mans event rescheduled for later this summer, Taylor was instead cruising across the historic MacArthur Bridge in the Motor City in a sleek new 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition on route to the Raceway at Belle Isle, where he’ll compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race version of the Corvette on Saturday.

Taylor was flanked in Stingrays by fellow Corvette Racing drivers Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Antonio Garcia.

The quartet, who drive the all-conquering mid-engine Corvette C8.R in the WeatherTech Championship, were part of a celebration on Belle Isle dedicated to Corvette Racing’s domination of the 2020 season, where the team won six GT Le Mans (GTLM) races, seven poles and swept the manufacturer, driver and team championships.

On Saturday, Taylor will team with Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette, while Milner and Tandy will run the No. 4 Corvette in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, a 100-minute race around Belle Isle’s 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit. The race will air live at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and IMSA Radio.

A Corvette Racing GT car has not competed at Belle Isle since 2008, so Jim Campbell the U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports for General Motors was delighted as he stood on the main straight of the track to meet the fleet of Stingrays.

“For Chevrolet and the Corvette Racing team to be back on Belle Isle is absolutely fantastic,” Campbell said. “We have wanted to race a Corvette here for years, but we had conflicts with Le Mans. I’m so very proud that Corvette is back racing in Detroit, within sight of the GM World Headquarters Building.
I just can’t wait for the race on Saturday. Today, we introduce the 2022 special edition Corvette to celebrate the C8.R’s incredible 2020 season.”

Though a non-points race for Corvette Racing this weekend, Taylor, who teamed with Garcia and Nicky Catsburg to win the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, is stoked to be back racing at Belle Isle in a Corvette.

“It’s very exciting,” said Taylor, who has five career Belle Isle wins. “Corvette Racing hasn’t been here (with a GT car) since the ALMS days in 2008.
It’s a tough and demanding racetrack. I really enjoy it. My biggest rivals this weekend will be our teammates.
We are in equally great equipment, so I’m sure there will be some ego involved.
It’s the first weekend having fans back (in the paddock) since COVID started, so that’s great news, too.”

Taylor and Garcia drove coupe and convertible No. 3 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Editions across the bridge and onto the track for the unveiling. Tandy led on track in a Corvette Stingray convertible, the official pace car of the 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Milner followed the group in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R race car.

The Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition, based on the 3LT trim with Z51 Performance Package, will be limited to 1,000 cars produced. Each car includes Corvette Racing-themed graphics packages.
Accelerate Yellow No. 3 editions feature gray graphics and Hypersonic Gray No. 4 editions feature yellow accents.

Additional exterior content includes a high-wing spoiler in Carbon Flash; yellow brake calipers; black Trident design wheels, with the “Jake” logo on the center caps, and more. The interior features a Strike Yellow and Sky Cool Gray cabin that mimics the exterior yellow and gray racing theme, with standard GT2 seats (Competition Sport seats are available), along with yellow seat belts and a C8.R Special Edition numbered plaque.

Taylor enjoyed his short stint behind the wheel of the Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition.

“I didn’t go that fast, I put my foot down near the finish line on the straight, but this is a great sports car with terrific DNA,” he said.
“I think later in the year, we get to take them out West to a track and drive them hard and aggressive.”

Garcia agreed with his racing partner.

“I love the Stingray,” said Garcia. “There is a lot of technology transfer from it to the C8.Rs.”

With no points or competition on the line, Corvette Racing will be using this weekend’s Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge at Detroit’s Belle Isle as a “good warmup” for the rest of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season according to Tommy Milner.

Added as an invitational class following the postponement of the 24 Hours of Le Mans that led to a date change for this weekend’s event, the pair of Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will race unopposed in GTLM.

It nonetheless marks the first time in 13 years the factory Corvettes have been able to race under GM’s backdrop.
“The Detroit event will be a little different for us since it’s a non-points event,” said Milner. “We will treat it as a race event, but it will be a good warm up with quite a few races coming up.

“There won’t be much time to take a breath before the end of the season.”

Milner and Jordan Taylor are the only two Corvette drivers to have previous experience on Belle Isle.
Taylor, in fact, holds five class wins, including three in a Corvette Daytona Prototype and most recently in Cadillac’s DPi-V.R.
“At any racetrack where you’ve had success, you’re excited to go back and enjoy being there,” said Taylor.

“For me, I’ve been with GM for so many years. I won there in 2012 in a Camaro, three times in Corvette Daytona Prototype, and then 2017 in a Cadillac.
“To be there always in a GM vehicle with the Renaissance Center nearby and all the big bosses coming to the race, it always adds a lot of pressure but always means so much more when the race goes well.

“You can see those guys in person, and they are so passionate for these programs that it’s awesome to see their excitement.
“To go back there with the Corvette C8.R after such a strong opening year in 2020 and a strong start in 2021, it’s going to be cool to show them in person what these cars are able to do.”

With four races in a six-week span plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August, the Pratt & Miller-run team is set for a busy period of racing.
“I’m looking forward to getting back on the racetrack and back to racing after a long period since Sebring,” said Garcia.

“I had a chance to race at Spa [in WEC], but it still feels like a long time since I’ve raced in the States. It’ll be nice to get back to doing what we are used to doing – being around the fans and seeing them. That’s one of the biggest things.”

Tandy Looking Forward to “Integrate Fully” into Corvette Program

With it being the first sprint race of the GTLM season, it also means the first for the No. 4 car’s full-season pairing of Milner and Nick Tandy.
The ex-Porsche factory driver believes this weekend will help him get to know the remainder of the team.

“I’ve been to Detroit to visit the Corvette Racing shop, but due to things associated around COVID, I haven’t yet been able to integrate fully into the Chevrolet and Corvette programs,” said Tandy.

“So this is something that I’m looking forward to meeting some of the team members who have designed and worked on this car and seeing the people of Detroit who want to come and see us.

“We’re all looking forward to having the paddock open again to show off these cool machines and interact with people.
On top of that, it’s my first time at Belle Isle.
“From a competition standpoint, I’m looking forward to getting onto a brand-new circuit.
It’s not often that we go to a new track, so it’s something that is exciting for me personally.”

Kevin Magnussen scored his first career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole in qualifying for Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit’s Belle Isle.

The Dane, in only his fourth sports car race, reeled off a 1:20.031 lap in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R to edge out the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P of Harry Tincknell by 0.021 seconds.

The 15-minute session ended early following an accident by Tristan Vautier in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac with five minutes to go.
Vautier lost control of his car before making side contact with the barriers. He attempted to bring the car back to the pits but stopped on track.
As a result, the Frenchman lost his quickest qualifying lap and will start fifth in the six-car DPi field.

Pipo Derani qualified third in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac followed by the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 of Ricky Taylor in fourth.
The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura DPi of Olivier Pla again brought up the rear, nearly 1.5 seconds slower than pole-sitter Magnussen.
Heistand on Pole; Farnbacher Quickest in GTD

Richard Heistand scored pole in GT Daytona, with Mario Farnbacher claiming maximum qualifying points in the two-stage format.
Heistand took his No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo to a quick lap of 1:30.529, outpacing the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 of Frankie Montecalvo, who will line up second in class.

Roman De Angelis will start third in the No. 23 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, meanwhile.
Q2 saw Farnbacher storm to a 1:29.871 lap time in his No. 76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo, which was 0.123 seconds quicker than Ross Gunn’s Heart of Racing Aston in second.

Montecalvo’s co-driver Townsend Bell, who is subbing for the COVID-19 positive Zach Veach, set the third quickest time in the session.
The sister No. 14 Lexus did not set a time in Q2 after it sustained right-rear suspension damage due to Aaron Telitz brushing the wall. It came after he set the fifth quickest time in Q1.

In GT Le Mans, Nick Tandy outpaced Jordan Taylor for class pole in the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

Tandy’s 1:27.283 lap time was 0.323 seconds faster than Taylor in the two-car class this weekend that does not count towards season-long points.

The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic gets underway Saturday at 5 p.m. ET with live coverage on NBCSN.

Caddy takes 1st and 2nd place in DPI class
and Corvettes were the only 2 cars in the GTLM class and also take 1st and 2nd place

Renger van der Zande was able to hold off a hard charging Felipe Nasr to give Chip Ganassi Racing its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory with Cadillac in Saturday’s Chevy Sports Car Classic in Detroit’s Belle Isle.

The Dutchman survived a late-race caution & restart with three minutes to go to edge out the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R by 0.573 seconds.
Having led from green, the No. 01 Cadillac held control of the 100 minute race, which was appearing to come down to a fuel mileage race until a full course caution with nine minutes to go.

Flipe Albuquerque limped the DPi championship-leading Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 home in third with an apparent issue.
Co-driver Ricky Taylor battled handling issues in his opening stint but capitalized on pit strategy to jump from fifth to third.

The No. 55 Mazda RT24-P of Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell finished fourth, marking the pairings first non-podium finish of the season.

GTLM saw the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Tommy Milner & Nick Tandy come out ahead of teammates Jordan Taylor & Antonio Garcia.
It came despite radio communication issues for Milner during his stint.

Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy won an all-Chevrolet Corvette C8.R battle in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the Detroit Sports Car Challenge on Saturday at Belle Isle Park.

The duo in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R beat their Corvette Racing teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor by 0.226 seconds in a non-points GTLM round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The two Corvettes made their lone pit stops of the race three laps apart, with Taylor pitting first after 42 minutes.
Tandy then stopped with a 55-second lead, and the gap shrank back to a little more than a second with 25 minutes to go with Garcia trying to run down Milner to the end before and after a late-race caution period.

Despite no points being available in GTLM, having Corvette Racing back on Belle Isle was of huge benefit on multiple fronts.
For one, the Belle Isle appearance provided an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet production team members who contributed in some way to the C8.R – and the road-going Corvette Stingray to see Corvette Racing in-person.

The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was the culmination of almost six years of work between all facets of engineers and designers from the Corvette production side and Corvette Racing.

Second, it was Corvette Racing’s first IMSA event since March. With a busy stretch coming up in the IMSA championship over the next six weeks plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August, Belle Isle offered up a nice refresher on operations and procedures for the four drivers plus the crews and engineers.

Saturday’s race also was the first street race for the Corvette C8.R, and the team also collected valuable data ahead of the Long Beach street circuit in September.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 27 from Watkins Glen International.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:

"The goal coming here was to keep the cars off the wall and learn as much as we possibly could about the C8.R on a street track. We did that. We did treat this as competition within our team to remain sharp and working through our processes.

Furthermore, we did that with no mistakes in the race. We knew having Nick stay out longer than Jordan would help, and it did.
There was a little traffic and then the yellow near the end to bunch us up. That gave us a little battle for sure.

It was good for us to shake off the cobwebs and get ready for the long haul toward the end of the season."

"Both cars are close as it is, no matter what.
We expected a nice little race with the 3 car, which we got there at the start. Our pit strategy put us a little farther ahead and Antonio kind of made it back toward me for a nice little run to the end. I had no radio, which was not the plan!

That’s about the only thing that went wrong for us this weekend. The crew could give me gaps (on a signboard). But I could see the gap to Antonio and could see he was getting closer. We had the yellow and I knew there were about six to seven laps to go.

For us to learn a lot about the car and the tires in those situations is a benefit. It puts us back in a groove again.
We’ve been off for so many weeks. It’s good for us as a team to shake the rust off and get our minds back into racing mode again.
In some ways, it was a practice race for us before we push on for the last races."

"That was mission No. 1, but the whole point of coming here was to showcase these Corvettes.
We haven’t been here since 2008, so it’s a great opportunity for Corvette Racing to showcase these C8.Rs to the engineers and a lot of the people who work for Corvette Racing and Chevrolet.

Their families were able to be here and see these cars. It wasn’t just about us driving on the racetrack. It’s about giving back to a lot of the people who make this race program what it is.
Furthermore, it was an opportunity for them to see the cars up close and experience what these Corvettes are capable of and what they are working toward.
Both cars are in one piece. From our perspective, job well done."

The reception of Corvette on Belle Isle:

"It’s a great opportunity for us as drivers and a team to interact with the many, many people who in some way helped to make these race cars or street cars, or someone else who works for Chevrolet or GM who has a hand in a different model than Corvette.
The Corvette is a halo car and America’s supercar.

It’s the pinnacle of what Chevrolet offers. It’s a chance to build excitement within those programs and for those engineers to get excited about what they produce.
Fundamentally, this was high on the priority list for coming here and doing this race.
We wanted to give them a good experience to see what they’re working on and had a hand in some ways so they can show their friends and families what they do.

That’s what racing for a long time has been about to showcase the latest and greatest in technologies. They can see the track-to-street correlation to see how close the race cars look compared to the street cars.
They can see production parts that they helped build or design that are on the race cars.
It’s a unique opportunity for GM and Chevrolet, and it’s a no-brainer for us to come to this race."

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM RACE WINNER:

"Not only did we complete the race and show off this awesome Corvette to everyone in the stands and around the track, but we also got a load of relevant information for the next time we are on a street track.
This was the first time we’ve been on this type of track with the C8.R. What also was pleasing was how the whole weekend went operationally.
The whole team was able to get back in the swing of things again before a busy summer. So yes, mission accomplished."

"We had a good race between our cars. The start was interesting. We were three-wide in the kink before the start-finish line, and I was surprised to see this.
But it all worked itself out. We learned a lot about what we need out of the car from a street track point of view.

This is good. We had a restart with cold tires, and it’s always fun when you have someone to play with and compete against, so this was good. Between the pair of us, we split strategies a bit; one car pitted early to avoid traffic, and we stayed out in the hope we could build a gap.
We could see the differences in these kinds of strategic decisions.

This is something that goes into a notebook.
Fortunately for me and Tommy and everyone on the 4 Corvette, we get to celebrate in Victory Circle. We’ll take it as a victory, and I’m happy to be here."

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM:

"Every time you race, you find things. It’s great to now have laps on the C8.R around a street circuit.
It’s good to do a race for the first time here because there is a lot of data to be collected. We raced hard and tried to get the most out of the Corvette while racing against each other.
We proved that we were running fairly quick.
I think I left my right-side mirror somewhere on the track! It was cool. It’s always great to race around a street circuit. Maybe we were missing some competition like we are used to, but it was great to be here in Detroit with all the people who work on and appreciate the Corvette.
This has been a highlight weekend for everyone."

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTLM:

"It was a good experience. We had some new crew members over the wall for pit stops. We tried some new things on the car to help with reliability.
There may to have been points, but we learned a lot to take to Long Beach for another street course and of course Le Mans, which is the big one we are preparing for.
So yes, a very good day for Corvette Racing."